g $ | U R A L H I S T O R Y4 .o£ .ÆO R W A T
his having a piece of cryftal as- a veij extradrdimry iciiriofityi,: of
four ounces weight taken from thence, fefrt this is-trifling in;fcam-
I parifon with a piece found in< Hardanger, and now in rnyihands,
Which is within, an ounfce of five pounds in Weight, twelve f inches
in lengith, and feVen in thicknefs, and I never daw fo large k fruf-
tum of the angular and conical* kind;! flior ifrmuft ihæVecbeen
•larger, with little- projetions! from j W fides^ which; the former
qWper confefles he broke off for prefents,nfo that' now therepe-
main-only four uniform angles; !but,twb;of .them 'have fince |had
the fate of jthe forrner. I haye federal frnallprf pieces of an hexagon
figure, with the extremity terminating fir a point *;‘Lthefe
regular, fexangular, and conical cryftals ê e by; our peasants called
du^-gnagler, dwarfs-nails, ifrôm an -old nqfiibh|bthat..thefe.lty,ere
nails which thèdwarfs, ,whd,~ theyiimagind, formerly dwelt ifr’the
mountains, threw away^as quife unneceflany to them,«É". being
without .heads. But the general name f«ç the cryftals here are
biergdraaber,; - mountain-drops, whiph pame-correfponds.with'the
accounts of ;the, natumlifrs, of .the origin of cryftals, and happily
» expreffes that fort which hang ohLthe.iriountains, in. the-lhapeKof
grap^ #rfpdi^ indeterminate.figuré. ■ On Æhe other hand, I
knotv from experience, the afoEe-mjsntiondVUsng and regular
pieces, which are afrfexangular, are generated-in a chalky përôus
ftone, in ftiape like a dropfftone, having
found in a mountain, near die parifr-ofForde in this proyince'of
Sundfiord; this is a little larger than' aHanà,' thôugff ttWce as
thick, but filled both, longitudinally and .tranfveriàlly wfrh‘:thefe
minute ;prifinatiecxyftalsj hundreds-of them ârbjeéfing,* as- if
drawn through with a krding-pin; fo that-1- place atgtfeat value
• * Hdw this moifture of the quartz, or mâfcafia, -d ic in g from ’tire ' he
W P F^rated, and w timerproduçes a yitrifaffion or ;eryftaliza»on, is.:-k;.fome
m m ^Vflrated by. J. Fr. Henken, in his pyrotolrgy, chapter 5. page 3 D a„ d
hkewifç the caufe of its hexagon figure, ïnJ the manner of the feline ray^ âid p -.g,
Likewife Kjrcher, in Mundo fubterr. Lib. YIII. Se&iiï. p. 2L ' S M M '
Tom. HI p. 281. ^ ^ ^ r o j f o ^ ^ j i X X VIII
drops, is • fometirrlesjj mclqfeij another heterogenous fubftance ihining : like fflver and
b7 M m m S m m m M M m m | have fome &<* pieces, « g k accounted firft
rare cunofiaes, »11 a more-experienced friehtf 'of mine lhewed me, that upon feeing
‘ pbbed or.pulvenzæd their iuftr;e yanifhed, and the fuppofed Jlver turneci I H n é r
rene.lediment. Argenti flores.appellant fodinarum magiftri, albiè guttuias, ouse ervf-
tallis atque minens infident et quafi fementum effent argenti, apud eorum nonnullos
maximam habent eftimationem etiam ràritatis'titulb. .. Quamvis autem "haberi et effe
torian pofiint mchoamentum argenti. nondum tamen id penitiis obfervationes berfna-
dere voluerunt. Aloyf. Com; Marfili. Danvib. Pahon. T. IlfV a g e ^ é !- ' ^
: 3 upon
B A T U R A 'L n t S T ‘O R Ÿ bf W Ô RWA T.
