SEITEMBEn 14, 1SS3.] 



SCIENCE. 



381 



of simple nodules occur, composed respectively of 

 pyrrliolite (troilite), sclueibersite, jrrapliite, diiulire- 

 elile, cliroinite, and iiinieneite. Ollieis consist of 

 several minerals aggregated together. Smith holds, 

 from the study of these concretions, that the contain- 

 ing ' iron was at one time in a plastic stale from the 

 effect of heat.' — {Amer.journ. sc, June.) M. K. w. 



1222 

 MINERALOGY. 



Scovillite. — lender this name, Messrs. G. .J. 

 Brush and S. L. Pen field have described a new phos- 

 phate from the Scoville ore-bed. Salisbury, Conn. It 

 occurs as a thin crust of a pinkish or brownish color, 

 coating iron and manganese ores. Hardness, .'5.."); 

 specific gravity. 4. Before the blowpipe the mineral 

 is infusible, and, with borax and salt of phosphorus, 

 gives beautiful rose-colored beads (didymium) in both 

 oxidiiiing and reducing flames. It is readily soluble 

 in dilute acids. Chemical analysis yielded PiO, 

 {24.1)4). (Y,lir),0:, (8..il) . (La,Di),0.| (55.17) . Fe.Oa 

 (0.25) . II ,0 |7.37) . CO, (3.59) -~=k).Si %. The pres- 

 ence of carbon di-oxide is regarded as due to an 

 admixture of lanthanite, — (La.Di)^ (CO,,)., 9H;0; 

 and, deducting the constituents corresponding to the 

 above formula, there is left 82.79 % of a phosphate, 

 which, calculated up to 100 %, gives P,0, (30.12) . 

 (Y,Er),0, (10.28) . (La.Di)_,0, (.5.5.75) . Fe.Oa (0.30) . 

 HiO (o.57) = 100 %. This corresponds closely with 

 the formula R;(PO,)2 II,0, where R = (Y, Er, La, 

 and Di). The new mineral is therefore a normal 

 phosphate of the above metals, plus one molecule of 

 water. — {Amer. jottrn. sc, Jnne.) s. L. p. [223 



Ullmaunite. — Crystals of this mineral from ilon- 

 tenarba, Sardinia, have been crystallographieally in- 

 vestigated by C. Klein. The crystals were embedded 

 in calcite, and were obtained by dissolving the calcite 

 in dilute acetic acid: they were of cubical habit, pos- 

 sessed a perfect cubic.il cleavage, and showed on the 

 cubic f.ices the striatious so common in pyrite, and 

 characteristic of the parallel or pyritohedral hemihe- 

 drons. Besides the cube, the faces of the rhombic 

 dodecahedron and pentagonal dodecahedron, -oo O,, 

 were observed. The chemical analysis was made by 

 P. Januiisch, and yielded S (14.02) . Sb (57.43) . As 

 (trace) . Ni (27.82) . Co (0.65) . Fe (0.03)=^!i9.9o %, 

 corresponding closely with the formula Ni Sb S. 

 Gravity, 0.84. The mineral is therefore closely re- 

 lated to pyrite, crystallizing like it in parallel hemi- 

 hedrons, and having an analogous composition in that 

 the nickel and antimony are isomorphous with iron 

 and sulphur. — (Juhrb. min., 18S3, ISO.) s. L. i'. [224 



GEOGRAPHY. 



French missionary-vsrork in eastern Africa. 

 — The French missionaries sent from Algeria have 

 successfully established a station at Tabora in charge 

 of Pere Hautcoeur. Their missions at Ujiji and 

 Usanz^ are progressing favorably. That at Uganda, 

 owing chiefly to the petty persecution experienced 

 from king M'tesa, has been abandoned, and the party 

 have taken refuge on the southern shores of Lake 

 Tanganyika. Six new missionaries have been de- 



spatched from Algiers to re-enforce the staff at sta- 

 tions in Central .\frica. The station at M'rogoro, less 

 than six months uld, already presents the a,<ipect of 

 civilization, stone buildings replacing thatched huts; 

 and the adjacent land, until lately covered with for- 

 ests and jungle, has been cleared, and planted with 

 coffee-bushes, which appear likely to succeed. Other 

 establishments are equally flourishing. — {Comptes 

 rendus soc. ijCogr., no. 11.) w. H. D. [225 



BOTANY. 



Protogyny of grasses. — Bailey gives as an ex- 

 ample, Spartina juncea. — (Bull. Torrey club, July.) 

 w. T. [226 



Pollination of prickly pear. — Dr. Kunze sees, 

 in the irritable stamens of Opuntia vulgaris, a pro- 

 vision for securing close fertilization by insect aid. 

 In fair weather each flower opens on two successive 

 days. Hive-bees, flies, and humble-bees were seen 

 to visit the flowers for nectar, in obtaining which 

 they grasp clusters of stamens, which, when released, 

 fly up against the pistil, from which Ihey slowly re- 

 cede to their former position. Although the legs of 

 the insects were covered with masses of pullen after 

 visiting a flower, they were not seen to creep over 

 the stigmas : erijo, the pollen grains are supposed to 

 be thrown between the stigmas after the sudden 

 movement following the retreat of an insect. It 

 is hardly necessary to add, however, that crossing 

 is well effected by the insects in question, the mo- 

 tion of the stamens insuring a thorough dusting of 

 their bodies with pollen. — (Bull. Turrey club. July.) 

 w. T. [227 



Mimicry. — Bailey notes the resemblance of a 

 spider to the Involucral scales of the swami) thistle, 

 on which it lies in wait for insects which visit the 

 aowfin. — (Bot. 'jazetle, Au'j.) w. x. [228 



ZOOLOGY. 



Mollasks. 



Pleurotomidae of Senegambia. — Baron von 

 ilallzan reviews the Pleurotomidae of this region, 

 especially of the Island of Goree. He obtained 

 thirty-six species and varieties, of which about one- 

 third are new. Only four were known to Adanson, 

 who first monographed this fauna. About fifteen 

 per cent are European forms, which are smaller and 

 rarer than those of the same species in the Mediter- 

 ranean. — (.lahrh. mal. f/e.i., vii. il.) w. ii. D. [229 



Mollusca of the Caucasus. ^Bottger offers an 

 important paper on the land-shells of the Caucasus, 

 supplementary to others printed in preceding years, 

 liich material has been brought together by Gen. 

 Komaroff and Hans Leder. The Limacidae afford 

 several new forms: the new section Gigantolamax is 

 proposed under Ainalia. and Paraliniax under Li- 

 max. A new genus of Tcstacellidac. Selenochlarays, 

 is proposed for a fiirm ri'sembllng Daudebardia ex- 

 ternally, but without an internal shell, and with 

 the respiratory orifice at the right anterior part of 

 the very small clypt'us. No known mollusk closely 

 resembles this remarkable slug, which was found 



