4:66 /Seientifio Intelligence. 



Stibiotantalite, a tantalo-niobate of antimony, Sb(Ta,Nb)04 

 is found in the stream works at Greenbushes. The exact crystal- 

 line form of the mineral has not been determined for it occurs in 

 water-worn pebbles with a very smooth bright surface. It is 

 brittle, with a subconchoidal to granular or occasionally fibrous 

 fracture. Its hardness is 5 to 5-5, and specific gravity G"4 to V'4. 

 Its luster is adamantine to resinous ; color, various shades of yel- 

 low and brown, also gray. It is subtranslucent to opaque. Its 

 composition is shown by the following analysis by Goyder : Sb^Og, 

 40-23 ; Bi.Og, -82 ; NiO, -08 ; Ta,0^, 51-13 ; Xb,0,,^7-56 ; total, 

 99-82. 



A hydrated variety of this mineral occurs also, resembling it 

 in color, but having a rough surface. Its formula would appear 

 to be 2Sb(Ta,Nb)04-7H20. Before the blowpipe stibiotantalite 

 is practically infusible and colors the flame greenish-gray. It is 

 reduced to metallic antimony by fusion with potassium cyanide. 

 In the closed tube the anhydrous mineral gives no sublimate ; the 

 hydrous, a sublimate of water. After mixing with sulphur it 

 gives in the closed tube a sublimate which is black when hot and 

 brownish red on cooling. It is soluble in hydrofluoric acid ; this 

 solution on adding a little potassium fluoride and evaporating 

 somewhat, deposits on cooling a felt-like mass of colorless crystals 

 of potassium fluotantalite. If some of the solution in hydro- 

 fluoric acid be poured into a platinum dish and a piece of pure 

 zinc be dropped into it, a black stain immediately develops on 

 the plate. Stibiotantalite is decomposed by fusion with potas- 

 sium bisulphate. — Geol. Sia\ W. Australia, Bull. No. 6, p. 42. 



HiSTRTXiTE, an apparently new sulphide of antimony and bis- 

 muth, is described by W. F. Petterd. It occurs in radiating 

 groups of crystals which are orthorhombic, with acute but indis- 

 tinct terminations and are striated longitudinally. It is slightly 

 sectile with a hardness of about 2. Luster eminently metallic. 

 Color and streak, steel-gray. The mean of two analyses is : — 

 S, 23-53 ; Bi, 56-00; Sb, 9-'7b ; Cu, 6-49 ; Fe, 5-31 ; total, 101-03. 

 which gives for the formula, '7Bi2S3,2Sb2S3,5CuFeS,.— e/bA?i Vail, 

 Gov. Printer, Tasmania. 



Petterdite, a new oxychloride of lead. This mineral, which 

 was found at Zeehan, Tasmania, was described by Mr. W. H. 

 TwELVETREES. It occurs in thin hexagonal plates of a white 

 color. Fracture is irregular, luster dull, hardness 1*5 to 2, specific 

 gravity 7-16. The analysis made by Mr. O. E. White of Hobart 

 is as follows :— PbO, 74-04 ; As^O^, 2-60 ; P^O,, 2-10 ; Sb,0„ -50 ; 

 CI, 20-00; total, 99-24. — John Vail, Gov. Printer, Tasmania, w. e. f. 



8. Gold in Meteorites. — At the September meeting of the 

 Royal Society of New South Wales, Prof. Liversidge exhibited 

 under the microscope particles of a malleable yellow metal, insol- 

 uble in nitric acid, which have all the appearance of gold obtained 

 from certain Australian and European meteorites (siderolites). 

 The presence of gold in meteorites bears upon the presence of 

 gold in "meteoric" dusts, and it is also of great interest in con- 

 nection with the presence of gold upon the earth and in sea-water, 



