THE PSEUDO-METEORITES. 207 



Adjacent to the flattened, as well as some other cells, is a black and brown feri'uginous 

 material 



The sections show not the slightest characters belonging to any meteorite that has 

 yet been examined microscopically, either by myself or by others, so far as can be 

 ascertained by their published descriptions. It is apparently a slag.* 



Richland, South Carolina. 



This so-called meteoric stone is reported to have fallen in 1846. This when cut 

 was, according to Professor C. U. Shepard, of a "uniform yellowish-white color, much 

 resembling that of common fire-brick. A few minute grains of transparent quartz 

 are visible throughout its substance, which is otherwise perfectly homogeneous. It 

 is close-grained and rather firm in texture." This description, and the chemical 

 analysis given by Shepard, coupled with one by Eammelsberg denotes a structure 

 similar to that of the rhyolitcs, for such a description could be given of many of 

 them.f 



Eammelsberg regards tlie Eichland stone as a clay, or possibly a fragment of a 

 brick. A microscopic examination by a competent lithologist ought to readily deter- 

 mine the character and origin of this stone. 



Igast, Livonia, Russia. 



This stone is looked upon by Professors Grewingk and Schmidt as an authentic 

 meteorite, and they made a chemical analysis of it, showing that it contained a little 

 over eighty per cent of silica, f 



Professor F. J. Wiik also accepts it as a meteorite, and states that in the thin sections it 

 shows a fine-granular, dark-colored groundmass, the dark color owing to little magnetite, 

 porphyritically inclosing larger crystals of quartz, orthoclase, and oligoclase. The quartz 

 contains fluid cavities with movable bubbles, and the plagioclase shows fine parallel 

 cleavage lines as well as the usual twinning. By a liigh magnifying power is shown 

 in the groundmass little colorless elongated crystals, and minute crystalline grains. 



Professor E. Cohen regards it as a doubtful meteorite. § 



Lasaulx describes this as a stone rich in a basaltic glass base, in which lie inclosed 

 numerous grains of plagioclase, microcline, and quartz. The groundmass is composed 

 largely of a brown glass, rich in magnetite grains, some showing quadratic sections, 

 and others a dendritic structure. The groundmass further contains numerous little 

 spear- or ledge-shaped plagioclase crystals, and yellowisli-greeu irregular grains of 

 augite — all showing fluidal structure. The entire groundmass appears as the product 

 of the fusion of quartz and feldspar, the rudiments of which are now inclosed, with 

 the later crystallization of plagioclase and augite out of the molten magma. 



Many of the crystals siiow distinct rounding through the fusion of their edges. 

 The larger plagioclase fragments are mostly ragged, slashed, and irregular, while the 

 minute quartz grains are commonly perfect, and smoothly rounded. The plagioclase 

 crystals are generally clear and free from inclusions ; only an external rim of disjointed 

 glass inclusions lies about them. The brown glass penetrates into the fissure in the 



* Am. Jour. Sci., 1883 (3), xxvi. 36-3S. f Proc. Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci., 1850, iii. U7, 14S. 



X ArcliivNat. Liv-, Ehst-, Km-lands, ISCl, iii. 421-551. 



§ Neues Jahr. iliu., 1SS3, i. 384; Pinska Vet. Soc. Forli., 1882, ssiv. C3. Arcliiv Nat. Liv-, Elist-, Kur- 

 lands, 1S82, is. 158. 



