OXIGEN IN WATEft. 77 



because they cannot breathe. This is a matter' of faicf that 



any one can verify. 



But again, let us take snow, and inf reduce it by litllcS and 

 little into a glass bottle, continuing to do so in proportion 

 as it melts and lessens in bulk, till, being entirely melted, it 

 shall fill the bottle with water up to the brim ; let oil be im- 

 mediately poured on the surface, so that it shall rise some 

 inches in the neck of the bottle; let us then permit it to 

 acquire the temperature of the atmosphere, which 1 suppose 

 to be warm, and capable of melting the snow ; if, in this case, 

 by some expedient, the oil placed on the snow water, and 

 which embarrasses the neck of the bottle, be drawn off, and 

 we introduce, with the greatest possible quickness, a fish, as 

 vigorous as possible, and cover the water immediately over 

 with ail, we shall see with what pain this animal is' -affected 

 in this water ; he is attacked with a mortal conv^iiftroh, and 

 in a little time ceases to live. 



Such water as is obtained from melted snow, is equally 

 obtained from ice or from hail, by introducing pounded ice 

 or hail, by little and little, into a bottle, with the attentions 

 here mentioned; and by throwing ih a fish, after these mat- 

 ters are melted, the animal dies in this as in thfe snow 

 water. 



Thus we clearly see that congel'atidti expels fi-oih w'ater 

 all the^oxygen it contains, and on that accourit fishes can- 

 not live, because they cannot breathe in if. Waier of snow, 

 of ice, or of hail, or water produced frorrt any cong^ealed mas^, 

 under whatever form it may be, is a mortal element for the 

 inhabitants oi that fluid, because they find it void of ctKygcn 

 gas, which stops their respiration. These waters are ex- 

 hausted of oxygen, like that which has servedH)t thfe respira- 

 tion of one of these animals until its death. '''• ' J 'ir. ' 



If a bottle be filled with any kind of water, ihaf ' is' to 

 say, of river, of well, or of spring water, and a little fish- 

 be put into it; and afterwards to hinder the 'water from the 

 absorbing oxygen of the atmosphere, if oil' b'$ poured into 

 the neck of the bottle upon the water, the fish -will Itvehiany 

 hours ; but after he shall, by respiration, have^xhalisted all 

 the oxygen, he will .die,_ Let another similar fish be then 

 thrown into it, he will die as soon as he is in this water. But 

 if it be wished that the water should auain become fit for 



