Chap, 43-1 Mineral Vattoiv. 281 



claws, beaks, bones, and feathers of birds, parts of ve- 

 getables, fhclls, and bones of fim, and particularly for 

 the beaks of the quttle-nlh,^^ oftogedia, which are 

 fometimes found in the mafs of this fubftance. M. 

 Aublet brought fpecimens of this gum-^refin, which he 

 collected on the fpot, from the cuma tree at Guiana. 

 It is of a whitim brown colour, with a fhade of yel- 

 low, and melts and burns like wax in the fire. M. 

 Rouelle examined very carefully this fubftance, brought 

 over by M. Aublet, and found that it produced ex- 

 actly the fame refults as good amber. Thefe obfer- 

 vations feem to place it beyond a doubt, that -both 

 amber an,d ambergris are vegetable products, and that 

 thofe who, from having found thefe fubftances in the 

 iateftines of whales, concluded that it was a farcal 

 matter of thofe animals, were miftaken. 



MINERAL TALLOW is a very peculiar fubftance. Itwas 

 . found on the coafts of Finland, in the year 1736. Its 

 fpecific gravity is .0.770, whereas that of tallow 

 is 0.969. Its colour is white; its confidence is that of 

 tallow, and like it it is brittle ; it feels greafy, and Mains 

 paper juft as tallow does, and die traces thus left on 

 paper melt on the approach of flame. It burns with 

 a blue flame and a fmell of greafe, leaving a black 

 vifcid matter, which is more difficultly confumed. It 

 is found in fome rofcky parts of Perfia, but feems 

 mixed with petroleum. Dr. Herman, of Strafburgh, 

 mentions a fpring, in the neighbourhood of that city, 

 which contains a fubftance of that nature diffufed 

 through it, which feparates on ebullition, and may then 

 {DC collected. The origin of this fubftance is un- 

 known. 



