AKD ANIMAL LIFE. 45 



When the chest of the first was examined, at 

 the conclusion of the experiment, the heart con- 

 tracted 12 times per minute in the horizontal posi- 

 tion ; allowed to remain in that situation for 

 five minutes, it contracted only once in the 

 minute ; when held up by the hind legs, it con- 

 tracted 20 times in the minute ; and when held 

 up by the fore legs, 11 times in the same period. 

 This difference in the contracting of the heart 

 was noticed accidentally by my friend Mr HA- 

 MILTON. The cause cannot be referred to the 

 flow of sensorial or nervous influence, as it pos- 

 sessed neither brain nor spinal cord, but probab- 

 ly to changes in the circulation or determination 

 of blood. 



The chests of the other two were also opened, 

 and the heart of the second was found beating 

 vigorously 75 times per minute ; that of the last 

 did not exhibit the least symptom of motion ; 

 the heart was dark-coloured with venous blood ; 

 its right cavities black, and engorged with the 

 same. 



The spinal cord in this, and in all other in- 

 stances, was destroyed by means of a heated 

 wire, filling as nearly as possible the cavity of 

 the spine. LEGALLOIS employed a wire of this 

 size, but WILSON PHILIP used one much finer, 

 and worked it in various directions, until he 

 conceived the nervous mass to be broken down. 

 We were seldom satisfied with thrusting the 

 wire down from the decapitated surface; the 



