On the Economical Uses of some species of Testacea: 235 
The coccolite, of a deep green color, occurs in masses of large 
granular concretions, and in grains disseminated through the quartz, 
presenting in its fracture, brilliant cleavage faces, partially developing 
the primary form. The coccolite encloses rhomboidal cale spar. of 
various hues ; and on blasting to obtain unweathered specimens, the 
rock opened through several veins of Tabular Spar, which remained 
on either face, coating it with a thin layer of most delicate whiteness, 
Crystals of prismatic green pyrowene, an inch in length, were ob- 
served in one instance. : 
{n a large boulder, (near the road on the right, just before entering 
the village of Boonville from the south,) some thirty feet in circumfer- 
ence, and eight or ten feet in height, were several veins of white feld- 
spar and quartz, from two to five inches wide, intersecting each other 
and extending through the rock, which contained in profusion the 
brown granular garnet, and a few points of the green coccolite. 
These minerals were noticed in Vol. xu. p. 198, and richly deserve 
for their beauty the high encomiums there bestowed ; and the fact last 
mentioned illustrates the uniformity which prevails in the associations 
of minerals, being the same as found at Willsboro’ and other places. 
Arr, III.—On the Economical Uses of some species of Testacea. 
(Concluded from No. I. page 73.) i As 
VI. Murex ? (Linn.)—Hebrew Argaman. Greek Tog- 
guge, and Lat. Purpura. Purple Whelk. 
-Wuar the species was from which the ancients obtained the real 
Tyrian dye, is now uncertain, but in coloring cloth there is no doubt 
that many species, and perhaps two or three genera, were used. 
The Murices, the Buccina, and the Strombi, and probably most of 
the voluted univalves, contain more or less of the coloring matter, 
and we may reasonably suppose that they would not be neglected 
where there was so great a demand for the purple dye. By the old 
’ writers, however, they are all described under one name. Pliny 
makes mention of two species, from one of which only the true color 
was obtained ; the other (which he calls Conchylium) seems from 
his description to have been a real Buccinuin, and produced only 
a poor blue or greenish hue, like the sea in a storm, while it emitted 
a strong rank smell, and was of course less valuable. The shell dye 
has been in use from the earliest periods. Moses, B. C. 1491, 
