lucent.
Exposed or weathered portions lose their porcelain-like trans-lucency,
and become white and somewhat earthy in appearance, and exhibit the
crypto-fibrous structure with more distinctness. Specimens cut and
polished across the end of a slab-like mass show on one side a narrow
selvage of breccia, made up of fragments of the pectolite and of
dark-colored wall rock mixed and firmly cemented together. On the
opposite side or border of the mass there are distinctly formed
parallel planes of concentric layering, from the surfaces of which the
fibers diverge. These layers and the brecciated border opposite show
the vein-like formation of the mass between the walls. The hardness is
6 to 6.5. In the blow-pipe flame it burns to a white enamel and gives
off a little water. It may be found useful as an ornamental stone for
making small objects—cups, plates, handles, or for carving figures or
inlaid work." This is identical with the pectolite from Alaska,
described by Prof. F. W. Clarke.
Peristerite.—Large
quantities of peristerite are reported by Mr. 0. M. Skinner at
Cavendish, Vermont., near Cavendish Falls, in the railroad cut 22
miles northwest of Bellows Falls.
Oligoclase.—Of
great interest is the transparent oily green oligoclase contaiuing
small, white, starlike inclusions, which impart to the mass all the
appearance of green glass, and with included white minerals found at a
depth of 400 feet in mica near Bakersville, North Carolina. It was
found by Mr. Daniel Bowman.
A
very interesting variety of sunstone was found by Mr. J. A. D.
Stephenson at the quarry in Statesville, North Carolina. Several
hundred dollars' worth of it has been sold as gems.
Albite.—In
the Allen mica mines at Amelia Court House, Amelia county, Virginia.,
as a by-product in mica mining, a remarkable series of albite has been
found, tabular, but measuring 4 to 7 inches in length and forming large
groups; also the same mineral in massive form of the moonstone variety,
and tons of amazonstone in bright cleavages.
Rhodonite of
the variety known as fowlerite has been found in Franklin Furnace, New
Jersey, in groups of rich, flesh colored crystals finer than ever
before known. Some of these were 6 or 7 inches in length and several
inches thick, forming groups a foot across. Although of value for gem
material they possess a higher mineralogical value, and more than $!
,000 worth was sold for specimens. The rhodonite so well known as
occurring in bowlders at Cunningham, Massachusetts, has recently been
traced to the ledge, and we may now hope to see this stone used
extensively for decorative and ornamental purposes, as at this
locality it is one of the richest pink and flesh colored minerals known.
Turquois—Additional
evidence of the antiquity of the turquois workings of New Mexico and
Arizona has been gathered by the Hemenway expedition, sent out by Mrs.
Hemenway under the direction of Mr. Frank H. Cushing. About 10 miles
from Tempe. Arizona, where the excavations are being made, a shell
encrusted with turquois and garnet representing the form of a frog was
found.
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