VICTORIAN METEORITES, WITH NOTES ON OBSIDIANITES. 
place name, which may be subject to alteration, and sometimes 
difficult to locate, even by a resident of the country of origin. 
Reported discoveries of supposed meteorites have been included in 
the paper, so that the investigations made concerning them may be 
available, and save trouble to workers in the future. Although not 
generally incorporated with meteorites, obsidianites or australites 
are given a place, for they must now be regarded, at least provisionally, 
as aerolites, in view of the accumulated evidence concerning them, 
which is difficult to reconcile with a terrestrial origin. 
in addition to those mentioned hereafter, who have so kindly 
rendered assistance, I am very greatly indebted to Mr. P. G. W. Bayly, 
analyst to the Geological Survey, Department of Mines, Victoria, 
and also to his assistant, Mr. Alan G. Hall, for the interest evinced 
and care taken in carrying out the analytical work in connexion 
with the investigations on the Cranbourne No. 2, Langwarrin 
and Yarroweyah meteorites, work which has added so much to the 
value of the paper. To Dr. C. Anderson, mineralogist of the 
Australian Museum, Sydney, my sincere thanks are due for the 
ever-ready response to my requests for information, to Dr. G. T. 
Prior, Keeper of Minerals in the British Museum, for some facts 
relating to the Victorian specimens in the collection of that 
Museum, and to Lady Ghas. MacMahon for the loan of the 
photograph of the Cranbourne No. 1., reproduced in plate I. 
History op the Cranbourne Meteorites. 
The facts given here concerning the history of the Cranbourne 
meteorites, taken from published records, have been, where possible, 
verified by reference to original correspondence, which has also 
supplied some further particulars. 
As to the earliest time the Cranbourne meteorites were first 
observed by Europeans there is no record. Neither is it known by 
whom they were discovered. J 
Geo. Neumayer (42, p. 25), when Director of the old Flagstaff Obser- 
vatory, Melbourne, visited the meteorites with A. T. Abel (variously 
called Prof. J. Abel, A. F. Abel, F. A. Abel, Engineer Abel), assayer 
then of Ballarat, formerly of Hamburg, and others in February’ 
1861. Neumayer says that the larger meteorite was originally 
buried in the ground, a small piece only, 4 inches long, protruding 
above it, and it was by this means that the specimen was discovered. 
He was told by some old colonists that they remembered the time 
when the natives used to dance around the meteorite, beatin°- their 
stone tomahawks against it, and apparently much pleased with the 
metallic sound thus produced. The story goes, he continues that 
a settler once passing that way was going to tether his horse to what 
he took to be the stump of a tree ; surprised at the peculiar metallic 
feeling it had to the touch, he examined it, and was soon made aware 
of the true nature, meaning thereby, presumably, in so far as it was 
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