Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-02-07

principles oil Galvanlsm and Electro Magnetism -
their effect on animal bodies and the relation
thereby proved TO be at least probable between
the electric fluid and the principle of life, were
briefly noticed. Two of the most celebrated phi
losOphers OF tho presen. day, Sir JoHN Hers
CHELL and DR.. ARNoTT shave thought il not un :
likely that the brain may be an electric pile, send.
ing along the nerves the electric shock aud causing
thus the pnsation of the heart aud all the other
phenomena of organic life. This hypothesis re 81
ceives an air Of probability from the fact that there
are several species of fish which are known to
have an electric battery in their heads capable OF
giving shock, according to HUMBOLDT, of sui
clon power to kill man add even II horse. In
Surlnam, for tho sake of experiment several
horses were once placed among number OF
these eels and were soon deprived of liu
Tho iacs of Chemistry were next passed under
brief review. The atoms of matter are subject
to mutual attraction and repulsion when The Tor
fner power prevails. solids are produced when
the latter, gases result and when the two are bal
anced, they produce liquid. Heat is The antagonist
OF affinity and it is only the different proportions
in which this principle is foun1 in different bod
les, that determines their character as solids or
fluids. The greater portion of heat in all bodies
is latent, and no body is cold that grcnt de.
gree OF hent may not be elected from it. Were
all the heat contained in the ice and snow sud
denly eXricaed, it is probable that general con.
hgraIion of the Enrlh's surface would result.
Nauralists have found but few simple agents
which, by their different combinations. give birth
to the various objects on the globe. Chemists c.
numerate about fiity-of which sixteen are sufli-
cient to construct nearly the whole mnss, and four
only are essential for the vegetable and animal
Kingdom. 1t is wonderful 10 notice the different
properties Of the several substances produced by
various combinations of those simple agents. Ok
ygen and nitrogen, when united in the proportion
OF one part oil the former and four of the latter,
bn lnr lin ub1gI,, of
life: if eight parts of the former be combined
with fourteen of the latter, exhiIerating gas is the
product; eight more parts of oxygen give gns
instantly fatal to animal life. How slightly differ
the elements Of lie and death!
mere difference in the arrangement of con-
6lituent parts of substance produces most
wonderful difference in its character. Suppose
your cook, on being ordered to prepare a sump-
tunns feast, should place upon the table dish of
charcoal and water, md tell yon that all his skill
could produce nothing more, although lie could
combine them in different proportions: although
his statement be strictly true, your appetite would
scarcely be appeased by this display OF chemical
knowledge Suppose that, instead of the dia
monds upon her crown, the jeweller TO Queen
Victoria had given her Jumps Of charcoal, telling
her that the constituents were the same, and II
slight difference in the arrangement Of the parts
could be of no importance his statement might
be true but would be deemed scarcely satsfacto-
ny. Every one knows how infamnble is phos.
phorus, yet every one has in his bones more than
pound OF this combustible matter. II all the
chlorine of the ocean were TO be liberated, this
lar world would at once be swept of its beauty.
But these mighty agents. by the proportions in
which they combined, are disarned of their
destructive power.
The sciences of Anatomy and Physiology a.
bound in fncts the most wonderful aud inter esting.
Comparative Anatomy has OF late been d subject
of close attention and so perfectly have its prin
ciples been established that from single bone or
tooth the character of the animal may he infer
red, with its food, habits hauns, and all the cir
cumstances OF it's existence. Comparative Ana-
omsts have from single tooth described and
made drawings of the extinct creature to which il
belonged; which have leen found to agree exactly
with skeleton alterward discovered. We can
not fail TO be struck with the change as we go
from the Anatomy of The human body 10 hat of
the lower animals, and with the perfect adapta-
ZION of the organs 10 the circumstances aud char
acter of the different animals. Looking at the
eye, for instance; we cannot see in water, willie
on The other hand fishes are blind in air. BY the
use of very convex spectnclcs, however our WIS.,
ion may be disrinc, in water; and there is little
doubt that a skilu opticlan could furnish n
Whale who might wish to travel on the coniln'
emit with glasses which should enable him to see
rs distinctly aud observe to as much purpose
ms many of our own species have done. Some
lllscClS WHICH I'VE upon Tie sulIuCt VI lle WI
ter are furnished with two pair of eyes
one for seeing through the air and The other
through the water AS the eyes Of insects are
usually fixed in the head, so that they cannot :
silly he directed to different objects, they are made
ygonul--fuinishcd with an almost infinite
number Of plane snrlaces and each of these sur
faces is in fact distinct eye. The common
house fly has 1000 of these surfaces in each eye,
aud the butterfly II 000 The crystalline lens OF
the Goldfish, which is never haitian inch in diane
ter, is made up OF ahuve five millions OF fibres
held together by more than siXiy-two thousand
millions of teeth. We indit difficult to conceive
how animals can exist without heads hut there is
n class of animals, which live in shells, which for
the very reason lfnt they are headless, are named
dcephalous. The skill these headles creatures T.
vince in constructing the shells they inhHbt
moreover, throws completely into the shade tho
skill of the hped that not only boasts Of having n
bend, but of being absolutely The head OF the
whole creation. The construction OF their nests
by wasps-a single queen of whom frequently
rules over 10000 subjects. oil her own children
tools worthy Of our highest admiration. The
character OF the SPIDER 100, as ascerlaincd by the
great naturalist HUBER, who placed them under
glass cases and examined them closely with hugh
ly powerful microscopes is especially wonderful
This insect, so long us IL remains in possession oil
the it has spun, will defend it with despe-
rate valor against ali nssaants but when this is
taken away II will so perfectly simulate death ln
al its limbs may he torn off and it will evince no
life hut if its web be again brought within It's
reach it grasps il will, the fercesi energy. The
trap-doo spider, found in the West Indies, digs q
hole in the ground some inches deep, lines II viii
thick coating Of sb aud closes lis mouth with q
lid which springs down so ms to shut ont all enc
mics One of these webs was exhibited by The
lecturer
The transformation or metamorphoss OF amin
ais which change their form is also curious and
Interesting The serpents throw off their skins an
nually; frogs at first Iadpoles, and butterflies
and other insects of the same kind are first hatch
cd IN the lara state, appearing MS caterpillar OF
grub, and only emerge into their final beauty
through the pupa or crysais state.
! singular species of animals is found inhahiI-
ing the gills of the fish, called The dipiOzoon spe-
ces; having two bodies like the Siamese twins
and what s still more wonderful the two bodies
seeIn to he influenced 10y different dispositions
| The species of Polypi also present a subject Of