in the Intestines of living Animals. 153 



of experiment/ I tried to extract fat from the contents of the 

 colon in different parts of its course, but without success. 

 Failing in this mode of obtaining any decisive conclusions, I 

 was led to believe the caeca of birds more favourable for ex- 

 periments on this subject, and had those of a duck examined 

 by Mr. W. Brande after the bird had been seven days with- 

 out an evacuation. This confined state of the bowels put the 

 parts nearly under the same circumstances, as if they were in 

 a diseased state. When the caeca were examined, they were 

 found completely distended with faeces of the consistence of 

 soft clay, so that, when the bags were laid open, the contents 

 retained the same form. The intestine, immediately above 

 the cseca, was empty, but the rectum was much distended ; 

 its contents were of a softer consistence than those of the 

 caeca. 



The following is Mr. Brande's report on this subject. 



** The contents of the c«ca were divided into two portions, 

 " of one drachm each, and comparative experiments were made 

 " with similar quantities of the contents of the rectum. 



*' Exp. 1. One drachm of the contents of the caecum was 

 " completely immersed in half an ounce of water, and kept 

 " for seven days in a temperature varying from 40* to 60°. 

 «* At the end of that time, warm water was poured upon it, 

 " but no appearance of fat could be perceived. 



" Exp, 2. The same quantity of the contents of the caecum 

 " was immersed in water containing one-fifteenth part of 

 ** nitric acid, and kept under the same circumstances as in the 

 " former experiment. In seven days, warm water poured upon 

 " it separated a portion of oily matter, which concreted when 

 " cold, and appeared to be one-eighth of the whole mass. 



