SIXTH REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I9OO, 39 



tinuing for about 2 hours. This origin can possibly be assigned 

 to southern Europe since earthquakes were reported from France 

 and Italy on this date. 



MINERALOGY 



In the section of mineralogy the work of investigation for the 

 past year has included the completion of the memoir on the crystal 

 forms of New York calcite, now in press, and several short papers 

 on New York occurrences as well as two short crystallographic 

 notes on the calcite from the New Jersey trap region, closely 

 extralimital. 



The rapid advances of crystallographic knowledge in recent 

 years, resulting in the publication of a very considerable number 

 of papers in all languages, has created the necessity for a system- 

 atic arrangement of the new forms added to all the important 

 mineral species since the publication of Goldschmidt's Index der 

 Krystallformen der Mineralien in 1891. So essential to the work 

 of crystallographic investigation has this tabulated knowledge be- 

 come that a card catalogue of the new crystal forms recorded since 

 1 891 has been undertaken. This catalogue which has been com- 

 pleted through the letter I, indexes up to that point 1107 new forms. 

 The catalogue records the letter, symbol, author, publication and 

 date and has been compiled from all available sources. 



The work of cleaning and preparing for exhibition the large 

 suite of calcite from Sterlingbush, Lewis co., has been undertaken 

 and is now well in progress. The exceptional quality of this ma- 

 terial, when freed from the incrusting layer of stalactitic carbon- 

 ate of lime, fully justifies the high estimate of its beauty and value 

 formed from its appearance in the rough. Most of the large 

 crystals show beautiful coloring and interesting multiple twinning. 

 It is hoped that the many duplicate specimens of this enormous 

 and valuable series will prove to be highly profitable exchange 

 material. 



Many valuable specimens have been acquired during the past 

 year by purchase and exchange, including a fine specimen of the 

 new species natrochalcite and representative specimens of the rare 

 minerals cabrerite, krohnkite and newberryite. A fine series of trap 

 minerals from the new Erie Railroad cut at Bergen Hill, N. J., 

 has been added to the already representative collection from that 

 region. This latter series which includes beautifully crystallized 

 specimens of apophyllite, analcite, natrolite, datolite, stilbite and 

 calcite, has furnished material for investigation under the last 



