592 MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



other known mineral bodies, selected as standards, 

 and arranged in a fixed scale, which is as follows : 



No. 1. Talc. 5'5. Scapolite (crystalline va- 



2. Gypsum-Rock-Salt. riety). 



2'5. Foliated-Mica. 6. Felspar (cleavable variety). 



3. Calcareous-Spar (any cleav- 7. Quartz (transparent). 



able variety.) 8. Topaz (transparent). 



4. Fluor-Spar (any cleavable 9. Sapphire (cleavable va- 



variety). riety). 



5. Apatite (transparent variety). 10. Diamond. 



5. State of Aggregation. This may render them 

 brittle, malleable, sectile, flexible, or elastic. 



6. Fracture, may be conchoidal, uneven, even, 

 fibrous, splintery, or hackly. 



7. Taste, distinguishes some soluble minerals, 

 which may be, 



1. Astringent, resembling Vi- 5. Cooling, resembling Salt- 



triol. petre. 



2. Sweetish-Astringent, resem- 6. Bitter, resembling Epsom 



bling Alum. Salts. 



3. Saline, resembling Com- 7. Sour, resembling Sulphu- 



mon-Salt. ric Acid. 



4. Alkaline, resembling Soda. 



8. Odour, is applicable only to a few substances, 

 the divisions are, 



1. Alliaceous, like Garlic. 5. Fetid, like Sulphuretted- 



2. Horse-Radish, like the De- Hydrogen. 



caying root. 6. Argillaceous, like moist- 



3. Sulphureous. ened clay. 



4. Bituminous. 



The other characters, though often of great im- 

 portance, can be only properly examined at home, 

 and not being applicable for travelling purposes, 

 need not here be more than alluded to. 



