102 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1745. 



1. Mixed with spirit of violets, it became green. 2. With oil of tartar, the 

 colour was deeper without ebullition, but the mixture sent forth immediately a 

 strong urinous smell ; the same smell arose from rubbing some of the powder 

 with oil of tartar. 3. With oil of vitriol, and spirit of salt, it lost its colour; 

 but no ebullition ensued. 4. With a solution of sublimate in water, the mix- 

 ture curdled, and let fall a light grey sediment, leaving the liquor quite trans- 

 parent. 5. With a solution of sublimate in lime water, the mixture grew turbid, 

 and let fall a deep yellow sediment, in a much greater quantity, and of a deeper 

 colour, than a solution of sublimate and lime water alone. 



From these inquiries he concluded that the stone was compounded of an earth, 

 air, mucus of the stomach, and a saline principle bearing great resemblance to 

 sal ammoniac. 



Of a Porcupine swallmved by a Snake. In a Letter from Bombay, dated Jan. 

 23, 1743-4, communicated by Francis fFoo/aston, Esq. F.RS. N°475, p. 271. 

 Some time ago there was found, on an island adjacent to this, a large snake 

 dead, with a porcupine in its belly. The snake had seized the porcupine by the 

 head ; and had so sucked it in. When it was quite in, the quills, which were 

 flatted down while it was going in, rose ; ran through the snake's belly, and 

 killed it : so that there was a monstrous large snake dead, with the quills of a 

 porcupine sticking out of it in many places. 



Concerning ihe Bologna Bottles. By Dr. Josephus Laurentinus Brunt, of 

 Turin, F.R.S. N° 475, p. 272. 



The curious people in this country talk much of a phenomenon, called the 

 Bologna bottle, because it was first discovered at Bologna. If you let these 

 bottles fall perpendicularly from some height on a brick floor, they will not be 

 broken ; but if you drop into them some little hard bodies, they will burst in 

 pieces. Dr. B. took one of these glass bottles, in form resembling Florence 

 flasks, and in capacity about three quarters of a pint, and let it fall down from 

 the height of 5^ feet on a floor of brick, and it was not broken : he then let 

 fall down into it, from the mouth to the bottom internally, a piece of flint- 

 stone, weighing 1 1 grains ; and immediately the bottle burst into many pieces. 



He took one of those pieces, weighing a dram, and let it fall in the same 

 manner into another bottle, which he moved circularly for a minute ; and then 

 putting it on a table, in about a quarter of an hour it broke in pieces. Into a 

 third bottle he dropped a piece of whetstone, weighing 40 grains ; and in a few 

 minutes the bottle was broken. He filled another bottle half full of water, and 

 let fall into it a small piece of flint-stone ; and after 4 hours it burst. He let fall 

 into 3 other bottles a piece of wood, weighing 50 grains, a piece of brass weigh- 



