Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 005.djvu/162

 the open Air, we exhausted the Vessel, and saw, that, though the heart grew very tumid, and here and there sent forth little Bubbles, yet it continued to beat as manifestly as before, and seemed to do so more swiftly; as we tryed by numbring the pulsations it made in a minute, whilst it was in the exhausted Receiver, and when we had readmitted the Air, and also when we took it out of the Glass, and suffered it to continue its motion in the open Air. The heart of an other Eele, being likewise taken out, continued to beat in the emptied Receiver, as the other had done.

The Heart of an other Eele, after having been included in a Receiver first exhausted, and then accurately secured from leaking, though it appeared very tumid, continued to beat there an hour; after which looking upon it and finding its motion very languid, and almost ceased, by breathing a little upon that part of the glass where the heart was, it quickly regained motion, which I observed a while; and an hour after finding it to seem almost quite gone, I was able to renew it by the application of a little more warmth. Ae the end of the third hour, coming to look at it once more, a bubble, that appeared to be placed between the Auricle and the Heart, seemed to have now and then a little trembling motion; but I found it so faint, that I could no more by warmth excite it, so as plainly to perceive the heart to move: wherefore I suffered the outward Air to rush in, but could not discern, that thereby the heart regained any sensible motion, though assisted with the warmth of my breath and hands.

O help my self and others to judge the better of some difficulty's concerning Respiration, I thought it might be useful, that we compar'd together the Times, wherein Animals may be kill'd by that want of Respiration, which in those that are drown'd is caused by the water that suffocates them, and that other want, which proceeds from withdrawing the ambient Air. Of the latter of these a sufficient number of Instances is to be met with among our other Experiments, and therefore I shall now subjoyn about the former the more Tryals, because this Comparison hath not, that I know of, been yet thought on by any.

A Green-Finch, having his legs and wings tyed to a weight, was gently let down into a glass-body fill'd with water; the