152 II. A. Newton — Lines of structure in Meteorites. 



Art. XX. — Lines of structure in the Winnebago Co. Mete- 

 orites and in other Meteorites / by H. A. Newton. 



The ground and polished surface of a Winnebago Co. 

 meteorite showed to me some interesting markings. Subse- 

 quent examination revealed like markings in other meteorites. 

 Perhaps these markings have been described. If so I have no 

 recollection of the description, and therefore it seems worth 

 while to call attention to them. 



The polished surface of a small Winnebago stone, three or 

 four square centimeters in area, shows several hundreds of 

 bright metallic points. The larger iron particles in this sur- 

 face have great varieties of shapes, — the smaller ones are 

 usually mere points. When seen with a lens, or even at a dis- 

 tance from the eye suited to distinct vision there does not 

 appear to be any regular structure or arrangement of the 

 bright points. But if the surface is so held as to be a little 

 beyond the place of distinct vision, and at the same time T 

 turned around in such way as to reflect always a strong light 

 to the eye, either skylight or lamplight, there appear lines of 

 points across the polished surface of the stone, which suggest 

 very strongly the Widmanstaetten figures on metallic mete- 

 orites. At times as the stone is turned no lines can be de- 

 tected. Again one set of parallel lines or two sets crossing 

 each other become visible. Some of the sets are very sharply 

 manifested, and some are so faint as to leave one in doubt 

 whether the lines are real or only fancied. There are on the 

 surface in question six or eight of these sets of lines. 



A second surface was ground nearly parallel to the first, at 

 about one centimeter distant from it, and like lines appeared 

 on this parallel surface. Some of the lines, but not all of 

 them, corresponded in direction in the two surfaces. Four 

 more surfaces approximately at right angles to the first surface, 

 and corresponding to the faces of a right prism were then 

 ground and upon these surfaces the like sets of lines appear 

 with more or less distinctness. 



A slab of a Pultusk stone 6x7 centimeters shows over its 

 entire surface like markings. Something like a curvature of 

 the lines appears in one instance but in general the lines run 

 straight from side to side of the slab. The slab is six milli- 

 meters in thickness and most of the sets of lines have the 

 same directions upon the two sides. 



A Hessle stone, a small slice from the Wold Cottage stone, 

 one from Sierra di Chaco, one from a Sienna stone, a fragment 

 from the Rockwood stone, and a slice from the Rensselaer Co. 



