16 FreLp CoLUMBIAN MusEUM—GEOLOGY, VOL. I. 
fall. At the time of fall of this meteorite three distinct reports 
were heard and five different fragments were picked up at four places 
several miles apart. Three of these fragments were found to fit 
together perfectly and at the points of contact to exhibit no crust, 
though their other surfaces were coated withit. The point of junc- 
tion of the other two fragments could also be made out, though this 
surface possessed a crust hardly distinguishable from that of the rest 
of the mass. It was also found possible to unite all the fragments 
into one shell-like mass, showing that this was probably a unit as it 
entered the atmosphere and that the successive disruptions took place 
during its passage to the earth. 
Similar variations in crust are observable among the individuals 
of nearly every meteoric shower, making it seem probable that they 
are produced by the breaking up of a single individual. 
It should be noted, however,that some authorities prefer to regard 
the stones of a meteoric shower as members of a swarm of larger or 
smaller planetary individuals which had a previous independent ex- 
istence. 
In sz#ze, meteorites vary from complete individuals no larger 
than a pea (Winnebago Co.,340) to the enorinous mass of Chupaderos, 
Chihuahua, Mexico (Model 422) whose weight has been variously esti- 
mated at from fifteen to twenty-five tons. The Phillips Co., Kansas, 
meteorite (350) if it reached the earth, as is highly probable, ina 
single mass, is the largest single aerolite in existence, the aggregate 
weight of the fragments so far found being 1300 pounds. The next 
jargest is an individual of the Knyahinya, Hungary, fall, preserved in 
the Vienna Museum, having a weight of 647 pounds. Among the 
aerosiderites or iron meteorites, however, there are many of greater 
size and weight, as for example the Cranbourne (68) mass now pre- 
served in the British Museum, which weighs about four tons, the Red 
River or Gibbs meteorite (34) in the Yale College Museum, weight 
1630 pounds, and several Mexican meteorites. 
The chemical study of meteorites has shown them to be made up 
of edements such as are common upon the earth and has as yet 
revealed none new to its constitution. About twenty-five have thus 
far been recognized, of which iron, silicon, magnesium, nickel, sulphur, 
phosphorus and carbon are the most important. The following list 
represents all that are known to occur: 
Aluminium Chlorine Iron *Nitrogen Sodium 
Antimony Chromium Lithium Oxygen Sulphur 
Arsenic Cobalt Magnesium Phosphorus Tin 
Calcium Copper Manganese Potassium ‘Titanium 
Carbon Hydrogen Nickel Silicon 
*Recent investigations by Prof. Ramsay have shown that what has been regarded as nitrogen, 
is largely made up of argon and helium. See Nature Vol. 52, p. 22}. 
