734 NATURAL SCIENCE. nnc. 



Black Burmese rice, according to Professor Church's analysis, 

 pubhshed in the Ket,> Bulletin, is unusually rich in the flesh-forming 

 albuminoids and in oil. Compared with other Indian rices, the per- 

 centage of true albuminoid in ^the Black Burmese is as 8"5 to 

 6'7, while the percentage of oil reaches 2*2 as compared with '6, the 

 average of the other Indian forms. The nutrient value of the 

 Burmese rice is greater, and is much nearer to that of a complete 

 food than is the case with the common kinds of Indian rice, which 

 are also rather poorer in phosphoric acid. The dark appearance of 

 the grain is due to a pigment contained in the integument, which 

 proves to be identical with that to which is ascribed the red colour of 

 grapes, black currants, the florets of the crimson dahlia, the leaves of 

 the copper beech, and many other leaves, flowers, and fruits. If a few 

 grains of the black rice are covered with slightly acidulated spirits 

 of wine, the pigment dissolves with a magnificent crimson colour. 



A NEW mineral named Geikielite, in compliment to Sir Archibald 

 Geikie, has lately been described before the Mineralogical Society by 

 Mr. Allan Dick. In composition the mineral is a magnesian titanite, 

 and it was brought from Rakwana, in Ceylon, by Mr. J. Baddeley. 

 It was found in the form of a pebble, and was taken, with a number 

 of other pebbles, to the Museum at Jermyn Street, and submitted to 

 'Mr. A. Pringle for examination. The particular specimen, now 

 named Geikielite, was found by Mr. Pringle to differ in specific gravity 

 and other "external characters'' from any known mineral, and it was 

 consequently handed to Mr. Dick for chemical investigation. 



Among the store of pebbles collected by Mr. Baddeley, another 

 new mineral was afterwards recognised by Mr. L. Fletcher, and this 

 (as he announces in Nature for October 27) proves to be crystallised 

 zirconia. He proposes for it the name of Baddeleyife, as the natural 

 occurrence of this oxide of zirconium has not previously been noticed. 



The " Dictionary of National Biography," of which the first 

 volume was published in 1885, has now reached the thirty-second 

 volume, and the noteworthy men and women have been recorded as 

 far as Leigh. In the volume last issued (1892) we note that there are, 

 among many others, short memoirs of Daniel Lambert, Edwin 

 Lankester, Dionysius Lardner, R. G. Latham, John Lee (of Hartw^ell), 

 and John Edward Lee. In glancing through the previous thirty- 

 one volumes, we come to the conclusion that the work has 

 been very thoroughly done ; and that very few names of any impor- 

 tance will be found wanting. We miss, indeed, a reference to 

 Captain Thomas Brown (the well-known Conchologist) ; no mention is 

 made of John BilHngsley (of Agricultural fame), or of C. R. Bone, a 

 lithographic artist (of Palaeontographical fame), but 'a reference to 

 these omissions will perhaps serve to indicate the general completeness 



