136 GUIDE TO THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



XI.— COLLECTION OF AUSTRALASIAN MINERALS. 



As in the general collection of minerals in the upper floor, 

 this collection commences with coal and is continued with the 

 other non-metallic minerals, followed by the metallic minerals, 

 gold forming a special collection. 



NON-METALLIC MINERALS. 



The non-metallic minerals are represented specially by Coal 

 from New South Wales ; Sulphur from New Zealand ; some Marbles 

 from New South Wales ; Fire-clays ; a crystal of Amethyst 

 from Bolton Vale, 17 miles from Bathurst ; a large crystal of 

 Quartz from George's Plain (?) ; some Zeolites in basalt from Ben 

 Lomond, New England ; crystals of Axinite from Moonbi, New 

 England; blue and green Aquamarine or Beryl in a silicious 

 deposit from the Gulf, Vegetable Creek ; and some Opals from 

 Queensland. 



METALLIC MINERALS OTHER THAN GOLD OR SILVER. 



The ores of copper, bismuth, antimony, chromium, tin, nickel, 

 cobalt, iron, and manganese are examined in succession with the 

 peculiar rocks and formations in which they occur ; Copper in 

 micaschist, slate, amygdaloid, <kc. ; Chrome ore in olivine rocks 

 and serpentine ; Tin in granite and greisen (a variety of granite) ; 

 Nickel ore in serpentine, &c. 



The silver fields of New South Wales are not yet fully 

 illustrated, but Broken Hill, Sunny Corner, Lewis Ponds, 

 &c., are represented by some of their peculiar ores, including 

 Chloro-Bromide of Silver from Broken Hill. A specimen from 

 Lewis Ponds shows Chloride of Silver with coralloidal structure 

 and moss gold. Stalactites of silver gossan of a delicate texture, 

 comparable to the most elaborate embroidery are shown from the 

 Bulga, near Orange ; also some stalactites from Sunny Corner. 



XIL— COLLECTION OF ROCKS. 



The rocks, though unattractive, are of considerable interest to 

 the miner and to the agriculturist. The former requires a know- 

 ledge of rocks which are favourable to the existence of valuable 



