THE MINERALS OF TASMANIA. 83' 



mineralogically interesting. It is found in aggregates of 

 mining, radiating disks of silvery white, implanted on the 

 cleavages of the Silurian slate at Back Creek. It is often 

 accompanied by varisite, and a little of the former has been 

 noticed at Mount Ramsay. Clustering radiating acicular 

 bunches of pale blue symplesite occur on ferro-manganese 

 gossan in the upper levels of the Magnet Mine, and evansite 

 has been obtained at Zeehan under similar circumstances. 

 At the Comet, Dundas, and other silver-lead mines, masses 

 of bindheimite have been mined, but good examples are not 

 now. by any means, easily obtainable. Of the tungstates, 

 &c., a few species are known to occur occasionally, such as 

 scheelite (Mount Ramsay), wolframite, and a small quantity 

 of vanadinite. 



The sulphates and chromates of the metals are always of 

 interest, and welcome additions to the cabinet of the col- 

 lector, as they are often beautifully crystallised and attrac- 

 tively coloured. The Comet Mine has become somewhat 

 celebrated as the producer of, perhaps, the finest groups of 

 anglesite that have been found in the Commonwealth, and 

 the carbonates of lead (cerussite) from the same mine have 

 an almost equal reputation. But the mineral v/hich has 

 rendered this State famous among collectors in all parts of 

 the world is the inimitable crocoisite, especially that ob- 

 tained some few years back at the Adelaide Mine, Dundas. 

 Its intensely-bright hyacinth-red colour, prismatic habit, 

 and adamantine lustre render it one of the most attractive 

 objects in the mineral world, and it has, consequently, been 

 most eagerly sought after by all who admire Nature's handi- 

 work. Few collectors of any note are now without speci- 

 mens of this beautiful substance, but etill the demand ap- 

 pears to continue ; from far and wide, applications are con- 

 tinually being made for the mineral as occurring in the 

 Dundas Mine. It has also been obtained at a few other 

 localities, notably, in the Heazlewood district and at. the 

 Magnet Mine. 



On the East Coast, the extremely-rare phospho-chromate 

 of lead and copper, vauqueliuite, has been obtained. It as- 

 sumes a curious siskin-green colour, and is almost invariably 

 amorphous, without any indication of crystallisation. It 

 has been thought to be practically confined to the silver-lead 

 region of Siberia, and, therefore, its detection in this State 

 is of more than passing interest. 



The hydrous section is represented by alunogen, epsomite, 

 melanterite, and a few others of like nature, including a 

 peculiar group of iron-chrome sulphates from the Blue Tier, 



