THE MINERAL COLLECTOR 



55 



tional attraction to the home. In this 

 collection are some tine specimens of 

 meteoric stones, ranging from 700 

 pounds to 7^ ounces. He takes pleas- 

 ure in showing what, perhaps, is the 

 only specimen of English chap granite 

 in the United States. He amuses his 

 visitors by showing them some speci- 

 mens of scoriaceous rocks which actu- 

 ally float. In this collection are to be 

 found stones of almost every shape, 

 many of them strikingly resembling 

 animals, ships, faces, etc. When he 

 began his collection, Mr. Lewis had 

 rocks scattered so thickly over his yard 

 that his boys, in coming home at night 

 often fell over them. Because of their 

 complaints he decided to adopt some 

 system in arranging his boulders. 

 Hence the arrangement seen in the 

 picture. Mr Reed is being urged to 

 bequeath his collection to some near- 

 by educational institution, as, in al! 

 probability, after his death, others 

 would likely use them to fill ditches, or 

 make road. 



Why Study Minerals? 



BY W. C. BANKS, STAMFORD, CONNKCTICUT. 



This morning a friend gave me a copy 

 of Shepard's "Synopsis of Mineralogy." 

 Beginning with the Introduction I read : 



"There is no study that can be made 

 more interesting and useful than mineral- 

 ogy, and in no branch of science is the 

 use of a text-book, alone, so inadequate as 

 in this one. To study minerals, the stu- 

 dent must have the specimens not only 

 before him, but actually in his hands, that 

 he may feel, examine, and test for 

 himself." 



Here we have the explanation of the 

 great value of mineralogy as a nature 

 study. Nothing else is so well fitted to 

 train the faculties in the habit of accurate 

 observation. "He that hath eyes to see, 

 let him see ;" but few really see, or, for 

 that matter, use any of the senses with 

 the nice accuracy required by accurate 

 knowledge. 



Here I have three specimens of yellow 

 metallic minerals. To the unaided sight 

 they are similar to one another. Let us 

 test them with a knife blade. One yields 

 a greenish black powder : another is too 

 hard to be cut, while the third is sectile, 

 like a piece of lead or of gold. Obviously 

 there is considerable difl^erence here, yet, 

 to the unaided sight, the specimens are 

 all much alike. Let us test them on char- 



coal, with the blowpipe. Two give off a 

 strong odor of sulphur, and fuse into 

 gray, magnetic globules ; the other fuses 

 without cliange of color. This is another 

 proof that they dift'er. If we take these 

 three fused assays, after crushing them, 

 and drop them into three test tubes, with 

 a little nitric acid, and apply gently heat, 

 we find that tw o are dissolved, while the 

 third remams unchanged ; that one of the 

 first two colors the solution light green, 

 the other light yellow. We add a little 

 caustic ammonia. One remains unchang- 

 ed in appearance ; each of the others pre- 

 cipitates a brownish iron hydrate, and one 

 of them gives a beautiful blue solution of 

 copper hydrate. The first specimen is na- 

 tive gold ; the second pyrite, a compound 

 of sulphur and iron ; the third, chalcopy- 

 rite, a compound of copper, iron and sul- 

 phur. Not only do they differ in these 

 ways, but they are unlike in specific grav- 

 ity and in crystal from. Although they 

 appear to be similar, to bring out their 

 differences requires numerous tests, and 

 some careful observation. The sense of 

 smell detected the sulphur ; the sense of 

 touch, the specific weights, and the sense 

 of sight, the color and the form. I have 

 cited these three merely as examples of 

 the resemblances and differences among 

 minerals, whose study tends to educate 

 and develops the faculty of observation. 

 But aside from the desirable mental disci- 

 pline obtainable from their study, min- 

 erals, perhaps as distinguished from min- 

 eralogy, are well worth our attention. 

 Where can we find more beautiful exam- 

 ples of color and form than among the 

 members of the mineral kingdom? Con- 

 sider the magnificent coloring and form 

 of fluorite, calcite and quartz, not for- 

 getting tourmaline with its many pleas- 

 ing hues and tints. Of the other so-called 

 precious stones, consider the delicate 

 blue of a fine turquoise ; the pure, restful 

 green of the emerald ; the luscious red of 

 the ruby, and the limpid purity of a fine 

 diamond. "But," it may be objected, "we 

 all cannot make collections of gems." 

 No, but we can all enjoy their beauty. 

 Aside from aesthetic considerations, min- 

 eralogy consists of something more than 

 fine, exhibition groups of fluorite and 

 gem stones. In its study we become ac- 

 quainted with useful ores, and even the 

 commonest minerals acquire an interest 

 for one that becomes even superficially 

 acquainted with the subject. Minerals 

 from every point of view are well worth 

 studying. 



