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NOTE O N EXAJIINATION OF S S O W WATER.
NOTE ON E X A M I S A T I O N O F SNOW W A T E R . BY E. WALLER, PH.D. During the first snow-storm of the past winter (December 19th, 1083) some of the fresh fallen snow was collected and submitted to examination. As the results may be of home interest to the members of the Society I beg to submit them. The a m p l e was collected in the yard a t Columbia College after it had been snowing for some three or four li~iirs,and snou was still falling The ground was then covered to the depth of about four inches. The snow w a y taken up without touching it with the hands, and placed in a large stoppered bottle, which was then closed and placed on the shelf in the laboratory imtil thc snow had melted. It may be here noted t h a t the surface beneath the spot from which i t was taken was a graveled walk. T h e examination of the water was conducted after the larger particles of band, coal from the engines on 4th ave. &c. had settled out. The water wah slightly turbid. Tho results wcre (in parts per 100,000.) Chlorine - - - - - - - - - - - - - -trace Free Aminonid. - - - - - - - 0.0396 Phosphates - - - - - - - - ..none Albuminoid .i4mnionia - - 0.03 18 Nitrates - - - - - . - - - - - - - - - .none Hardness. - .- - - - . - - - .- - - - 0.91 Nitrogen in Nitrates. - - -0.0494 Total Solids - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 . 3 The sediment from the water r n d ~ collected. IVhile it wae Nettling a *limy fungoid gro\\-tli collectcd at t h e hottom of the vessel which c a u d tlic sediment t o adhere somewhat to thc glas?. T o rernolc this t h e material was gently ignited and aftersard examined under the microscope. T h e object aimed a t M X Y tlie identification if possible, of particles supposed to have corne from the Java volcano, Krakatoa, which have been asserted to esiht ill the * n o r , &c., which fell in the early part of t h e wintcr. A bpecimen of the volcanic asti known to hake conic from that \olcano was also examined under the microscope at t h e bame tinw. A S objective (Beck) was used, T o my c'yc>tlie only forms common t o both the specimens were mall, vitreous particles looking like broken up microscope col em. I am, however, not familiar with the characters of volcanic ashes under the microscope, and niay have missed what should be looked upon as characteristic. .Judging from what was observed, it seems doubtful whether it could be safely asserted that the snow contained any particles which originally came froin the volcano.
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