380 



OXAHEVR1TE OXENSTIERN. 



of prussian blue ; the hair is used by plasterers, and 

 the fat in the formation of candles and soap. 



The period of gestation of the cow is the same as 

 that of the human species, and she most generally 

 has but one at a birth. The young, like that of the 

 horse, is very perfect and vigorous soon after birth, 

 though it needs the care of the mother for a consider- 

 able time. It attains its full vigour at about three 

 yenrs, and the natural term of its life is about four- 

 teen years. The domesticated ox is liable to many 

 diseases, one of which arises from its swallowing the 

 hairs that it licks from its own body. These hairs, 

 being indigestible, remain in the stomach, and at last 

 become united into large solid balls. The varieties 

 produced by domestication and climate are innumer- 

 able, and impossible to designate. 



B. urus (wild bull ; bison of the ancients). This 

 species is distinguished by an arched forehead, wider 

 than it is long ; horns attached below the occipital 

 ridge; by the length of x its legs; by an additional 

 pair of ribs ; by a woolly hair which covers the neck 

 and head of the male, forming a beard under the 

 chin. This animal appears to have formerly been a 

 native of all parts of Europe, but is now only found 

 in the forests of Lithuania, &c. It is exceedingly 

 ferocious and untractable. 



One of the most extraordinary species is the B. 

 grunniens (grunting ox, horse-tailed ox, or yack). 

 This is a small animal, with a tail resembling that of 

 a horse, and also with 'a mane on the neck and back. 

 It has a short head, broad nose, and large ears ; the 

 horns are short, slender, round, upright, sharp-pointed, 

 and bent inwards. 1'he whole body is covered with 

 long hair, and is entirely black, except the front, 

 ridge of the back, and tail, which are white. There 

 is much dispute about the size, some travellers de- 

 scribing it as smaller than the domestic cow, while 

 others state that it is far larger. From the accounts 

 of Russian naturalists, it appears probable that there 

 are two varieties, differing materially in size. The 

 voice of these animals is very peculiar : instead of 

 lowing, like the other species of this genus, they 

 utter a sound resembling the grunting of a hog. 

 They are susceptible of domestication, but always 

 retain some of their natural ferocity. The wild 

 breed are very dangerous, fighting desperately when 

 attacked. The most valuable part of these animals 

 is their tail. They form the standards designating 

 the rank of superior officers in the Turkish army, 

 and are extensively used in India as brushes to drive 

 away insects : they are also employed by the Chinese 

 to adorn their caps. See Bison, Buffalo, Musk Ox. 

 OXAHEVRITE ; a mineral from the hot spring 

 of Oxhaver, in Iceland. It occurs in thin veins anc 

 crystals, which are acute octahedrons, with a square 

 base. It appears to be a variety of apophyllite. 



OXALIC ACID. This acid may be obtained 

 from sugar, as follows : To six ounces of nitric 

 acid, in a stoppered retort, add by degrees one ounce 

 of loaf-sugar in small lumps. A gentle heat may be 

 applied during the solution, and nitric oxide will be 

 evolved in abundance. When the whole of the sugar 

 is dissolved, distil off a part of the acid, till what re- 

 mains in the retort has a sirupy consistence ; and thi 

 will, on cooling, form regular crystals, amounting to 

 fifty-eight parts from 100 of sugar. These crystals 

 must be dissolved in water, recrystallized, and dried 

 on blotting paper. Numerous other substances, 

 when treated by distillation with nitric acid, afford 

 the oxalic acid; such as honey, gum Arabic, alco- 

 hol, the sweet matter contained in fat of oils, the acid 

 of cherries, the acid of tartar, beech wood, the acids 

 of currants, citrons, raspberries, silk, hair, tendons, 

 wool, also other animal substances, as the coagulum 

 of blood, and whites of eggs. M. Berthollet men- 



tions a difference between animal and vegetable sub- 

 stances thus treated with nitric acid, viz. that the 

 former yielded, besides ammonia, a large quantity of 

 an oil which the nitric acid could not decompose ; 

