THE ORECION NATURALIST. j. 



A MICHIGAN RELIC. either of the .ibove theories. I examined the 



.Some time ago I found on tlie sliore of Bear outcroi^ping of a hill of porphyry the other day 



Lake, this vicinity, a curiosity that has puzzled and found tlie whole mass brittle, easily broken 



me considerably. It is a stone in the exact into small angular pieces, and full of imperfect 



shape of the earthen vessels of the Indians, arborescent forms, and but few fine specimens 

 fragments of which are found in large quantities could be obtained from the whole vast ledge 



aroun.l the lake. It is lO inches in height 1 1^^ One mile from this point is an old tminel, ^h- 



inches in width throu;^h the widest part, 9 inches nndoned by some unfortunate prospector ''rust- 



ai the ntck, and ^^eighs about 60 pounds. Hn " for a "grub stake," hoping to "strike it 



It is not quite perfect, perhaps a third of it is rich." Fifty feet into this drift is a ten-foot 



missing, split off in clean fractures. It seems yeilow poq^hyry vein. Here are fine and large 



to be a kind of limestone and in layers, thin at dendrites. Upon studying the overlying for- 



the bottom and gradually widening at the top. n^ations the direction of seams containing the 



Where the jiiece is gone from the top it shows finest "fern pictures," the coloring matter which 



about an inch ofthe outside U) be lighter than ^^..^ins the porous rock, often dark brown, one 



the inside. I cannot imagine what it can be, it cannot but come to the conclusion that' these 



is certainly not a natural formation, unless flowering delineations have been formed by the 



an earthen vessel had been dropped in the lake, infiltration of manganese in solution, which has 



filled with marl and hardened. It shows the entered between the seams and spread into 



action qfwater and also of fire. I found it at branches resembhng trees, ferns, etc. The 



the watei's edge, where r supposed it had been handsome dendrites are usually in porphyry 



heaved out by the action of the>st. ^yhite quartz, quartz mica, chalcedony, etc., 



I would like to correspond with collectors who ^^^^^^^ dendrites. The moss like forms in 



could give me any information about it. chalcedony are dendrites from dissemination of 



H. M. CONNEI.L. i,.o„ Qj^jje^ ^^j ^|.g j,^„g^| moss.agate. 



L. W. .Stilwell, 



- . Dead wood, S. D. 



Clarion, Mich. 



DENDRITES. 



Dendritic rock is abundant. The arbores- 

 cent, slender, spreading branches, resembling 

 ferns upon cleavable surfaces, are better known 

 by the amateur as "Forest Rock," etc., and 

 there are many vague, senseless theories ad- 

 vanced toward solving the cause. The effect 

 is apparent, but what produced it ? The idea 

 that the sun's rays jihotograph the surrounding 



trees and herbage is preposterous. The finest , . 



, , . r , r , , ■ r niandarin, and contains a list of the punish 



dendrites are frequently far beneath the surface. , ■ n- , , , r , ™ . 



The oldest bank-note probably in existence 

 in Europe is one preserved in the Asiatic 

 Museum, at St. Petersburg. It dates from the 

 year 1399 B. C, and was issued by the Chinese 

 government. It can be proved from Chinese 

 chronicles that, as early as 2697 B. C, bank- 

 notes were current in China under the name of 

 "flying money." The bank-note preserved at 

 St. Petersburg bears the name of the imperial 

 bank, date and number of issue, signature of a 



The theory of electricity photographing sur- 



ments inflicted for forgery of notes. This relic of 



. , ,. . ,, over three thousand years old is probably written 



rounding obects on stone IS less objectionable; , . . ^ , 



. , , , , 'o'' printing from wooden tablets is said 



but no one can examine the porphyry beds, , , . , , . _, . 



, ,., , ,.. f . to have been introduced in China only in the year 



through which dendutic ferns run in every con- f: « r^ 



ceivable direction, and believe for a moment in 



160 A. D. — IlxcA. 



