This society, founded in January, 1877, and consisting of between fifty and sixty members, is the only society in the country especially devoted to mineralogy which publishes Proceedings. A large proportion of the communications are brief and of local interest. It is greatly to be desired that a society of larger scope-a Mineralogical Society of America-may be organized ere long. With the leading mineralogists of this country as active members, such a society should be at least as successful as the mineralogical societies of Great Britain and of France. The NATURALIST will give such a society all possible assistance.

The volume before us consists of thirty-seven communications upon mineralogy and geology, contributed during 1880 and 1881. The mineralogical articles are here briefly reviewed under the titles as given.

Some new Pennsylvania mineral localities.-Chas. M. Wheatley reports new localities for aurichalcite, melaconite, byssolite and azurite in Berks and Montgomery counties.

Pseudomorphs of Serpentine after Dolomite.-H. Carvill Lewis describes at length some serpentine pseudomorphs from the Wissahickon creek, which have the cleavage planes and external characters of dolomite, resembling those described by Professor Dana from the Tilly-Foster iron mine. Their mode of origin is discussed.

New localities for Barite.-H. C. Lewis gives three new Pennsylvania localities for barite.

New localities for Chabazite.--L. Palmer announces two new localities for chabazite in Delaware county, Penna.

On a new ore of Antimony.-H. Carvill Lewis describes a new ore of antimony from Sonora, Mexico. It has the following characters: Isometric. Habit octahedral. Generally massive. Hardness 6.5-7. Spec. grav. 4.9. Luster of the crystals, glassy; of the massive mineral, sub-resinous or sub-vitreous. Color, pale grayish-yellow. Streak uncolored. Transparent in crystals, opaque when massive. Fracture sub-conchoidal. Before the blowpipe fuses with difficulty to a gray slag, decrepitates strongly and gives a white coating. In the closed tube decrepitates strongly, turns yellow when hot, gives off water but does not fuse. It contains 3.1 per cent. of water, and consists mainly of antimonious oxide. (This communication was made Feb. 23, 1880, six months before Professor Cox's paper before the A. A. A. S. upon this same mineral. Professor Cox supposes it to be stibiconite, but it is more nearly allied to senarmontite.

Menaccanite from Fairmount park.-John Ford exhibits a large curved crystal of this mineral from Fairmount park, Phila.

Note on Damourite from Berks county, Penna.-F. A. Genth describes a shaly, talcose mineral from Rockland Forges, Pa., an alkali determination of which gave him: H2O, 5.60; K2O, 10.32; Na2O, 0.36.

On the Stalactites of Luray cave.-A. E. Foote describes the cave near Luray, Va., and states that the curving and twisting of the stalactites was due to the fungi which grew upon their surface, and so caused lateral growth of carbonate of lime.

New localities for Gypsum.-H. C. Lewis reports Easton, Penna, and Richmond Coal-field, Va., as new gypsum localities. New locality for Sphene.-A. E. Foote describes the new locality for sphene at Egansville, Renfrew county, Canada, where crystals weighing from twenty to eighty pounds occur in a vein of apatite. A crystal of apatite weighed 500 lbs.

A new locality for Hyalite.-H. C. Lewis describes green hyalite from Germantown, Pa.

Note on Autunite.-H. C. Lewis gives the optical characters of the Philadelphia autunite. It is orthorhombic, with an optic axial divergence of 24°.

Crystalline cavities in Agate.-Theo. D. Rand exhibits specimens of agate containing crystalline cavities once occupied by calcite crystals. The method of taking type-metal casts of these cavities was explained.

Note on Halotrichite.-H. C. Lewis states two localities for halotrichite.

On twin crystals of Zircon.-A. E. Foote records the discovery of twin zircon crystals at Egansville, Canada.

Disks of Quartz between lamina of Mica.-Theo. D. Rand exhibits circular disks of quartz, showing a rotating black cross in the polarizing microscope, which occur in muscovite from Amelia county, Va.

