94 



'CHE OREGON NATURALIST. 



speck of transparent jelly, without vital 

 organs yet alive, without limbs, cilia or 

 any organs of locomotion yet moving 

 against the current, without nerves yet 

 feeling its way, without mouth or stomach 

 yet seeking food. 



Changing its form every instant, now 

 wormlike, now spherical and now, as if 

 uncertain which way to move, putting out 

 pseudopodia on different sides, then flow- 

 ing out in one of those protuberences, it 

 moved across the field. 



At length in its erratic wanderings it 

 approached the two Foraminifera and 

 touched the smaller one. By what sense 

 it perceived the fact 1 cannot tell but the 

 Amoeba knew its food at once and assail- 

 ed its hapless victim without delay. 

 Casting one process around on a end of the 

 shell and a second around the other it 

 flowed over its prey, the edges of the ex- 

 tended mass coalesced and the Foramini- 

 fera was engulfed, swallowed. 



Under the action of the structureless 

 but chemically active jelly the body of the 

 victim grew fainter and fainter in its out- 

 lines and then disappeared entirely, 

 absorbed by its captor. For a long time 

 the gorged Amttba lay still, enjoying its 

 feast, then it put forth a process, poured 

 itself into that and gradually flowed away, 

 leaving behind a beautifully wrought, 

 transparent shell. 



I had seen a living creature ushered into 

 the world, enjoy its brief span of life and 

 become the prey of a ravenous animal and 

 now its dry bones marked the scene of the 

 birth and the tragedy — but all this was 

 under a powerful microscope. 



ANGUS (JAINES. 



Vincennes, Ind. 



AMETHYST. 



The supply of this beautiful stone from 

 North Carolina of quality sufficiently deep 

 and clear for gem purposes has been limit- 



ed. 1 was shown some specimens recent- 

 ly secured in Macon county that are both 

 deep and clear but of the e.xact locality and 

 the amount I can say nothing 



In a line running through nearly all the 

 eastern part of Lincoln county and the 

 southern part of Iredell county, amethyst 

 has been found for years. • These localities 

 have produced specimens that are 

 magnificent but little of any value for the 

 lapidist. They are found tolerably abund- 

 ant in beds in a whitish gravel all • 

 through the region mentioned. Groups 

 of 40 to 60 pounds are occasionally taken 

 out of a pale purple, pink and lilac tint. 

 These like the clear crystals found twenty 

 miles further west contain inclusions of 

 water and other substances adding greatly 

 to their attractiveness. 



Another locality in the same county 

 near Henry P. Q. has furnished SD:ne 

 gems of a highly modified character in 

 fine tints. Fine examples of the 

 ''scepter," three-quarters to one inch 

 over the prism and making nearly a 

 perfect square were found here. The 

 deposits are thought t') be exhausted. 



In several localities throughout this 

 county elegant crystals have been mined 

 containing water bubbles. The color in 

 nearly all was deep but not evenly dis- 

 tributed. The largest about two inches 

 across. Mitchell, Yancey, McDowell, 

 Madison, Henderson, Alexander, Gaston 

 and Catawba counties contain them in 

 greater or less quantity and as work goes 

 on some fine stones may be looked for. 

 Some fine groups of small crystals in 

 rosettes and radiating lumps of a clear 

 lilac tint have lately been found in 

 Catawba county. The locality is one 

 mile north of Henry postoftice. 



An interesting vein about two miles 

 from the same place is on the farm of 

 David McNeeley. The amethyst here is 

 very deep, and clear and filled with count- 

 less crystals of fine brown rutile and 

 blood-red scales of hematite. It occurs 



