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The fifh are of a dark-brown colour, and therefore appear 

 very diflindlly on the light ground of the ftoile ; they lie flat 

 between the laminje ; their profile, and their feveral parts, little, 

 if at all, diftorted from their natural fhape and dimenfions, 

 except that in fome cafes the ftone inclofing them feems to have 

 fuffered fome little difturbance, as if by fettlement, after their 

 inclofure, by which they are found, at times, fomewhat frac- 

 tured, and the parts a little disjoined. Their whole form is- 

 well defined, but the harder parts, fuch as the head, fins, fpine, 

 with the bones that branch from it on either fide, and indeed 

 all the bones in general, as well afe in fome the fcalcs, are re- 

 markably well exprefl"ed. The dark-brown matter compofing 

 thefe fifli remains diftind, and may be picked off from the ftonfe, 

 and projeds in proportion to the thicknefs of each part in its 

 natural ftate. It is hard, brittle, and rather glofly through its 

 fubftance, except in fome o-f the grofTer bones, fuch as the 

 joints of the vertebras, which, though of this appearance exter- 

 nally, are found, when broken, to confift internally of laminar 

 cryftallized calcareous fpar. 



To thofe who may not have an- opportunity of feeing fpe- 

 cimens of thefe fifh, it is further proper to mention, that when- 

 the leaves of ftone that enclofe them are opened, the forms 



are 



" Every ftroke of the hammer or other folid body," fays he " difcngages from this 

 « ftone a moft fetid cadaverous odour, by no means bituminous, but a true fmell 

 " refulting from decayed animal putrefaftive matter. Di vero fracidume anlmale." 

 Fortis Delia Valle Vukanico-Marina di Ronca, g. 24. 



