4 OB Queries and A?iswers, 



I had almost forgotten to give its precise locality. It occurs among the 

 singularly romantic rocks called Robin Hood's Stride, Crackcliffe, and 

 Rowter (particularly in the latter), which are interrupted portions of the 

 same range of the millstone-grit series, near the junction of that formation 

 with the limestone shale, and trending N.W. and S. E. a mile or two north 

 of Winster. On Rowter rock are some huge detached blocks, which I sus- 

 pect to have been of some importance in times of druidism. — J. E. Bow- 

 man. The Court near Wrexham^ July 21. 1829. 



Laudanum not a Species of Dew (in answer to R. S. p. 298.) — Sir, In the 

 last Number of the Magazine of Natural History (p. 298.) is a paragraph, 

 entitled, " Laudanum a species of Dew;" and, after an erroneous statement 

 vi^hich follows, your correspondent enquires, " Can any of your readers ex- 

 plain this ? " Now, the explanation is not difficult. Instead of " laudanum '' 

 the name of the article in question should be ladanum, or rather labdanum. 

 This is a resinous substance that exudes from several species of Cistus, 

 natives of the Greek Archipelago ; those that furnish the largest quantity 

 of ladanum are the Cistus creticus, C. /aurifolius, and C. ladanifer. The 

 Jadanum is sometimes collected by means of the goats who browse on the 

 leaves and young branches of these cistuses: the resin sticks to their beards, 

 and is scraped off from them. The story of its being " a species of dew " is 

 so absurd, that I am astonished that any one, at this period, can be found 

 weak enough to believe it. The ladanum which is procured by means of 

 the goats is purer than that in cakes, owing to its exuding from the plant, and 

 being free from admixture with the other juices of the plant. It neverthe- 

 less contains a small proportion of wax, obtained, probably, from the secre- 

 tion of wax by the leaves and surface of the Cfstus. M. Guibourt analysed 

 the purest ladanum of commerce, and found it to contain 



86 parts of resin and volatile oil, 

 7 parts of wax, 

 1 part of extractive, and 

 6 parts of earthy matter and hairs, 



in 1 00 parts. 



It was formerly employed as a tonic and stimulant medicine, but is now 

 rarely administered. Yours, &c. — A. T. Thomson, M.D. 5. Hinde Street, 

 Manchester Square, July 1. 1829. 



The Corn Spring mentioned in Vol. II. p. 297. is similar to those called, 

 in Kent, nailbournes, one of which joins the Little Stour at Bishopsbourne. 

 Hasted, in his History of Kent (folio ed. vol. iii. p. 533.), says, their time of 

 breaking forth and continuance is very uncertain ; but they are held, by the 

 common people, to be the forerunners of scarcity of corn. They sometimes 

 break out for one or two successive years; at others, with two, three, or 

 more years' intervention ; sometimes they flow for a few months, at other 

 times for three or four years. I can certainly say, from observation, that 

 they are sometimes dry in wet seasons, and I think the assertion that they 

 often run in dry seasons, is equally correct. I have somewhere seen an 

 opinion, that they proceed from subterranean reservoirs in the chalk hills, 

 which require to be filled to a certain height before they overflow ; and, 

 therefore, a long continuance of rain may take place without any water 

 appearing in the nailbourne. Why they should break out in dry weather, 

 I confess, puzzles me ; and I should like to have the causes of these springs 

 investigated by some one competent to explain them. — Anon. July, 1829. 



