PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 545 



in such manner that the animal used to groan under the burden. These jour- 

 nies having been discontinued for some years the horse became very restifF 

 and unmanageable whenever a saddle was put upon him, or whenever any 

 person mounted him; either because the pressure of the saddle incommoded 

 him, or because when he was rode fast, he experienced from the shaking 

 great pain and irritation. It is further to be remarked that he was constantly 

 kept upon hay and other dry food, not having for some years been turned out 

 to grass, which doubtless would have been of great service. Every year during 

 spring and autumn he was observed to lose flesh, and to become so heavy and 

 languid in his hind parts, as scarcely to be capable of moving his legs, 

 which he dragged after him. About 8 or 10 days before he died, ischuria 

 took place, the calculus having so completely filled up the cavity of the 

 bladder as to leave no passage for the urine. The animal now threw him- 

 self upon the ground, beat and tossed himself about, cast up the earth 

 with his feet, and expressed the acuteness of his pains by the most violent 

 movements. It is very remarkable that during the whole time his urine was 

 suppressed, he obstinately refused to drink, as if he had been instinctively 

 aware that if he swallowed any water it would only aggravate his sufferings, as 

 it could not pass off by the kidneys or bladder. This case of calculus I at first 

 imagined to be without parallel; but I have since met with a similar instance 

 in the Journal des Sqavans.* 



An Account of a small Discourse about Comets, published in High-Dutch at 

 Neurenburg iGsi, by a Lover of Astronomy. Philos, Collect. N°7, p. 196. 



A dialogue between a churchman and a naturalist, containing the most 

 trifling notions and fancies about comets. 



of Salmasius's (quoted by this author) that he (Sahnasius) had known several persons to be affected 

 with stone in the kidneys, in consequence of sitting at table with their backs to the fire. 



* Description of a strange Stone found in the Body of a Horse. Philos. Collect. N° 7, p. 195. 



There was lately at this place (Paris) a stone of a very extraordinary size found in the body of a 

 Spanish gelding, about 13 or 14 years old, which died in the riding-school of M. de Bernardy j the 

 weight of it being 4 ft, of a roundish figure, a little flatted, its longest diameter was 5 inches, and its 

 shortest 4 : it was of the colour of an olive, but a little inclining to a brown, marked with several 

 red spots resembling coagulated blood : radiated circularly with black and white veins and waves : 

 but for the rest of it so delicately polished, that it reflected the images of the objects about it. It was 

 found enveloped in a membrane of fat, and fastened by two ends to the spine of the back near the 

 kidneys : it was more tlian 12 hours after the horse was dead before it was taken out of his body, 

 when it was found very hot, though the body of the horse was quite cold, and it retained a con- 

 siderable heat about 6 hours after it w^s taken out.— Original. 



VOL. II. 4 A 



