28 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



from these treasuries he filled the gaps, and enriched the precious con- 

 tents of his own. His collection is one of increasingly rapid growth, 

 and illustrates the quantitative results of single-minded effort, pre- 

 cision of attack at vulnerable points and prodigality of purchasing 

 power in a scientific warfare where the victor only receives the congrat- 

 ulations of his generous competitors. 



Looking over Professor Ward's recently published catalogue, some 

 concluding facts in this summary are interesting and convincing. In 

 an introductory paragraph of his catalogue (1904) the author sa}'s: 

 " The geographic sources of the collection are world-wide. Australasia 

 and Asia, Africa and South America, are represented each by 95 per 

 cent, of all their known meteorites, while North America and Europe 

 bring up the train with 99 per cent, of the former and 97 per cent, 

 of the latter. No collection in the world can say of itself more than 

 this. Attention is particularly drawn to the series from Japan, Aus- 

 tralia, Russia and Mexico. It is only within the last decade that the 

 rare and interesting meteorites from these countries have been largely 

 distributed. To-day it is true that in no collection in any one of these 

 four countries are there so many kinds from that country as are repre- 

 sented in this collection." The catalogue further notices that in this 

 remarkable collection thirty falls, irons and stones, represent the largest 

 single piece of that fall to-day known. 



The final impression left from an inspection of the Ward-Coonley 

 collection is one of admiration and of natural astonishment that so 

 complete an assemblage of these valuable and coveted wanderers from 

 space could have been gathered together by the activity and industry 

 of one individual. Their acquisition places the institution that receives 

 them among the four most important meteorite depositories in the 

 world. 



Summary of the Collection. 



Total number of falls and finds 603 



(Siderites 241; Siderolites 28; Aerolites 334. 



From North America 229 



From South America 31 



From Europe 231 



From Asia 77 



From Africa 27 



From Australasia, Sandwich Islands 26 



Total weight of entire collection 2.495.429 grams (=5.509 pounds). 



Average weight of each kind 4.138 grams (=9 1/9 pounds). 



Average weight, counting nothing over 50 kilograms to a kind, 1.746 



grams (= 3 4/5 pounds ) . 

 Total number of specimens, about 1,600. 



