Vegetable Kingdom on the Animal Creation . 4 3 j 
1 his water yielded, by heat, true dephlogifticated air ; 
whereas the fame water, when it has not been expofed to the 
aflion of a vegetable, yields by heat nothing but common air. 
The reafon of it is, that the air elaborated by the plant, with 
which this water was fat 11 rated, was real dephlogifticated air. 
The vegetable at laft languifhed and began to die, becaufe the 
water was impregnated with dephlogifticated air, which being 
an excrement of the plant is hurtful to its conffitution. Be- 
fides, this water had at laft loft the moft part of, or perhaps all, 
its own flock of common air ; and with this all the nutri- 
tive nourifhing and phlogiftic particles, which were taken in hv 
the plant, and was therefore become lefs fit to keep up ve^c* 
table life. 
All thefe experiments were repeated frequently, and always 
with the fame general refults *. 
I think the abovementioned faffs will be looked upon as 
quite fufficient to put my doftrine out of all farther queftion. 1 
have many more faffs, perhaps equally demonftrative with 
thofe juft deferi bed ; but, as this paper is already too long, 
T will keep them for fome other opportunity. However, I 
cannot forbear making fome farther remarks by which the 
point in queftion may be ftill farther illuftrated. 
If it was the water, and not the vegetable, which yielded the 
dephlogifticated air ; and thus, if the reafon why water plants 
and the green matter ceafe at laft to throw up more air (if the 
* That air is thrown out of living vegetables expofed to the fun-fliine, was 
already obferved by the rev. Dr. hales, as may befeen in vol. I. of his Statical 
Eflays, p. no. The apparatus which he ufed for this experiment is reprefented 
by fig. XVII. plate VII. But this ineflimable philofopher, not even fufpedfting 
that this air was of a peculiar nature, did not colleitl it. sovlu obtained much 
air from vegetables in vacut. 
Vol. LXXII. 
L 1 1 
water 
