1 882. 129 Trans. N.Y. Ac. Set. 



March 6, 1882. 

 Regular Business Meeting. 

 The President, Dr. J. S. Newberry, in the Chair. 

 Thirty-five persons present. 



The report of the Council was read, recommending for election, 

 as Resident Members, the following named persons, previously nom- 

 inated in due form : 



Frederick W. Devoe, William E. Gavit, 



E. Austin Oothout, David Rousseau, 



Ferd. J. G. Wiechmann. 

 They were all elected by unanimous consent. 

 The President sliowed a specimen, brought by Miss F. R. M. 

 Hitchcock, of the pecuUar blue-paper-hke corn bread, used by 

 the Zuni people, and referred to in his lecture of February 20th. 

 Mr. George F. Kunz exhibited a unique specimen of asteri- 

 ated blue sapphire, from Ceylon, from the cabinet of the late Mr. 

 MacMartin of this city. The specimen is a perfect hexagonal 

 pyramid, about two inches long, and an inch wide across the base, 

 which latter is polished and displays a very beautiful asterism The 

 color is a fine blue, though not transparent. Also a pink-tinted 

 apophyllite, from the new tunnel through the Bergen Hill. 

 Mr. Nelson H. Darton then read the following paper: 



notes on the weehawken tunnel. 

 (Abstract.) 



The railroad tunnel now being cut through the trap of Bergen Hill, 

 near Weehawken, has excited considerable attention among the min- 

 eralogists and others in this vicinity, on account of the following min- 

 erals : 



Calc Spar. This in its first form is very abundant, in quite pure and 

 perfect crystals, often with a fine yellow tinge, but seldom transparent : 

 the variety known as dog-tooth spar has been found in excellent con- 

 dition, but only in limited quantity. 



It seems peculiar to this mineral here to occur in vertical veins in 

 the trap, while most of the other species occur in beds more or less 

 horizontal : thus showing most of the calcite hereto have crystallized 

 from inflowing water, filling up the fissures produced by various causes. 

 Very little of it was found in cavities in the trap, as this does not seem 

 to be amygdaloidal here. A few almost perfect geodes and druses 

 of so called nailhead spar have been observed, mixed with the dog- 

 tooth spar. 



