46 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 2. 



elude that a molecular re-arrangement {umlaqerunu) 

 takes place below 70°. Diffei-ent volumes of tlie salt 

 Mg. SO4 HjO at 9.3° and 50° point to a new modifi- 

 cation at 93° since MariL;nac determined its composi- 

 tion at 50°. The salt Zr SO4. 6H..,0 also shows a 

 difference in volume at 40° and 69°. — (Ann. phys. 

 chem., n.f., xvii., 561.) c. r. m. [103 



METALLURGY. 

 A great feat iu metal-'working. — Messrs. Klo- 

 man rolled a steel strip 6 in. wide, j in. thick, and 

 310 ft. long, at their mill at Allegheny. They have 

 contracted with the U. S. spring car motor con- 

 struction company for an unlimited number of these 

 steel springs. This company had previously applied 

 to all the large English and continental works, and 

 to other American works, without finding any one 

 ready to undertake the work. — {Iron, Nov. 17, 1882. ) 



K. H. B. [109 



Molecular condition of metals. — Kalisher has 

 found that sheets of most metals may be rendered 

 crystalline by heat. A zinc sheet will become crys- 

 talline at 307° F. : tin and cadmium at 392° to 536°. 

 Most metals obtained by electro-metallurgy give the 

 same result. — (/ron, Dec. 8, 1882.) K. H. B. [110 



Steel-iron. — M. Keil has succeeded in producing 

 a welded metal which is stated to possess the charac- 

 ters of both iron and steel. It is prepared by pour- 

 ing the fluid steel on one side of a i)artition in a 

 mould, and fluid wrought iron on the other: the 

 partition is made of such thickness that it will weld 

 by the heat of the added fluids. This so-called steel- 

 iron is said to have been prepared in five ways : 1°, 

 steel by the side of iron; 2°, steel between two lay- 

 ers of iron; 3°, iron between two layers of steel; 

 4°, a core of steel surrounded by iron ; 5°, a core of 

 iron surrounded by steel. — {Iron, Dec. 15, 1882.) 

 E. H. E. 1^111 



Compression of metals. — An improved method 

 of treating all kinds of metals and alloys has been 

 patented by Mr. Louis Clemandot of Paris; it con- 

 sists in subjecting them, when raised to a tempera- 

 ture sufficiently high to insure the necessary ductility, 

 to powerful compression, and then allowing them to 

 become compleiely cool while still under pressure. 

 An increased density and hardness is claimed for 

 metals thus treated. — {Min. and ac. press, Nov. IS, 

 1882.) E. H. E. [112 



MINERALOGY. 



Axinite. — Crystals of this mineral from near Beth- 

 lehem, Penn., have been studied by B. W. Prazier. 

 He endeavors to show the resemblance in crystalline 

 form between this miner.al and datolite. Placing the 

 crystals in position so that the zone p, (, and u shall 

 be parallel to the vertical, p, m, and ?■ to the macro- 

 diagonal, and y, m, and 6 to the brachydiagonal axes, 

 the following relations are obtained from v. Path's 

 measurements : — 



b A c = a = 81° 56' .59 



a A c = /3 = 91° 51' 28" 

 a A 6 = y = 102° 52' 14" 



^^l = A - 82° 09' 48" 

 Ait = jB = 90°04'21" 

 n /^ il = C = 102° 44' 18" 



a : b : c = I : 1.50003 : 0.4S742 

 The corresponding for datolite are 



/3 = 9(1° 00' OaH = B = 90° 00' 



a : 6 : c = 1 : 1.5712 : 0.49695 



Besides the relation in axial lengths and angle /3, a 

 still closer relation is shown in the angles between 

 corresponding planes. The author also calls attention 

 to the similarily in crystalline form between datolii.e 



and calamine, — the latter having the axial relation, 

 a : b : c = 1 : 1.5564 : 0.476.57, — and their similarity 

 in composition, datolite being H B Ca Si O,,, calamine 

 Ho Zn2 Si O,,. He can, however, show no relation 

 between their composition and that of axinite, — 

 (Amer. journ. sc, Dec., 1882.) s. L. P. [113 



Saussuiit. — By means of microscopical investiga- 

 tion, A. Cathrein has shown that this mineral is com- 

 posed of numerous microlites of zoisite in a ground 

 mass of feldspar. He also shows, by calculation from 

 various analyses and optical examination, that the 

 mineral has been derived from plagioclase, more sel- 

 dom orthoclase, by a loss of silica and alkalies, and 

 taking-up of lime, iron, and water; and that thereby 

 the minerals zoisite and epidote have been formed, 

 giving rise to the microlites, which with the remnant 

 of feldspar make up the mass. — {Zeitschr. kryst., vii. 

 243.) s. L. p. [114 



Danburite. — This interesting mineral, of which 

 such beautiful examples have been described by Pro- 

 fessors Brush and Dana from St. Lawrence County, 

 N.Y., has been lately discovered at Scopi, in Canton 

 Graubiinden, Switzerland, and fully identified and 

 described by C. Hintze. The crystals occur in prisms 

 2-15 mm. long, 4-3 mm. broad; are colorless to wine- 

 yellow, and brilliant. The author gives the results 

 of crystallographic measurements, which agree very 

 closely with those obtained from the American crystals 

 with some additional new planes. In habit the crystals 

 vary much from the American. As terminal planes, 

 the pyramid (14 2), often occurring alone, and macro- 

 dome (101) are most frequent. The base, which 

 never fails on the American crystals, was but once 

 observed, and then as a doubtful crystal plane. The 

 prismatic zone appears very much striped. On ac- 

 count of the abnormal size of one of the dome-planes 

 or two adjacent pyramidal i^lanes, the crystals often 

 have a decided monoclinic appearance. The optical 

 properties cohicide with those of the American vari- 

 ety. — (Zeifst/ir. kryst., vii. 296.) 



The above mineral has been analyzed independently 

 by C. Bodewig and A. Schrauf, giving results which 

 are wholly in accordance with the analyses of the 

 American mineral. C. Bodewig's analysis a;ave SiOa 

 48.60, Ca O 22,90, B, O3 28.09, Fe.^ O, 0.23, Al., O3 

 0.08 = 99.96. — {Zeitschr. kry.st., vii. 391. ) s. L. P. 



[115 

 GEOLOGY. 



Litliology. 

 The trachytic rocks of Tokay, Hungary. — 



Professor Szabo gives in this paper the outlines of 

 his new classification of trachytic rocks, the term 

 trachyte covering for him about as extended a range 

 as the term ' greenstone ' used to do. His divisions 

 are as follows: — 



A. TeACIIYTE without BIOTITB. 



I. Augite-trachyte ; with anorthite-bytownite, 

 without biotite or quartz. Olivine very rarely 

 found. .V-v^al :a>'~^ 



II. AmpJiibole-tradiyte ; with labradorite-by- 

 townite, augite rarely entirely absent. Quartz 

 wanting. 



B. Teachytb with biotiTb. 



III. ilicaceous-amphibole-trachyte ; with aude- 

 site-labradorite ; with or without quartz, augite, 

 and garnet. 



IV. Micaceous-nmphibole-trachyte ; with oligo- 

 clase-andesite, with or without quartz and augite. 



V. Micnceous trachyte ; with orthoclase-oligo- 

 clase, with or without quartz and amphibole. 

 Augite rarely absent. 



The uiicaceou.s tiachytes are regarded as older than 