 whereas the oily parts of vegetables were totally 

 destroyed by the action of this acid. He further re- 

 marks, that the quantity of oxalic acid, furnished by 

 vegetable matters, thus treated, is proportionable to 

 their nutritive quality, and particularly that from cot- 

 ton he could not obtain any sensible quantity. Oxa- 

 lic acid is found in the state of oxalate of lime in the 

 roots and leaves of a great number of plants. It par- 

 ticularly abounds in the leaves of the oxalis acetosella, 

 and of the 0. corniculata. The crustaceous lichens 

 contain nearly one half their weight of oxalate of 

 lime a substance which is to these plants what car- 

 bonate of lime is to corallines, and phosphate of lime 

 to animal bones. Oxalic acid crystallizes in four-sided 

 prisms, the sides of which are alternately broad and 

 narrow, and the summits dihedral. They are efflor 

 escent in dry air, but attract a little humidity if it be 

 damp. They are soluble in one part of hot and two 

 of cold water, and are decomposable by a red heat, 

 leaving a small quantity of a coaly residuum ; their 

 acidity is so great, that, when dissolved in 3600 times 

 their weight of water, the solution reddens litmus pa- 

 per, and is perceptibly acid to the taste. The oxalic 

 acid is a good test for detecting lime, which it sepa 

 rates from all the other acids, unless they are present 

 in excess. It has likewise a greater affinity for lime 

 than for any other of the bases, and forms with it a 

 pulverulent, insoluble salt. With barytes, it forms an 

 insoluble salt, but capable of dissolving in water aci- 

 dulated with oxalic acid. Oxalate of magnesia, too, 

 is insoluble unless the acid is in excess. The oxalate 

 of potash exists in two states, that of a neutral salt, 

 and that of an acidule. The latter is generally ob- 

 tained from the juice of the leaves of the sorrel, ten 

 parts of which yield five of juice, which give a little 

 more than one two hundredths of the salt, which re- 

 quires to be repeatedly crystallized in order to obtain 

 it pure. It unites with barytes, magnesia, soda, and 

 ammonia, and most of the metallic oxides, into triple 

 salts. This salt, besides its use in taking out ink- 

 spots, and as a test of lime, forms, with sugar and 

 water, a pleasant, cooling beverage, and possesses 

 considerable powers as an antiseptic. Oxalic acid acts 

 as a violent poison when swallowed in the quantity of 

 two or three drachms ; and several fatal accidents 

 have lately occurred, in consequence of its being im- 

 properly sold for Epsom salts. Its vulgar name of 

 salts, under which the acid is bought for the purpose 

 of whitening boot-tops, occasions these lamentable 

 mistakes. The immediate rejection from the stomach 

 of this acid by an emetic, aided by copious draughts 

 of warm water containing bicarbonate of potash, or 

 soda, chalk, or carbonate of magnesia, are the remedies. 

 OXENSTIERN, AXEL, count of; a Swedish states- 

 man, born at Fano, in Upland, in 1583. His own in- 

 clinations and the wishes of his family having destined 

 him for the church, he applied himself, at Rostock, 

 Wittenberg, and Jena, principally to theology, for the 

 study of which he always retained a predilection. 

 After finishing his studies, he visited most of the 

 German courts, and in 1602, returned to Sweden. 

 In 1606, Charles IX. sent him on a public mission to 

 Mecklenburgh, and, in 1608, he was admitted into 

 the senate, in which his thirteen immediate ancestors 

 had held a seat. The infirmities of age having in- 

 duced his sovereign, not long after to appoint a re- 

 gency, Oxenstiern was placed at the head of it, and 

 on the accession of Gustavus Adolphus, was made 

 chancellor. In 1614, he accompanied the new king to 

 Germany, and soon after had the satisfaction of seeing 

 the hostilities between Sweden and Russia terminated 



