494 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
with brown-black inclusions, disposed with a certain symmetry, and 
showing somewhat regular contours ; we refer these inclusions to 
magnetic iron, and their presence explains how these spherules of 
bronzite are extracted by the magnet. We would observe, however, 
that they are not so strongly magnetic as those with a metallic 
nucleus. 
We designate them under the name of bronzite rather than of 
enstatite, because of the somewhat deep tint which they present ; 
they are insoluble in hydrochloric acid. Owing to the small 
quantity of substance at our disposal, we were obliged to limit 
ourselves to a qualitative analysis. We have found in them silica, 
magnesia, and iron. 
We have limited our remarks at this time to these succinct 
details, but we believe that we have said enough to show that these 
spherules in their essential characters are related to the chondres 
of meteorites, and have the saine mode of formation. In con- 
clusion, we may state that when the coating of manganese depositions, 
which surround sharks’ teeth, ear-bones of cetaceans and other 
nuclei, is broken off and pounded in a mortar to tine dust, and the 
magnetic particles then extracted by means of a magnet, we find 
these latter to be composed of silicate spherules, spherules with a 
metallic centre, and magnetic iron, in all respects similar to those 
found in the deposits in which the nodules were embedded. 
We have recently examined the dust collected by melting the 
snow at the Observatory on Ben l!levis, in order to see whether, 
in that elevated and isolated region, we should be able to find 
volcanic ashes or cosmic spherules analogous to those we have 
described. This atmospheric dust, which we have examined micro- 
scopically, has not shown any particles which could with certainty 
be regarded as identical with those substances which are the subject 
of this paper. Particles of coal, fragments of ashes, and grains of 
quartz predominated. Besides these, there were fragments of 
calcite, augite, mica, and grains of rock of all forms and of variable 
dimensions. These were associated with fibres of cotton, of 
vegetables, splinters of limonite and of tin — in short, everything 
indicating a terrestrial origin. 
In order to give an idea of the facility with which the winds 
