SAKHRAT. The Mohammedans say that the Sakhrat is a marvelous stone of green colour which reflects the deep blue tints on the crystal vapours of the heavens. The possession of the merest fragment of this holy stone bestows on the possessor the knowledge of all the secrets of the Universe. SALAMANDER’S WOOL. Asbestos is so termed. It is also known as Mountain Flax, and is believed by the Tartars to be the root of a tree. SARCOPHAGUS. The word is derived from the Greek SARX, SARKOS, flesh, and PHAGO, to eat. A stone found at Assos in Troas. Used by the ancients, it was said to consume an entire dead human body with the exception of the teeth in 40 days. It was known as Lapis Assius, and is noted by Pliny. Sarcophagi were generally employed throughout the ancient world. SAURITE. The Saurite is said to be a stone cut from a green lizard with a sharp reed knife. SCORPION STONE. This may have been a stone of the agate class but its composition is obscure. It is mentioned by Orpheus who says that if the hunter Orion had known of its existence he would have given all the stars to gain this remedy for his fiery pain. It healed the wounds of arrows, the stings of insects and the bite of the scorpion. TOAD STONE. That the toad “wears a precious jewel in his head” was a profound belief in the Middle Ages, and a belief much commented upon in the works of writers of that period. Francis Barrett states that the stone of the toad was a cure for toothache. It was also given as an antidote for poison. In this latter connection it is said that if set in an open setting and worn on the finger it burnt the skin if poison were near. According to Fenton, a writer of the 16th century, “There is to be found in the heads of old and great toads a stone they call Borax or Stelon, which being used as rings gives forewarning against venom.” The toad was believed to have a natural fear of man, throwing out poison at the sight of him. In some parts of the world the stone is said to be extracted from the head by numerous cunning means. It is generally described as a species of black pebble. One of the special virtues of the Toadstone was to protect children from molestation by the fairies. It was also a cure for diseased kidneys and stomach disorders. According to Praetorius, the Prince of Alveschleben was given a ring of this land by a Kobold Brownie or Nixe as a house talisman to safeguard the fortunes of his family. A large toad is said to have dropped a black stone on to the bed of the wife of the Elector of Brandenburg after the birth of her son. Friedrich Wilhelm I ordered his jeweller to set the stone in a ring, which ring has always been worn by the head of the House of Hohenzollern as a symbol of prosperity, protection and good fortune. It was recently stated that the loss of this toadstone during the war was regarded as an evil omen for the ruling house.