VICTORIAN METEORITES, WITH NOTES ON OBSIDIANITES. 
Decomposition evidently progresses largely by means of iron 
chloride, along the outside of the schreibersite envelope, and con- 
verts the nickel-iron into the sesquioxide of iron. By this action 
the nodules are freed, and leave the cavities on certain parts of the 
surface of the meteorite, as mentioned previously. 
Analysis : — 
Iron .. .. ..61-46 
Nickel .. .. .. 0-52 
Cobalt . . . . . . 0 • 19 
Copper . . . . . . 0-04 
Phosphorus .. .. 0-21 
Sulphur .. .. ..34-00 
Residue . . . . . . 0 • 87 
97-29 
Amount used .. 0-1944 
The troilite used in the analysis was part of a nodule picked out 
of the nickel-iron detritus. The quantity was small, and no check 
analysis could be made. Ihe low summation may be accounted 
for to some extent by the omission of carbon and moisture. Carbon 
was detected but not determined, and the presence of water may 
reasonably be assumed from the fact that it was found in the troilite 
of the Langwarrin meteorite, of which a larger amount was available, 
and pet nutted a moie complete investigation. The determination 
of sulphui (34 00 per cent.) is the only one of the analysis which 
is doubtful, the quantity of material used for it being very small. 
Schreibersite.— The phosphor-nickel-iron described under this 
name, as will be seen from the analysis, differs seriously m compo- 
sition from that usually ascribed to schreibersite, but the absence of 
sufficient data does not permit any reliable conclusions to be drawn 
on the subject. The mineral occurs, as already mentioned, as the 
external envelope of all but one of the troilite nodules. This 
exceptional instance was one of the two nodules in which a thin 
margin of nickel-iron resembling taenite was noted The sclirei 
bersite does not usually form a uniform envelope like the graphite 
but is most irregular, and. sometimes sends out proportionately long 
branches into the nickel-iron. Apart from its association with thS 
troilite nodules, and its occurrence within the nickel-iron schrei- 
bersite can sometimes also be observed on the etched section, scattered 
here and there along the junction lines of the nickel-iron where 
opened up by decomposition. A few small plates up to 4 mm in 
thickness were obtained which had evidently occupied such a 
position. Metallic particles occurring on the taenite lamellae have 
already been referred to as probably schreibersite. 
[26 ] 
