METEORITES. 221 



want of homogeneity of the mass of the meteorite allowing the heat to 

 penetrate more rapidly from its exterior in some places than in others, 

 80 that the sudden expansion produced hy the intense heat in a body 

 (probably brittle, owing to the cold of space traversed before reaching 

 the earth's atmosphere) tears out small pieces and thus pits the surface. 

 The greater fusibility or combustibility of some of the ingredients of the 

 meteorite may sometimes produce effects, but not as a general rule. 



T. G. B. 



Pisani, — , and — Daubree. Meteorito de Roda, provincia do Huesca. 

 Bol. Com. map. geol. Espah. p. 277. 



Smith, J. Lawrence. Researches on the solid carbon compounds in 

 Meteorites. Chem. News, vol. xxxiii. no. 859, pp. 196, 197 ; no. 

 860, pp. 204, 205 ; no. 861, pp. 216, 217; and 8vo. Louisville. 



Certain meteorites called carbonaceous meteorites, from containing a 

 small proportion of carbon, might more appropriately be termed mela- 

 notic^ from their black colour. Four of these are known — one which 

 fell at Alais in 1806, one at Kold-Bokeveldt in 1838, another at Kaba 

 in 1857, and the last at Orgueil in 1864 ; they contain respectively 

 about 3, 2, 0-6, and 6 p. e. of carbonaceous matter. The author 

 publishes results of his examination of the Alais and Orgueil meteorites, 

 and compares the characters of the carbon which they contain with 

 that occurring as graphitic matter in certain iron meteorites. He is 

 inclined to adopt Berthelot's suggestion, that the graphitic carbon of 

 meteorites may have been formed by the reaction of bisulphide of car- 

 bon upon incandescent iron. Meteoric graphite is more readily oxidized 

 than terrestrial graphite. The carbon of the melanotic meteorites is 

 referred to a similar origin to that of the carbon of meteoric iron. 



P. W. R. 



. Account of a New Meteoric Stone that fell on the 



15th March, 1865, in Wisconsin. Amer. Journ. ser. 3, vol. xii. 

 pp. 207-210. 

 Two fragments discovered, thrown off from a main body supposed 

 not to have fallen. One was lost ; the other weighed about 700 grains. 

 From the analysis given, the meteorite appears to contain bronzite 

 (? with a little anorthite), hyalosiderite, nickeliferous iron, and troilite. 

 The analysis corresponds closely with that of the Meno meteorite : fell 

 Oct. 1, 1861. T. G. B. 



See also : — 

 Steenstrup, K J. V. Reputed Meteoric Iron of Ovifak : p. 216. 



