1886.] KEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 131 



January 25, 1886. 

 Stated Meeting. 

 The President, Dr. J. S. Newberry, in the chair. 

 Thirty-two persons present. 

 Mr. George F. Kunz remarked upon some 



rare gems and interesting minerals. 



A few remarkable gems have been recently purchased by pri- 

 vate buyers in the United States. One of these is a chrysoberyl 

 cat's-eye, weighing 80f carats. Its dimensions are 23 mm. long, 

 23 mm. wide, and 17 mm. thick. The color, which is very 

 even, is a superb brownisli yellow, and the line is as even and 

 distinct as is possible is a gem of such size. The cat's-eye hitli- 



FACE. SIDE VIEW. 



Chrysoberyl Cat's-eye. 



erto awarded the palm is part of the '•' Hope Collection " in the 

 South Kensington Museum. This famous gem measures 35.5 

 by 35 mm. in its true dimensions. (The Hope catalogue gives 

 the length as two inches, but this is only the case when meas- 

 ured over the dome). It formed part of the crown jewels taken 

 from the King of Kandy, in 1815. The crystalline markings are 

 so arranged that the lower half shows an altar surmounted by a 

 torch. The line is not straight, but inclined about 15 degrees. 

 The color is dark and the line is not so strongly marked as it 

 should be in a fine gem. 



Two of the largest known Ceylonese Alexandrites are to be 

 noted. One of these weighs 28ff carats, and its dimensions are 

 32 mm. by 16 mm. by 9 mm. In daylight its fine rich green 

 color is tinged with red, but by gaslight it is a rich columbine 



