178 THE MAGIC OP JEWELS AND CHARMS
birth-pangs
of the mother stone, or else the cry of its newborn offspring, the
small stones enclosed within the geode, for the story goes that each
night some of these are generated.44
These "eagle-stones" still retain their repute in Italy, where they are called pietre gravide, or
"pregnant stones," and are considered by many of the peasants as almost
indispensable aids to parturition. They are in such demand that the
lucky owners rent them for the nine months during which they are worn.
As soon as one case has been happily concluded, the amulet is passed
on to some other woman who is in need of it. A fee of five lire, or one
dollar, is paid in each case, and a pledge worth a hundred lire ($20)
is required before the stone is handed over. Some amulets of this class
bear Christian symbols.45
Géodes
of this description consisting of limonite are to be found in many
places. Some of them are of relatively recent formation, and one of
these shows curiously enough that in addition to its other virtues the œtites can
on occasion perform the functions of a savings-bank. This strange
specimen was found in 1846, at Périgueux, department Dor-dogne, France.
On opening the geode there appeared within some 200 silver coins dated
in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; all of these were encrusted
with the material forming the enclosing mass.46
Long,
white, rough stones, calcareous shell growths, were sometimes taken
from snails and cockles. These were believed to have a marked diuretic
action, and were therefore strongly recommended for certain diseases of
the kidneys and the bladder. They were also believed to be helpful in
14 Julius Ruska, " Das Steinbuch des Aristoteles," Heidelberg, 1912, p. 4, citing Petermann, " Reisen im Orient," vol. ii, p. 132.
" Bellucci, " Il feticismo in Italia," Perugia, 1907, p. 94, note. (Figures on pp. 94 and 95.)
* Lacroix, " Minéralogie de la France," Paris, 189&-1910, vol. iii, p. 399.
