Mineralogical Notes. 55 
He possessed ample means, enjoyed society, where he was a fa- 
vorite. 
The chemistry of fatty substances, and theory of complemen- 
tary colors were the two most important lines ot study followed 
and developed by him, Millions have been earned by the ap- 
plication of his methods for obtaining a number of useful sub- 
stances, such as stearine and glycerine. 
THE LATER Dew TuHEory.—It is now held by the best phy- 
sicists that, instead ot falling {rom above, the dew rises from the 
earth. The generally-received opinion that the dew is formed of 
vapor exisiting at the time in the atmosphere must be given up 
for the established fact that the vapor which rises from the heated 
earth is trapped by the cold surface earth. Besides, when we 
imagine that, on a cool evening after a sultry day in summer, 
our feet are being wet by the dew on the grass, we make a grave 
mistake. For that moisture on the grass is not dew at all, it is 
not dew at all, it is false dew—in reality the transpired humor of 
the plants. The drops at the tips, which glisten diamond-like, 
are not dew; close examination shows that these crystalline 
spheres are all situated at the points where the veins of the leaves 
cut the outer edges. These drops only give evidence of the vi- 
tality of the plant. The difference between the true dew on the 
grass and the exuded drops through the veins from within the 
grass can be easily distinguished; for the former is distributed all 
over the blade in a moist film; whereas, the latter are of some 
size, and are situated near the tips of the blade. Altered then 
is the meaning of the line, ‘‘Ilka blade o’ grass keps its kin drap 0’ 
dew;”’ for those brilliant globules, shaking to the same sweet air, 
and often “gliding at once all fragrant into one,” are not dewdrops, 
but are the exudations of the healthy plants. They give evid- 
ence of the elixir vite of vegetation;: whereas the true dew is the 
pearly luster, varnished in flimy humidity over the blades by 
that wondrous alchemy which transforms the water vapor rising 
from the ground into the plant-refreshing dew.— Good Woras. 
VANE RALOGICAL: WOTLS. 
PHENACITE FROM MAINE—In May, 1888, some crystals o 
phenacite were found near Stoneham, in a vein of coarse albitic 
granite, associated with crystals of smoky quartz, topaz and 
muscovite. 
ARAGONITE PSEUDOMORPH—Among a collection of minerals 
from Pima county, Arizona, was a crystal originally aragonite, 
which had been almost entirely changed and impregnated by oxide 
of manganese and red oxide of iron. It has an outer coating 
of white cacholong over some simple rhombohedral crystals, now 
entirely changed to an oxide of manganese. The crystal is hol- 
low on top to the depth of three-fourths of an inch. The sides of 
