76 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1925 



Co., Mexico. These are so unusual in character that an expedition 

 to the mine to procure additional material is tentatively planned. 

 Mr. Hess was also instrumental in securing a large mass of pink 

 muscovite with amblygonite, which is recorded as a gift from H. E. 

 Spradlin, Harding, N. Mex. 



Victor C. Heikes, of the United States Geological Survey, located 

 at Salt Lake City, has shown his continued interest by forwarding, 

 or having forwarded, crystals of miargyrite, bournonite, and other 

 minerals, and Jack Hyland, Pazna, Bolivia, has added rare Bolivian 

 minerals, including teallite and plumbostannite. Two interesting 

 geodes of chalcedony, filled with water, were presented by Madame 

 J. Varela, of the Uruguayan legation, and the Maine Feldspar Co., 

 Auburn, Me., donated a large scepter quartz crystal. 



Through the interest of Worcester R. Warner, of Tarrytown, 

 N. Y., and by the courtesy of the Fukushima Co. (Inc.) of New 

 York City, the division has had the privilege of exhibiting an object 

 of unusual interest. This is a crystal ball, perfect in its purity, and 

 said to be the largest known to exist in the world. It weighs 107 

 pounds and is 12% inches in diameter. The block from which it 

 was carved is believed to have been mined in Burma and is said to 

 have weighed 1,000 pounds, more or less. It was carved in China 

 and polished in Japan, the entire process requiring some 18 months 

 for completion. It is a wonderful specimen of oriental craftsman- 

 ship and has attracted much attention among visitors. 



Assistant Curator Foshag, under conditions noted elsewhere, made 

 extensive collections of minerals in Nevada. While on annual leave 

 in California, he made further collections which he presented to the 

 Museum. The former included fine crystallized powellite, rich 

 masses of bindheimite, and natrojarosite; the latter, riversideite 

 and associated minerals from Riverside. Details for short trips in 

 Maryland and Virginia resulted in material of petrologic interest, 

 chiefly minerals and large rock specimens illustrating pegmatites. 

 Feldspar and mica from the quarries of the Maine Feldspar Co., 

 Topsham, and gneiss from Sheepscot Bay, Me., were collected by 

 the head curator in quantity for the preparation of school sets. 



Continuation of our exchange account with Harvard University 

 yielded a fine mass of native lead, a group of apatite crystals from 

 Maine, rare Swedish minerals, an unusual specimen of pyrite and 

 chalcopyrite, and a part of the type of a new mineral — chalGoalumite. 

 From C. Wendler, Geneva, Switzerland, were acquired two rare min- 

 erals new to the collections; a number of desired species were re- 

 ceived from the British Museum (Natural History) and others from 

 the Canadian Geological Survey, while the Royal Ontario Museum 

 of Mineralogy, Toronto, furnished unusually fine Canadian min- 



