other portion was of a more buttery nature, and of about the density 0·8365. Neither of these specimens gave any traces of fat globules with the microscope, but contained aggregations of white angular fatty matter, of nearly the same size, and about one fourth the diameter of fat globules. With ether the fat disappeared, and left shrunken membranous matter, which after the evaporation of the ether and treatment with acetic acid, became, for the most part, transparent. A comparative experiment with beef fat gave similar results, and I am inclined to think that the most of this matter proceeds from the fat cells,[9] and their accompanying cellular tissue. On cutting through the thickest portion of this adipocire, the fat was of a pure white colour, and could not be distinguished from adipocire; in some portions it was nearly an inch in thickness, and at first sight certainly gave the impression that the fleshy walls of the heart were converted into fat; but on closer inspection, this seemed to me improbable. The lumps of adipocire were thickest at the top of the heart, and just where were the lumps of fat in which the coronary vessels were imbedded; moreover, it was the most like adipocire in the centre of those very portions of fat. I obtained the approximate density of the adipocire of this part, by diluting alcohol with water, until the adipocire just swam half way between the surface and the bottom of the liquid, and found it to be 0·8902, which is by experiment lower than that of ox fat. Indeed, as would a priori seem probable, the fat, by the gases evolved during the putrefaction of the proteine bodies, is rendered more porous, and of a lower specific gravity, which deceives the eye, and makes the mass of fat to appear greater than it really is. An ash determination of this part of the adipocire performed upon 1·471 grammes, yielded 0·0015, equal to 0·102 per cent. of a reddish ash, containing iron. No acroleine was observed during this experiment, and no other than the characteristic adipocire smell, which proves the absence of glycerine, and that the fatty acids are uncombined. Ox fat (2·069) gave (0·001, or) a per centage of 0·048 white ash. The iron of the former proceeds probably from the hæmatine in the heart. These ashes are too small in quantity, to arrive at any satisfactory result in ascertaining the nature of their component parts; they appeared by a few tests to contain principally lime, and soda and potash were detected by Smith’s test. The melting point of the above portion of adipocire was about 47°, but at 52° the fat still contained a faint precipitate.