[ *74 1 



been produced from zinc was not altered, and filled 

 the bottle as at firft. 



Another inftance of this kind occurred to my ob- 

 fervation on the 19th of June 1772, when a quan- 

 tity of air, half of which had been inflammable air 

 from zinc, and half air in which mice had died, and 

 which had been put together the 30th of July 

 1 77 1, appeared not to be in the leaft inflammable, 

 but extinguished flame, as much as any kind of air 

 that I had ever tried. I think that, in all, I have 

 had four inftances of inflammable air loling its in- 

 flammability, while it flood in water. 



Though air tainted with putrefaction extinguifhes 

 flame, I have not found that animals or vegetables 

 putrefying in inflammable air render it lefs inflam- 

 mable. But one quantity of inflammable air, which 

 I had fet by in May 1771, along with the others 

 above mentioned, had had fome putrid flefh in it ; 

 and this air had loft its inflammability, when it was 

 examined at the fame time with the other in the De- 

 cember following. The bottle in which this air 

 had been kept, fmelled exactly like very fcrong 

 Harrowgate water. I do not think that any perfon 

 could have diftinguifhed them. 



I have made plants grow for feveral months in 

 inflammable air made from zinc, and alfo from oak; 

 but, though the plants grew pretty well, the air Itill 

 continued inflammable. The former, indeed, was 

 not fo highly inflammable as when it was frefh 

 made, but the latter was quite as much fo ; and the 

 diminution of inflammability in the former cafe, I at- 

 tribute to fome other caufe than the growth of the 

 plant. 



No 



