32 



the worms had produced 12 degrees of carbonic acid 

 gas. A stick of phosphorus was introduced into the 

 eudiometer, and left remaining in that situation for 

 two days — at the expiration of which, there was an 

 absorption of 10 degrees ; consequently the animals 

 had not consumed all the oxygen.* 



EXPERIMENT II. 



I obtained oxygen gas from the black oxyde of 

 manganese ; in order to have it perfectly pure it was 

 well washed with lime water ; proceeding in the same 

 manner as in the preceding experiment. I transmitted 

 two measures of this gas into the vessel, into which 

 were put four worms of nearly the same size as pos- 

 sible of those employed in the experiment above. 

 They lived in this situation four days and six hours; 

 nearly double the time that the same number of ani- 

 mals lived in the same quantity of atmospheric air 

 under similar circumstances. When we came to exa- 

 mine the air, we found that one half had been consum- 

 ed ; the remainder was transferred into the eudiome- 

 ter ; after being filled with lime water, by agitating 

 the air, the water rose 25 degrees — consequently the 

 worms had produced twenty-five per cent, of carbonic 

 acid gas. 



* The air of this, and the following experiment was examined 

 bvtlie professor of chemistry, whose accuracy is notorious. 



