Qiien'es and Afiswers. 287 



tinated together, so as to put on the peculiar spongy appearance described 

 by your correspondent. The aegagropila?, Bczoar simiae, or bezoar of the 

 monkey species, bezoars of the camel, the alpine goat, the chamois {Anti- 

 lope ^upicapra Linn.)^ and gazelle (A?itildpe Gazella Linn.), are occasion- 

 ally of this description. In these latter cases the hair most probabl}' is 

 taken into the stomach, as I. W. D. observes, by the animal licking 

 itself. 



8. Ligniform, agglomerated lignin, or woody fibre. Most probably those 

 mentioned by the " Mineralogist" were composed of a mixture of this and 

 the preceding variety. The emperor of Persia sent three bezoars as a 

 present to Napoleon, and by the analysis of Berthollet they were com- 

 posed of lignin. 



9. Cholesterine.* This kind is not mentioned by the French authors; 

 but there is at this time in the museum of Guy's Hospital a beautiful 

 specimen, consisting of pure cholesterine, or the pearly matter of bile, in a 

 subcrystalline arrangement, taken from the gall bladder of a bullock, and 

 another from the gall bladder of a mare. 



10. Extraneous, composed of foreign bodies introduced into the stomach, 

 and there, through the medium of some of the preceding varieties, agglu- 

 tinated together. The bezoar of the cobra di capello, or " pietra de cobra 

 di cabilos," and rhinoceros bezoar, " pietra de mombazza," were of this 

 description. In 1749, Sir Hans Sloane communicated to the Royal Society 

 an account of two pretended stones, said to be found in the head of the 

 cobra di capello. " The first," says he, " I have heard, and also do believe, 

 to be a stone found in the intestines of the rhinoceros, not, that I know, 

 taken notice of by any natural historian except Redi." {Fhil. Trans.y vol. 

 Ixxix., p. 910.) Dr. Waldo, who went to the East Indies on purpose to 

 search after the natural products of that country, sent specimens of the 

 " pietra de serpente de mombazza" to his sister in London, with directions 

 to show them to the Earl of Pembroke, Sir Godfrey Kneller, and Sir Hans 

 Sloane. Among them were some which were by him called " pietra de 

 mombazza," or rhinoceros bezoar, supposed by Sir Hans to be taken from 

 the stomach or guts of that animal. From the description and drawings 

 given by Sir Hans Sloane, these bezoars evidently consisted of the stones 

 of fruit agglutinated together. They were very hard, and were capable of 

 being polished. 



These are the general varieties, but bezoars are occasionally composed 

 of other materials. " La plupart des animaux ruminants de I'Amerique 

 meridional e, tels que les guanacos, les tarugas, les rigognes (llama), sont 

 sujets a porter une pierre connue sous le nom de bezoard occidentale. 

 Quatre onces de ce bezoard traitees avec I'acide vitriolique donnerent a 

 M. Proust de la selenite (sulphate of lime), et une once d'acide phospho- 

 rique." f {Annates de Chim., vol. ccxcvi.) A. M. Fernandes had also in his 

 cabinet bezoars of the guana lizard. They were light, spongy, and had the 

 appearance of white agaric. (Annales de C/mn.^ The pietra de Goa, or 

 pietra de Malacca, were generally factitious ; bemg composed of bone earth 

 and the concreted bile of some animal. Yours, &c. — H. I. C. East Berg- 

 holt y Jan. 1831. 



A Species of Tnlohite. — Sir, The accompanying sketch {fig. 53.) is 



* Fourcroy, Animal Chemistry, vol.iv. p. 16. 

 ' f " In most of the ruminating animals of South America, as the guana- 

 cos, tarugas, and llamas, is found a stone known by the name of the Occi- 

 dental bezoar. Four ounces of this bezoar, treated with vitriolic acid, 

 vielded to M. Proust sulphate of lime, and 'an ounce of phosphoric 

 acid." 



