Reports & Proceedings — Mineral ogical Society. 567 



country, where the underlying rock is laid bare, the aeroplane 

 camera often shows the general geological structure of the district. 



The lacustrine deposits of the Jordan Valley and their weathering 

 was shown, and also the form of the drainage-channels running 

 down into the main valley. The depression of the Dead Sea with 

 reference to the surrounding country has resulted in canon 

 formation in many places. Some evidences of faulting at different 

 periods can be distinguished. 



The Jordan at present forms an interesting study in river- 

 development, and many of its main features were demonstrated. 

 The relation of the Jordan to the Orontes has been considered, and an 

 aeroplane photographic survey of the country between the two rivers 

 indicates that the Jordan probably originated in Northern Syria in 

 earlier times. The Syrian portion of the stream has been captured 

 by the younger Orontes, and this has had a very important effect on 

 the whole topography of the Jordan Valley. 



A further study of the aeroplane photographs already taken, and 

 of the maps made from them, may throw much new light on the 

 questions of climatic changes and of topographical changes due to 

 faulting in Palestine. 



II. — Mineralogical Society. 



Anniversary Meeting, November 4. — Sir "William P. Beale, Bart., 

 K.C., President, in the Chair. 



Dr. "W. R. Schoeller and A. P. Powell : " Villamaninite, a new 

 mineral." The new mineral, which occurs, disseminated in black 

 grains and plates, with a distinct cleavage, and in small nodules, 

 with a radially fibrous structure, in a crystalline dolomite, near 

 Villamanin, Carmenes district, Leon province, Spain, has probably 

 a composition corresponding to (Cu, Ni, Co, Fe) (S, Se)2. Its streak 

 is sooty black, hardness 4'5, and specific gravity 4'4-4 - 5 ; it is 

 opaque. 



Arthur Russell: " On the Occurrence of Phenakite and Scheelite 

 at Wheal Cock, St. Just, Cornwall." The author found good 

 specimens of these minerals in 1914 at Wheal Cock, which is the 

 locality whence came the crystal (undoubtedly phenakite) described 

 by Sowerby in 1804 as argilla electrica or white tourmaline ; 

 phenakite was not known till 1833 as a distinct species. 



L. J. Spencer : " New Crystal-forms on Pyrites, Calcite, and 

 Epidote." On pyrites the dyakis-dodecahedron (641) occurs as large, 

 well-developed faces on five specimens, one of them from Traversella, 

 Piedmont, and the others from coal shales of unknown locality. 

 On 424 crystallized specimens of pyrites in the British Museum 

 collection 35 crystal-forms were noted. Paces of the cube are 

 present on 76" 6 per cent of the specimens, the octahedron on 

 62 - 7 per cent, the pentagonal dodecahedron (210) on 54 - 7 per cent, 

 and the dyakis-dodecahedron (321) on 36*1 per cent. As simple 

 forms, not in combination with other forms, they are represented by 

 12 - 2, 2-5, and 0-5 per cent respectively. The decomposition of 



