6ü 
Memoirs of the Indian Museum. 
[VoL. II, 1909.] 
The livers of these animals were of an enormous size ; that of the Sting-Ray weighing 
pounds and that of the Saw-Fish i02f pounds. These livers were very rich in oil ; 
that of the Sting-Ray afforded 71-6 parts of oil, 177 parts of water and 107 parts of 
hepatic tissue in 100 parts. The hepatic tissue contained over 5 per cent, of nitrogen 
and would form a valuable manure. All the oils deposited varying amounts of white 
fats, chiefly palmitin, at the cold weather temperatures. When freshly expressed the 
oil has a not unpleasant odour, similar to cod-liver oil, and a colour varying from 
light yellow to reddish-yellow. 
The following constants were obtained : — 
I. 
2. 
3- 
4- 
Specific gravity at 50° C. 
• • -914 
•900 
-910 
-909 
Melting point 
. . 22° C. 
27° 
26-5° 
25-5° 
Acid value 
.. -98 
i-o 
1-16 
1-13 
Saponification value 
. . 194-0 
187-1 
185-4 
187-4 
Iodine value 
. .124-7 
92-9 
123-2 
\n 
do 
H 
H 
Reich ert-Meissl 
-26 
-28 
-21 
•23 
Fatty acids, per cent. . . 
.. 93-2 
947 
94-2 
94-6 
Melting point of 
37-5° C. 
39° 
39° 
39° 
Acid value of 
. .203-4 
192-2 
189-9 
190-4 
Ail these oils contained a cholesterol affording a rose- red or purplish-red colour 
with sulphuric acid. The slight acidity of these oils is much in their favour should 
they be employed for edible purposes. According to Hosmann the presence of free 
acids is characteristic of fresh cod-liver oil. Comparatively neutral oils such as these 
would be much more suitable for medicinal purposes. The large quantity of solid fats 
would render these oils useful for soap manufacture, while the liquid oil, separated 
from the palmitin, would be serviceable for leather dressing, lighting and Irubi- 
cating purposes. 
The livers of various fish have not the same uniform composition as the above. 
The small skate known as Trygon gerrardii in a fresh state possessed a liver 
weighing only 37‘5 grams. This was composed as follows in one hundred parts : — 
Water . . . . . . . . 56 5 
Oil . . . . . . . . 28-3 
Tissue . . . . . . 15*2 
The hepatic tissue contained 11-48 per cent, of nitrogen, an amount equal to that 
found in dry blood. 
