Researches on the Discharge of the Electric Organ. 33 



Here in general we used very broad stimuli to avoid the effect 

 due to the difference of their breadths. In No. 35 and No. 36 the 

 preparation of the organ was the same, and in the former case the 

 stimuli were given in the increasing order of height and in the latter 

 in the decreasing order so as to eliminate the progressive change in 

 the organ. Tlic two curves (Plate X., Fig. 1) representing them run 

 very closely to each other, the latter being somewhat lower than 

 the former. This shows that the progressive change, which might 

 be due to the decay of the organ or slow cooling of the same, was 

 very small during the experiments. The mean curve of No. 35 and 

 No. 36 is shown in Plato X., Fig. 2. This may be considered to be 

 the true course of the curve when there exists no progressive 

 change. Oscillograms No. 42 and No. 43 are of a set of experiments 

 of the same kind as the above. The preparation was the same as 

 that of No. 40 and No. 41, which were a set of experiments for 

 the investigation of the relation Ijetween the breadth of a stimulus 

 and the corresponding height of the discharge, and which will be 

 discussed later. The stimuli are in the increasing order of height 

 in No. 42, and in the reverse order in No. 43. Here w^e see that 

 the curves (Plate X.) rejoresenting them do not coincide; showing 

 the existence of a progressive change, so that the discharges 

 became relatively smaller with the course of the experiments. 

 Assuming that the progressive change Avas uniform, the mean curve 

 may represent the true course of the curve. Oscillograms No. 55 

 and No. 5(j (Plate X. ) are of experiments of the same kind. Here 

 we have a check on each film, which sIioavs that the effect of the 

 progressive change Avas very small. In the figure, the check points 

 are marked Avith ©. Oscillograms No. 38 and No. 54 have no check 

 for the progressive change (Plate X., Fig. 3). Oscillograms No. 62, 

 No. 63 and No. 64 (Plate X. , Fig. 3) relate to a series of experi- 

 ments in Avhich stimuli given Avere in the decreasing order Avith 

 respect to their heights, having a check on each film. The 

 breadths of the stimuli are different in t]ie three films, broadest in 

 No. 62, and narroAvest in No. 64. 



Tracing the general course of these several curves Ave see that 

 they converge to the origin of the co-ordinates. The height of the 



