ccs AND LITERARY. 20t 
THe earth of animal bones, when re-. 
duced to a fine powder and thrown into a 
diluted vitriolic acid, gradually abforbs 
the acid in the fame manner as the calca- 
rious earths, but without any remarkable 
effervefcence. -When it is added to the ni- 
trous or to the muriatic acid, it is flowly 
difflolved. The compound liquor thence 
produced is extremely acrid, and {till 
changes the colour of the juice of violets 
to a red, even after it is fully faturated 
with the abforbent.  Duitilled vinegar 
has little or no effect upon this earth; for, 
after a long digeftion, it {till retains its 
' four tafte, and gives only alight cloud up- 
on the addition of an alkali. 
By dropping a diflolved fixed alkali in- 
to a warm folution of alum, I obtained 
the earth of this falt, which, after being 
well wafhed and dried, was found to have 
. the following properties. 
Ir is diffolved in every acid, but very 
flowly, unlefs affifted by heat. The feve- 
ral folutions, when thoroughly faturated, © 
are all aftringent with a flight degree of 
an acid tafte, and they alfo agree with 
Vou. Il. cc folution 
