46 
in a glass vessel in which was also placed valerian or finely powdered 
sugar. Bruckman, however, shews that the spider-stone is nothing 
else but a petrified antediluvian coral, such as has been named the 
Indian astroites, and that the fabulous account of it has most probably 
been derived from its spots, which are not unlike those which are 
discoverable cn the belly of the spider, and from its form, which fre- 
quently agrees with that of the body of a spider. This latter circum- 
stance he, however, attributed to the cunning employment of art ; and 
adds, that these stones generally far exceed in weight and size that of 
any spider or tarantula that is known, not excepting the celebrated 
enormous Brasilian spider named nhamdu-guaca. One of these speci- 
mens, which had been procured from Germany for the late John 
Strange, Esq. is depicted, Plate V. Fig. 7. It exactly agrees with the 
description of Bruckman ; and upon examination with a lens appears to 
be part of a more than ordinarily minute madrepora aiinularis. It has 
been evidently fashioned into its present form by the tool of the artist. 
At d is given a magnified representation of one of the stars of this fossil. 
