VOL. XXXIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 103 



from observations made by Dr. Halley, at St. Helena, and Mr. Flamsteed's 

 stars' places, and fitted to the year 1726. 



An Accomn of the Scythian, or P^egetab/e Lamb. Bij Dr. Brejjne, of Dantzic, 

 F. R. S. N" 390, p. 353. From the Latin. 

 The pretended agnus scythicus, or vegetable lamb is (it is now well known,) 

 nothing more than the root of some large fern, covered with its natural 

 villus or yellow down, and accompanied by some of the stems, &c. in order, 

 when placed in an inverted position, the better to represent the appearance of the 

 legs and horns. The fern itself is generally supposed to be the polypodium 

 aureum of Linnaeus. Dr. Breynius, the author of this paper, very properly 

 treats the whole as a fable, and suggests the real state of the case, viz. that it 

 is notliing more than the root of a fern. He also adds, that the down or villus 

 of the root is the poco sempic, or golden moss, so much esteemed by the Chi- 

 nese for the purpose of stopping haemorrhages. 



On Camphor. By Mr. John Brown, Chemist, F. R. S. N° 3go, p. 36l. 

 An Abstract from the Latin. 



Mr. Neuman's observations on camphor, and its extraction from the distilled 

 oil of thyme, gave occasion to this paper of Mr. Brown's. The lastmentioned 

 chemist is of opinion, that the coagulated or crystalline substance, which Mr. 

 N. obtained from the aforesaid oil, cannot properly be called camphor, seeing 

 that the same effects do not in all instances result from the action of the same 

 chemical agents on both. Thus, although neither the one nor the other is 

 soluble in water, but both in spirit of wine; yet it is otherwise when spirit of 

 nitre or oil of vitriol are employed. With spirit of nitre genuine camphor 

 forms a pellucid liquor; but on the affusion of the same menstruum, the coa- 

 gulated oil of thyme puts on a resinous or gummy form, and never becomes 

 fluid. Again, if the solution of camphor in spirit of nitre be diluted with 

 water, a separation of the camphor is effected; whereas under the same treat- 

 ment the coagulated oil still retains its resinous or gummy form. 



In like manner camphor is wholly dissolved in oil of vitriol, which is not the 

 case with the coagulated oil of thyme, &c. &c. Mr. Brown adds, that Dr. 

 Slare had mentioned, 30 years before, the obtaining of a similar substance to 

 that described by Mr. Neuman, in the distillation of thyme, and that another 

 chemist, Mr. Manel, had shown him a similar product from oil of marjoram. 



