46S PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



Crystals of rutile, 5 inches long, in quartz, are found on the 

 farm of Garret Ray, near Burnsville in Yancey Co. 



Corundum penetrated with crystals of rutile is found near 

 Bakersville, in Mitchel Co. Crystals of actinolite nearly half an 

 inch broad in talc are found on the farm of Mr. English, near 

 North Loe River in same County. 



On the farm of Mr. Alley, in Horse Cove, Jackson Co., decre- 

 mented crystals of muscovite mica are found; also beryls with 

 highly modified terminations. 



On the summit of the South Mountains, 7 miles south of Mor- 

 ganton, in Burke Co., an outcrop of serpentine occurs, where may 

 be found magnetite in chlorite, actinolite, talc, and asbestos. One 

 small specimen of corundum has been found there. 



The production of muscovite mica is probably greater in the 

 mountain region of N. Carolina than in any other district in the 

 world; and the supply is chiefly obtained in Mitchel and Yancey 

 Counties. 



It is found in veins of feldspar, usually much decomposed, and 

 accompanied sparingly with quartz. The wall rocks of the veins 

 are gneiss and mica slate. The largest specimens of mica are ob- 

 tained in Wiseman's mine, in Mitchel Co., where one huge mass 

 was found 5 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 2 feet thick. At this mine 

 the rare mineral samarskite occurs. 



Occasionally beryls, tourmalines, and garnets, are found in 

 these mica mines. 



On the Effect of the Bipedal Position in Man. Dr. Allen made 

 some remarks upon the physical characteristics of man, which re- 

 sult from the assumption of the bipedal position. He contrasted 

 the position of a quadruped standing upon his hind legs, with 

 that of a man in the erect attitude such as that seen in the soldier 

 standing at attention. The most conspicuous of these character- 

 istics were seen in the absence of flexion at the knee-joint, the 

 downward directed nostril, and the sigmoid curve of the supra- 

 sacral vertebral column. The flattening of the sternum was a 

 sequence upon the presence of the clavicle, and was of course not 

 dependent upon the erect position. Yet, since a fixed clavicle (at 

 least its mammalian expression) cannot act to advantage in any 

 other than this position, the flattening can be assigned a secondary 

 place in the group of characters. 



Dependent upon the erect position plus the flattening of the 

 sternum is the deflection of the heart to the left side. Dr. A. 

 spoke at length upon the reasons of this deflection, and claimed 

 for it a result of modification of the fcetal proportions of the heart. 

 The typical mammalian act is the fetal heart; the heart of the 

 adult being a specialized form. The mechanism of the deflection 

 is complicated. Entering into its consideration are (1) the fact 

 that the right side of the heart is fixed b} r the cavse at its right 



