SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 89 
the discovery, crystals to the value of thousands of dollars have 
been mined and cut into gems. Many of these crystals are trans- 
Iucent, or even transparent, and occur as large, separate crys- 
tals with perfect prisms and terminations. 
The habit of the crystals is very imteresting, in that many 
ef them, when doubly terminated, end in a flat, basal form of 
pyramid, and are not hemimorphic, as tourmalines generally 
are. The question of color is also of interest. Some specimens 
are of one color only; others are green, then yellow, red and 
finally green; others are crimson, tipped with black, or dark 
ereen passing into blue. In some specimens the different colors 
pass imperceptibly one into another; in others the line of de- 
markation is well defined. I had some cut erystals mined at 
Mesa Grande at the St. Louis fair, showing the two colors in the 
eut stone. These were declared the finest gems of the kind on 
exhibition. 
The mining of these stones at Mesa Grande is done principally 
by Indians who take great pleasure in seeking out the valuable 
erystals. There is a fascination about the seeking of value 
in the piles of worthless clay and quartz erystals, that appeals 
to the red man, and he is willing to work at low wages for the 
excitement of the thing and incidentally for what he can carry 
away. It might be said that it is not all that glitters that finds 
iis way into the company’s strong boxes. 
The gangue of the Mesa Grande tourmaline is generally white 
epaque quartzite, the crystals penetrating in all directions. <As 
depth is attained the colors become deeper and consequently 
more valuable. 
In mining the ledge material is removed with as much eare 
as possible, and after being broken, is sorted and screened. 
This is done with great care, as it is a very easy matter to 
fracture a crystal that might be worth many times its weight 
in gold. 
There are many points in this section of the country where 
eroppings ean be seen that give as favorable indications of tour- 
maline as those at the Mesa Grande mine. Several small pockets 
have been uncovered on Smith Mountain, and even as far as 
Julian, pockets of lepidolite have been encountered. 
Near Ramona golden beryls were recently found which, after 
eutting, are matchless for their brilianecy. In the same district 
rose beryls, perfectly formed, were found near the surface. 
Some of these shipped to New York brought handsome prices. 
A few really high grade aquamarines, showing clear shades 
of sky blue and sea green, have been found, and there are 
many evidences to encourage the prospector. 
Garnets can be picked up in a dozen places, many found 
being clear and suitable for gem cutting. Spinel is known to 
