O PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



The remains of several species of tertiary birds were also exhibited by Prof. 

 Marsh. Among these was the lower extremity of a tibia, closely resembling 

 that of some of the cranes. It was found in the miocene of the Niobrara 

 River, by Dr. F. V. Hayden, and is interesting as the only representative of a 

 fossil bird yet detected in the tertiary deposits west of the Mississippi. This 

 specimen, which belongs to the Academy, indicated a new species, which was 

 named Grus Haydeni. Another species of extinct birds was represented by 

 portions of a humerus and ulna, also in the collection of the Academy. They 

 were found many years since in the miocene of Maryland by Mr. T. A. Con- 

 rad. This species, which appears to be closely related to the Petrels, was 

 named Puffinus Conradii. Several other interesting specimens of bird remains 

 were shown, but most of them were not sufficiently characteristic to admit of 

 determination. With the exceptions already mentioned, the fossils exhibited 

 belonged to the museum of Yale College. 



Jan. 18th. 

 The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the Chair. 

 Nineteen members present. 



Jan. 25th. 

 The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the Chair. 

 Thirty members present. 



Mr. Wharton said that the ore of the nickel mine at Gap, Lancaster Co., 

 Pa., consists substantially of a sulphide of iron, in which a small part of the 

 iron is replaced by nickel, copper and cobalt. This ore after washing is 

 smelted in a high furnace, and yields a matter about seven times as rich as the 

 ore in the valuable metals, that is, containing 10 to 15 per cent, of nickel and 

 cobalt and about one-third that quantity of copper. In this matter there are 

 found at rare intervals small lamellar crystalline bodies, having high metallic 

 lustre and pliability. In order to give a clearer idea of the nature of this 

 substance, or to discover perhaps something still more interesting, search 

 was made during several years of the mass remaining in each furnace bottom 

 after its extinguishment, in those instances where the matter had shown the 

 plates above named. Finally in such a bottom, definite cr3 r stals were found 

 in the cavities of the matter, which crystals, being subjected to analysis, 

 showed, Copper, 1-85 per cent. 



Nickel and Cobalt, 25-22 " 

 Iron, 64-10 " 



Sulphur, 8-90 " 



100-07. 



Supposing the copper to exist as CU2S there would remain of nickel, cobalt 

 and iron (whose atomic weight are nearly similar) 89-32, and of sulphur 8-43, 

 thus indicating the formula Rr,S. As a crystallized compound of this com- 

 position has perhaps not yet been described there is a certain scientific in- 

 terest in the observation made. 



The crystals are very highly magnetic, very readily taking and holding 

 polarity enough to cause a spicula to place itself in the line of the magnetic 

 meridian when floated upon a surface of water. Their color is about that of 

 zinc. 



The following Standing Committees were elected for 1870: 



[Jan. 



