﻿480 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  Xiphonite. 
  A 
  name 
  given 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Gaetano 
  Platania 
  to 
  a 
  

   variety 
  of 
  amphibole 
  occurring 
  with 
  hematite 
  in 
  cavities 
  in 
  a 
  

   scoriaceous 
  mass 
  (from 
  Mt. 
  Etna) 
  at 
  Acicatena, 
  Sicily. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  

   in 
  minute 
  prismatic 
  crystals 
  of 
  a 
  honey-yellow 
  color. 
  The 
  occur- 
  

   ring 
  planes 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  ordinary 
  amphibole 
  and 
  the 
  angles 
  given 
  

   do 
  not 
  vary 
  very 
  widely 
  considering 
  the 
  striated 
  character 
  of 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  faces 
  ; 
  the 
  angle 
  ac 
  (= 
  (3) 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  73° 
  10'. 
  

   No 
  analysis 
  is 
  given, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  grounds 
  for 
  regarding 
  this 
  as 
  a 
  

   distinct 
  variety 
  worthy 
  of 
  a 
  name 
  are 
  not 
  clear. 
  The 
  name 
  is 
  

   from 
  Xiphonia, 
  an 
  ancient 
  Greek 
  city 
  in 
  Sicily. 
  — 
  Accacl. 
  Sci. 
  

   Acireale, 
  vol. 
  v, 
  1893. 
  

  

  Kauaiite. 
  A 
  basic 
  sulphate 
  of 
  aluminum, 
  potassium 
  and 
  

   sodium 
  described 
  by 
  Goldsmith 
  from 
  a 
  specimen 
  collected 
  in 
  

   1893 
  in 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Kauai 
  by 
  Professors 
  Sharp 
  and 
  Libbey. 
  It 
  

   appears 
  as 
  a 
  soft, 
  amorphous 
  chalk-like 
  mass, 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  spe- 
  

   cific 
  gravity 
  2-566 
  was 
  obtained. 
  An 
  analysis 
  yielded 
  : 
  

  

  Al 
  3 
  (S0 
  4 
  ) 
  3 
  A1 
  2 
  3 
  K 
  2 
  S0 
  4 
  Na 
  2 
  S0 
  4 
  H 
  2 
  X 
  

  

  M8 
  33-40 
  17'00 
  4-91 
  31*57 
  [5*94]= 
  100. 
  

  

  X. 
  Carbonaceous 
  impurity 
  by 
  difference. 
  

  

  The 
  paper 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  plate 
  giving 
  an 
  admirable 
  view, 
  

   reproduced 
  from 
  a 
  photograph, 
  of 
  a 
  lava 
  cavern 
  with 
  multitudes 
  

   of 
  pendant 
  stalactites. 
  The 
  statements 
  of 
  the 
  author 
  require 
  

   revision 
  in 
  several 
  particulars, 
  especially 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  locality. 
  

   This 
  is 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  crater 
  of 
  Kilauea 
  (" 
  Kilauii 
  ") 
  ; 
  we 
  learn 
  

   from 
  Professor 
  Libbey, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  cavern 
  is, 
  on 
  the 
  con- 
  

   trary, 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  lava 
  stream 
  near 
  Hilo, 
  the 
  same 
  spot 
  which 
  

   afforded 
  the 
  specimens 
  more 
  fully 
  described 
  in 
  1889 
  in 
  this 
  Jour- 
  

   nal 
  (vol. 
  xxxvii, 
  441) 
  where 
  drawings 
  of 
  the 
  stalactites 
  are 
  given. 
  

   The 
  method 
  of 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  stalactites 
  suggested 
  on 
  the 
  

   assumption 
  of 
  their 
  occurrence 
  in 
  the 
  Kilauea 
  crater 
  has 
  evidently 
  

   no 
  basis 
  in 
  fact. 
  — 
  Proc. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  JSci., 
  Philadelphia, 
  p. 
  105, 
  

   1894. 
  

  

  11. 
  Elements 
  of 
  Mineralogy 
  ', 
  Crystallography 
  and 
  Blowpipe 
  

   Analysis 
  from 
  a 
  practical 
  standpoint 
  by 
  Albert 
  J. 
  Moses 
  and 
  

   Charles 
  Lathrop 
  Parsons, 
  342 
  pp. 
  8vo, 
  New 
  York, 
  1895. 
  (D. 
  

   Van 
  Nostrand 
  Company.) 
  — 
  This 
  volume, 
  as 
  stated 
  on 
  the 
  title 
  

   page, 
  is 
  written 
  from 
  a 
  practical 
  standpoint 
  and 
  includes 
  " 
  a 
  

   description 
  of 
  all 
  common 
  or 
  useful 
  minerals, 
  the 
  tests 
  necessary 
  

   for 
  their 
  identification, 
  the 
  recognition 
  and 
  measurement 
  of 
  their 
  

   crystals 
  and 
  a 
  concise 
  statement 
  of 
  their 
  uses 
  in 
  the 
  arts." 
  The 
  

   work 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  well 
  carried 
  out 
  on 
  these 
  lines 
  ; 
  it 
  closes 
  

   with 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  determination 
  tables. 
  

  

  