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At other times, wood thus inclined Shall be eroded by

tbc matter which coven it, having fornething acri-
monious in its fuhltance. We may add to thefe,
tern of the twigs of ninths, and fmall wood, which
we find flakes of, incmftecl with fparry or cakarious
matter, U. many places parts of which are totally
changed into tbat Ulattnr, whilft others WC only ill-
veloped with it.

BON" of Aorta/ILI.
We fee, by every day's erperience, that the human
Skeleton mouldess to dull in a very few years, when
buried in mould: 6 it does even in vaults, where
the coffins are kept dry. In the firft cafe, the Emir-
sure and filts of doe earth divide and diffolve the tea-
mne of the bones ; in the latter, thole of the air,
which gradually infinuate themfelves into them, and
at length dellsoy them. How long a Skeleton whok
tones are wen dried and prepared, being totally de-
prived of its medullary fubllance, will lalt, as we now
order them for anatomical purpoks, we cannot fay:
but it may be kafonably conjettured, that they will
undergo the fate of the fofier kinds of wood, filch
Is beech, which grows rotten in no great number of
years; becaufe their internal fubllance is fpungy md
cellular, and dick craft is very thin, except about the
middle of the bones of the arm and thigh. I mean the
humerus and fmmur. The fame deftruCtion would
happen, if bodies were dlited in a fandy foil; be.
auk water finds its way either by dripping downwards,
or by fprings underneath. But human Ikeletons have
ken found intim within a rock, where neithec
tmc

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