R. K Call — Serpent from Iowa. 297 



dissolved even in cold water, the presence of some ferric salt 

 can be detected by potassium sulphocyanate. The analysis of 

 the mineral for ferric salts was made by dissolving in freshly 

 boiled water in an atmosphere of carbonic acid gas, and after- 

 wards titrating with sodium thiosulphate. 

 The analysis is as follows : 



Si0 2 (and insoluble) 42 



S0 3 3346 



A1 2 3 12-98 



Fe 2 3 1-60 



FeO 549 



MgO -17 



H 2 (expelled below 100° C.) 3340 



II 2 " above 100° C.) 1294 



99-86 



This is essentially a sulphate of alumina and ferrous oxide, 

 with a part of the former replaced by ferric oxide, and a part 

 of the ferrous oxide replaced by magnesia. 



In composition it corresponds quite closely with the Hver- 

 salt of Forchhammer, from Iceland. This latter should be 

 probably regarded as a variety of Halotrichite, as the differ- 

 ence in composition is very slight. In the manner of losing 

 its water of crystallization there is an analogy between this 

 mineral and other allied artificial salts ; as, for instance, " Green 

 Vitriol, 1 ' which loses 6 molecules of water at 114° C. but re- 

 tains the last molecule even at 280°. 



Chem. Laboratory, Univ. of Kansas, Dec, 1890. 



Art. XXXIV. — On a nsio Serpent from Iowa ;* by R Ells- 

 worth Call. 



The subject matter of this brief notice is based upon four 

 examples of a serpent which have passed into our hands dur- 

 ing the past three years, or which have been loaned us for 

 purposes of comparison. Aside from those differences which 

 appear to us worthy of recognition as subspecific in value there 

 is the added interest attaching to the finding of this form so 

 far north and east of the range of the typical species. The 

 typical form ranges, according to Garman,f " from Texas to 

 Kansas ;" it is also reported from southern Illinois;}; and from 



* Read before the Iowa Academy of Science, January 1st, 1891. 



\ Samuel Garman, the Reptiles and Batrachians of North America, p. 32. 



% H Garman, in Bull. Ills. State Lab'y of Natural History, 1890, p. 188. 



