118 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



There is, of course, a considerable drying effect as the result 

 of the smoking, and this accounts for the relatively small 

 percentage of water and the large proportion of proteid. 

 The haddock belongs to a group of lean fishes, and so the fat- 

 content is very low — indeed, it may be neglected, since the 

 results obtained, 0.18 to 0.26%, may be due to the presence of 

 substances other than true fat which may be extracted from 

 the flesh. The percentage of nitrogen in the residue assumed 

 to be proteid is evidently low, but this, as we shall see, is due 

 to the solution of nitrogenous substances from the flesh. 



Each of the tins (which contained about f-lb. of fish) also 

 contained from about 25 to 50 c.c. of a turbid liquid. On 

 filtering this, a clear, slightly yellow, glairy liquid was obtained, 

 having a strong but very agreeable smell of finnan haddock. 

 It was highly salt, uncoagulable by boiling and, during the few 

 days that it was kept, showed no tendency to putrefy. 

 Analysis showed that it contained a considerable quantity of 

 proteid, thus : 



Sample of 15.5.19 0.5% of nitrogen = 3 % " proteid" 



„ „ 27.1.20 1.1% „ =6.8% „ 



„ ,, 27.1.20 1.2% „ =7.6% „ 



The " proteid " was, however, probably largely gelatine 

 altered by the sterilising process. Evidently the liquid in 

 the tins, in this and other similar cures, is highly nutritious 

 and ought to be eaten with the fish itself. 



Titrated by Sorensen's method the liquid gave an appreci- 

 able reaction. A quantity of 5 c.c. required (15.5.17) 

 5.3 c.c. n/10 sodium hydrate solution for neutralisation to 

 phenol phthalein, and the liquids from the matured samples 

 required a little more, 6.1 to 6.4 c.c. 



Maturation had occurred in the interval bewteen 15.5.19 

 and 27.1.20 in the sense that the bones of the fish had greatly 

 softened. This is due, probably, to the acid reaction of the 

 liquid contained in the tins. 



