LIT 



261 



LIT 



given to arseniate of copper. It is 

 of a blue or green colour, and 

 occurs in copper mines. 



LI'THIA. A new alkaline substance, 

 discovered by M. Arfwedson, a 

 Swedish cbemist, in 1818, in the 

 mineral called Petalite : in its ob- 

 vious properties, lithia approaches 

 to potassa and soda, but it posses- 

 ses a greater neutralizing power. 

 It has subsequently been obtained 

 from lepidolite, spodamene, and 

 some kinds of mica. It is composed 

 of lithium 56-50, and oxygen 

 43 '50. It received its name from 

 having been discovered in a stony 

 mineral. 



L'ITHTTJM. The metallic base of 

 Lithia, discovered by Sir H. Davy. 

 This metal is obtained from lithia 

 by de-oxidising processes ; but if 

 placed in contact with the atmos- 

 phere, it returns to the state of 

 lithia too rapidly to admit of an 

 accurate examination. 



LI'THOCAEP. (from \i'0o?, a stone, 

 and KapTros, fruit, Gr.) Petrified, 

 or fossil fruit. 



LITHODE'NDRON. (from Xt0o?, a stone, 

 and Sevftpov, a tree, Gr.) A name 

 given to coral, from its likeness to 

 petrified wood. 



LITHO'DOMTTS. (from \j0oe, a stone, 

 and Sefua, to build, Gr.) A 

 transverse, elongated, cylindrical, 

 marine equivalve. Affixed at first 

 by byssus to rocks, which it subse- 

 quently penetrates, and remains 

 ever after in the cavity. It is a 

 littoral shell, found at depths vary- 

 ing to ten fathoms. 



LITHO'GENOUS. (from X/<9o9, stone, 

 and fyej/i/aw, to produce, Gr.) 

 Belonging to the class of animals 

 which form coral. 



LITHOI'DAL. (from \j0os, a stone, 

 and e?&>9, resemblance, Gr.) Ke- 

 sembling stone; of a stony struc- 

 ture. 



LITHOLO GICAL. (from Xe!0o9, and 

 \oyiK09, Gr.) Eelating to the 

 science of stones ; in geology, a 



term used to express the stony 

 character or structure of a mineral 

 mass. 



LITHO'LOGY. (from \t0os, a stone, 

 and Xo'ryo?, discourse, Gr. lithologie, 

 Fr.) That branch of natural his- 

 tory which treats of stones. "By 

 lithology," says Prof. Jukes, "I 

 would mean the study of the in- 

 ternal structure, the mineralogical 

 composition, the texture, and other 

 characters of rocks, such as could 

 be determined in the closet by the 

 aid of hand specimens." 



LI'THOMABGE. (Tho steinmark of 

 Werner : argile lithomarge of 

 Haiiy.) Called also stone-marrow ; 

 a variety of talc. It has commonly 

 a fine grain, of a white, gray, 

 yellow, red, or brown colour, these 

 colours being sometimes disposed 

 in spots, clouds, veins, or stripes ; 

 unctuous or greasy to the touch, 

 and adheres to the tongue. In 

 water it falls to powder, and does 

 not form a paste. Specific gravity 

 2-4. It is infusible before the 

 blow -pipe. It occurs massive, 

 disseminated, globular, and in ir- 

 regular lumps, in gneiss, porphyry, 

 serpentine, &c. Jameson divides 

 lithomarge into two sub-species, 

 friable lithomarge and indurated 

 lithomarge : the friable is charac- 

 terised by its scaly particles, soiling, 

 and low degree of coherence; the 

 indurated, by fracture, streak, soft- 

 ness, and sectility. The Chinese 

 are said to use it, when mixed 

 with the root of veratrum album, 

 instead of snuff. 



LITHO'PHAGI. (from \i0os and <fra<yeiv, 

 to eat, Gr. lithophage, Fr.) Mol- 

 luscs which eat holes in stones and 

 rocks. While the lithodomi pene- 

 trates rocks by chemical action, 

 dissolving the stony matter, litho- 

 phagi mechanically perforate, or 

 bore into them. They belong to 

 Lamarck's family of Lithophagidae. 



LITHOPHA'GID^. A family of tere- 

 brating bivalves. 



