VOL. LX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. g 



nothing but the back and tail are to be seen. It could not be killed, though 

 struck with wooden poles armed with iron, with which rice is stamped ; but the 

 blows on the scales brought forth sparks of fire from the iron. It was at last 

 killed by a stroke under the belly with an iron hook. It is remarkable that this 

 little animal is able to kill an elephant, by twisting itself about that large animal's 

 trunk, and squeezing it with its body and tail (on the sides of which are rows of 

 pointed scales) so long, that it kills the elephant. This animal is seldom seen^ 

 except in large valleys. 



f^L On the Result of Some Attempts made to Ascertain the Temperature of the 

 Sea in Great Depths, near the Coasts oj" Lapland and Norway, By Charles 

 Douglas, Esq., F.R.S., then Captain of' His Majesty's Ship the Emerald, 

 Anno 1769. p. 39. 



May the 12th, 1 769, between the islands of Surey and Hammerfest, in Lap- 

 land, in the latitude of 70° 40', between the hours of 6 and 9 p. m. the thermo- 

 meter stood in the open air at 27, in the sea at the surface 36, and in three 

 several depths, from 87 to 78 fathoms at the bottom, as often tried, at 39. 

 May 17th, in nearly the same place, the thermometer having at noon stood in 

 the open air at 44, stood between 7 and 9 p. m. at 38, at the surface 37; and 

 at the bottom in the depths of 86 and 90 fathoms, having been twice tried, at 

 39. May 22d, in lat. 70" 32', between the island of Hammerfest and the main 

 land of Finmark, about 7 p.m. the thermometer stood at 40, in the open air; 

 in the sea at the surface at 37 ; and at the bottom in 80 fathoms depth, at 39. 

 Jijne 29th in the afternoon, between the island of Maggeroe and the main land 

 of Lapland, in lat. 70° 54', the thermometer stood in the open air at 47 ; in the 

 sea, at the surface at 44; and in 98 fathoms water, at the ground at 40. July 

 7th at sea, about 6 leagues distance from the island of Tromsound, in the lat. of 

 70° 45', the thermometer in the open air at 46, in the sea at the surface 46, and 

 at the bottom 70 fathoms deep 44. July 8th, in lat. 68° 43', at the distance of 

 12 or 14 leagues from the island of Lofoot, in the province of Norland, the ther- 

 mometer stood in the open air at aQ, in the sea at the surface 47, 260 fathoms 

 below the surface, but not at the bottom, at 52: and 100 fathoms below the 

 surface at 46. July 9th, in lat. 65° 25', the thermometer in the open air at 48, 

 in the sea at the surface 48; 210 fathoms deep on the ground at 48; and 100 

 fathoms below the surface at 46. July 10th, in lat. 64° 40', about 30 leagues 

 from the coast of Norway, the thermometer in the open air, and in the sea at 

 the surface at 52, at the grouud in 141 fathoms water, at 46; and 75 fathoms 

 below the surface at 45. 



The foregoing thermometrical experiments, made in deep water, v^ere effected 



VOL. XIII. C 



