Kifwanian Society of Dublin. 461 



Vermes. Only distinct instance the Sepia officinalis. Ves- 

 tibulum with concretions. 



The lecturer concluded bv observing, that throughout 

 the animal kingdom, wherever there appeared an organ of 

 hearing, a vestibulum containing a fluid, and surrounded 

 by membranes upon which the nerves are distributed, was 

 conspicuous ; this, therefore, he conceived to be the most 

 important part tor executing the function oF hearing. In 

 the cuttie-fisli it is a mere capsule : ascending m ihe ani- 

 mal kingdom, other paits are superadded till it reaches to 

 man, in whom the organ is most complicated and most 

 perfect; as he can not only distinguish simple vocal mo- 

 dulations and articulations, but also the different qua'ities 

 with relation to one sound, and that loo with wonderful 

 accuracy*. 



After the lecture, the learned president (Dr. Lettsom) 

 adjourned the Society until the 7th of January, with a very 

 neat and appropriate speech. 



KIRWANIAN SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



Dec. 16. A Memoir on the Malic Acid was read by 

 M. Donovan, Esq. 



Alter making some observations on the combinations of 

 malic acid with lead, the author proceeded to notice certain 

 defects in the processes hitherto proposed for preparina" that 

 acid. There is in the juice of apples a substance which 

 has heretofore escaped observation, and which possesses 

 very peculiar properties. In the process of Scheele, both 

 are found in what has been supposed to be the resulting 

 j)ure malic acid; nor can they be separated without the 

 utmost difficulty. In the second process wherein nitrous 

 acid is distilled from sugar, the author observed that a fluid 

 is produced which does not always manifest in a decisive 

 manner the characteristic properties of malic acid. 



The author then adverted to some other defects of these 

 modes of preparing the substance in question ; and re- 

 marked, that even the process of Vauquelin, although by 

 much the best, is not free from some of these objections. 

 He then proposed an improvement of the latter process, 

 which afl^M-ds, as far as is at present known, a malic acid 

 perfecllv pure. 



The paper concluded with conjectures concerning the 

 state in which this acid, and perhaps vegetable acids in 

 general, may previously have existed in fruits and berries. 



• See Cuvier, Liium d^Anulomit cojnparec, tome ii. 



Some 



