450 



The Rhea Americana, with intestines equally long, has a gizzard 

 so placed, that no part of the food can escape trituration. 



And lastly, the Ostrich of Africa, where its means of subsistence 

 are most precarious, has a gizzard extremely strong, and intestines 

 seventy feet in length. 



Additional Remarks on the State in which Alcohol exists in fermented 

 Liquors. By William Thomas Brande, Esq. F.R.S. Read De- 

 cember 17, 1812. [Phil. Trans. 1813, p. 82.] 



The question here discussed, is whether alcohol exists in fermented 

 liquors ready formed as the result of fermentation, or is formed sub- 

 sequently from them by the process of distillation. The latter the 

 author has imagined to be the commonly received opinion ; and in a 

 preceding communication to the Society he endeavoured to refute it, 

 by showing that the same quantity of alcohol was always obtained, 

 whether the distillation was performed at a higher or lower tempe- 

 rature. Since the conclusions which he then drew may be objected 

 to on the ground that even the lowest temperature that he employed 

 for distillation might be sufficient to give a new arrangement to the 

 elements, and thereby form alcohol, he now employed a totally dif- 

 ferent process, in which distillation is altogether avoided. 



Having observed that the unsuccessful attempts which had been 

 made to separate alcohol from wines by subcarbonate of potash, and 

 from which some persons had inferred its non-existence, appeared to 

 fail in consequence of the union of the alkali with the colouring, ex- 

 tractive, and acid matters contained in the liquor, the author endea- 

 voured, and has succeeded, in effecting a previous separation of these 

 substances from wine, by means of subacetate of lead, or subnitrate 

 of tin. 



When these are added, a dense and copious precipitate is instantly 

 formed ; and if the liquor be then filtered, it passes perfectly colour- 

 less, containing alcohol, water, and a portion of the acid of the me- 

 tallic salt employed. 



By adding to this liquor half its quantity of subcarbonate of potash, 

 nearly the whole of the alcohol that was contained in the wine is se- 

 parated. 



In Port wine thus treated, the quantity of alcohol was found to be 

 22 per cent., agreeing very nearly with former results by distillation. 



To these inferences respecting the apparent proportion of alcohol 

 in Port and in other wines, it has been objected, that they do not 

 possess a power of intoxicating equal to such a mixture of alcohol 

 and water. 



Mr. Brande's reply to this objection is, that it requires some time 

 for a mixture of alcohol and water to become incorporated ; and that 

 in this state of imperfect union it is warmer to the taste, and appa- 

 rently more heating in its effects than when sufficient time has been 

 allowed for their mutual penetration. 



