Febbuakt 23, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



77 



As will be seen, the mineral is a little too basic for a 

 bi-silioate. 



Sodalile. This mineral is always colored green, 

 arising from inclusions of arfredsonite. The crystals 

 are dodecahedral, usually about the size of a pea; 

 hardness O-.^J-G, G. 2.31. The mineral decomposed by 

 acids, and filtered from the undecomposed inclusions, 



, . ,, „ , (2NaCl. 



gave upon analysis the formula i ^ ^^^ ^j ^ g^^ q 



Neplieline. This occurs in hexagonal prisms, sel- 

 dom larger than a hazel-nut, terminated by a pina- 

 coid; also massive, accompanied by the foregoing 

 minerals. G. of crystals, 2.60; massive, 2.63. The 

 results of analysis gave the formula E'., AI.2 Sio Og ; 

 which, although once accepted, has now given place 

 to the more complicated R's AU Sig 0;j.,. 



Endicdyte occurs crystallized and massive. The 

 crystals show a great number of planes. Hardness 

 5.5, G. 2.85. The author has determined the oxides 

 of the cerium metals, amounting together to 2.27 

 p. c. He also finds an unusually large quantity of 

 Na.2O = 15.'J0 p. c, and 1.91 p. c. 01. The formula 

 deduced from the analysis varies from that of Eam- 

 melsberg, and the large percentages of Naj O and 01 

 may be due to inclusions of sodalite. 



Lievrile. This mineral as occurring in Greenland 

 is described for the first time. It occurs both massive 

 and crystalline, the crystals much striated, and ter- 

 minations usually wanting. Lustre, metallic; color, 

 black; hardness, 6; and G. 4.05. The results of 

 analysis gave Si C, 29.30, FeaO;; 20.30, FeO33..50, 

 Mn O 1.97, Oa 13.71, H. O 1.90 = 100.68, giving the 

 formula, — 



f2Fe".2Si04 ) 



) Ca.2 Si O4 ^ -t- H2 O ; or, H Ca Fe"2 Fe^Si^ O9. 



I Fei'jSiOs ) 



Lepidolite. This occurs in white shining laminae, 

 of hardness 2.5, G. 2.81. The analysis is peculiar in 

 containing no fluorine, a very large quantity of alka- 

 lies, and only one-half the usual quantity of alumina. 

 It does not agree closely with any definite formula. 



Sleenstrupine. Under this name a new mineral is 

 described, of a brown color, hardness 4, G. 3.38. It 

 occurs crystallized and massive. Tbe crystals are 

 much curved, and are referred to the hexagonal 

 system. The composition is complicated, as will 

 be seen from the following analysis: Taj O5 0.97, 

 Si 0^27.95, Th 0.2 7.09, Fe.,039.71, Al, O3 2.41, 

 CezOj 10.66, (La Di)., 0,17.04, Mn 4.20, Ca 3.09, 

 Na2 7.9S, H2O 7.28 = 98.-38. Disregarding the 

 Ta-zO.,, these values agree quite closely with the 

 following formula: Na, R"R'^2 {SiTh)^ 0,3, 3 Hj O. 

 The author, however, making use of the old form of 

 the oxides (ThO, CeO, etc.), could see no relation 

 between the metals present, and does not attempt to 

 deduce any formula, reserving that till more analyses 

 aremade. — (Mill. m«cf., V. 49.) s. L. P. [215 



METEOEOLOG-TT. 

 Popular -weather prognostics. — A paper by R. 

 Abercromby and W. Marilott has been read before 

 the English meteorological society, which " explains 

 over a hundred prognostics, by showing that they 

 make their appearance in definite positions relative 

 to the areas of high and low atmospheric pressure 

 shown in synoptic charts. The method adopted not 

 only explains many which have not hitherto been 

 accounted for, but enables the failure, as well as the 

 success, of any prognostic, to be traced by following 

 the history of the weather of the day on a synoptic 

 chart. The forms discussed are: cyclones, anti- 

 cyclones, wedge-shaped and straight isobars. The 

 ■weather in the last two is now described for the .first 



time." The paper has not yet been published in full. 

 — (Nature, Jan. 4, 1883.) W. V. L216 



Observations at Geneva and Great St. Ber- 

 nard. — The meteorological re-fume for 1881 by M. 

 Kammermann is an admirable model, worthy of 

 imitalion by those who publish similar observations. 

 The diurnal variations in temijerature and vapor ten- 

 sion are expressed analytically by Bessel's formula. 

 The amplitude of barometric changes at Geneva ex- 

 ceeded that at St. Bernard by 1.14 mm., while the 

 rainfall at the latter station was more than one-third 

 greater than that at the former. It would be an im- 

 provement if the meteorological year adopted coin- 

 cided with the civil year instead of beginning with 

 December. — [Arch. sc. phi/s. nat., Dec. 15, 1S82.) 

 W. u. " [217 



PHYSICAL GEOGEAPHY. 



Depths of the sea. — Dr. Georg v. Boguslawski 

 has prepared the following table of the greatest trust- 

 worthy depths found, up to 1882, in the several oceans 

 and seas : — 



[Verh. fjes. erdk. Berlin, 1SS2, i2i.) w. M. D. [218 



Playas and playa-lakes. — I. 0. Russell, of the 

 TJ. S. geological survey, describes the abandoned 

 shore-lines and shallow wet-wealher lakes of the 

 Utah desert region. The deposits formed in the old 

 lakes are of two kinds: first, those formed in bioad, 

 open basins, — soft, fine, greenish saline clays, tena- 

 cious when wet, and commonly saturated with alka- 

 line water a few feet below the surface: second, 



