The present communication deals with a peculiar series of rocks found in association with the Tertiary sediments so extensively developed in south-west Persia at the head of the Persian Gulf. At one or two localities in that region the marls and limestones are baked, fused, and in some cases so thoroughly recrystallized that at one time they were suspected to be igneous material arising from localized volcanic action. Careful examination of the field occurrences has, however, failed to disclose any trace of volcanicity, whilst petrographical and chemical examination has shown that even the most coarsely crystalline types bear no resemblance to any known igneous rock.

My attention was first directed to these rocks by Mr. H. T. Mayo in 1926 when I was permitted to examine the material collected by Mr. B. K. N. Wyllie, to whom belongs the credit of first discovering these apparently unique occurrences, and to visit the localities, where additional material was obtained. The cause of the alteration of the sedimentary rocks at these localities is no longer operative, and is not apparent; that it may most probably be ascribed to the combustion of gas or oil long since extinguished has been made clear by the subsequent investigation of other localities where similar rocks have been, and are being, exposed to such action and have undergone similar changes in structure and mineral composition.

The spherulitic rhyolites of Jersey show a development probably unequalled in the British Isles. They are particularly notable for the large size of the spherulites and for the variety of structures which they present. The object of the present paper is to describe some of these structures and to discuss their origin.

The first worker to publish a description of spherulitic rhyolites from Jersey was Davies (2). Their field relations were described by Noury (4), while De Lapparent has discussed their petrology (5), (8) and the vexed question of their age (7). Parkinson (10), (12), (14) has given admirable and detailed accounts of the Bouley Bay rocks.

The Ve Skerries form a small group of rocks situated just over three miles WNW. of Papa Stour on the west coast of the Shetland Isles. Owing to the notoriously troubled state of the surrounding waters a landing can only rarely be ettected on them, and it is not, therefore, surprising that no account of their geology has yet appeared. Through the kindness of Mr. J. Glencorse Wakelin, Secretary to the Northern Lights Commissioners, the writer has been able to examine a large specimen of the constituent rock secured by Mr. Wakelin in 1930, and considered by him to be typical of the group. The results of this examination proved to be of considerable interest and are given below.

In the hand-specimen the rock is seen to be of even texture and medium grain. It is white in colour but is relieved by a few darkgreen or black spots and by very thin veins of haematite. In appearance it is not unlike an aplogranite, but examination under a handlens reveals the absence of quartz, while much of the felspar is seen to be twinned on the albite-law.

One of the most typical occurrences of natrolite, in the Puy-de-Dôme amygdaloids, formed the main type occurrence of R. J. Haüy's species Mcsotype (1801) ; but when A. F. Gehlen and J. N. Fuchs (1813) and J. N. Fuchs (1816) recognized the individuality of soda-, lime-, and lime-soda-mesotypes, and divided Haüy's species into three, they discarded Haüy's name altogether, using for the three new species the names natrolite, scolecite, and mesolite, Natrolite was not a new name, having been given in 1803 by M. H. Klaproth to the well-known yellow-banded fibrous-radiating zeolite from Württemberg. The name mesotype has persisted for the whole group (in which sense it will be used here); and for long the names soda-, lime-, and lime-soda-mesotype were used as well as Gehlen and Fuchs's names. In France, however, the name mesotype is used in a more restricted sense for natrolite only.

At the suggestion of, and with much assistance from, Dr. L. J. Spencer, Keeper of Minerals in the British Museum, I have examined and, as far as possible, verified and corrected the recorded places of fall of all reported Indian meteorites. The original records were consulted, and as far as possible the places found on the large scale (usually 1 inch = 1 mile) maps in the India Office. This left a residuum regarding which inquiries were made of District Officers in India, to several of whom I am indebted for useful information which has been embodied in the list.

In this list the falls are entered under their original names in alphabetical order by Provinces in British India, but in one list for all the Indian States, and the positions are indicated on the map (plate XII). The correct names of the places of fall are given in each case, in some only the spelling has required correction in accordance with the Government of India standard system, in others the vernacular name has clearly been mistransliterated, and in many cases the name of the district or province has been changed since the fall. Wherever possible the exact date and time of fall, the latitude and longitude of the place thereof, and its distance from some big place or railway station have been given.