Artesian Wells in Montreal. 139 
of the locality of the well would expect to find. In 
the case of the White water it is rather surprising to 
find an almost entire absence of lime and magnesia, and the 
presence of a large quantity of alkaline salts, especially the 
carbonates and bicarbonates. In endeavoring to learn 
something of the source of these alkaline salts the writer 
communicated with the party who bored the well for 
Messrs. R. White & Co. He was of opinion that the only 
rock encountered in boring was limestone. Mr. R. White 
interrogated his employees who had assisted in the work of 
boring, and learned that one of them had preserved a small 
fragment of the rock that was taken from the depth 
at which water was reached. On examination this proved 
to be not limestone, but apparently a shaly substance inter- 
sected, however, by minute veins of calcite. This shaly 
rock may be the source of the alkaline salts. The frag- 
ment of rock has been handed over to Mr. Frank D. Adams 
of McGill College, who proposes to submit it to microsco- 
pical examination, and who will be very glad to receive any 
samples from or information concerning any other borings 
made in this vicinity, as he is collecting materials for a 
detailed geological map of the whole district about Montreal. 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATURAL History SOCIETY. 
The third monthly meeting was held on the evening of 
January 25th, the Hon. Edward Murphy, President, in the 
chair. 
The minutes of November 30th 1891, were read and 
approved. 
Minutes of Council Meeting of January 17th, were ap- 
proved. 
A letter was read from the Museum d’ Histoire Naturelle 
de Bordeaux asking for the publications of the Society. It 
was on motion by Mr. Beaudry resolved to place this 
Society on our exchange list. 
Mr. J. ‘I’. Donald read a paper on crystallized magnesite 
from Black Lake, Que., and some notes on native platinum 
from British Columbia. 
