266 
Sir Everard Home on the influence of 
As fishes have a lower standard of heat than birds, I wished 
for some accurate information respecting the ganglions’ their 
nerves are furnished with, to determine the proportion they 
bear to those in birds. I was also desirous of knowing 
whether there are any ganglions belonging to the nerves 
that supply the electrical organs of the electrical eel. Mr. 
Hawkins’s report on both these subjects I shall give in his 
own words. 
“ My dear Sir. In the skate I find the following ganglia^ 
“ The olfactory nerve expands into a ganglion of great 
size, from the lower surface of which many nerves proceed 
to the membrane of the nose. 
“ The fifth pair of nerves has a plexiform appearance, 
chiefly on its inferior or lower root. The lower of the two 
branches into which the ophthalmic nerve divides has a 
distinct ganglion upon it. 
“ The portio dura of the seventh pair of nerves forms a 
ganglion while passing through the cartilage of the ear. 
“ The eighth pair of nerves after passing through its fora- 
mina enlarges considerably, and that branch which passes 
along the oesophagus to the stomach forms a considerable 
plexus on the end of the cardiac portion. 
“ The spinal nerves originate by two roots, as in quadru- 
peds, and on the posterior root a ganglion is formed. 
“ The sympathetic nerve has several ganglia where the 
branches of the spinal nerves join it ; but instead of there , 
being a ganglion at every such junction, as in the quadruped, 
they are only in the proportion of one to six. 
“ In examining the preparations of the elecric eel and 
torpedo in the Hunterian Collection, no ganglia are met with 
