406 Miscellaneous. 



being able to attempt its culture as a perennial, in the same way as 

 cotton is grown in Peru. 



ox DIPHYA SAGITTAIRIA. 



M. Hollard read before the Society some facts relative to Diphya 

 sag'itiairia, a singular animal, and as yet but little known, which, 

 living in the open sea, is blown upon the coast by stormy winds 

 which mutilate it, as its structure is very fragile. He also presented 

 some details on the anatomy of the VeleUidce, radiated animals, the 

 order of which is not yet determined. M. Hollard submitted to the 

 Society several curious anatomical objects, and particularly a Tor- 

 pedo from the Mediterranean, in which the electric apparatus was 

 laid bare. — Bulletin des Sciences de la Societe Vaudoise, as inserted in 

 the Bibliotheque Universelle, Nov. 1842. 



EXPERIMENTS ON THE TORPEDO. 



M . Matteucci communicated to the French Academy of Sciences, on 

 the 20th of Feb. last, the results of some experiments on the torpedo, 

 illustrative of the theory entertained by himself and M. de Blainville 

 on the analogy between muscular contraction and electricity. He 

 introduced a small quantity of the aqueous solution of opium into the 

 stomach of the living torpedo ; the tincture of nux vomica was like- 

 wise introduced into the stomach of another live torpedo. The two 

 fishes, apparently dead, were soon afterwards removed from the water, 

 and on their backs were placed two frogs (prepared in the way al- 

 ready described by the author) and the galvanometer. When the 

 animal, or any part of it, was slightly touched, it contracted, and the 

 torpedo furnished an electrical discharge, although before the expe- 

 riment it required strong irritation to produce any effect. 



The brain of a torpedo, much reduced in strength, was exposed, 

 and an alkaline solution of potash api)lied on the fourth lobe. The 

 torpedo died, giving forth very strong discharges. 



The electrical organ was rapidly removed from a living torpedo, 

 and prepared frogs were placed on the organ. On passing a knife 

 into the organ, and dividing the smallest nervous filaments, the frogs 

 leaped up, sometimes one, sometimes the other, according to the 

 point of the electrical organ which was cut. I had never before 

 (says the author) seen in so perfect a manner the localised action of 

 nervous filaments, nor had I ever witnessed so clearly the curious 

 action of the electrical lobe of the brain. I received six torpedos, 

 which were brought to me in a state of apparent inanition ; the most 

 active irritants failed to produce a discharge, for the animals seemed 

 to have been destroyed by the cold. I exposed the brain, and on 

 irritating the fourth lobe I obtained very powerful discharges. I cut 

 up the electrical organ of a live torj^edo in all directions, and applied 

 the galvanometer to different points ; the direction of the electrical 

 current was invariably from the points nearest the back, towards the 

 lower part of the belly. It is impossible to admit any analogy be- 

 tween the organ, and piles, batteries, &c. 



