40. 



divided into useless fragments. 

 Plates of mica that have become 

 badly soiled, more especially the 

 black biotite, may be bettered by 

 cleaving with a sharp knife. Where 

 a specimen is very fragile, as some 

 of the arragonites, etc. Where 

 there is only a mass of fine crystals, 

 it is wise to place on a false gangue 

 made up of plaster-of-paris, which 

 if neatly made will not look very 

 much out of place, and is certainly 

 better than having the specimen to 

 break up. Probably it will be the 

 fortune of the more advanced collect- 

 or only, to have the pleasure of 

 trimming some of the finer species, 

 such as the green garnets, or ourav- 

 orite, a quantity of small pieces will 

 always be wasted, but if kept in 

 small drachm vials can be advantage- 

 ously used in exchanging for mic- 

 roscopical use, or blowpipe analysis. 

 A crystal that has become broken 

 should be neatly mended at the 

 .time of breaking, as the pieces might 

 get lost, and a specimen is not 

 materially spoilt after mending. 

 Stratena, Chase's liquid glue and 

 Tennexme, are the three popular 

 cements mostly used, the parts to 

 be mended are to be warmed before 

 attaching. I would say tennexine is 

 open to a bad objection, in as much 

 it leaves a white coating on the out- 

 side of the mineral where it dries 

 through the excessive use, that is 

 hardly impossible for even the most 

 careful to obviate. A liquid glue 

 that may be obtained from the 

 writer on application is decidedly 

 the finest thing in existance, it holds 

 well, dries quickly, and leaves a 

 a transparent coating, containing 

 no acid to corrode any of the car- 

 bonates, as some of the others do. 

 Sufficient has been said concerning 

 the trimming of specimens for the 

 cabinet, and with the following 

 suggestion, will close this subject, 

 and next look at the methods of 

 cleaning which follows after trim- 



ming. It is best for the field-worker 

 to trim his specimens on the spot, 

 rather than carry trash away with 

 him. I have seen a young collector 

 on his first trip to a quarry, rush 

 frantically about, picking up the 

 fragments about the debris, exclaim- 

 ing all the while, 'Oh! isn't this fine,' 

 and 'I must have this,' etc. He gets 

 his bag full, and perhaps is just 

 leaving the place with his heavy 

 load, when he discovers something 

 better, but he has no room for it, 

 and probably no time to pick out the 

 poorer of what he already has, to 

 make room for the new. Whereas, 

 if by good picking he had obtained 

 fresh clean specimens, gathered a 

 number and sat down, and trim- 

 med them nicely, one will get as a 

 result, fifty per cent better specimens 

 by the time he is through, than if he 

 waits until he gets home to trim 

 his specimens. Specimens, as soon 

 as ready for carrying should be 

 wrapped in paper, which should be 

 carried on collecting trips for that 

 purpose. 



Small specimens, as 

 fragments, small fossils, 

 better displayed by glueing to the 

 center of a good bristol boardj and 

 neatly writing the name underneath, 

 with locality. 



The best form of a label for the 

 cabinet is the number being 



the number it is indexed in Dana's 

 System. 



crystals, 

 etc, are 



"w. s. :b:e:e:e::m:.£l.:lt, 



—ColL-flor of— 



MINERALS and FOSSILS. 



"West I^ed-ford., - - 2v£a.ss. 



Name, Quartz Crystals. 

 Locality, Hot /Springs, Ark. 

 Compositson, Silv. 

 No. 231. Group O.ryds. 



This saves looking the page in 

 the index, whenever one wishes to 

 read of a specie. 



