Lives of Eminent Zoologists, from Aristotle to Linnæus: with Introductory remarks on the Study of Natural History — Aristotle — John Shaqi
Lives of Eminent Zoologists, from Aristotle to Linnæus: with Introductory remarks on the Study of Natural History
Aristotle · en
Order II. CALCARIAE. Originating from animal earth;
penetrable by fire, and becoming more porous, their powder
mealy; and when burnt, they fall into a fine powder; as
limestone, marble, gypsum.
Order III. ARGILLACEAE. Originating from the viscid sediment
of the sea, becoming harder and stiffer in the fire, their
powder unctuous before exposure to fire; as serpentine,
asbestus, mica.
Order IV. ARENATAE. Originating from precipitation caused by
rain-water, when struck with steel emitting sparks, very
hard, their powder rough and angular like bits of glass; as
quartz, jasper, flint.
Order V. AGGREGATAE. Originating from a mixture of the
foregoing, and therefore participating their constituent
particles; their powder differing accordingly; as granite,
puddingstone.
Class II. MINERAE, MINERALS.
Fertile stones, originating from a saline principle by
crystallization; compound, as produced from a stony
substance (of the preceding class), impregnated by salt,
sulphur, or mercury, intimately soluble in an appropriate
menstruum, and crystalline.
Order I. SALIA, _Salts_. To be distinguished by the taste,
soluble in water; as rock-salt, alum, borax.
Order II. SULPHURA, _Sulphureous Minerals_. Distinguishable
by smell, emitting an odour and flaming under the action of
fire, soluble in oil; as amber, naphtha, pyrites.
Order III. METALLA, _Metallic Minerals_. Distinguishable by
good eyes! very heavy, fusible, soluble in appropriate acid
menstrua; as molybdaena, lead, gold, and copper.
Class III. FOSSILIA, FOSSILS.
Ambiguous stones, originating from modifications of the
substances included in the preceding classes.
Order I. PETRIFICATA, _Petrifactions_. Impressed with the
form of some natural object, as,--
_Zoolithus_, the petrifaction of an animal of the class
Mammalia.
_Ornitholithus_, a petrified bird.
_Amphibiolithus_, a petrified frog, snake, &c.
_Ichthyolithus_, a petrified fish.
_Entomolithus_, a petrified insect or crab.
_Helmintholithus_, of the class vermes, including shells.
_Phytolithus_, vegetable petrifactions.
_Graptolithus_, resembling figures produced by painting; as
florentine and landscape marble.
Order II. CONCRETA, coagulated from particles agglutinated
at random; as urinary and salivary calculi; tartar of wine;
pumice, formed by fire; stalactite, formed by air; tophus,
produced under water, as oolite.
Order III. TERRAE, _Earths_. Pulverized, their particles
loose; as ochre, sand, clay, and chalk.