382 Canadian Record of Science. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
SPERRYLITH, A NBW CANADIAN Minprau.—This remarkable mineral ° 
has recently been described by Professors Welis and Penfield, of 
the Sheffield Scientific School, New Haven, who received it from 
Mr. Francis L. Sperry, of Sudbury, Ontario, Chemist to the Cana- 
dian Copper Company. The mineral occurs at the Vermilion mine, 
Algoma, twenty-two miles west of Sudbury, and is associated with 
chalcopyrite, pyrrhotine, minute grains of cassiterite, &c. It con- 
sists of minute, brilliant grains and crystals from =3, to +, inch in 
diameter, of nearly tin-white colour, and specific gravity 10.602. 
The following analysis by Prof. Wells show that it is an Arsenide 
of Platinum and that its composition may be represented by the 
formula PtAs, :— 
if, II. Mean. 
IIS ibvelaveiave logujersiate MET IONE AN: 40.91 41.05 40.98 
Slhiderscicsiecme lester eb wien 0.42 0.59 0.50 
THis oo600, 600960 00000 °-| 52-58 52.60 52.57 
Euler teicvoroie siciete Se kserciseis 0.75 0.68 0.72 
Ge aie ses: sleeetol ete ete veers trace trace trace 
Wooo so0000 9000 0000¢ 0.08 0.07 0.07 
Sin Ossdoe cocdoa conden . 4.69 4.54 4.62 
99.38 99.53 99.46 
The mineral decrepitates slightly when heated. In the closed 
tube it remains unchanged at the fusing point of glass. In the 
open tube it gives very readily a sublimate of arsenic trioxide and 
does not fuse if slowly roasted, but if rapidly heated it melts very 
easily after losing a part of the arsenic. According to the investi- 
gations of Professor Penfield, the crystals of Sperrylite show the 
combination of cube, octahedron, pyritohedron and very rarely 
dodecahedron. The hardness of the mineral is between 6 and 7. 
The above details are taken from the papers of Professors Wells 
and Penfield in the American Journal of Science for January, 1889. 
Budevee 
