1881.] ^^^ f [Lewis. 



its fruit corresponds with that of the specimens under examination. The 

 outer coat is made up of outwardly pointing prismatic columns, the ex- 

 tremities of which gives the peculiar wavy appearance seen on the surface 

 o( these peat seeds. Yet since the interior bag and its contents can be reduced 

 neither to an embryo nor to the interior structure of the Marsilia, it is not 

 possible to assign these seeds definitely to that species. No other recog- 

 nizable organisms have been noticed in the substance here described. 



The black jelly is tasteless and odorless. If placed in the flame of a 

 Bunsen burner before drying, it burns slowly and without flame. It is 

 almost insoluble in water, alcohol or ether, but is almost completely dis- 

 solved in caustic potash ; and from the dark-brown solution thus formed 

 may be precipitated in reddish-brown flocculent masses by the addition of 

 an acid. 



After exposure to the air until completely dry, the substance becomes 

 brittle, and nearly as hard as coal. In this condition it resembles jet or 

 some of the varieties of lignite, and might readily be mistaken for those 

 substances. It acquires a hardness of 2.5, and has the bfilliant resinous 

 lustre, and conchoidal fracture of true coal. 



It has a specific gravity of 1.033. It is jet black in the mass, but in pow- 

 der is dark-brown. It now burns with a clear yellow flame. Soaking in 

 water will not soften it appreciably. In the closed tube it gives ofi" water, 

 and abundance of brown oil and empyreumatic vapors. The latter are in 

 the form of a white smoke which can be lighted at the end of the tube. 



In solubility it is like the undried substance. Hot alcohol dissolves a 

 small portion, and forms a pale yellow solution. On treatment with 

 caustic potash it dissolves completely, with the exception of an extremely 

 slight residue of impurities. It will dissolve even in the cold. This test 

 serves to distinguish the dried substance from brown coal or lignite, 

 which are but partially soluble in alkalies. 



A very slight trace of ammonia is given off on heating with caustic 

 potash. By dissolving in a standard solution of alkali and titrating with 

 standard acid, it is found that the substance has an acid reaction. It is 

 therefore either an' organic acid or a mixture of such acids. 



The physical characters of this substance are closely allied to Dopplerite, 

 but its chemical composition, as will be seen from its analysis, prove it to 

 be an undescribed substance. 



Mr. John M. Stinson, of the Second Geological Survej' of Pennsylvania, 

 has, at the request of the writer, kindly made the following analysis. The 

 substance was carefully separated from the surrounding earthy material, 

 and dried at 312° F. before analysis. Carbon and hydrogen were de- 

 termined in duplicate, the two determinations closely agreeing: 



Carbon 28.989 



Hydrogen 5. 173 



Nitrogen 2.45G 



Oxygen 56.983 



Ash 6.400 



100. 



