436 RECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1887 AND 1888. 



cal Society, in March, 1888, Crookes discusses at some length the nature 

 of the chemical elements, and considers the nature of the many doubt- 

 ful bodies contained in the so-called rare earths. Recognizing the 

 differences between the modifications of supposed elements developed 

 by fractional precipitation many titnes repeated, he does not regard 

 them as equal in rank to the broader differences which distinguish well- 

 characterized elementary bodies, and proposes the term " meta-ele- 

 ments-'' as one well adapted to indicate their peculiar nature. In gen- 

 eral, he proposes to substitute for the word ''element," as commonly 

 used, the expression "elementary group," the meta-elemeuts being the 

 closely similar components. In the original evolution of the elements 

 from "protyle" he conceives tliat there was a massing tendency of the 

 primeval atoms about certain nodal points in space. A cluster of par- 

 ticles, so formed, is a mass of that element whose atomic weight it rep- 

 resents, while the outlying particles of the cluster, varying in weight 

 form the average, and varying almost imperceptibb' in properties, are 

 meta-elements. He further discusses the main problem in the light of 

 the periodic law, and replaces the ordiuarj^ tabular expression by a 

 lemniscate spiral, along which the atomic weights of the elements are 

 distributed. 



INORGANIC. 



The waters of the Yellowstone Park. — In Bulletin No. 47 of the U. S. 

 Geological Survey there is an elaborate investigation by Gooch and 

 Whitfield upon the waters of the Yellowstone Park. Forty-three of 

 these waters, mostly representing geysers and hot springs, were thor- 

 oughly analyzed, and found to be of remarkable interest. All of the 

 geyser waters are highly siliceous; all contain notable quantities of 

 borates ; all carry weighable amounts of arsenic and of lithia. In no 

 case was iodine detected, and bromine was found but rarely in very 

 small amounts. The main constituents, apart from the substances al- 

 ready named, were the usual sulphates, carbonates, and chlorides of 

 lime, magnesia, and the alkalies. None of the waters are markedly 

 chalybeate. As regards concentration, all are comparatively weak, 

 most of them carrying under 2 grammes of solid contents to the liter, 

 and not one reaching 4 grammes. 



One of the springs, the Devil's Ink Pot, is probably unique among 

 mineral waters. It contains 3.3S71 grammes of dissolved matter in the 

 kilogramme of water, and of this 2.8185 grammes are ammonium sul- 

 phate. It also contains free sulphuric, boric, and hydrochloric acid, 

 some alum, a little sulphuretted hydrogen, and several metallic sul- 

 phates. No suggestion is offered concerning the origin of this water. 

 The bulletin contains full details as to the methods of analysis em- 

 ployed, and will be found valuable by other analysts on the score of 

 suggestiveuess. 



The chlorides of iodine, — According to St^rtenbeker the only solid 



