152 Scientific Intelligence. [Feb. 



of preserving milk for any length of time, which is said to answer 

 peifectly. He reduces it to a dry mass by gentle evaporation. 

 This powder, when mixed with the requisite proportion of water, 

 is brought back nearly to its original state. Eggs may be preserved 

 by the same means. 



III. Meteoroliie of Smolensk. 



Some time previous to 1810, a shower of stones fell at Smolensk 

 in Russia. A specimen of one of them, analysed by Klaprothi, 

 was composed of 



Iron 17-60 



Nickel 0-40 



Silica 38-00 



Magnesia ; 1 4*25 



Alumina 1-00 



Lime 075 



Oxide of iron 25-00 



Sulphur, oxide of manganese, and loss . . 3-00 



100-09 



IV. Ilerite. 



This is the name given to a mineral discovered, near Teflis in 

 Georgia, in a floetz mountain composed of alternate beds of clay 

 and sand. It was described in 1806, by RI. Schlegelmilch, and 

 the description published in 1810 in the 2d volume of the Memoirs 

 of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg. It seems to be con- 

 nected with the family of zeolites 5 but as I have never seen a spe- 

 cimen, and no analysis of it has been yet published, it would be 

 premature to determine whether or not it be a new species. Schle- 

 gelmiich's description of it is as i'cllaws: — 



Colour, snow white. Found massive and crystallized: — 1. In 

 oblique four-sided prisms, with the terminal faces obliquely trun- 

 cated. 2. In needles. The crystals are usually small, or very 

 small, and form druses. Surface smooth. External lustre glim- 

 mering, or nearly dull; internal, intermediate between splendent 

 and shining. The kind of lustre is silky, approaching to pearly. 

 Fracture radiated ; the radii short and straight. Longitudinal frac- 

 ture foliated, and seemingly with a double cleavasje. Surface of 

 the fracture longitudinally fine streaked. Fragments indeterminate, 

 with rather blunt edges. Small fragments usually splintery. Dis- 

 tinct concretions, longitudinal grair.s, sometimes nearly scapiform. 

 Opake, or simply translucent, on the edges. Very saft. Moderately 

 brittle. Breaks easily. Adheres a little to the tongue. Feels 

 meagre. Moderately heavy. 



Small pieces of it, when plunged into water, become transpa- 

 rent. It does not phosphoresce when scratched in the daj-k. This 

 distinguishes iberite from tremolite. 



Before the blow-pipe it swells a little, and melts with difficulty 



