in natural history, are defined to be essentially compound fossils, not inflammable, nor soluble in water or oil, nor at all ductile; found in continued strata, or beds, of great extent; formed either of a congeries of small particles, in some degree resembling sand, and lodged in a smoother cementitious matter; or else of this cementitious matter, and the grit or sand-like particles, running together into one smooth mass; or, finally, of granules cohering by contact, without any cementitious matter among them; or composed of crystal or spar, usually debauched by earth, and often mixed with talc and other extraneous particles.

Of this class of fossils there are three orders; and under these, eight genera.

The first order comprehends all the coarse, harsh, and rough stones, of a lax texture, and composed of visible gritt, resembling sand in form, and usually immersed in a cementitious matter, and of little natural brightness; scarce capable of any polish, and naturally mouldering away in form of powder from the tools of the workmen. The genera of this order are two, viz., the ammonites and phacelia; the former of which constitute our grey and rough slates; and the latter comprehends most of the stones used in building, particularly Portland stone.

The second order consists of stones moderately fine, of a more compact and even texture, scarce distinguishable construction, and affording no sand-like particles to the view; of some natural brightness, capable of a tolerable polish, and flying off from the tools of the workmen in form of small chips. Under this order are comprehended the sympexia and stegania. The third order consists of stones of a very fine substance and elegant structure, naturally of a great brightness, and capable of an elegant polish; composed of granules of various shapes and sizes, but usually flatish, sometimes more, sometimes less distinct; and, in some species, running together into uniform masses, but never lodged in any cementitious substance. Of this order are the marbles, alabasters, porphyries, and granites.

**STONE in the bladder.** See Medicine, and Surgery.

**STONE also denotes a certain quantity or weight of some commodities.**

A stone of beef, at London, is the quantity of eight pounds; in Hertfordshire, twelve pounds; in Scotland, sixteen pounds.

**STONE CHATTER,** in ornithology. See Motacilla.

**STONEHENGE,** in antiquity, a famed pile or monument of huge stones on Salisbury plain, six miles distant from that city.

It consists of the remains of four ranks of rough stones, ranged one within another, some of them, especially in the outermost and third rank, twenty feet high, and seven broad; sustaining others laid across their heads, and fastened by mortises; so that the whole must have anciently hung together.

Antiquaries are now pretty well agreed that it was a British temple; and Dr Langwith thinks it might easily be made probable, at least, that it was dedicated to the sun and moon. Inigo Jones has given a fine scheme of the work, and strives hard to persuade the world, that it was Roman; but Dr Langwith, who took his measures on the spot, assures us he could by no means reconcile them with that scheme.

**STONEY-STRATFORD,** a market-town of Buckinghamshire, fourteen miles north of Aylesbury.

**STOOL,** in medicine, an evacuation or discharge of the faeces, &c., by the anus.

**STOPPER,** in a ship, a piece of cable-laid rope, having a wale-knot at one end, with a laniard fastened to it; and the other end is spliced round a thimble in the ring-bolts upon deck, and at the bits; its use is to stop the cable, that it may not run out too fast; in order to which, they make turns with the laniard about the cable, and the wale-knot stops it, so that it cannot slip away faster than is necessary.

**STORAX,** or **Styrax,** in natural history, a dry and solid resin, of a reddish colour, and a peculiarly fragrant smell; of which there are two kinds, the styrax calamita, or styrax in tears, and the styrax vulgaris; whereof the former is by far the purer and finer kind, imported in small loose-granules, or else in large masses composed of such granules: it anciently used to be packed up in reeds, for the more secure carriage; whence the name. The common storax is likewise a fine and pure resin, though less so than the former; and is brought to us in large lumps, not formed of granules, but of one uniform consistence.

These are the two genuine kinds of storax; but neither of them is that met with in our shops, which is a kind of saw-dust connected into lumps, by just so much of the storax resin as will make the other matters hang together. This is what our apothecaries use, under the name of storax; but it is adviseable to strain carefully the pure resin from the filth, and use no part of the latter.

The two genuine kinds of storax, which ought always to be used where they can be had, differ only in this; that the granulated storax flows naturally from the styrax tree, and the common kind is obtained from the same tree by incision.