March 6, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



371 



new species Protapirus validus, and also of a 

 number of allied forms. Further he gives a 

 condensed summary of the classification and re- 

 lations of recent tapirs, with an account of their 

 phylogeny. The article is accompanied by four 

 plates. Another geological article is by Robert 

 Bell, summarizing the proofs of the rise in the 

 land about Hudson Bay. These proofs are of 

 varied character, and the cumulative evidence 

 is so strong that there can hardly be any ques- 

 tion as to the conclusion reached. The rise 

 in land has been comparatively rapid, and 

 the elevation is believed to be still going 

 on. O. C. Marsh, in a short article upon the 

 'Wealden Formation of England,' shows that 

 it is unquestionably to be referred to the Juras- 

 sic instead of the Cretaceous, as formerly be- 

 lieved. S. F. Peckham and Laura A. Linton 

 have an article on 'Trinidad Pitch,' in which 

 analyses are given of some twenty -seven speci- 

 mens obtained at different points in the neigh- 

 borhood of Pitch Lake, Trinidad. The article 

 presents some important conclusions as to the 

 composition of this material in general. G. R. 

 Putnam describes the results of recent pendu- 

 lum observations at different stations in the 

 Southern United States, more particularly at 

 New Orleans, Galveston, Austin and Laredo. 

 These show a very slight excess of gravity near 

 the Gulf coast as compared with interior sta- 

 tions; this excess, however, is so small as to 

 indicate a close approach to the condition of 

 hydrostatic equilibrium called for by the 

 principle of isostasy. Otherwise the large accu- 

 mulation of the sediment in the Gulf, brought 

 down by the Mississippi from its drainage area, 

 would lead one to expect a greater increase in 

 gravity at the points named. 



A brief account of a new meteorite from 

 Forsyth county, North Carolina, is given by 

 Dr. E. A. de Schweinitz. F. A. Gooch and A. 

 W. Peirce describe 'a method for the separation 

 of selenium from tellurium, based upon the 

 the difference of the bromides. ' F. P. Adams 

 and B. J. Harrington describe some interesting 

 minerals from the nepheline-syenite of Dungan- 

 non county, Ontario. One of these is a new 

 variety of hornblende, having a constitution 

 analogous to that of garnet, and peculiar opti- 

 cal properties. The name Hasiingsite is sug- 



gested for it. The other is a titaniferous an- 

 dradite. S. L. Penfield and J. H. Pratt de- 

 scribe the occurrence of the rare mineral thaii- 

 masite. This species has been known hitherto 

 onjy from Sweden and is one of the most re- 

 markable of minerals in composition, being a 

 hydrous silicate-carbonate-sulphate of calcium. 

 It contains 43 fo of water and has a specific 

 gravity of only 1.88. The analysis here given 

 confirms those made of the Swedish mineral; 

 the authors suggest a structural formula to ex- 

 plain the anomalous composition, including the 

 fact that the water goes off at four different 

 temperatures. 



AMERICAN CHEMICAL JOURNAL, FEBRUARY. 



On Halogen Addition Products of the Anilides : 

 By H. L. Wheeler and P. T. Walden. The 

 authors find that when certain salts of the 

 anilides are treated with bromine containing 

 hydrobromic acid, perhalides are formed which 

 are analogous to the ctesium and ammonium 

 perhalides. 



The Actioyi of the Halogens on the Methylamines : 

 By Iea Remsen and James F. Norris. The 

 formation of a product containing two bromine 

 atoms, by the action of bromine on trimethyl- 

 amine hydrobromide, led to the study of the 

 action of the halogens on trimethylamine. In 

 the product formed the bromine appears to re- 

 place the hydrogen of the hydrobromide. A 

 similar compound containing iodine is formed, 

 and probabljr one containing both bromine and 

 iodine. 



On suicides : By G. de Chalmot. By the 

 use of the electric furnace the author has ob- 

 tained crystals of copper and silver silicides, 

 which, however, always contain some calcium 

 as an impurity. 



Some of the Properties of Liquid Hydriodic 

 Acid: By R. S. NoRRls and F. G. Cotteell. 

 The authors have prepared pure hydriodic acid 

 by condensing the dry gas in tubes cooled by 

 solid carbon dioxide, and have studied the 

 action of this acid on many metals, oxides, 

 gases and non-metallic elements. This acid 

 does not act on carbonates and in general is 

 less active than the solution of the gas in 

 water. 



On the Preparation of Hydrobromic and Hy- 



