56 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [jAN. 25, 



properly chang^ed to y. Of this word you will find in the books 

 four different forms, only one of which deserves any place in 

 mineralog-y. 



Breithaupt gave the name kupholit, from xov'poi, light, and xJeoj, 

 to a very light variety of serpentine. He leaves out the o of the 

 original word, probably because the w^ord with the o had been used 

 before, being an obsolete synonym of prehnite. This was first 

 changed to kuphoite and then to cyphoite, which gives little idea of 

 its original derivation and meaning. 



Many more instances might be cited, but enough has been said to 

 show how much confusion has arisen through carelessness or un- 

 warrantable assumption, and how desirable it is that it should be 

 disentangled as far as possible. 



The first requisite for this work was to get as complete a list as 

 possible of the names. This was compiled from many sources, as 

 no published list containing all the names was to be found in 

 the books. This list was then written in alphabetical order in a 

 ))Ook with space between the names for the facts to be noted, and 

 plenty of space in which to insert omitted names. All the books at 

 command were then looked through in chronological order, and 

 facts inserted in their proper places as fast as found. In this way 

 all desired information was obtained and collated about the great 

 majority of the names, but a number were left either entirely blank 

 or with space only partially filled. Then the words .were taken 

 one by one, in order as written down, and the lacking matter filled 

 out as far as possible. In this way the work has progressed through 

 the letter G, which accounts for the fact that most of the names 

 cited come in the earlier part of the alphabet. But there are a num- 

 ber still incomplete, and it is partly in the hope of obtaining infor- 

 mation about some of these that this preliminary paper has been 

 prepared. 



Of Ainalite and several other words I have not found the deriva- 

 tion. They are given by Nordenskiold, and probably the informa- 

 tion is to be found in his Mineralogy of Finland, but I have not 

 been able to see a copy of it. Albertite is a name that needs a 

 father and a first reference. Anagenite as a name for chrome ochre 

 seems to have no authoritative beginning. Aricite, a synonym of 

 gismondite, is in the same position. Aspidelite of Weibye has only 

 the author's name after it. Barettite, Beffonite, Beudantite as a 

 synonym of elaeolite, Bieirosite, Bischofite as a synonym of plum- 

 bogummite, Braardite and Bromlite are also more or less lacking. 

 Bromlite and some others can be cleared up by consulting the 

 Records of General Science, a journal published by Thompson in 

 1835 to 1836, but I have not yet found a copy of it. These twelve 

 names in A and B are all that are wanting to complete the infor- 

 mation about the six hundred names catalogued under tho.se letters; 

 and the other letters have about the same proportion. Any infor- 



