116 



which must be seen to be accredited,'' Making the experiment, Dr. Richardson 

 says : "We take a irigeon, place it on a stand, pass the negative terminal to one 

 of its feet and direct the point of the opposite terminal towards its back. The 

 discharge is made, and the animal, life-like as it seems, is fatally struck. It 

 sits as it did before, the head is erect, its eyes are open, and its feathers are 

 smooth. But it is actually dead." 



Again, quoting Dr. Richardson : — "These facts, one and all, connect 

 themselves with death by lightning stroke." 



Every one of the phenomena we har« traced here has its natural counter- 

 part in the phenomena of nature. We may henceforth, when we see a person who 

 has been struck by lightning, know accurately from the effects produced the 

 character of the discharge to which he has been subjected. 



Has he been scorched and stunned — he has received a discharge, the 

 analogue of which is in the flaming spark of our coil. 



Has he been struck and left distorted, rigid in parts or bruised, — he has 

 received from the cloud the discharge, the analogue of which is in oui' Ley den jar. 



Has he been struck and left free of all mark of burn or destortion, left in 

 such serenity of death, with such persistent brightness of eye, calmness of expres- 

 sion, and ease of limb, that you could almost accost him as though he were in 

 life and could deceive yourself that he did yet breathe ? He has received from 

 the cloud the analogue of the discharge which has just been illustrated (applause). 



Mr. Lingen then made some remarks on Dr. Richardson's experiments. 



Mr. With received the thanks of the meeting through thePresident, and 

 was proposed as an Honorary Member of the Club by Dr. Bull and the Rev. A. 

 Gray. 



The President then called upon Dr. Bull to continue his^ 



