1870.] NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 449 



a little exertion on the part of members. An enumeration of the 

 winter course of lectures followed. They had been rery success- 

 ful, the lecturers being Principal Dawson, Dr. T. Stevry ITunt, 

 Dr. J. B. Edwards, Professor Bell, Messrs. C. Piobb, A. T. 

 Drumuiond and Professor Goldwin Smith. The lecture of the 

 latter gentleman had been remarkably well attended, and had 

 resulted in an addition of $134 to the society's funds. In conse- 

 quence of discussions that had arisen, the committee recommend- 

 ed that in future the public lectures of the society be restricted as 

 far as possible to purely scientific subjects. The report concluded 

 with expressions of acknowledgment to the lecturers, and to the 

 chief contributors to the conversazione. 



The following donations to the Museum were announced: 



Twenty-two specimens of Englisb birds, from Albert Jowett, 

 Esq., of Sheffield, England. 



Cast of an Indian pipe, found at Port Hope, Out., from H. G. 

 Yennor, Esq. 



Dr. W. G. Beers was elected a member of the society. 



A communication on a Mineral Silicate injecting Paleozoic 

 Crinoids was then made by Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, F.Pt.S. 



The author described a gray granular paleozoic limestone from 

 New Brunswick, which had been examined by Dr. Dawson, and 

 found to consist almost entirely of the coumiinuted remains of 

 brachiopod and gasteropod shells, Crustacea, and the joints and 

 plates of crinoids, cemented with a little calcareous spar. The 

 crinoidal remains were, however, found to have their pores filled 

 with a peculiar silicate, which is exposed in relief when the 

 surface of the limestone is attacked by an acid, and then appears 

 as a congeries of small cylindrical rods or bars, anastomosing and 

 forming a beautiful net-work which, under a magnifying glass, 

 exhibits a frosted crystalline surface, and resembles the variety of 

 aragonite known ^s flosferri. This silicate, which also fills small 

 interstices among the other calcareous fragments making up the 

 limestone, is greenish in color, and forms about five per cent, of 

 the rock. Though insoluble in dilute acids, it is completely 

 decomposed by strong acids, and is found to be a hydrous 

 silicate of ferrous oxide and alumina, with some magnesia, 

 and a little alkali, closely allied to fahlunite and to jollyte. 

 The results of its analysis will appear in ^illiman's Journal 

 for May. 



Dr. Hunt remarked that this process of infiltration, by which 



