420 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO I759. 



power like amber; and that it was said, and by Diocles among others, to attract 

 not only straws and small pieces of wood, but also copper and iron, if beaten 

 very thin; that it was pellucid, and of a deep red colour; and required no small 

 labour to polish it." The rest of Theophrastus's description is taken up with 

 the fabulous account of the generation of this stone, " that it is formed by the 

 urine of the lynx, which the animal, as soon as it parts with it, hides, and 

 scrapes the earth together over it ; and that the stones vary according to the sex 

 and disposition of the animal." 



Dioscorides, in his History of the lyncurium, gives us only the fabulous his- 

 tory of its generation, before mentioned by Theophrastus ; and subjoins, that it 

 is called by some "HAtxTpov -n-Tipvyotpofov; that is, amber, w-hich attracts feathers 

 to it. Pliny, in his history, disbelieves both the fabulous account of the gene- 

 ration of the lyncurium, as well as its attractive quality, related both by Diocles 

 and Theophrastus, and considers the whole as a falsity; though he is candid 

 enough to confess, that neither himself, nor any one else in that age, had seen 

 a gem of that appellation. 



Theophrastus, though more ancient, is, in most particulars, more to be de- 

 pended on than either Dioscorides or Pliny. He ought to be considered much 

 more of an original author, and one who wrote from his own knowledge than 

 the others, who, valu.ible as they are, must be regarded, in most respects, as 

 compilers. His account then of the appearance and properties of the lyncurium 

 must be considered, in order to examine if any substance, known in our time, 

 answers his description. But, first, it is plain that Dr. Woodward's hypothesis 

 of the belemnites being the lyncurium, was ill founded; inasmuch as the belem- 

 nites is neither pellucid nor fit for engraving seals on, on account of the friability 

 of its texture; neither can it, by any management, be made to attract straws, 

 chips of woods, or other light bodies. Nor is GeofFroy's opinion less liable to 

 exception ; as amber, though it has the attractive power mentioned by Theo- 

 phrastus, yet it has by no means the firm texture requisite to have seals engraved 

 on it; neither is it so very hard, as is expressly said by this author concerning 

 the lyncurium, as to require great labour in polishing it. Add to these, that 

 Theophrastus has given a particular account of the history and properties of 

 amber separately, in the before-mentioned work. 



Dr. W. thinks it probable that what we now call the tourmaline was the lyn- 

 curium of Theophrastus, as it agrees with that author's description in all its sen- 

 sible qualities: to wit, that it is a very hard pellucid stone, of a deep red colour; 

 that it is very proper to engrave seals on; that it attracts, like amber, not only 

 straws, and light pieces of wood, but filings of iron and brass, as has been lately 

 evinced by many experiments. And that this stone, though not much attended 

 to by us till very lately, is very common in several parts of the East Indies, and 



