164 MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, VOL. XIII. 



8. 1869: Smith. The Cohahuila iron of 1868, Mexico. Amer. Journ. Sci., 2d ser., vol. 47, p. 383 (Venagas). 



9. 1870: Bubkart. Fundorte IV. Neues Jahrb. Min., p. 691. 



10. 1872: Zerega, Reyes, and Epstein. Boletin de la Sociedad de Geografia y Estadistica de la Republica mexi- 



cana, Segunda Epoca, vol. 4, Mexico, pp. 5 and 317 (319?). 



11. 1873: Comacho, Rio de la Loza, Barzena, Manzano, and Iolesias. "La Naturaleza." Periodico cientifico 



de la Sociedad mexicana de Historia natural, Mexico, vol. 2, p. 277 ff. (Analysis by Murphy, p. 290.) 



12. 1874: Burkart. Die Meteoreisenmasse von dem Berge Descubridora bei Poblazon unweit Catorze im Staate 



San Luis Potosi der Republik Mexico. Neues Jahrb. Min., pp. 22-28. 



13. 1876: Barcena. On certain Mexican Meteorites. Proc. Acad. Nat. Hist. Philadelphia, pp. 123-124. 



14. 1877: Anales del Museo Nacional de Mexico, vol. 1, p. 117 (Analysis with 2.13 per cent tin.) 



15. 1881: Brezina. Bericht II. Sitzber. Wien. Akad., Bd. 83 I, p. 473. 



16. 1884: Metjnier. Meteorites, pp. 116 and 127. 



17. 1885: Brezina. Wiener Sammlung, pp. 213 and 234 (Charcas). 



18. 18S7: Brezina. Neue Meteoriten Ilia. Verhandl. k. k. geol. Reichsanstalt, p. 289. 



19. 1887: Kunz. On two new meteorites from Carroll County, Kentucky, and Catorze, Mexico. Amer. Journ. Sci., 



3d ser., vol. 33, pp. 233-235. (Analysis by Mackintosh, illustration of mass, and an etching.) 



20. 1888: von Hauer. Ann. k. k. Naturhist. Hofmus., Wien, Bd. 3 (Not.), p. 42; and Bd. 4, 1889, (Not.), p. 64. 



21. 1889: Castillo. Catalogue, pp. 4-5, 10, and 13-15. 



22. 1890: Fletcher. Mexican Meteorites. Mineral. Mag., vol. 9, pp. 66-70, 71-72, 99, 104, 156-160, and 174. 



23. 1890: Brezina. Reise. Ann. k. k. Naturhist. Hofmus., Wien, Bd. 4 (Not.), p. 117. 



24. 1893: Meunier. Revision des fers meieoriques, p. 46. 



25. 1895: Brezina. Wiener Sammlung, pp. 269, 273-274, and 275. 



DE SOTOVILLE. 



Choctaw and Sumter Counties, Alabama. 



Here also Tombigbee River. 



Latitude 32° 13' N., longitude 8S° 10' W. 



Iron. Hexahedrite (H) of Brezina. 



Found 1859 to 1886; described 1899. 



Weight, six masses weighing 46 kgs. (96.5 lbs.). 



The history and characters of this meteorite have been summarized by Cohen " as follows : 



In 1899, W. M. Foote ' described six masses of iron from Alabama, three of which were found south of De Soto- 

 ville, in Choctaw County, and three north of the same place in Sumter County. They were found at points lying 

 in nearly a straight line 16 km. in length and at almost equal distance from the Tombigbee River, the masses being 

 arranged in order of weight, the heavier ones at the north and decreasing in weight toward the south. Foote chose 

 the name "Tombigbee River" for these new meteoric irons; but as this stream traverses the State of Alabama for a 

 distance of nearly 300 km., it does not locate the place of discovery very definitely, and accordingly the designation, 

 De Sotoville, is to be preferred. 



The following data as to the weight and date and place of discovery of these six masses are given: 

 I. 15.019 g. ; found 1S78; apparently cast upon the surface by the uprooting of a tree. 

 II. 11,976 g. ; found 1886 by a plowman; of an irregularly rounded form. 



III. 9,215 g. ; found 1886; form similar to II. 



IV. 3,568 g. ; found in the making of a road; flat and elongated. 

 V. 3,260 g.; found by a plowman; egg-shaped. 



VI. 757 g.; found 1859; flat and oval; a portion of it was wrought up into nails, so that its original weight was 

 greater. 



The formation of the rust coating was accompanied by the occurrence of reddish-brown drops, and according to 

 the statement of the finder of No. I, its weight in 1878 was 22,200 grams, so that in 21 years a diminution of 7,181 grams 

 was produced by the formation of rust, since the form does not permit the supposition that * piece was cut off. The 

 mention of platter-shaped depressions upon the exterior makes such a marked diminution of volume not entirely 

 probable. 



If the loss in weight of Nos. I and II be taken into account, the total original weight would be about 51 kg. 



Masses III and V were more closely examined by Foote. Upon No. V he observed a distinct cleavability, which 

 was referred to thin plates of a pyritiferous mineral ; upon cut surfaces these appeared as sharply scratched lines. Upon 

 etching this soft and easily polished iron it shows cubic crystallization, the Widmannstatten figures being composed 

 of extraordinarily fine, microscopic lines which intersect at various angles. Mass III shows a different etching sur- 

 face, since it lacks the figures of No. I. A portion of the plessite shows an appearance suggestive of metallic sheen, 

 due to the arrangement of tin-white bladelets or cracks; another portion of the plessite remains entirely smooth. 



Berwerth 2 placed De Sotoville (Tombigbee) among the ataxites. Klein 4 assumed that it belonged to the finest 

 octahedrites, but pointed out that it needed closer investigation. Farrington * called attention to its cubic characters 

 and advised further examination. 



