METEORIC DUSTS, N.S.W. 243 



ponds. Intermixed with the other substances there is also 

 a certain proportion of less decomposed vegetable matter 

 in a flocculent state, and the remains of two or three small 

 beetles were present — all such substances were removed 

 as completely as possible before making the chemical 

 examination ; some minute particles of a yellowish mica are 

 scattered through the specimen; mica is common in many 

 muds, especially in those deposited by water running over 

 granite, gneiss or similar rocks ; the rock about Moruya is 

 granite, hence the presence of the mica can be accounted 

 for locally. 



As it was thought that particles of metallic iron might 

 be present, a magnet covered with a moveable paper cap, 

 was repeatedly drawn through the powder when a few scaly 

 fragments of the metal with jagged edges were obtained — 

 the fragments were found to be malJeable, but not highly 

 so, since they rather readily split up under the pestle when 

 crushed in an agate mortar; they also became burnished and 

 acquired the usual colour and metallic lustre of iron. They 

 at once reduce a solution of sulphate of copper and become 

 coated with metallic copper, apparently just as readily as 

 ordinary iron; they also afford the usual reactions for iron 

 on the application of the wet tests; cobalt is present in 

 sufficient proportion to give the usual blue colour with the 

 borax bead, and I believe that nickel is also present but 

 the quantity of metal was not sufficient to satisfactorily 

 determine this, neither did it afford conclusive evidence as 

 to the presence of sulphur and phosphorus. 



The total quantity of magnetic matter separable by the 

 magnet out of 27'524 grammes of the dust (the whole of 

 that at my disposal) amounted to but *009 gramme; the 

 largest fragment weighed *0019 gramme. 



Externally the iron particles are covered with a thin 

 coating of ordinary red rust, the hydrated sesquioxide of 



