1-48 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [Feb, 



reduced to tlie metallic state was present in the mixture found in 

 the report. The loss, for any thing that we know, may have been 

 owing to the escape of oxygen gas. 



3. Di\ Lambe has not shown that the weight of the gases 

 which he obtained was exactly equal to the loss which he has 

 noted in the oxide of arsenic. We will venture to say that they 

 do not amount to one half of that loss. Therefore it is as fair 

 to conclude that a portion of the arsenic was annihilated^ as that 

 it was converted into carbonic oxide or acid. 



A letter from Col. Humphries^ of Connecticut, in New 

 England, to Sir Joseph Banks, was also read, giving an account 

 of a new variety of sheep, which appeared in that state in 179I5 

 and has been propagated. A ram of the variety was originally 

 produced on a farm. The ewes impregnated by this animal 

 sometimes produced the new variety, sometimes not. By de- 

 grees, a considerable number of them were produced, and the 

 breed was regularly propagated. It was called the otter, or ankon 

 sheep (from the Greek word for elbow). The characteristic was, 

 very short legs, particularly the fore legs, which were bent 

 somewhat like an elbow. The skeleton, brought to this country, 

 was compared by Sir Everard Home with the smallest Welch 

 sheep that could be procured. The bone of the fore-leg of an 

 aokon sheep weighing 45lbs. was thicker, but not so long, as 

 that of a Welch sheep scarce ith of the weight. The joints of 

 the ankon sheep were looser knit than usual, and the animal was 

 feebler. Its mutton was as good as usual; its fleece rather 

 worse. In New England the farms are surrounded only with 

 low wooden or stone fences. The ankon sheep was propagated 

 because it could not so easily get over these fences and injure the 

 corn. 



The facts contained in this paper are of great interest, in a 

 physiological point of view, by affording a clue to the numerous 

 varieties of various animals that exist over the earth. 



On Thursday the 2ist a short paper by Sir Everard Home w^as 

 read, on the coagulating power of the stomach. He endeavoured 

 to determine, by experiment, in what part of the stomach this 

 power resides, and ascribes it to the solvent glands in particular. 



LINN^AN SOCIETY. 



The Society met on the 19th January, after the Christmas 

 liolydays. The paper read consisted of descriptions (accompanied 

 by figures) communicated (from the manuscripts of the late Mr. 

 Anderson, of S,t. Vinoent) by A. B. Lambert, Esq. V.P.L.S. 

 The first, a new species of psidium (P. polycarpon) ripened fruit 

 last summer in Mr. Lambert's stove. It is a slow shrub, with 

 decumbent branches, bearing a round yellow fruit, the s\7.e of a 

 large cheny, and of a flavour esteemed superior to that of the 



o 



