PLINY'S NATUHAL UISTOIIY. [Book XXX VW^ 



for its hardness. Crocallis 91 is a gem like the cherry in its 

 tints. Cyitis* is a stone found in the vicinity of Coptos ; it is 

 white, and to all appearance has an embryo stone within, 

 the rattling of which may be heard on slinking it. Chnlco- 

 jhonos w is a black stone, but when struck it clinks like brass : 

 tragic actors are recommended to carry it about them. Of 

 t-helidonia 91 there are two varieties, both resembling the swal- 

 low in colour: one of them is .purple on one side, and the 

 other is purple besprinkled with black spots. Chelonia w is the 

 eye of the Indian tortoise, nnd is the most marvellous of nil the 

 stones, if we believe the lying stories told by the magicians. 

 Fur, according to them, this stone, placed upon the tongue after 

 rinsing the mouth with honey, will ensure power of divina- 

 tion, if this is done at full moon or new moon, for one whole 

 day. If, however, this plan is adopted while the moon is on 

 the increase, the power of divination will be acquired before 

 Miu-rise only, and if upon other days, from the iirst^* hour to 

 the sixth. 



Chelonitis, 97 too, is a stone that resembles the tortoise 1 ' 8 in 

 appearance, and the many virtues of which are talked of for 

 (aiming storms and tempests. As to the one that has all the 

 appearance of being sprinkled with spots of gold, if thrown 

 with a Bcarabocus into boiling water, it will raise a tempest, 

 t hey say. Chloritis''* is a stone of a grass-green colour: ac- 

 cording to the magicians, it is found in the crop of the motu- 

 cilla, 1 beiny engendered with the bird. They recommend 

 also that it should be set in iron, for the purpose of working 

 certain portentous marvels which they promise, as usual, 

 t'hoaspitis is a stone so called from the river Choaspes, 2 of a 

 brilliant, golden colour mixed with green. Chrysolampis 3 is a 



M " Saffron-coloured/' probably. If tin's is the nicuning of the nume, it 

 rn;iy be supposed to have resembled the biftarooB cherry. 



v - * 4 l*i< -gnunt stone. An actites or geodes, probably. Sec 15. xxx. c. 44, 

 nnd B. xxxvi. c. 39. 



<J3 ** Sounding like brass.*' Probably Clinkstone or Fhonolite, a corn- 

 jwl feldspathic roi-k of a greyish colour, clinking under the hammer when 

 struck, somewhat like ri metal. <jl '* Swallow-stone." 



.A ** Tortoise-stone." ^ Six in the morning until mid-day. 



97 "Tortoise-like stone." '* "Cbelone," in Greek. 



w 4< Gra<-gn-.-n stone." It is just possible that tl e Chlorite of modern 

 Mineralogy, a kind of emerald-green talc, or hydroii> silicate of magnesia, 

 may be meant : but we must dismiss the story of the wjgtuil. 



1 The pkd wagtail, Motaeilla alba of I.inmuus. Sec B. vi. c. 31. 



2 ^GwdcM !i<rht." j\jassoii suijgtsU that this may have been a ytho*.v 



