058 ON MUSCULAR MOTION. 



Frogs. Three frogs, kept for many days in an equable almofphere 



at 54.« ; their flomachs 62.** 



fluid of dropfy. " The watery fluid ilTuing from a perfon tapped for dropfy 

 of the belly 101** ; the atmofphere being 43^, and the tem- 

 perature of the fuperficies of the body at 96°. 



Thefe temperatures are confiderably higher than the com- 

 mon eftimation. 



Experiment to A man's arm being introduced within a glafs cylinder, it 



ihew that the ^^^ ^^j ^j^j-^j ^^ the end which embraced the head of the 

 volumes of •' 



mufcles are m- liumerus ; the velTel being inverted, water at 97^* was poured 

 crcafed during j^ [q ^^ j^ flU j^^ ^ ground brafs plate clofed the lower 

 aaion. , , ° , . , . , , 



aperture, and a barometer tube communicated with the water 



at the bottom of the cylinder. This apparatus including the 



arm, was again inverted, fo that the barometer tube became a 



gage, stnd no air was futJ'ered to remain in the apparatus. On 



the flighteft aclion with the mufcles of the hand, or fore-arm, 



the water afcended rapidly in the gage, making librations of 



fix and eight inches length in the barometer tube, on each 



contraction and relaxation of the mufcles. 



Crimping of fifli The remarkable effects of crimping firti by immerfion in 



cannot be efte<ft- water, after the ufual figns of life have difappeared, are worthy 



ed after rigidity * , , , . - , , A- r , , . 



of death. attention ; and whenever the rigid contractions or death have 



not taken place, this procefs may be prafli fed with fuccefs. 



The fea fifh dellined for crimping are ufually ftruck on the 



head when caught, which, it is faid, protrads the term of this 



capability ; and the mufcles which retain this property longeft 



are thofe about the head. Many tranverfe fedions of the 



\ mufcles being made, and the fifli imraerfed in cold water, the 



contra6lions called crimping take place in about five minutes; 



but, if the n\afs be large, it often requires thirty minutes to 



complete the procefs. 



Exnerimcnt. Two flounders, each weighing 1926 grains, the one being 



Two fifh were Jn a flate for crimping, the other dead and rigid, were put into 



ofThem^crimH. water at •48*', each being equally fcored with a knife. After 



if. hccific gra- half afi hroOri the crimped filh hadgained in weight 53 grains, 



aWdutetefht^' ^^^' ^^^^ ^^^ ^'^^ '^^^ '^^ '^ grains. The fpecific gravity of the 

 was incfeafed by crimped ifilli was greater than that of the dead fifli, but a 

 criropiBg. quantity of air-bubbles adhered to the furfaces of the crimped 



mufcles, wliicfi vv'ere rubbed off before weighing; this gas was 



*nol 'inflammable. 



The 



