Ornithorynchus of New South Wales. 881 
it approaches nearest that observed in reptiles. As it would be 
impossible to do justice to the theoretical views contained in the 
memoir by any abstract* we shall avoid touching on them. The 
nervous system is shewn to be quite regular and strictly mammife- 
rous; so that the analogies supposed to connect the ornithorynchus 
with birds, are proved by these memoirs to be generally forced and 
inaccurate. Our author has not as yet had it in his power to 
examine the female ornithorynchus, from a careful dissection of 
which he anticipates important and decisive results. 
Art. XXXII. — Abstract of Mr Faraday's Experiments on 
the Condensation of Several Gases into Liquids . 
This very valuable and interesting paper, which will appear 
in the second part of the Philosophical Transactions for 1822, 
contains Mr Faraday’s Expei iriients on Sulphurous Acid , Sul- 
phuretted Hydrogen , Carbonic Acid , Euchlorine , Nitrous Oxide, 
Cyanogen * Ammonia , Muriatic Acid and Chlorine, Although 
these experiments are scarcely susceptible of abridgment, yet we 
are compelled, by want of room, to leave out the few parts of 
the Memoir which are less essential than the rest, 
44 Sulphurous Acid. — Mercury and concentrated sulphuric acid were sealed 
up in a bent tube, and, being brought to one end, heat was carefully applied, 
whilst the other end was preserved cool by wet bibulous paper. Sulphurous 
acid gas was produced where the heat acted, and was condensed by the sulphu- 
ric acid above ; but when the latter had become saturated, the sulphurous acid 
passed to the cold end of the tube, and was condensed into a liquid. When 
the whole tube was cold, if the sulphurous aeid was returned on to the mix- 
ture of sulphuric acid and sulphate of mercury, a portion was reabsorbed, but 
the rest remained on it without mixing. 
“ Liquid sulphurous acid is very limpid and colourless, and highly fluid. Its 
refractive power, obtained by comparing it in water and other media, with 
water contained in a similar tube, appeared to be nearly equal to that of water. 
It does not solidify or become adhesive at a temperature of 0° F.- When a 
tube containing it was opened, the contents did not rush out as with explosion, 
but a portion of the liquid evaporated rapidly, cooling another portion so much 
as to leave it in the fluid state at common barometric pressure. It was how- 
ever rapidly dissipated, not producing visible fumes, but producing the odour 
of pure sulphurous acid, and leaving the tube quite dry. A portion of the va- 
pour of the fluid received over a mercurial bath, and examined, proved to be 
sulphurous acid gas. A piece of ice dropped into the fluid instantly made it 
boil, from the heat communicated by it. 
44 To prove in an unexceptionable manner that the fluid was pure sulphu- 
rous acid, some sulphurous aeid gas was carefully prepared over mercury, and 
