NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 403- 



hioved. He hoped to preserve fish in the same way. (Mr. 

 Speuce Bate subsequently remarked that after five or six years 

 the structure of specimens preserved in glycerine appeared 

 to become rotten. He suggested, therefore^ the previous 

 admixture with the glycerine of one eighth of spirit of wine.) 



Among the molluscs many specimens of Eledone had been 

 captured. This was generally supposed to be a rare species, 

 but Octopus vulgaris proves to be the more difficult to obtain. 

 Two specimens of Sepia officinalis were placed in the pond 

 on the 8th of June 1871. On the 24th they were seen to be 

 in copula, head to head, arms interlaced, and resting on the 

 bottom for about twelve minutes. On the 12th July the 

 female died, and was found to contain a large quantity of 

 ova. Steps have been taken to have constructed in the cave 

 behind the pond a case with a glass front for watching the 

 habits of animals. The temperature of the water in the pond 

 is several degrees below that in the tanks at the Crystal Palace. 



8. On the Eelative Power of Various Substances in Preventing 

 Putrefaction, and the Development of Protoplasmic and Fungus 

 Life. By Dr. F. Grace- Calvert, F.R.S.— To carry out this 

 series of experiments, small test tubes were thoroughly 

 cleansed and heated to dull redness. Into each was placed 

 26 grammes of a solution of albumen, containing one part of 

 white of egg to four parts of pure distilled water, prepared 

 as described in my paper on " Protoplasmic Life." To this 

 was added --oVttj or "026, gramme of each of the substances 

 the action of which I desired to study. 



The reasons why I employed one part in a thousand are 

 twofold. First, the employment of larger proportions would 

 in some instances have coagulated the albumen ; secondly, it 

 would have increased the difficulty of observing the relative 

 powers of the most efficacious antiseptics in preventing the 

 development of the germs of putrefaction or decay. 



A drop was taken from each of the tubes, and examined 

 under a microscope having a magnifying power of 800 

 diameters. This operation was repeated daily with the eon- 

 tents of each tube for thirty-nine days, and from time to 

 time for eighty days. During this time the tubes were kept 

 in a room the temperature of which did not vary more than 

 three degrees, namely, from 12-5° C. to 15'5° C. 



In order the better to show the influence of the antiseptics 

 used, I examined two specimens of the same solution at the 

 same time, one of which was kept in the laboratory, the other 

 in the open air. 



A marked difference was observed in the result, the one 

 kept outside becoming impregnated with animal life in less 

 than half the time required by the other, while as many 



