MACKIE — ON rOSSIL BIRDS. 
453 
"Cap. XX. p. G6. — ZoolitJiiis avis, or Ornitbolitus, is a petrified 
bird, which is very seldom to be met witli amongst the Petriticata. 
" 1. OrnithoJitus avis intefjr<s. — Ornitholite of a whole bird, which, 
according to Linnseiis and AVallerius, is conserved in some museum, 
has never met my eye ; and these stones must at all events be very 
scarce, as birds, owing to the use of their wings, very easily escape the 
dangers of waves and immersion. 
"2. OrnithoJitus plumarum. — Ornitholite of feather. Scheuchzer, 
in his ' Yindiciae Piscium,' describes a specimen of such a fossil bird's 
feather in stone discovered at Oeningen. 
" 3. Ornitholitus nidorum. — Petrified nests. They are found some- 
times in the subterranean caverns full of stalactites, and in tufas; 
but they may be rather classed amongst the incrustata, or incrusta- 
tions, than amongst the lapidifacta, or petrifactions. Such a nest 
was discovered in a cave by Baumann ; five others are described by 
Eruckmaun. These incrusted nests are sometimes formed from sta- 
lactite, or earth deposited from saline water in layers within the 
apartment. 
" Such a nest of a linnet, together with its eggs, incrusted with 
salt of tartar, discovered at Artern, is quoted by the said Bruck- 
niann in his ' Museum,' and a simihir one is to be seen in the museum 
of Eitter, tab. 44, f 5. 
" Such true incrustations, as well as others of this class, are not 
unfrequently encountered in salt-pits. A very curious specimen is 
quoted by Bacci And. in his work ' Do Thermis,' lib. v. c. 4, p. 157. 
In some place of Transylvania, he says, there was in a salt-pit a hen 
discovered hatching her eggs, and which, owing to the salt with which 
she was covered, was preserved incorrupted, and is still to be seen." 
The original Latin of the text we give below : — 
" Caput XX. (p. 66.) 
" Zoolithus Avis seu Ornitholitus est Petrificatum Avis. Hoc inter Pe- 
trificata maxime infrequens esse solet, 
1. OrnithoHthiis avis integrcB quoad nomen exstat apud el. Linnaeum 
et AYalleriuni in museo quodam couscrvetur, mihi non constat. Sed non 
possunt non rarissimi esse lii lapides, quum Aves alarum ministerio undis 
et submersionis periculis so facile suhducant. 
"2. Ornitholithiis Plumavum. Lapidem fissilem (Eningensem, qui 
Avis Pennam referat, describit et depingit cel. Scheuclizerus in Vindiciis 
Piscium, tab. ii. 
" 3. OrnitholitJms Nidorum, quandoque in Cryptis subterraneis Stalac- 
tita pragnanlibus, et inter Tophos occurrit, sed inter incrustata potius 
quam lapidifacta referri merctur. Hujus generis nidum possideo in antro 
iaumannio inventum ; alios quinque recenset clar. Bruckmannus.* 
Pormantur ejusmodi nidi incrustati nonnunquam et stalactita Ytl 
Prseside Johanne Gesnero, Med. D. Pbys. et Math. Prof. Ord. Academire Imperialis 
Naturae Curiosorum, et Socc. Regiar. Berolineusis itemque Suecicfc Upsalieasis, ut et 
Physico-Botanicfc Florentiuo Meiiibro, pro couscqueiido Examiae Philosophico, defeii- 
deut David a Moos, Casparus Ammianiis, Felix Hofmeistcrus, Rodolphus Dfenikerus, 
Hein-icus Kiichspergcriis, Job. Luc. Saloinou WoUius. At d. 21 Mart. H. L. Q. S. 
Tiguri, Ex Ofiicina Gessneriaua. Au. mdcclIi." 
* Epist. Itiner. Ccntiu-. ii. p. 25, tab. 7, 8. Wolseub. 1749, 4. 
