In May 1950 the writer received from Mr. Henry Burgess, of Spiggie, Shetland Isles, a specimen of a material which had been found by a local quarryman. The property of the material which had particularly attracted attention was that when it absorbed water it became soft and pliable and looked like wet leather. The specimen, measuring approximately 4x2X1 inches, had a brownish iron-stained outer skin, and showed slight signs of foliation parallel to its length. Internally it consisted of a white to greyish-white compact material, in which were embedded portions of the syenitie country-rock. This white material has been shown to consist dominantly of the mineral palygorskite (attapulgite).