218 ■ Dr. Walter Flight— On Meteorites. 



elapsed between the appearance of the meteor and tlie first explo- 

 sion, which was followed by two others. The explosion occurred at 

 an altitude of 7000 metres. The path of the meteor made an angle 

 of 220° 50' with the magnetic meridian, and followed a course from 

 N.E. to S.W., with a very rapid descent. The track of the meteor 

 has been calculated by Klei-itj, and the details are to be found in 

 " Glasnik," the journal of a Servian learned society. He makes 

 the entire weight of the stones, whole and in fragments, to weigh 

 80 kilog. 



All the meteorites are coated with a black rough vitreous crust 

 0-5 mm. in thickness, exhibiting numerous depressions. The interior 

 consists of spherules of various sizes, some brown, some yellow, 

 cemented together by an ash-grey material, and presents the appear- 

 ance of a trachytic lava. In polished sections, prepared for micro- 

 scopic examination, nickel-iron in granules, hackly fragments and 

 filiform particles, is to be recognized. The specific gravity of the 

 meteorite is 3-502. The meteorite consists of: — 



I. IT. 



Mekel-iron 3-8 3-7 



Silicates 96-2 96-3 



100-0 100-0 



and a little iron sulphide. A fragment of the nickel-iron, which was 

 separated from all adhering silicate, possessed the composition: — 



Iron = 78-13 



Mckel = 21-70 



Copper = 0-17 



100-00 

 This is a high per-centage of nickel ; the ratio of the metals is — 

 Fe : Ni as 4 : 1. The iron sulphide was found to be the mono- 

 sulphide, and to contain 63-84: per cent, of iron; theory requires 

 iron=63-64 per cent. Analyses of the complete meteoric rock, 

 containing the metallic alloy and iron sulphide, but freed from all 

 trace of crust, were made — (1) by treating it with hydrochloric acid 

 and caustic potash, which removed constituents amounting in three 

 cases to 60-50 per cent., 61-44 per cent., and 61-79 per cent.; and 

 (2) by determining the ingredients of the portions (I.) acted upon 

 by, and (II.) withstanding these reagents. They are as follow : — ■ 







I. 



II. 



Silicic acid 





32-24 



56-66 



Iron protoxide . . . 





28-41 



23-55 



Manganese oxide 





0-20 



0-003 



Magnesia 





30-53 



20-84 



Soda 





0-43 



— 



Potash 





0-09 



— 



Iron 





0-70 



— 



Nickel 





0-17 



— 



Iron monosulphide = 



= 6-78.(f 



= 4-31 



= 2-47 



' 



Chromite 





— 



0-11 



Phosphorus 





— 



trace 



99-55 101-63 



