EXPERIMENTS. 
271 
side of the insocts, and scraped away the inner bark, so as 
to destroy all tko ascending vessels. I also cut a hole in 
the side of the branch, reaching to tho middlo, and then 
cut out tho pith and intornal vossols. The distillation 
was then going on at tho rate of one drop each sixty-sovon 
seconds, or about 2 ounces 5} drachms in twonty-fouT 
hours. Next morning tho distillation, so far from being 
affected by the attempt to stop tho supplies, supposing 
they had come up through tho branch from the treo, was 
increased to a drop every five seconds, or twelve drops 
per minute, making one pint (16 ounces) in every twenty- 
four hours. I thon cut tho branch so much that, during 
tho day, it broke ; but they still went on at tho rato of a 
drop eveiy five seconds, while another colony on a branch 
°f tho same treo gave a drop every seventeen seconds 
°nly, or at the rato of about 10 ounces 4J drachms in 
twenty-four hours. I finally cut off the branch ; but this 
Was too much for their patience, for they immediately 
decamped, as insects will do from either a dead branch or 
a doad animal, — which Indian hunters soon know when 
they sit down on a roccntly-killcd bear. Tho prcsenco of 
greater moisturo in tho air increased tho power of thoso 
distillers : tho poriod of greatest activity was in tho morn- 
ln g, when the air and every thing else was charged with 
dew. 
Having but one day left for experiment, I found again 
that anothor colony on a branch denuded in tho same way 
fielded a drop every two seconds, or 4 pints 10 ounces in 
twenty-four hours, whilo a colony on a branch untouchod 
yielded a drop evory olovon seconds, or 16 ounces 2£jj 
drachms in twenty-four hours. 1 regretted somowhat the 
Want of time to institute another experiment, namely, 
to cut a branch and place it in wator, so as to keep it in 
hfe, and thon observe if there was any diminution of the 
luantity of water in the vessel. This alone was wanting 
t° make it certain that they draw water from tho atmo- 
^hero. I imagine that thoy have somo power of which we 
