Bouy<*.] 424 [February 17, 



Dr. C. F. Winslow read a paper entitled "Physics and 

 Biology discussed in regard to their mutual relations." 



Mr. T. T. Bouve called the attention of the meeting to an 

 analysis of a very rare and interesting mineral, the Samar- 

 skite, made by Miss Ellen H. Swallow of the Institute of Tech- 

 nology. He stated that this species was first found thirty 

 or forty years since, near Miask in the Ural Mountains, 

 where it occurred in very small quantity. The largest pieces 

 obtained were only of the size of hazel nuts, and until 

 recently no other locality of this mineral was known. Analy- 

 ses of the Miask mineral have been made by a number of 

 chemists, all of whom agreed in its being a columbate of 

 uranium, iron and yttrium, whilst some of them found in it, 

 also, notable quantities of the rare earths zirconia and tho- 

 ria. Some ten or twelve years ago a small piece of a mineral, 

 which turned out to be of the same species, was found in the 

 loose soil in North Carolina and was analyzed by Dr. Hunt, 

 the result being given in the American Journal of Science. 



Last year Col. Joseph Willcox of Philadelphia, discovered 

 a locality of Samarskite in Mitchell Co., North Carolina 

 occurring in a pocket of small size, but from which he was 

 able to procure a number of good specimens, two of which 

 I procured from him, one for my own cabinet and one for 

 that of the Society. He also presented me with a very 

 pure piece for analysis, if I should wish to have one made in 

 Boston. . This I placed in the hands of Miss Swallow, who 

 appears to have done herself great credit by the thorough- 

 ness with which she performed the analysis, and by the full 

 account given of her method. 



Analysis of Samakskite from a new Locality. By Ellen 

 H. Swallow. 



The sample on which all the the tests were made was a perfectly 

 compact, homogeneous piece handed to me by Mr. Bouve. It weighed 

 nearly seven grammes. Color black. Streak dark reddish-brown. 



