Geology. 28 1 



heated. Nitro-murialic acid changes it rapidly to a red oxyd, and a 

 small portion is held in solution. With sulphuric acid it readify forms 

 a sulphate. The atomic weight deduced from the composition of ihi 

 sulphate, is 997*4, or near that of bromine. 100 paris of the oxyd 

 contain 13072 of oxygen. The oxyd on charcoal alone is unaltered, 

 and with the usual tests it gives no characteristic reaction. The bead 

 with soda contains particles of undissolved oxyd, distinguishnble with a 

 * lens by their red color. With borax or salt of phosphorus the bead is 



yellowish, becoming colorless on cooling. 



4. On Aridium^ a new metal; by M. Ullgren, (Oefv, of KongT. 

 Vet.-Akad. F6rh., 1850, No. 8, p. 55; .T. f pr. Chem., lii, 443.) 

 This new metal is found in chromic iron, and is closely allied to iron 

 and chromium, whence the name from ^"fQf]?^ Mars^ the alchemisllc 

 name of iron. 



5.^ Bismuth. — R. Schis'Eider has determined anew the equivalent 

 of bismuth by oxydlzin^ pure bismuth by means of nitric acid and re- 

 nioving the acid by heat. He obtained as a mean of eight good deter- 

 mmations, bismuth 89 655, oxygen 10-345. This gives for the equiv- 

 alent of bismuth', 259995 or 2600, 



6. Alkalies. — An article by EbehTien on the separation of the al- 

 ^ kalies from magnesia and on the annlysis of minerals containing the 



alkalies, is contained in the Ann. de Ch. et de Phys., 3d ser,, vol. xxx, 

 p. 324, Nov., 1850. 



II. Geology. 



1. Discovery of Fossil Fish in the Coal Formation of New Bruns- 

 wick; by Dr. C. T. Jackson. — Dr. Jackson in a letter to one of the 

 editors, dated Boston, June 20th, announces the discovery of perfect 

 specimens of fossil fish in the coal mine of Albert county, N. B., on 

 the 5th of May last, and larger numbers on the 27th of May, and of 

 Lepidodendra on the 6th of June. The following is cited from his 

 letter: — "I returned to Boston on the 12th, with numerous fossil fishes 

 of Hillsboro, N. B., the miners having followed up my discoveries of 

 May last, and found even better specimens than I had myself discovered 

 '% on my first visit. 



You may fee! interested in knowing that I have made out some of 

 tne genera and found new species of fossil fishes and that the Paleo- 

 hiSGiis occurs abundantly associated with aquatic plants; also that a. 

 Lepidodendron, near if not exactly identical with the L.gracile, Br., is 

 found with the fishes and with scattered fish scales in the same_ piece 

 Of the shale. Broad flat leaves like those of palms occur also in the 

 fish shales of the coal mine and a curious blistered leaf is extremely 

 abundant in all parts of the fish strata. These I at last traced to a 

 stem. They appear to be new species and remind me of our aquatic 

 floating plant, the bladder-wort of our ponds. 



The occurrence of immense quantities of well preserved coprolites 

 of fishes verifies the idea of Agasslz, that the heterocercal tailed fishes 

 swam close to the bottom ; for otherwise the form of such materials ^ 

 could not be preserved ; for they were entire in the mud which ulil- 

 mately enveloped them. There are herbivorous fishes associated with 

 ihose that ate them and the excrements of some tell the tale that some 



Secoxd Series, Vol. XII, No. 35.— Sept., 1851. 8« 



