and water, by the aid of heat: the decomposition took place with a strong smell of rancid tallow, and the fundamental smell observed in all adipocire was emitted. It was melted and washed several times, at first with acidulated and finally with pure water. The water from the washing, when evaporated, gave a certain quantity of brownish yellow colouring matter. The fat was melted in the capsule in which the precipitation took place, and weighed 0·618 or 86·31 per cent. of the adipocire; when melted, a dark flocculent humus-like precipitate was seen; the fat itself was yellowish, and of a flat, waxy (here and there warty) surface. It melted at 51°. The adipocire therefore appears to be a lime soap of one of the fatty acids, with a trace of phosphate of lime and with flocculent organic matter, or in per centage approximately, Fatty acids and a little colouring matter, 86·31 Lime and a trace of phosphate, 10·10 Flocculent organic matter, 3·59 —————— 100.00 If the organic matter be neglected and the per centage then calculated, we will have, Fatty acids, 89·5 Lime, 10·5 ————— 100·0 Now Stearate, Margarate and Palmitate of Lime, respectively contain a per centage of 9·3-9·7——10·2, of lime, so it is reasonable to suppose (as there is nothing in its reaction contrary, but everything favourable to this supposition) that the fossil adipocire is a neutral lime soap of the usual fatty acids of tallow. _Experiments upon the decomposition of muscular fibre (bullock’s heart) with water, with a view to the formation of adipocire._ A portion of raw, and one of boiled muscular fibre from bullock’s heart, were on March 8th, 1854, placed with water upon a microscope slide, and covered with thin glass, which was closed with sealing wax around the edge to prevent evaporation. This was repeatedly observed during the year, and the attention was directed at times to particular fibres the better to watch any change. At the commencement of the experiment, the cross-markings of the fibre were distinct and the fibre itself was of a delicate rose-colour. I find in my notes of April 8th, and May 11th, that no change presented itself in either the raw or in the boiled fibre, except that the cross-markings were more distinct. On December 6th, 1854, but very little change was noticed, (the raw fibre was whiter,) the cross-markings in both were more distinct than ever; by high powers an amorphous precipitate was discovered in the neighbourhood of some of the fibres--about one third of the water had evaporated. _A._ On November 14th, 1853, 100 grammes of cheese were placed in a loosely stoppered bottle, and covered with distilled water, a portion of the same cheese being reserved for comparison: the water was renewed as it evaporated.