Revievj of Recnt Geological Literature. 275 
heating. The hauyne on the other hand was never blue, and could not 
be colored artificially either by heating in air, or in sulphur vapor. This 
is interesting as showing again the uncertainty of attempting to separate 
hauyne and nosean by the presence or absence of a blue color. 
The porphyritic augite also presents features of interest. It agrees 
closely with the "augite vert" of Michel-Levy and Lacroix,* and lies 
between ordinary augite and aegerite in character. Optically a=a, b=b, 
c=c., and the extinction angle is never more than 30°. It has a strong 
pleochroism, a being greenish yellow, b green, and c green with a tinge 
of yellow. Its crystal form is that of ordinary augite. The pyroxene 
in the groundmass seems to be always aegerite. 
Ursus ferox from Alalia. — Geological Magazine [3] X, pp. 67-69. In 
excavating in parts of the Har Dalam cavern in the Pleistocene of Malta, 
Mr. John X. Cook, F. G. S., unearthed the entire remains of Ursus ferox* 
with canine and molar teeth in sUu and a number of detached teeth of 
other individuals of the same species. Large quantities of bones of 
Hlppojjoiamiis lientlandi, Cervus harharus, Elephas mnaidrieiisis, and 
other animals were also discovered. The entire amount of earth exca- 
vated amounted to about 720 cubic feet. Cervus occurred in a friable 
marly loam, with a few pebbles, together with fragments of old pottery. 
Underneath this loam was a layer of indurated, light grey loam (also con- 
taining CcruKs) in which were imbedded Ursus ferox and Hippopotamus 
pentlaiull. Below this section was another about one and a half feet 
thick, in which were found numerous remains of Hippopotamus. 
From their similar state of preservation the author concludes that 
these animals occupied the Maltese era contemporaneously. 
On a new Fossil Amber-like Ttesin from Bui~m<i; by Dr. Otto Helm, of 
Danzig. (Records of Geol. Sur. India, vol. xxv, p. 180.) From a prelimi- 
nary chemical and physical examination upon a small quantity of mate- 
rial the author concludes that this is an entirely new variety of amber. 
The resin resembles the Baltic succinite, in that it is easy to cut, saw 
and polish. Hardness, 2.5-3. Sp. Gr., 1,034. Exhibits a fine blue fluor- 
escence. 
On Palceosaccus daivsoni, gen. et sp. nov. Hinde. Dr. Hinde in the 
Geological Magazine [3], x. Feb., pp. 56-59 announces and describes this 
new hexactinellid sponge, which was discovered by Sir William Dawson, 
In the Quebec group at Little Metis, Canada. Pal.eosaccus is cylind- 
rical or sack-like, with thin walls of rhombic meshes, which are large. 
The strands of the mesh-work consist of fascicles of slender rods, cruci- 
form, and perhaps five-rayed spicules; the inter spaces are either open 
or covered with a thin layer of irregularly disposed rods and cruciform 
spicules. No anchoring spicules have been found in immediate connec- 
tion with the sponge, but there are in the same beds elongated anchoring 
spicules with ornamental spiral ridges which may perhaps belong to it. 
The species is named after its discoverer. 
*Micliel Levy and Lacroix, Tableaux des mineraux des loches. Paris, 1889. 
