MA-CXIE — 05T FOSSIL BIEDS. 
417 
censem inventus est ramus magnus 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 evulsa 
arbor tempore quo in ea fuit nidus et aves in aquara ceciderunt : et postea, 
per virtutem loci in quo jacebat, in lapidem universa conversa sunt. Est 
autem fons in Gothia : de quo verissime traditur, quod omnia que mer- 
guntur in ipsum in lapidem convertit : in tantum, quod ad eum misit Im- 
perator Fredericus 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. Hefertur et veraciter a fidedignis quod gutte que ex impetu 
casus ejusdem fontis sparguntur, super ripam fontis convertuntur in lapidem 
guttarum quantitatem habentes : cum tamen aqua que sic fluit non conver- 
tatur in lapidem : sed fluit continue. Videmus etiam oeulis 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 aliqiiid tradi de loco generationis 
lapidum : cum nec inuno tamen elemento : sed in pluribus uec etiam in imo 
tamen climate sed in omnibus. Et quod his mirabilius videtur, in corporibus 
animalium generantur et in nubibus, que omnia loca difficile videtur, valde 
ad unam materiam in communi reducere : cuin tamen hoc sit necessarium, 
60 quod non dubitamus ejusdem corporis mixti secundum genus etiam uuum 
secundum genus esse generativum. Oportet enim quod omnium genera- 
torum sit locus aliquis sue generationis, extra quern corrumpuutur et de- 
struuntur."* 
The next earliest author is Georgtus Agricola. (1546), in whose 
work, ' De Natura Eossilium,' lib. x. p. 370,1 he says : — 
" Like the wood of the blackthorn, but not the same, is a 
fissile stone at the base of the mountain Melibocus, 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, wherein 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 
burn brisker and soften quicker. Likewise, when the smoke which 
rises upwards is cast by the wind on to staining 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 
* Albertus Magnus, 'De Mineralibus,' lib. i. p. 3. tract, f. cap. vii., edit. 1495. 
t The works of Agvicola are—' De Ortu et Causis Subterraueoi uin,' lib. v. ' De Na- 
tura eorum qufe effliuuit ex Terra,' lib. viii. ' De Natura Fossiliuin,' lib. x. ' De Ve- 
teribus et Novis Metallis,' lib. ii. ' Bermannus, sive de He Mclallica Dialogus.' ' luter- 
pretatio Gerinariica Vocuni llci MetallicaJ, addito ludice ioeeuudissimo.' — Basileac, edit. 
1546. 
VOL. VT. 3 H 