On two new localities of Columbite.-H. Carvill Lewis records the occurrence of columbite at Mineral Hill, Pa., and at Dixon's Quarry, Del. The crystallographic characters of the specimens were described.

On the occurrence of Fahlunite near Philadelphia.-H. C. Lewis states that he has found fahlunite at two localities in hornblendic gneiss near Philadelphia. It is of a pale apple-green color, and has a scaly structure and felspathic cleavage. It resembles the variety known as chlorophyllite, and appears to be a product of alteration. On a mineral resembling Dopplerite from a peat bed at Scranton Pa.-H. C. Lewis describes the black jelly-like substance from the Scranton peat bed, already noticed in the NATURALIST.

Titaniferous Garnet.--H. A. Keller describes a black garnet from Darby, Pa., whose color is due to enclosed particles of menaccanite and sphene, as shown both by microscopical examination and by chemical analysis.

Pyrophyllite and Alunogen in coal mines.-E. S. Reinhold states that the coatings of pyrophyllite from the coal slates of Mahanoy City, already described by Dr. Genth, have now been found in four collieries. Other coatings have proved to be alunogen, the origin of which is discussed.

New locality for Mountain Cork.--T. D. Rand finds this mineral near Radnor, Pa.

New locality for Aquacreptite.-G. H. Parker finds aquacrepite in decomposed gneiss in West Philadelphia.

Note on Aquacreptite.-H. C. Lewis remarks that at each of the localities for aquacreptite the rock differs; at West Chester it is serpentine, at Marble Hall limestone, and at Philadelphia gneiss. Experiments are described which he had made to discover the cause of decrepitation, which he finds due to capillary attraction. He concludes that the mineral is of mechanical origin, and differs from bole merely in a greater amount of mechanical action when placed in water, and that it is therefore not entitled to a special

name.

Quartz crystals from Newark, Del.-W. W. Jefferis finds doubly terminated quartz at this locality.

A new mineral from Canada.-A. E. Foote draws attention to some olive-green crystals from Hull, Canada, which he supposes to be new.

A peculiar twinned Garnet.--W. W. Jefferis exhibits a twinned garnet where the smaller crystal fitted loosely in a cavity in the larger.

On Diorite.-E. S. Reinhold describes a diorite from Placer county, Cal., closely resembling the "Napoleonite" of Corsica. A new locality for Allanite.--Isaac Lea finds allanite with zircon at Yellow Springs, Chester county, Pa.

A new locality for Copiapite.-E. S. Reinhold finds copiapite at Mahanoy City, Pa.

On Phytocollite.--H. C. Lewis describes more fully the mineral from Scranton, giving an analysis, and suggests the term phytocollite as generic for the related jelly-like hydrocarbons found in peat.

A NEW LOCALITY FOR HAYESINE.-N. H. Darton1 has found hayesine in soft fibrous crystals coating datholite and calcite in cavities in the trap of Bergen Hill, N. J. An analysis gave

The slender crystals were grouped together, and lay like little white mats upon the calcite crystals. This is an interesting occurrence of hayesine.

THE THIRD APPENDIX TO DANA'S MINERALOGY (Wiley & Sons, N. Y.). Professor E. S. Dana has done a great service to mineralogists in the careful preparation of a volume bringing our knowledge of mineralogical species up to the present time. Since the last appendix was prepared, seven years ago, a large number of new species have been added, and much mineralogical work has been done. The present appendix contains descriptions of Amer. Journ. Sc., June, 1882, p. 458.

about 300 species announced as new, and also refers to many mineralogical articles, quoting new analyses and new facts as to physical characters and localities. The appendix is designed to make Dana's Mineralogy (5th ed.) complete up to January, 1882, and should be in the hands of every owner of that noble volume. ORTHITE FROM VIRGINIA.-F. P. Dunnington1 and G. A. Koenig2 have described and analyzed orthite from Amelia county, Va. It occurs in blade-like crystals several inches long, of a black color and pitchy luster, sometimes enveloped by an altered material. It has the following composition :

Analysis (1) is by Dunnington, (2) by Koenig.

