MA.CKEE — OS TOSSIL BIRDS. 417 



jensem inventus est ramus niagnus arboris. in quo erat nidus avium : et aves 

 pice in nido : et converse in lapides erant parvi in nido param declinantes ad 

 rubedinem. quod aliter esse non potuit nisi quod procellis vel undis evuisa 

 arbor tempore quo in ea fuit nidus et aves in aquarn ceciderunt : et postea. 

 per virtutem loci in quo jacebat. in lapidem universa conversa sunt. Est 

 autem fons in G-othia : de quo verissime traditur. quod omnia que mer- 

 guntur in ipsum in lapidem convertit : in tantum, quod ad eum misit Irn- 

 perator Eredericus cirotecam sigillatam ut probaret veritatem. que cum per 

 aliquot dies medietas corii et medietas sigilli mersa erat in fonte : medietas 

 corii et medietas sigilli conversa sunt in lapidem, altera medietate corio 

 manente. Refertur et veraciter a fidedignis quod gutte que ex impetu 

 casus ejusdem fontis sparguntur. super ripam fontis convertuntur in lapidem 

 guttarurn quantitatern habentes : cum tamen aqua que sic fluit non conver- 

 tatur in lapidem : sed fluit continue. Yidemus etiam oculis generari cris- 

 tallos in montibus altissimis : qui sunt perpetuarum nivium : quod iterum 

 esse non potest nisi per virtutem minerallium que est in locis illis. Ex 

 quibus omnibus videtur non posse certum aliquidtradi de loco generationis 

 lapidum : cum nec in uno tamen elemento : sed. in pluribus nec etiam in uno 

 tamen climate sed in omnibus. Et quod bis mirabilius videtur. in corporibus 

 animalium generantur et in nubibus. que omnia loca difficile videtur, valde 

 ad unarn materiam in communi reducere : cum tamen hoc sit necessariuin, 

 eo quod non dubitarnus ejusdem corporis mixti secundum genus etiam unum 

 secundum genus esse generativum. Oportet enim quod omnium genera- 

 torum sit locus aliquis sue generationis, extra quern corrumpuntur et de- 

 struuntur."* 



The next earliest author is &EOEG-irs Agricola. (1546), in whose 

 work, ' De Xatura Eossilium,' lib. x. p. 370. f he says : — 



"Like the wood of the blackthorn, but not the same, is a 

 fissile stone at the base of the mountain Meliboeus, or, as it is 

 now called, Hercynium, near Eisleben, Mannesfeld, Hostedt ; it is 

 black, bituminous, and full of brass, and when extracted from the 

 pits it is first spread on the field, and being thus accumulated forms 

 a heap. Afterwards the lower part of the heap is surrounded 

 with twigs 5 whereiu likewise some of the same stones are thrown, 

 and then the twigs are set on fire : the stones which are at the 

 top of the twigs take fire, and communicate it to the others close 

 by, and these kindle the rest. This faculty of being easily ignited 

 is a common characteristic of bitumen and sulphur. However, they 

 show but small veins of pure and black bitumen, and while burning 

 they emit a smell like that yielded by bituminous coals when blazing. 

 When, at the time they are burning, some rain falls on them, they 

 bum brisker and soften quicker. Likewise, when the smoke which, 

 rises upwards is cast by the wind on to standing water, there is quickly 

 a sort of bituminous matter to be perceived on the surface, all of 

 which sufficiently proves that these stones are bituminous. The stones 



* Albeetus Magnus, 'De Mineralibus.' lib. i. p. 8. tract, f. cap. viL, edit. 1495. 



t The works of Agricola are — ' De Ortu et Causis Subterraueoruin/ lib. v. ' De Xa- 

 tura eorum quse efflunnt ex Terra. 5 lib. viiL ' De Nature Fossitiam,' lib. x. ' De Vc- 

 teribus et Xoris Metallis.' lib. ii. Berrnanmis, =ive ue Re Metaliica Dialogus.' ' Iuter- 

 pretatio Germaaica Vocam Eei Metallicse, addito Indice i'oscuudissinio.' — Basileae, edit. 

 1546. 



V OIu VT. 3 H 



