244 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences^ Arts, and Letters. 



foliated mifelqua, or schistose miquafel, or miquafel schist, or 

 otherwise, as the case may be. 



But the mere indication that the granite is compossd of quartz, 

 feldspar and mica, may be quite too general for precise discussions, 

 since it does not indicate which feldspar, nor which mica, nor 

 "whether more than one of either or of both is present. The 

 more precise of the text-book definilions of granite rarely go 

 beyond the statement that it is composed of quartz, orthoc'ase 

 and mica. If this is the degree of precision chosen to be asserted 

 the new terms will be, qu'orih-mi (quorthmi), ortho-qua-mi (orthoq- 

 uami), mic-ortho qua (mic rthoqua), qua-mic-orth (quamicorth), 

 ortho-mi-qua (orthomiqua), or mi-qu'orth (miq north), according 

 as the relative proportions may be. But the mica, instead of 

 being common muscovite, which would doubtless be understood 

 by the general term, may be biotite. In this case the names will 

 be qu'ortho-bio (quorthobio), ortho-qua-bio (orthoquabio), bi-ortho- 

 qua (biorthoqua), and so on, according to the relative proportions. 



By modifications of the abbreviations which will not destroy 

 their distinctive, representative character, difficult vocal combina- 

 tions may, for the most part, be avoided, and euphonious terms 

 secured. The system, it will be observed, is quite analogous to 

 that adopted by chemists to meet the complexities of carbon com- 

 pounds, but will rarely need to approach it in cumbersome 

 combinations. 



Under the alternative system proposed, similar combinations 

 will result, but the order will be reversed, and the termination 

 yie added to the leading constituent. When the usual order of 

 naming'tbe constituents of granite, — quartz, feldspar and mica — 

 represents the^^relative abundance ^of the constituents, the name 

 will be mi-felquartzyte (mifelquartzyte). This extension of the 

 use of the the term quartzyte appears not unjustifiable when it 

 is considered that, in addition to the preponderance of free quartz, 

 silica forms a large constituent of the remaining ingredients; and 

 that there is a not uncommon class of rocks, intermediate between 

 the old_classes quartzyte and granite, to which such a term would 

 be happily'applicable. But among the granites feldspar is often 

 the leading'constituent. The name will then be mi-qua-felsparyte 

 (micafelsparyte). The more precise names will be mic-ortho* 



