CHAPTER V 



METALS AND METALLIC ORES: THEIR CHARAC- 

 TERISTICS. TESTING. OCCURRENCE, $c. 



General remarks. Aluminium ; beauxite ; cryolite. Antimony ; sul- 

 phide. Bismuth. Chromium ; oxide. Cobalt ; tin white ; 

 earthy oxide. Copper ; native ; glance ; pyrites ; grey ; ruby ; 

 black oxide ; silicate ; malachite. Gold ; detection of and distin- 

 guishing tests ; peculiarities ; panning out ; mechanical assay ; 

 sluicing ; native gold, &c. Iron ; pyrites ; magnetic pyrites ; 

 arsenical pyrites ; haematite ; magnetic iron ore ; brown iron ore ; 

 franklinite ; vivianite ; copperas ; spathic ore. Lead ; galena ; 

 carbonate ; pyromorphite ; chromate ; sulphate ; rough method 

 for obtaining lead from galena. Manganese ; black oxide, wad, 

 &c. Mercury ; native ; cinnabar ; chloride ; selenide ; to obtain 

 metal from ore. Nickel; kupfernickel; white; emerald; hydrated 

 silicate. Platinum ; native. Silver ; native ; brittle ore ; glance ; 

 horn silver ; ruby ore ; silver in carbonate of lead. Tin ; tinstone ; 

 bellmetal ore. Zinc ; calamine ; silicate ; red zinc ore. 



As mentioned before, in the last chapter, any one who 

 searches for useful minerals is chiefly attracted by their 

 colour ; the lustre, and perhaps streak, may assist him in 

 the determination of their nature. Still, doubts may suggest 

 further investigation. The hardness and the specific gravity 

 may guide him, though it must be confessed, in the case of 

 small minerals, it is no easy matter to accurately find out 

 the latter. Even then recourse may have to be had to what 

 in many cases is really the most satisfactory way of solving 

 the question, namely, to tests by means of the blowpipe or 

 by chemicals. In the following pages is given an account of 

 the principal useful ores comparatively few in number 

 including a description of their characteristics and behavi- 

 our in the blowpipe flames and with certain chemicals, also 

 of the country rock in which the lodes or deposits occur. 



As a general rule, the ordinary prospector concentrates 

 his attention to the discovery of the precious metals, gold 



