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.
Carcinias [Note] is so called from the colour of the sea-crab; echitis, [Note]
from the colour of the viper; scorpitis, [Note] from either the colour
or the shape of the scorpion; scaritis, from the fish called
scarus; [Note] triglitis, from the sur-mullet; [Note] 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 whitetailed
eagle. Myrmecitis [Note] presents the appearance of an ant
crawling within, and cantharias, [Note] of a scarabæus. Lycophthalmos [Note]
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. Taos [Note] is a stone with colours like those of the
peacock. Timictonia, I find, is the name of a stone, like the
asp in colour.