ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 23 



39.16 per cent, of zirconium. The zirconium in the 

 tetrachloridfj amounts to 38.99 per cent. 



Bailey made several very widely differing- determina- 

 tions of the chlorine in this body and considered it the 

 oxvchloride. His determinations varied so g'reatlv and 

 his mode of dr\'ino- were so faulty that I simply con- 

 cluded he was mistaken, bein^ unable to detect a source 

 of error in my analyses which would allow for a change 

 from 39.1b per cent, of zirconium to 46.79 per cent., the 

 amount needed for the oxvchloride. 



Still, as a necessary precaution, I made some deter- 

 minations of the chlorine in the pure crystalline pro- 

 duct and was i^reatly surprised to find only 35.5 per 

 cent, of chlorine instead of 61.01, the amount required 

 for the tetrachloride. The percentag-e in the oxychlor- 

 ide would be 36.63. 



I regard the results as very sing-ular. The substance 

 must be an oxvchloride, but what is its composition? 

 The simplicity of its preparation and the constancv of 

 its composition, along- with its stability, would arg-ue for 

 a simple formula. No such formula can be calculated 

 from the analysis. Probably tlie best formula sugg'ested 

 for this oxychioride, corresponding- closely with the 

 above analysis, is Zv^iOH ,-Cl- 5H2O. 



University of North Carolina, 

 Auffust. 1895. 



THE DRUDGERY OF SCIENCE. 



The study of Natural Science presents so much that 

 is attractive and entertaining- that a distaste is some 

 times beg-otten in the mind of the begfinner for the 

 sober, plodding- side of it. A lecturer upon Geolog-y 



