G. P. Merrill — New Meteorite from California. 491 



one of the precious metals. Unfortunately, before its true 

 nature was discovered the entire sample received was put 

 through a crusher and hence pieces larger than of a few grains 

 weight are unobtainable. 



To the unaided eye the stone is of a dull reddish brown 

 color and shows an irregular fracture, presenting on casual 

 examination nothing indicative of its meteoric origin. A pol- 

 ished surface however, at once reveals its true nature. 



The stone belongs to the chondritic variety of meteorites 

 and in thin sections under the microscope is seen to be com- 

 posed of olivine and enstatite chondri rarely more than one or 

 two millimeters in diameter, imbedded in a base the structural 

 features of which are greatly obscured by stains of iron oxide. 

 It is apparently composed of the same substances as the chon- 

 dri themselves, but in a f ragmental and finely divided condition. 

 The chondri are often of irregular and angular form and show 

 every indication of being themselves fragments of some pre- 

 existing meteorite rather than mere products of rapid crys- 

 tallization. Nickeliferous iron constitutes 6*21 per cent by 

 weight of the stone and occurs in the forms of lumps and 

 irregularly outlined areas often partially surrounding the chon- 

 dri and acting to some extent as a binding constituent. It is 

 closely associated with pyrrhotite. . There is also present in 

 very minute crystals a colorless, polysynthetically twinned ». 

 mineral which is presumably a monoclinic pyroxene. The mi- 

 nuteness of the crystals and their imperfect outlines renders a 

 satisfactory determination impossible. 



An analysis of the stone by Mr. J. E. Whitfield of the U. S. 

 Geological Survey yielded results as follows : 



Metallic portion ... . 6*21 per cent. 



Soluble in dilute HC1 51-26 



Insoluble " 42-23 



The metallic portion yielded iron 88 - 25 per cent ; nickel 

 11*27 per cent; cobalt 0-48 per cent. The portion soluble in 

 HC1 includes the olivine, iron oxides and pyrrhotite; the 

 insoluble portion includes the enstatite and twinned pyroxene. 

 The great 'amount of oxidation which the metallic portion has 

 undergone renders both chemical and microscopic examinations 

 far from satisfactory. Nevertheless as the stone presents very 

 interesting structural features it has been my intention to 

 describe it in detail as soon as proper drawings could be pre- 

 pared for illustration. In view of the fact that the paper has 

 already been delayed several months it is deemed best to 

 devote a little space to the subject here. I hope to give a 

 more complete description in the near future. 



National Museum, Washington, Feb. 15, 1888. 



Am. Jour. Sci— Third Series.— Vol. XXXV, No. 210.— June, 1888. 

 30 



