A Minute, black fragment of material, taken by Dr. J. R. Sutton from a cavity exposed on a cleavage-surface of a colourless diamond from Bultfontein mine, Kimberley, South Africa, was sent by him for determination. It is black with a sub-metallic lustre and in parts a bronzed tarnish; and is quite opaque even on the edges. The form is roughly that of a triangular chip, measuring 11/2 by 11/4 mm. with a greatest thickness of about 1/2 mm. The weight is about 1 milligram. Tile surface shows a small and uneven to granular fracture. On one portion there is a good crystal-face which reflects a sharp image ; and on one part of this face there is a stepped growth with striae at 60°.

The specimen of cordierite-gneiss under notice was collected by Mr. T. N. Muthuswami (Assistant Professor of Geology, Presidency College, Madras) in a quarry at Ganguvarpatti in the Madura district. On examining tliin sections of the rock, he found that many of the cordierite crystals were optically positive, and, thinking that the mineral might be worth further investigation, he sent a specimen of the rock to me. The investigation was carried out ill the Geological Department of the Imperial College of Science and Technology, and my thanks are due to Professor W. W. Watts and Dr. J. W. Evans for their kindness in affording me facilities for this work and also to Dr. H. H. Thomas, of H.M. Geological Survey, for his kindness in placing Fedorov's universal stage at my disposal for the measurement of the optic axial angle.

Short biographical notices of persons interested in scientific mineralogy have been given in this Magazine since 1876. In the last volume these were more systematically collected together and indexed for convenience of reference and permanent record. For a continuation of this series the various details have been collected and filed during the past three years. I have to thank several foreign correspondents for kindly supplying some of the less readily accessible information; in particular, Professor P. N. Chirvinsky, of Novocherkassk in the Don region.

The present list includes 55 haines, for 49 of which dates of birth and death, or ages, are here recorded. Including these with the 254 previously recorded in this Magazine, the total is 308 lives for which ages are known. The average age for these 303 lives of mineralogists is 64 years.