Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 002.djvu/211

 having added; that the little Glass-Instrument, mention'd in the Note, is such an one, is you may find described in my Preliminaries to the History of Cold, save that part of this was a little bending inward at the Basis, that, it may sometimes stand by it self, and sometimes receive a small body into the dimple at its Basis: Having, I say, premised this, and, that as Shining Wood did not feel at all warm to me, so I also found Shining Fish palpably cold, I shall conclude your trouble with the premised Note, which speaks thus:

[I put upon a large piece of Wood, which was partly shining, and, as near as I could, upon one of the most luminous parts of it, one of those Thermoscopes, that I make, with a pendulous drop of Water. But as had formerly try'd, that by laying the tip of my Nose or Finger upon it, when it shone vividly enough, to enable me to discern both the one and the other, at the time of contact I could not perceive the least of heat, but rather an actual coldness; so by this Trial I could not satisfie my self, that it did visibly raise the pendulous drop; though the Instrument were so render; that by approaching one Finger near it;, yet without actually touching of it, it would manifestly be impelled up, and upon this removal of my Finger, would presently descend again.]

And I remember, that having put such an Instrument upon on a shining Fish, that was pretty large., I could not thereby perceive, that it had any degree of heat, but rather the contrary. For, having divers times taken off the Glass, to apply it with the more advantage to several parts of the Luminous Fish, I divers times (for I remember not, whether 'twere alwayes) took notice, that upon the removal of the Glass into the Air, the pendulous drop would manifestly rise a little, and subside again when the Glass was applied to the Fish. But whether this part of the Experiment will hold in all temperatures of the Air, I had not opportunity to try. An