Ball — A Geologist's Contribution to the History of India. 87 



His account of the Murrhine on tlie whole bears out the view 

 as to its nature, stated below on page 89, save that he records 

 (B. xxxvii. c. 7) that "a person of consular -rank, who some 

 years ago used to drink out of this cup, grew so passionately fond 

 of it as to gnaw its edges" — a fact not consistent with it being a 

 substance having the hardness of the Chalcedonic minerals. 



Regarding amber, he quotes the account by Ktesias, which, 

 as has been shown, refers to shellac, and alludes to the fable of 

 amber being produced from the tears of the meleagrides (guinea- 

 fowl). Another statement of his which I cannot explain is, that the 

 Indians polish amber by boiling it in the grease of a sucking pig. 



Adamas. — Under this head the diamond appears to have been 

 included, together with some other stones. "It is," he says 

 (B. xxxvii. c. 15), " the substance that possesses the greatest value, 

 not only among the precious stones, but of all human possessions, 

 a mineral which for a long time was known to kings only, and to 

 very few of them." Where, however, he refers to its hexangular and 

 hexahedral form, he appears to have been alluding to some other 

 mineral ; but his mention of splinters as being used by engravers 

 of other stones again points to the true diamond. He says it 

 could only be broken after being steeped in the blood of a he- 

 goat. 



Smaragdus. — Twelve varieties are mentioned (B. xxxvii., 

 caps. 16, 17). Some of these may have been emeralds, espe- 

 cially those of the third rank, which are said to have come from 

 Egypt. This locality is considered to have been Mount Zalora, 

 in Upper Egypt, which still produces emeralds, and was probably 

 the only locality for them known by the ancients. With reference 

 to some of the other varieties, I feel no little confidence in suggest- 

 ing that they may have been jade, but this mineral is also 

 included in his account of Jaspis. 



Beryls are said to be found in India, and rarely elsewhere 

 (B. xxxvii. c. 20). It is certainly true that they do occur in 

 India, but I am unaware of their being now highly esteemed by 

 the natives, as appears to have been the case in Pliny's time. 



Opals, according to Pliny, were alone produced in India. I am 

 not aware of any known som-ce of precious opal in India. His 

 reference is therefore, probably, to some of the common varieties. 



Want of space prevents me from further analysing Pliny's 



