1900J MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 115 



faeture of implements, imagfes, etc. This fact was noted 

 and taken advantag-e of by the aboriginal races of all coun- 

 tries where it is found, and among- whom it was always held 

 in hig-h estimation. This specimen from New Zealand, is 

 dark g-reen in color and quite hard. Mineralogically it is 

 probably an amphibole related to actinolite, but it may be 

 jadeite. As seen in the section by polarized lig-ht, it con- 

 sists of a mass of interlacing- crystalline fibers or plates, 

 which is the characteristic structure of jade, and which 

 g-ives it the toug-hness mentioned above. 



Some jads have been found to consist of zoizite and epi- 

 dote, while the softer varieties (coming- principall}'^ from 

 China under the name of nephrite) are merely serpentine. 

 In color it is almost always of some shade of g-reen. It is 

 doubtful if any of the true hard varieties occur in Ameri- 

 ca. Some of the serpentines are quite as well entitled to 

 the name as that from China, but the hard variety, almost 

 identical in color and structure with this specimen, which 

 is found in the form of implements on the Pacific coast 

 principally of Alaska, has been broug-ht from Siberia via 

 Behring Sea. — F. J. Kekley. 



Some months ag-o, a friend sent to me, as a curious ex- 

 ample of oriental duplicity, a broken ring made of fictitious 

 jade. The ring, which was about as thick as one's little 

 finger and nearly four inches across, might have served in 

 arranging drapery or for other ornamental purposes. It 

 had an opalescent appearance,without any distinctly green 

 color. It was very hard and tough, with a conspicuous fi- 

 berous structure. It had been brought from China as a 

 true jade ornament, and it was decided to be by two expert 

 judges whose opinion was supposed to be final. Afterward 

 it was accidentally broken, and the appearance of the frac- 

 ture satisfied everyone that it was an artificial glass imita- 

 tion. The most important point is the loss of confidence 

 resulting from its having deceived the experts; and per- 

 haps,in addition, the conclusion that if you want to be sure 

 of an object of art — it might be well to break it first. — R. 

 H. Ward. 



