﻿Mineral 
  or 
  a 
  Fungus 
  f 
  47 
  

  

  reason 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  tree 
  trunks 
  than 
  in 
  

   veins. 
  During 
  the 
  winter 
  the 
  excellent 
  specimen 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   preparation 
  of 
  the 
  accompanying 
  illustration 
  was 
  forwarded 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  Frost, 
  who 
  stated 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  cut 
  from 
  a 
  live 
  pine 
  tree 
  near 
  

   Eagle 
  Lake. 
  Bits 
  of 
  adhering 
  bark 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  figure 
  1, 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  size. 
  Professor 
  Stillman 
  gener- 
  

   ously 
  placed 
  at 
  my 
  disposal 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  material 
  and 
  

   their 
  comparison 
  and 
  study 
  were 
  taken 
  up. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  mineral 
  resin 
  " 
  answers 
  equally 
  

   well 
  for 
  the 
  recently 
  obtained 
  specimen 
  it 
  is 
  quoted 
  here. 
  " 
  It 
  

   presents 
  a 
  nearly 
  white 
  mass, 
  friable, 
  light 
  and 
  porous, 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  much 
  enclosed 
  air 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  floats 
  on 
  water 
  like 
  cork. 
  

   On 
  fracture 
  it 
  presents 
  a 
  slightly 
  fibrous 
  structure. 
  Under 
  the 
  

   microscope 
  it 
  exhibits 
  a 
  two-fold 
  structure 
  — 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  very 
  

   fine 
  irregular 
  fibers 
  permeating 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  a 
  brittle, 
  amorphous, 
  

   structureless 
  substance." 
  Nothing 
  more 
  need 
  be 
  added, 
  save 
  

   to 
  call 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  concentric 
  form 
  of 
  growth 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  

   remnants 
  of 
  tubes. 
  

  

  Macroscopically 
  and 
  chemically 
  the 
  two 
  specimens 
  appear 
  to 
  

   be 
  identical. 
  No 
  improvement 
  of 
  Professor 
  Stillman's 
  careful 
  

   analysis 
  was 
  attempted, 
  and 
  its 
  duplication 
  was 
  only 
  carried 
  to 
  

   the 
  point 
  of 
  identification. 
  Both 
  substances 
  agree 
  in 
  melting 
  

   imperfectly 
  at 
  140° 
  and 
  in 
  softening 
  at 
  temperatures 
  below 
  

   100 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  insoluble 
  in 
  water 
  ; 
  86 
  to 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  dissolves 
  in 
  

   alcohol 
  — 
  the 
  solutions 
  being 
  of 
  a 
  slightly 
  yellow 
  color, 
  marked 
  

   bitter 
  taste 
  and 
  acid 
  reaction 
  ; 
  residues 
  from 
  solution 
  are 
  white 
  

   and 
  amorphous 
  ; 
  the 
  alcoholic 
  extracts 
  burn 
  with 
  smoky 
  flame 
  

   leaving 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  ash 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  soluble 
  in 
  ether 
  than 
  

   in 
  alcohol. 
  Professor 
  Stillman 
  found 
  further 
  that 
  his 
  material 
  

   was 
  soluble 
  in 
  caustic 
  potash, 
  and 
  from 
  such 
  solutions 
  a 
  puri- 
  

   fied 
  tasteless 
  mass 
  could 
  be 
  precipitated 
  by 
  hydrochloric 
  acid, 
  

   also 
  that 
  the 
  filtrate 
  evaporated 
  to 
  dryness 
  yielded 
  a 
  "waxy 
  

   substance" 
  of 
  intensely 
  bitter 
  taste. 
  Taking 
  into 
  account 
  

   hygroscopic 
  moisture 
  and 
  ash, 
  his 
  analysis 
  gave 
  : 
  

  

  Carbon 
  64-46 
  

  

  Hydrogen 
  (not 
  in 
  water) 
  .. 
  8*75 
  

  

  Oxygen 
  " 
  " 
  22*80 
  

  

  H 
  2 
  3-87 
  

  

  Ash 
  0-12 
  

  

  100-00 
  

   Dr. 
  H. 
  N. 
  Stokes, 
  of 
  the 
  Chemical 
  Division 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  

   Survey, 
  gave 
  it 
  such 
  consideration 
  as 
  pressure 
  of 
  work 
  would 
  

   permit, 
  and 
  says 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  it 
  : 
  " 
  In 
  continuous 
  extrac- 
  

   tion 
  with 
  alcohol 
  the 
  ' 
  bernardinite 
  ' 
  left 
  a 
  residue 
  of 
  7*56 
  per 
  

   cent, 
  and 
  your 
  specimen 
  a 
  residue 
  of 
  6*08 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  the 
  residue 
  under 
  the 
  microscope 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  

  

  