4 PHILOSOPHICAL TBANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1763. 



almost every year; and the inhabitants, being thus accustomed to them, take 

 little notice of them. 



XXXI I'". Roman Inscriptions at Tunis in Africa, copied about the Year 1/30 

 by Dr. Carilos, a Native of Madrid, then Physician to the Bey of Tunis. 

 Communicated by John Locke, Esq. F. R.S, p. 211. 



These numerous Roman inscriptions are in honour of different Roman em- 

 perors, and other distinguished persons. 



XXX F. A Letter from Mr. George Edwards, F. R. S. to Thomas Birch, D.D., 

 Sec. R S. concerning an Observation made by him in Optics, p. 229. 



Having lately accidentally discovered that the shadows of things floating in 

 water, a little below its surface, are reflected from the air above the water more 

 strongly than objects above the surface of the water are reflected from the water, 

 and consequently, that fishes playing beneath the surface of a still water may 

 see their images distinctly playing in the air, with this advantage over men who 

 view their faces in the water ; for things in air that are reflected from the water, 

 must have, when placed over the water, their dark or shadowed sides reflected 

 from it, which renders the images obscure. On the contrary, the inhabitants of 

 the waters have almost a hemisphere of light falling on their upper sides, which 

 are the sides that are reflected from the air, which consequently renders such 

 images lighter, and more striking to the eye, than reflections of obscured things 

 in air, when reflected from the water. As I have never heard of, or read, any 

 account of this discovery, I imagine it may be new; but you, Sir, in far more 

 extensive reading, may be acquainted with such a discovery. 



XXX VL Two Remarkable Cases in Surgery.* By Mr. Francis Geach, Sur- 

 geon, Plymouth, p. 231. 



XXXVII. Of a New Dye, from the Berries of a T¥eed in South Carolina. By 

 Mr. Moses Linda, dated at Charles Town, Sept. 1, 1763. p. 238. 

 In August 1757, Mr. L. observed the mocking bird fond of a berry, which 

 grows on a weed called pouck, represented to him as of a poisonous quality; the 

 juice of this berry being a blooming crimson. He was several limes inclined to 

 try if he could extract a dye from it ; yet the very thoughts of its quality pre- 

 vented him from proceeding, till observing these birds to void their excrement of 

 the same colour as the berry on the Chinese rails in his garden, convinced him 

 it was not of the quality represented. He therefore made a trial in the following 



* May be consulted in the vol. of Medical and Surgical Observations, published by this author, 

 in 1768. 



