No. 7.] A PECULIAR SCAPOLITE MINERAL. 437 



cates in the gravel. The lignite, in the un decora posed and un- 

 oxidized portions of this which lie below drainage- level is, as yet 

 unsilicified. Dr. Hunt acknowledged his obligations to Mr. D. 

 T. Hughes, a memberof the Institute of Mining Engineers, in 

 charge of the mine in question, and a skilled and careful observer, 

 who had called his attention to the facts just set forth. 



Professor W. C. Kerr stated that his recent and as yet unpub- 

 lished observations on the fossil woods found in ancient gravels 

 in North Carolina were in accordance with those described by 

 Dr. Hunt. 



A PECULIAR MINERAL OF THE SCAPOLITE 



FAMILY. * 

 By Chas. Upham Shepard. 



The substance here described was sent to me by that zealous 

 mineralogist, Mr. John G. Miller, of East Templeton, Ottawa 

 County, Canada. It occurs in the bluish gray saccharine lime- 

 stone of G-alway, Province of Ontario, Canada. It had been refer- 

 red with a query to chiastolite, which it certainly resembles in 

 several respects. It presents itself in distinct and rather large 

 crystals, thickly disseminated through the gargue, crossing each 

 other in various directions. Their form is that of a right square 

 prism, with truncated lateral edges. Their terminations are 

 imperfect, and when well detinedeven, are still rough and drusy. 

 They exhibit no combinations with the prismatic planes. The 

 usual habit of the crystals is distinctly quadrangular, though 

 in the larger individuals they are octangular, having their 

 sides about equally produced. Their length is many times their 

 thickness; and they are uniformly straight and sharply defined. 

 The largest have a diameter of an inch, the smallest are rarely 

 below one-eighth of this size. They preserve the same diameter 

 throughout their length, with the exception of a single example, 

 where one of the larger size, shows a tendency to a regular acu- 

 mination. The length of this crystal is 3h inches, its diameter 

 at the largest extremity being half an inch, and at the smaller, 

 but one-third. All the crystals have much evenness of surface 

 and considerable smoothness, notwithstanding a slight degree of 



* From the American Journal of Science, Vol. XX, July, 1880. 



