248 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



By couilf.sy of J. li. Liii/iiiii-oll CoJiipuny 



Various animal concretions were at one time believed 

 to contain a quintessence of the nature of the animal in 

 which they occurred. Magic jewels were supposedly 

 extracted from the fahled dragons of India (see first 

 illustration); toadstones were much sought after as an- 

 tidotes for poisons (second pi(;ture), and various animal 

 "bezoar" stones were administered for various ills (see 

 drawing at bottom). Cuts taken from Johannis de 

 Cuba's Orlus Saiulalis, Strassburg, 1483, an<l used here 

 through the courtesy of J. B. Lippincott Company 



counts of church treasures, of the origin 

 of rosaries, and of many ritualistic ob- 

 servances of primitive peoples. The 

 student of x\merican archaeology will 

 find references to turquoise and jet 

 among the Pueblo Indians of the South- 

 west, to jade carvings and mosaic inlays 

 of semiprecious gems among the natives 

 of Mexico and Central America, as well 

 as to peculiar ceremonies in which gem 

 stones were employed, such as the sacri- 

 fices at the Sacred Cenote in Chichen- 

 Itza, Yucatan, and at Lake Guatavita 

 in Colombia. 



The scope and divisions of subject 

 matter in Dr. Kunz's new book are 

 indicated by the list of chapter titles: 



Magic stones and Electric Gems 

 On Meteorites, or Celestial Stones 

 Stones of Healing 

 On the Virtues of Fabulous Stones, 



Concretions and Fossils 

 Snake Stones and Bezoars 

 Angels and Ministers of Grace 

 On the Religious Use of Various Stones 

 Amulets: Ancient, Mediaeval and 



Oriental 

 Amulets of Primitive Peoples and of 



Modern Times 

 Facts and Fancies about Precious 



Stones 



As an example of printing the book 

 leaves little to be desired. The Jour- 

 nal is privileged to make use of one 

 of the color plates showing objects of 

 particular interest to the members of 

 this institution, because the specimens 

 represented are mostly contained in 

 the Museum's collections. The seals of 

 ancient Assyria and Babylon, bearing 

 the signatures of rulers, are carved in 

 shell, quartz, agate and marble as well 

 as in lapis lazuli, Amazon stone and 

 other material of greater value, and this 

 is one of the most complete collections 

 representing the precious stone mate- 

 rials in ancient x'Kssyria and Babylonia. 

 These seals can now be dated with con- 

 siderable accuracy and some are as old 

 as three thousand vears before Christ. 



fi- 

 ll. 

 III. 

 IV. 



V. 



VI. 



VII. 



VIII. 



IX. 



X. 



