1079 
the experiments were rejected. We used very pure gelatine (Ne1son), 
the same as VON SCHROEDER used, The agar too was very pure and 
freed as far as possible from foreign substances by continuously 
treating it with water. The substances were placed in desiccators in 
a room, which was as much as possible kept at temperature. 
The data of an experiment on gelatine will be found in the 
following table; a solution of about 2°/, gelatine was solidified into 
a plate. 
Weight of the fresh plate 1.797 Gr. 
3 after 8 days in water vapour 0.056 _ ,, 
+ » 5 more days in vapour 0.056 _,, 
ky „  & days in liquid 0.728 „ 
bs kan. ty: vapour 0.039 „„ 
ee Mee, 79 Mand 0.758 ,, 
gp Be B, vapour 0.043 _,, 
en PNO Er). 9” RIA 0.500 _,, 
Whereas gelatine in water vapour absorbs not yet half its weight, 
we see that it takes up more than twenty-five times its own weight 
in liquid water. The experiment was repeated with other plates and 
always with the same result. A similar proportion is found with 
agar-agar. 
Weight of the freshly prepared plate 2.111 Gr. 
Qe after 5 days in vapour 0.032 ,, 
Re „ 5 more days in vapour 0,037 „„ 
Pe „ 3 days in liquid 0.422 ,, 
5 DAR 541 oye WaPo 0.033 _,, 
J Bi i wijl ev AO 0,358”. 3 
Fr ae 70 Fe VADONE 0.040 _,, 
7 RD 7e yee UIC 0.395 „ 
59 wae» y Vapour 0.035 __,, 
It will be observed that in our experiments agar shows the phe- 
nomenon much more distinctly than in von Scuroxpes’s. This author 
also tried the experiment with filter paper; we however did not, 
because we found it impossible to free this material from the water 
adhering to the surface. 
Then we investigated, whether other substances show the same 
phenomenon, and we found a very striking example in nitrocel- 
lulose. Celloidin Scuerinc was used, which is known to be very 
