172 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
stone, easy to work and apparently admirably adapted for all kinds of 
work, both ornamental and otherwise. Considerable discretion is how- 
ever needed in selecting this rock, since in many portions of the quarry 
the sap has penetrated to a depth of several inches and entirely ruined 
the stone for architectural purposes. Much of the granite in this lo- 
cality also is so charged with iron pyrites that a short exposure to the 
atmosphere causes it to become spotted with innumerable iron-rust 
stains that are very unsightly. This stone was extensively used in the 
construction of the new capitol building at Albany, N. Y., but owing 
to the defects already inentioned its principal use is for paving in cities 
in the near vicinity. The stone occurs in the quarry. usually in thin 
sheets, and splits out very readily. A single slab 90 feet in length, 4 
feet in width, and 20 inches in thickness, has been split out, and much 
larger could be obtained if desired. 
The granites from the various Biddeford quarries are all practically 
identical. They are coarse, gray rocks of quite even texture and good 
working qualities, closely resembling the granites from East Blue Hill. 
The chief accessory minerals are muscovite, apatite, magnetite, and 
pyrite. These granites are extensively used in the construction of Forts 
Preble and Scammel and in various light-houses and sea-walls along 
the coast of New. England. 
The rock quarried at Bryant’s Pond, in Oxford County, is a fine, dark- 
gray granite containing much black micaand alittle hornblende, together 
with an abundance of plagioclase. Thin sections of this rock show 
numerous grains of sphene of a brownish-gray color, and usually of a 
rounded or very irregular form. Magnetite, apatite, and zircon oceur in 
microscopic proportions. This stone is employed chiefly for railroad 
work. 
The Saint George granites are all of fine, even texture, and of a gray 
color, being very similar in every respect to the South Thomaston stone 
just mentioned. They are compact and free-working stones, taking a 
good polish, and are extensively used for building, paving, and orna- 
mental work. A dark-gray hornblendic rock is also quarried here. 
This will be noticed later. 
The Waldoborough, Lincoln County, granite is of a fine texture and 
in color varies from light to dark gray. It is a good working stone and 
takes a good polish, but is not extensively quarried, and is used prin- 
cipally for underpinnings and cemetery work. ‘The lighter variety con- 
tains much white mica, and might well be classed under the head of 
biotite muscovite granite. The Round Pond rock is much darker, finer, 
and of a somewhat gneissoid structure. It contains a large amount of 
black mica, which, however, is evenly disseminated in small laminz 
throughout the mass of the rock. By the microscope small shreds of 
muscovite, together with scattering crystals of apatite, zircon, sphene, 
magnetite, and iron pyrites are brought to light, the pyrites frequently 
being visible to the naked eye as small, brassy-yellow specks on a broken 
face of the rock. 
