Cox. — On the Mineralogy of New Zealand. 383 



Dr. v. Haast (Jurors' Kep. N.Z. Ex., 1865, p, 256) states that it occurs 

 lining fissures and cavities in the volcanic rocks of Banks Peninsula. In 

 1869, Capt. Hutton collected specimens from the Eldorado claim, Thames ; 

 in 1870 a specimen with calcite was forwarded from Oamaru by Mr. Traill ; 

 in 1875 Mr. McKay collected specimens from Whangaroa North, and in 

 1877 another from Waitaki. Prof. Liversidge (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. x., 

 p. 493) describes four specimens from Dunedin, three of these being in 

 amygdaloidal cavities, associated with calcite, and corresponding with the 

 specimen I collected from Seacliff (mentioned under calcite, p. 381) ; the 

 fourth being rosettes of pale yellow- coloured prisms. The acicular crystals 

 of carbonate of lime mentioned by Dr. Hector (Handbook of N.Z., Mel- 

 bourne Exhibition, 1880, p. 108) as deposited from a hot spring at Waipiro 

 are also probably aragonite. The specimens in the Colonial Museum are : — 



1. Crystals of Aragonite. — Eldorado Claim, Thames. A pure white 

 transparent variety in prismatic crystals, consisting of the prism ooP, the 

 brachypinacoid ooPoo , and the brachydome Poo . 



2. Crystals of Aragonite. — Quartz hills, Collingwood. These include a 

 large collection which I made during the summer of 1880, some of the 

 groups of crystals being of exceeding beauty. They occur under somewhat 

 unusual circumstances, having crystallized in small recesses about a foot 

 deep in an isolated patch of limestone which occurs there. They consist 

 chiefly of rhombic prisms, macled along a face of ooP. They sometimes 

 assume a more or less radiate form, but far more frequently interlace, 

 forming a most beautiful network of fine acicular crystals. In some cases 

 again they occur as little tufts of cream-coloured crystals about half an 

 inch in diameter, and again as small bunches of acicular crystals, which 

 are frequently terminated by very small stalactites. They are generally of 

 a pale cream colour, but in some cases are brown, owing to the presence of 

 ferric oxide. 



Gypsum (Selenite), Ca S + 2 H. — This mineral occurs in several loca- 

 lities in New Zealand, either in groups of crystals associated with sulphur, 

 as on "White Island, where it also occurs in a massive form with sulphur 

 disseminated through it; or as nests of crystals in clay or marl, as at 

 Moeraki and Waihao. The first mention of it in New Zealand is by Dr. 

 Hector (Jurors' Eep. N.Z. Ex., 1865, pp. 35, 266, 422, and 437), who 

 states that it is found crystallized in clay at Moeraki, and also in lenticular 

 masses at the same locality. It is again mentioned by Dr. v. Haast 

 (Jurors' Eep. N.Z. Ex., 1865, p. 256) occurring as crystals on the surface 

 of tertiary shales at Tenawai. Dr. Hector also mentions the occurrence of 

 gypsum (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. ii., p. 367) in the auriferous rocks of the 

 Thames (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. iii., p. 278), at White Island (Geol. Kep., 

 1873-74, pp. xii. and xviii.) in the sulphur sands of Amuri Bluff and the 



