406 Description and Use of the Apparatus employed 
With regard to the faculties of sense, those of hearing and 
seeing appear to be very weak ; but those of touch and of smell, 
particularly the latter, exquisitely acute. When some small 
fishes were put into the vessel containing a proteus, it was amu- 
sing to see the animal direct his snout towards his prey, though 
he could not possibly see it, and afterwards seize it with the 
greatest celerity when a fish passed near him. But it^may be 
asked, if the sense of sight be so weak, why is it that this ani- 
mal so anxiously avoids the light ? It is probable that the con- 
stant desire of obscurity arises from the painful action of light, 
not on the eye, but on the skin. From the experiments, how- 
ever, of Sig. Rudolphi, it appears that this animal may, in time, 
be brought to bear the presence of light. 
In a future communication, I propose to exhibit a general 
sketch of the. anatomy of this animal, more particularly of its cir- 
culating and respiratory organs, illustrated by a few figures from 
the beautiful engravings with which the authors have adorned 
their work. A. Z. 
Edinburgh, I 
January 20. 1821. j 
Art. XXXII . — Description and Use of the Apparatus em- 
ployed by M. Ampere in his Electro-Magnetic researches. 
Having already laid before our readers a brief account of the 
researches of Ampere on the mutual action of two electrical cur- 
rents, we propose at present to give a general description of 
the very ingenious apparatus which he employed. 
The first memoir of this eminent philosopher, a copy of which 
has jusUreached us, is entitled, “ On the action exerted upon an 
electrical current by another current^ by the terrestrial globe, or 
by a loadstone^ 
It is divided into three sections, 
I. On the mutual action of two electrical currents. 
II. On the direction of electrical currents by the action of the 
terrestrial globe. 
III. On the mutual action between an electrical conductor 
and a loadstone. 
The apparatus which M. Ampere employed in examining the 
^mutual action of electrical currents, is represented in Plate VIII. 
