Wilfordine has been shown by countercurrent distribution to be a mixture of alkaloids. Two very similar alkaloids, designated wilforine and wilfordine, were isolated from the mixture by partition chromatography and proved pure by countercurrent distribution. The compounds are insecticidally active ester alkaloids which, upon saponification, yield 1 mole of benzoic acid, 5 moles of acetic acid, and 2 moles of steam-non-volatile acid per mole of compound.