HAEUSiiER. — Microscopical Structure of Gold. 339 



creek near Mackaytown. Another from Owharoa shows indi- 

 cation of crystallization (fig. -51). 



Filitorm gold is found in all auriferous deposits, though 

 only in small isolated individuals. The threads are bent or 

 twisted in various manner. They contain a high percentage 

 of silver, and some pass into pure silver. Parts of the surface 

 are finely crystalline, but generally of a somewhat dull appear- 

 ance. Thin, long filaments often radiate from compact 

 masses. 



Laminae ai"e rarely found in Ohinemm-i. The best locality 

 I know is the Waterfall Creek, near Owharoa, which also 

 yielded a few grains of platinum. The scales of gold are much 

 worn, and were probably washed out from the boulders on the 

 bank of the creek. The fact that those boulders contain 

 coarse gold, platinum, silver, mercury, and cinnabar ought to 

 t^mpt minei*s to prospect the back country. 



Vermicular masses of gold, with smooth or finely-granu- 

 lated surface, are found in ochreous veins, and are evidently the 

 product of disintegration of ai'gentiferous "blue veins:"' often 

 they occiu- with sohd masses, or form parts of them. They 

 appear to have been formed under peculiar circumstances, dif- 

 ferent from those to which the other varieties are ascribed.. 

 They either traverse the ironstone or form a partial envelope. 

 In very few cases a kind of regular arrangement was noticed 

 (fig, 30), which may be the result of imperfect crystallization. 

 These vermicular specimens were ttlways more or less argen- 

 tiferous. Figs. 30, 31, 37, 38, 39, show the different vaiieties. 



The crystal of quartz, fig. 29, contains cavities of irregular 

 contour, thus differing from most cavities from the same 

 district, which ai'e very fine, and run panUlel with the main 

 axis of the hexagonal prism, always near the centre of the 

 crystiil, with what I take to be exceedingly fine particles of 

 goid. The specimen is so far unique, so that the nature of the 

 enclosed matter could not be ascertained without risk of loss 

 or destruction. 



A natural amalgam occurs near Owharoa, in a short tunnel 

 driven by Mr. Louis Ddiars in the side of a hill. A loose 

 boulder which we broke up in the diive showed a brilliant 

 surface, due to milhons of very minute globules of mercury. 

 Some of them were satm-ated with gold and silver, and crystal- 

 fac^s were visible. Streaks of cinnabar traversed the quartz. 

 Unfortunately, but one rich boulder was discovered, but it 

 was sufficiently large to indicate the presence of remarkably 

 rich mineral deposits in localities which yet await thorough 

 prospecting. 



In conclusion, I may say that the microscope indicates all 

 through Ohinemuri the existence of a number ot most valuable 

 minerals, many of wliich are left unnoticed by the prospectoi-s. 



