in natural history, the name of an earth found on the shores of Egypt, Cyrene, and the island of Crete, used by the ancients in painting.

It had its name either from a part of Egypt, near which it was gathered, or from the name of a town in that kingdom, where it was usually sold. Vitruvius is of the first opinion, and Volaterius of the other. Of late it was thought to be lost; but it is still common on the shores of most of the islands of the Archipelago, though not observed or regarded; and is truly a very heavy and tough clay of a fine white colour, found in masses of different sizes, generally as soft as the softer clays within the strata; and, by rolling about on the beach in this state, it gathers up the sand, small shells, and other foulnesses, we always find about it. It is likely that there are strata of it fine and pure in the cliffs there, and that the sea washes off masses of them in storms and high tides, which are what we find.