Domestic Intelligence. S67 
ted on the lateral edges, forming nine-sided prisms. Some- 
limes the lateral planes are nearly destitute of strie, though 
the faces of the acumination are always smooth and splen- 
dent. They vary from translucent to semi-transparent. 
Lustre vitreous, fracture imperfectly conchoidal, and fine 
grained, uneven. Fuses before the blowpipe. By friction 
the crystals exhibit positive electricity—heat did not excite 
any. Sp. gr. 3.05. Geometrical characters. Angle form- 
ed by the planes of the original prism 150°. Angle of the 
bevelling planes 120°. Angle formed by the planes of the 
original prism, and the acuminating planes 118° 30’. An- 
gle formed by two of the acuminating planes 132°. These 
measurements agree almost precisely with the Tourmaline 
isogone of Haitiy. Mr. P. is of opinion that the subspecies 
Rubellite is not sufficiently distinct from red tourmaline to 
deserve a distinct name, as its only essential character 
seems to be its infusibilty. The Rubellite of Chesterfield, 
however, is uniformly infusible, though it is frequently per- 
fectly incrusted in crystals of common green tourmaline. 
The Geognostic situation of the red tourmaline of Kings- 
bridge, is somewhat uccommon. Schorl seldom occurs in 
iumestone, though the limpid variety is said to occur in the 
limestone of St. Gothard. 
Dr. Torrey demonstrated the anatomy of the Scyllea 
pelagica of Lin. and which has been so accurately describ- 
ed and figured by Cuvier in Anat. des Mollusques. There 
had been so much confusion respecting this animal in the 
works of all authors preceding Cuvier, that some zoologists 
have denied its existence. The principal cause of this was, 
that Seba, who first figured it, mistook the abdomen for the 
back. The specimens examined by Dr. 'T. were taken in 
the Gulf stream, on the Fucus natans. 
Dr. Townsend read a continuation of his observations on 
some varieties of crystallized snow, observed near New- 
York. His former paper is publishéd in the American 
Monthly Magazine. 
Mr. Pierce read a memoir on the mineralogy and geolo- 
gy of the secondary region of New-Jersey, and presented 
many interesting mineral¢ from localities not hitherto no- 
oe 
