392 Mr . Hunter’s Obfervations on the 
{lallife, it was reduced in appearance to half its bulk, the cryflals 
being {mailer, and more blended, confequently Id's diffindl. 
The fpermaceti mixes readily with other oils* while it is in 
a fluid flate, but feparates or cryltallifes whenever it is 
cooled to a certain degree; like two different falts being diflfolved 
in water, one of which will cryftallife with a lefs degree of 
evaporation than the other ; or, if the water is warm, and 
fully faturated, one of the falts will cryftallife fooner than the 
other, while the folution is cooling. I wanted to fee whether 
fpermaceti mixed equally well with the exprefled oils of vege- 
tables when warm, and likcwife feparated and cryflallifed when 
cold, and on trial there leemed to be no difference. When very 
much diluted with the oil, it is difl'olved or melted by a much 
fmaller degree of heat than when alone ; and this is the rea- 
fon, perhaps, that it is in a fluid {late in the living body. 
If the quantity of fpermaceti is fmall in proportion to the 
other oil, it is, perhaps, nearly in that proportion longer in 
cryftalliflng ; and when it does cryftallife, the cryflals are 
much fmaller than thofe that are formed where the propor- 
tion of fpermaceti is greater. From the flownefs with which 
the fpermaceti cryflallifes when much diluted with its oil, from 
a conflderable quantity being to be obtained in that way, and 
from, its continuing for years to cryftallife, one would be in- 
duced to think, that perhaps the oil itfelf is converted into 
Ipermaceti. 
It is mofl likely, that if we could difcover the exafl form 
of the different cryflals of oils, we fhould thence be able to 
afcertain both the different forts of vegetable oils, exprefled and 
effential, and the different forts of animal oils, much better 
than by any other means ; in the fame manner as we know falts 
by the forms into which they {hoot. 
6 
The 
