42 Reports and Proceedings— 
tary origin. The schists and gneisses of the middle group very 
probably, in part at least, had a similar origin. In regard to the 
lowest group it is difficult, in the present state of our knowledge, to 
come to any conclusion. 
(8) The slates and other rocks of clastic origin in the Alps, 
whether of Mesozoic or of Paleozoic age, though somewhat modified 
by pressure, are totally distinct from the true schists above men- 
tioned, and it is only under very exceptional circumstances, and in 
very restricted areas, that there is the slightest difficulty in distin- 
guishing between them. The evidence of the coarser fragmental 
material in these Palaeozoic and later rocks indicates that the gneisses 
and crystalline schists of the Alps are very much more ancient than 
even the oldest of them. 
(9) The remarks made by the author in his Presidential Address, 
1886, as to the existence of a ‘“cleavage-foliation ” due to pressure, 
and a “stratification-foliation ” of earlier date, which seemingly is 
the result of an original bedding, and as to the importance of dis- 
tinguishing these structures (generally not a difficult thing), have 
been most fully confirmed. He is convinced that many of the con- 
tradictory statements and much of the confusion in regard:to the 
origin and significance of foliation are due to the failure to recognize 
the distinctness of these two structures. In regard to them it may 
be admitted that sometimes “extremes meet,” and a crystalline rock 
pulverized in situ is very difficult to separate from a greatly squeezed 
fine-grained sediment; but he believes these difficulties to be very 
local, probably only of a temporary character, and of little value for 
inductive purposes. 
2. “On Fulgurites from Monte Viso.” By Frank Rutley, Hsq., 
F.G.8., Lecturer on Mineralogy in the Royal School of Mines. 
The specimens described in this paper were collected by Mr. 
James Kecles, F.G.S., close to the summit of Monte Vise (12.680 
feet above sea-level). They are fragments of a glaucophane-epidote 
schist, in which garnet, sphene, and occasionally diallage are present. 
Prof. Judd considers that the rock somewhat closely resembles the 
glaucophane schists and eclogites of the Ile de Groix. 
The fragments are bounded by joint-planes or surfaces of easy 
fission, which are incrusted with minute pellets and thin films of 
fulgurite-glass forming the walls of lightning tubes. The glass was 
examined under the microscope (great care being taken to insure 
perfect isolation of the glass from the rest of the rock), and found 
to be, as a rule, remarkably pure, but in places not only gas-bubbles 
but also globulites occur, and the latter occasionally form longulites, 
and more rarely margarites. Microliths also are observable in some 
of the sections. In one section a minute rounded grain of schist 
containing a fragment of a strongly depolarizing crystal, probably 
epidote, appears to have been taken up in the glass. 
Where the glass comes in contact with the rock the latter appears 
to have undergone no alteration beyond the development of a very 
narrow band of opaque white matter, which the author gave reason 
