30 H. C. RUSSELL. 
in our flora, a ready means of determining the names and charac- 
ters of all such-plants which may come under their notice. Con- 
siderable pains have been taken to render the diagnosis of the 
genera and species as concise as possible. The work is arranged 
on the dichotomous system, which will be found most useful to 
botanical students. In addition to the descriptive parts there 
will be an index of technical terms, in order to give the tyroa 
ready means of acquiring a knowledge of technical language which 
in all scientific works is indispensable to a proper understanding 
of the subject. It is the intention of Mr. Moore to publish here- 
after a full description of the plants of Lord Howe and Norfolk 
Islands. 
In the Chemical Laboratory of the University, Professor Liver- 
sidge continues his study of the minerals of New South Wales, 
and in our Proceedings will be found a valuable paper by him, 
another addition to his work on this subject. Perhaps the most 
important item in it, is that referring to the auriferous haematite 
of the Mount Morgan Mine, Queensland. He there shows that 
in the specimens examined the haematite contained a skeleton 
or inner frame work of silica, and the gold present seems to be 
much more intimately connected with the silica than with the 
haematite. This investigation seems to render the geyser theory 
of the origin of the deposit doubtful. In a paper on the rusting 
of iron, read at the Hobart meeting of the Australasian Association 
for the Advancement of Scieuce, he shews that the generally 
accepted view of the composition of ordinary iron rust viz., that 
it consists of hydrated sesquioxide of iron is incorrect, as proved 
by the examination of a large number of specimens of rust formed 
under different conditions, and from iron of all sorts. He finds 
that in almost every instance the rust contains more or less 
magnetic oxide, mixed with the sesquioxide. At the same time 
and place he published the result of a number of experiments made 
to determine the amount of magnetite or magnetic particles, in 
certain minerals and rocks, and found that Franklinite, chrome 
iron and some other minerals, such as garnet and black spinet do 