ópófr tms^$ecè’ öf ftohd, %Fa feahiféft rhöthër of ciyftal *. Were
it-not for1 tfréÿbfîôWffh caft, tod common ifr thefe northern cryf-
faîs, hkèTmofèfBflËdhèiifia, 'àdd Hùrfgary;’1 thëy ihight juÉly de-4
fërvë tfre* âppèlkfioff dF^drwâÿ--draxirondfj, which Mr. Arènt Be-
rendfen c|nfers ôn them;" îof the Original eftèiicé and formàtîmi
@f thë «Kaiiidnd, ftahïel^, ,{k fiîfratètî,5’.vitrified, denfe, indurated
ifriiiêfiF'juiee frlikêVvife différence
beSÏI/’thàt tHe1 filtration ftdrél^lëfr pèrfeét. It apjxârs, however,
flikt a^lóhrarê fli -böiëf fnfh^' fêniétijSîés .idéfrktëà fràhi lier général
ride, wdftihg !èither inore délicatèly 'ot' caiarfely than ufual, fo
thé’ northern 'Cryftals ihsty bé àccoiinfed lùeh deviations, frohi her
|ëffofâl. t t t f e S k t £ t & n â 4 or Hotwày Aróóritaitt-'
dfops.' .: A ëéîtâih flfiicô* ai i^iuiation of the diftriâ of ïlàrdan-
ger, dffeW'yéafr fent tb1 London two ftones found there, in
hâve them riiâde' into û pair of ear-rfegsfor h» îâdy.
When the merchant to whom ,-he had -riven this commiflton,
cklled upfrff the Iapid^y'tor them, he'wâs âlked what-he; looked
uptal fHofo ftoiies tB‘be, thé iferehant ahlwered,- fvfoiWay^eiyflfilg^
then féphed the fe r i^ ^ i.V ^ ^ ,^ a "'»tè bf hand that theÿ (halt
ifot réS drafrfondê; whiêh ihe merchant very readily
did. I'Mfenffiai this Iftdè ftbry, pâMÿ'td’ihew quantum eft m fetnis
inane, and how, in thatters Which are highly eftimated, and fome-
tntlé déïefVë lb tdf be, the world îé rrrtirfe governed by imagina^
tion • thaii reality, “as OthétWife there cbuld not be at feaft that
* Cfyftallus montapa f^raur ex pluribus oBiervatiombus feTickef HÎdicimiiâ) non
eft aliui quaih r^tü^öatrd iëW prppagàtiô' duriffimi filicis, quartz, iaftëi fepiùs côldris
cujus dorfiim li conjpluribus cqmprgflùm ftratis, interius tamen aliquid va-
cui fortiatur, intra quod libéré vàjêàî in ramulos propagâri, tune gènèrâfür cryftallus
|;ij©p'.vérd ex aqua gelu in montibus vehementiore concreta, (ut Plinius, Seneca alii-
qye non pauçi tr^didçruM,)r^j.iod fi cinnabris effluvia ipfius fefe commifcëant vegetation!
(quod nobis jSörtÉMqttë-vyW^gffi^ë
Eölorém. -iidn. tam raro impèrtiunt.'' F.t reni fané vrfofimiliter lie fe habere, per Hêl-
veticas Alpes ad montem S., Gotthardi, anno .1682, iterfacientes amplius intÆexiniUï
afePééS^iliurf ibi a föflSrifeus hfyfffllos emenfibusl Hi lïquidein in plünbüs nobis-
ventriculum- feu cavidatem -quandamj cujus. parietibus niajon. ex parte
fubilternebatur filéx leù quartz, infra illam çavitafem vegètàns, cujus pknotes" âc teriuî-
oi-es ;'paftes filtratione quad*» à; rèliquis fégrégitæ ac fénfim cohcrefcentes affurgebant
^u.dfflendebantur in conps ci^ftallorum.angulgres, Aloyf Corn. Marflli Danub. Pa-
n°ni. Pom. ÎÎI. p. 89. This is further worth óbfaying, that as the effluvia of cimlabar
vdns in the mountains, by d>e tSge, krhith they cbttimüriicatè to'cryftals, fnake ame-'
tliytó'df lfem, ike Wrcfâôifè and emerald in-the-liké manner owè thöf cóiöiffs- to'iyi-
^iól. f . ’ï: -g^gë^roff: .ThéjabTiirdity of that ôpinipn bFPHliÿ,^ Senëórj ahd-öthér an-
cieret BaftiVadifïs ‘of the .formation of cnrM like ice,- by ai^^anré-'fibff“1 lias1 been more
thàiil-ffiiËcrehtljr expofed- 6y Sir Thö. Brówn-iiï his vulgair ëiTörs,- Lib, II, cap 1 ©
37-} I H I I • ' j j I
P ar t I. Y