NEW ANALYSES OF Columbite and Monazite.--F. P. Dunnington3 gives the following analyses of the columbite and monazite of Amelia county, Va.:

Columbite.

Hardness 5.5; spec. grav. 6.48; luster sub-resinous; color dark-brown, streak light-brown, red when in thin splinters.

TaO, NO, SnO2 MnO FeO CaO MgO Y2O3 (?)

84.81

trace 8.05 5.07 1.27

.20

.82 = 100.22

Monazite.

.9

CO, D12O, La2O, Y,0, Fe,O, AO, Tho2 PO, SIO, 16.30 24.4 10.3 I. I .04 18.6 24.04 2.7 = 98.38 OBITUARY.-William S. Vaux, a well-known amateur mineralogist, died at Philadelphia on May 5th, in his 71st year. As vicepresident of the Academy of Natural Sciences and of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society, as president of the Zoological Society and as treasurer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he showed an active interest in the progress of science.

The chief object to which he devoted his ample means was the collection of choice minerals, and as a result of extensive traveling and constant collecting throughout a lifetime, he left one of the finest collections in this country. His cabinet was remarkable for the beauty of the individual specimens, in many cases unsurpassed. He has bequeathed it to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

Amer. Chem. Fourn., Vol. IV, p. 138.

Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phila., 1882, p. 103.

Loc. cit.

GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVELS.'

THE CHUKCHES AND THE KURO-SIVO.-Captain Hooper, lately in command of the U. S. steamer Corwin, in an address before the Geographical Society of the Pacific, spoke of the habits and customs of the Chukches who inhabit the arctic coast of Siberia. In the winter they travel west on their way to the Russian trading posts in the interior, which they reach by ascending the rivers west of Cape Jakan; in the spring they travel to East Cape, cross Behring Strait, and continue their journey to Cape Blossom, Kotzebue Sound, where they meet the Eskimo from the entire coast of Arctic Alaska, from Point Barrow to Cape Prince of Wales, for purposes of trade, returning to their houses by the same route in the latter part of the summer.

Captain Hooper is of the opinion that a branch of the KuroSivo, or Japanese warm stream, passes through Behring Strait, but subject to the varying conditions of wind and ice. A southerly wind accelerates it, while a northerly wind stops it entirely for a time; and in some cases of a long-continued northerly wind, it is not impossible that a slight southerly set may be created, but such an occurrence must be rare and of short duration. The current is much stronger in August and September than in the early part of the season when the ice-pack extends entirely across the Behring Sea. This branch of the Kuro-Sivo follows the direction of the Kamchatka coast to the northward through Behring Sea, passing between St. Lawrence Island and the coast of Asia, and thence through the strait, after which it is controlled in a great measure by the condition of the ice-pack. Captain Hooper stated that he had never known the current through the Strait to exceed three knots per hour, the average being probably not more than two knots. Near Herald and Wrangell Islands the current was found setting to the north and eastward about two knots per hour, and no tidal change was detected; off the south coast of Wrangell Island a slight westerly current was observed. In the Arctic, as well as in the Behring Sea, there is no doubt a tidal current, but it is so dependent on the conditions of the ice that only the mean of a long series of careful observations could determine its characteristics.

Six cases containing the zoological and anthropological collections, made by the brothers Krause in the Chukchi peninsula, have arrived at Bremen. Dr. Arthur Krause will remain in Alaska during the summer, but his brother is now on his way home.

GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES.-Mr. A. R. Colquhoun, an officer in the employ of the Government of India, who has spent ten years in surveying and engineering work in British Burma, has undertaken a journey through southern China, and across the frontier through 1 Edited by ELLIS H. YARNALL, Philadelphia.