CHAP. 72.—PRECIOUS STONES WHICH DERIVE THEIR NAMES FROM ANIMALS. CARCINIAS. ECHITIS. SCORPITIS. SCARITIS. TRIGLITIS. ÆGOPHTHALMOS. HYOPHTHALMOS. GERANITIS. HIERACITIS. AETITIS. MYRMECITIS. CANTHARIAS. LYCOPHTHALMOS. TAOS. TIMICTONIA.

Other stones, again, derive their names from various animals. Carcinias3425 is so called from the colour of the sea-crab; echitis,3426 from the colour of the viper; scorpitis,3427 from either the colour or the shape of the scorpion; scaritis, from the fish called scarus;3428 triglitis, from the sur-mullet;3429 ægophthalmos, from the eye of the goat; hyophthalmos, from the eye of the swine; geranitis, from the neck of the crane; hieracitis, from the neck of the hawk; and aëtitis, from the colour of the white-tailed eagle. Myrmecitis3430 presents the appearance of an ant crawling within, and cantharias,3431 of a scarabæus. Lycophthalmos3432 is a stone of four different colours; on the exterior it is ruddy and blood-red, and within it is black, surrounded with a line of white, closely resembling the eye of the wolf in every respect. Taos3433 is a stone with colours like those of the peacock. Timictonia, I find, is the name of a stone, like the asp in colour.