THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



395 



a more decided opalescence approaching to cloudiness; 

 though that which had been rendered faintly alkaline 

 had a distinctly opaque whitish colour, and there was 

 also a distinct pellicle, covering more than one-half of 

 the surface of the fluid. In the three or four succeeding 

 days the amount of opacity, of pellicle, and of deposit 

 increased in both the fluids, though each of these 

 continued to be more manifest in the alkaline than in 

 the acid solution. After a week, however, the difference 

 was scarcely appreciable, though on the whole, for 

 about two weeks afterwards, the quantity of new matter 

 seemed to be greater in the alkaline than in the acid 

 solution. 



But, on the same morning that these two portions of 

 the acid and alkaline infusions had been set aside for 

 observation, I had placed with them vessels containing 

 two other specimens of the same fluids. These had 

 been previously treated in the following manner. The 

 acid and the alkaline fluid were placed in their re- 

 spective flasks, and after the necks of these had 

 been drawn out the fluids were boiled for ten minutes. 

 At the expiration of this time, and whilst ebullition 

 was still continuing, the drawn-out necks of the 

 flasks were hermetically sealed in the blow-pipe flame. 

 These experiments were undertaken in order to show, by 

 comparison with the other two, whether the difference 

 produced by mere acidity or alkalinity of the solutions 

 at low temperatures was or was not intensified by the 

 action of heat. The flasks were all suspended in a 



