Oldal 26 [26]
276 MINERALOGICAL REMARKS.
It is of an ath colour *, here and there variegated with red, very
fragile, and the texture like a congeries of fmall tunicated ill-fhaped
beads, of a rather greafy luftre. It greatly imtumefces under the
blow-pipe, even to thrice its bulk, and forms a white fcoria; but it
only flightly phofphorefces, and forms no gelly with nitrous acid,
which are two of the principal characters of Zeolite. In fome parts.
the little globules, which are formed of different coats, contain a
nucleus of Obfidian; the thin coats are eafily detached. Of thefe
nuclei I picked up a great many at the foot of the bank, moftly of
the fize of a pea, but fome of the fize of a bean: they are more
orlefs angular, but never cryftallized as Mr. Fichtel informs us. I have
feen his pretended cryftals, and can affure my readers, that none but
thofe who are blinded by mineralogical hypothefes, and call in con¬
ceding fancy inftead of fevere judgment to be their eounfellors, can
think them fuch. Thefe globules likewife fwell under the blow-pipe,
and form a whitith glafs,, Mr. Fichtel, who, I know, is very expert
with the blow-pipe, fays, in his, Mineralog. Aufsat. page 277,
that he could only melt the Lipary Obfidian ; and thofe of Hekla,
Tranfylvania and Hungary, he found to be altogether infufible. This
greatly furprifes me; and the infufibility of this foflil is aflerted by
him likewife in his account of the Carpathian mountains, page 580.
I have tried the {mall grains, and fragments of pieces two or three
* Cinerens durus fragilis un€tuofo-nitens, textura crafle granulata ex globulis parvis
angulofis tunicatis.
Tubi Ferruminatorii ope ter volumen auget & fcoriam albam cum. parum phofphoref¬
centiæ præbet,
pounds
24