1813.] Philosophical Transactions, Part II. ]S12, 21 S 



Solvent Glands in the Digestive Organs of Birds, according to 

 the Nature of their Food^ and particular Modes of Life, By 

 Everard Home, Esq F. R.S.] This is a vei y interesting paper, 

 and throws considerable light upon a branch of comparative 

 anatomy not hitherto much attended to. ;Sir Everard Home 

 divides the digestive organs of birds into four parts. The first is 

 the dilatation of the oesophagus, which forms a reservoir for the 

 food, and which is called the crop. The second is the part into 

 which the ducts of the solvent glands open, aud which he calls 

 the cardial cavity. The third is the cavity embraced by the 

 digastric muscle, or gizzard. The fourth is the space between 

 the opening of the gizzard and beginning of the duodenum, 

 which he calls the pyloric cavity, though in some instances, he 

 says, it hardly deserves that name. He describes the structi^re 

 of these organs in the golden eagle [falco chrysaetos), the sea 

 eagle {falco ossefragm), the hawk {falco nisus), the soland goose 

 (pelecanus hassanus), the heron [ardea cinerea), the cormorant 

 {pelecanus carlo), the sea gull {larus cany^i), the woodpecker 

 {picus minor), the little ant {alca alU), the pigeon {columha 

 domestica), the swan {anas cygnus), the goose [a.na.^ anser), the 

 common fowl {phasianus the turkey (mekagris gallipavo), 



the parrot {psittacus cestivus), the casovvary {casnarius emeu), the 

 American ostrich {rhea Americana), the African ostrich [struthio 

 cameliis)* 



XXll. On some Combinations of Phosphorus and Sulphur, 

 and on some other Subjects of Chemical Inquiry. By Sir Hum- 

 phry Davy, Kt. LL. D. Sec. R.S.] This paper contains the 

 following valuable additions to our knowledge of the combina- 

 tions of phosphorus and sulphur. 



1. Phosphorus combines witii two proportions of chlorine. 

 The first of these is a limpid liquid ; the second a white subli- 

 mate. To the first of these Sir H. Davy has given the name of 

 phosphorane. It may be formed by passing the vapour of 

 phosphorus through corrosive sublimate. It is composed of 100 

 phosphorus united to 333^ of chlorine. It dissolves phosphorus. 



The sublimate, called phosphor ana, is composed of 100 

 phosphorus united to 333i x 2 of chlorine, or 666f , - 



When phosphorane is mixed with water, and slowly evapo- 

 rated, crystals in the form of four-sided prisms make their 

 appearance. These consist of phosphorous acid combined with 

 water. Phosphorana, treated with water in the same way, forms 

 a thick viscid substance, which consists of phosphoric acid 

 united with water. 



2. When these crystals of hydrophosphorous acid, as Sir 

 Humphry Davy calls them, are heated, they are converted into 

 phosphoric acid, and a peculiar gas escapes, to which he has 

 given the name of hydrophosphoric gas, 



1 



