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Why did medieval miners think bismuth was connected with the formation of silver?

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A labeled periodic table element box for bismuth shows atomic number 83, symbol Bi, atomic weight 208.9804, electron configuration, and properties including solid state, rhombohedral crystal structure, and weakly acidic oxides. — bismuth Properties of bismuth.

During the Middle Ages, miners believed that bismuth was a transitional stage in the natural development of silver from baser metals. Because they viewed the metal as an incomplete form of silver, they were often dismayed when they encountered a vein of bismuth, believing that they had interrupted the natural transmutation process.12