Kinahan — On Irish Marbles and Limestones. 401 



The "Connemara greens" are most varied in colour. Some are 

 dark-green, uniform, or clouded ; others are leek green or light 

 green ; while the majority are mottled or spotted, or streaked and 

 variegated. These last are very happily described by Sir 0. L. 

 Giesecke, who wrote near the beginning of the century. " It is im- 

 possible to describe the immense varieties of delineations and shades 

 and colours of the beautiful stone which attracts the eyes of the 

 beholder; the serpent-like (i. e. wavy formation) delineation of 

 some of them must excite particular admiration. Others are coloured 

 in spiral forms; others are dotted and spotted with different shades 

 of grey and yellow." 1 



GREEN, or VARIEGATED, or STREAKED with GREY, 

 WHITE, RED, YELLOW, PURPLISH. 



GrALWAY. 



The ophialites occur in one group of strata which were once 

 continuous, but now, on account of the breaking-up of the rock 

 by faults, the exposures are more or less disconnected and iso- 

 lated. The most northern exposure occurs as an isolated mass 

 at Loughnagur range, two miles south of Barnaderg, or Ballyna- 

 kille Harbour. The rocks are uniform, clouded, and variegated 

 green. The stone has not been worked in this locality. The nearest 

 harbour to it is Barnaderg, with which it might easily be connected 

 by a road. 



At the west end of Streamstown Bay, or about two miles north 

 of Clifden, are different exposures of ophicalcyte. On a vein a little 

 east of the end of the bay is the quarry formerly worked by the 

 D'Arcys of Clifden, and of late years by Mr. Colles of Kilkenny. 

 The stone in general is variegated with spots or streaks ; green y 

 grey, and white predominating. The scabbled blocks are carted to 

 Clifden for shipment. 



In the eastern continuation of the Streamstown Bay valley, 

 occupying a narrow tract over three miles long, which extends from 

 Loughauna to Loughnahillion, is a nearly continuous band of these 

 rocks. Here there is a great variety, both in beauty and colour, as 



1 Tram. Royal Dublin Society, vol lxii., March 2, 1826, Appendix. 



SCIEN. PROC. R.D.S. VOL. V. P'T. V. 2 E 



