THE CRYSTALLINE STYLE OF LAMELLIBRANOHIA. 599 



saturated with ammonium sulphate and filtered, the filtrate 

 does not give the characteristic reaction of a peptone. 

 Nor are there any albumoses in the style, because when its 

 solution in water is precipitated with alcohol; and the precipi- 

 tate has been kept under absolute alcohol for six months, 

 and is then treated with water, the water does not dissolve 

 the slightest quantity of the pi'ecipitate, and does not give 

 the characteristic reactions of albumoses. The method of 

 exclusion, therefore, shows that the proteid of the style must 

 belong to the globulin class, and it shows the characteristics 

 of that class. It is soluble in dilute saline solutions, and 

 insoluble in concentrated solutions of NaCl, Mg SO^ and 

 Anio SO^. Its solution in water, as has been stated above, is 

 precipitated by heat. 



Analysis shows that there is about 88 ])er cent, of 

 water in the style, about 12 per cent, of a proteid 

 (globulin), and about 1 per cent, of salts. As far, therefore, 

 as the proportion of water to the solids goes, the composition 

 of the style is not far different from that of the pancreatic 

 secretion of the dog. 



Let us now examine the physiological properties of the 

 style. If two styles from fresh-water mussels are added to 

 thirty minims of starch solution, all the starch will be con- 

 verted into reducible sugar in about three hours. If seven 

 styles are dissolved in distilled water, and the solution added 

 to thirty njinims of the same starcli solution, all the starcli 

 will be tiansformed into a reducible sugar in about twenty 

 minutes. These very simple experiments show that there is 

 an amylolytic ferment in the style. An intermediate product 

 of the nature of dextrin is formed, just as it is formed during 

 the conversion of starcli into sugar by saliva. In fact, all the 

 stages of this ti'ansformation of starch into sugar in salivary 

 digestion are noticeable during the conversion of starch into 

 sugar by the crystalline style. It should be stated here that 

 the style can also transform raw stai'ch into sugar, but more 

 slowly. It also acts on glycogen as ptyaliu does, converting 

 it slowly into sugar. We could not detect any action of the 



