﻿126 Canadian Record of Science. 



Book Notices. 



The History of Mount Mica, of Maine, U.S.A., and its 

 Wonderful Deposits of Matchless Tourmalines. — By Augustus 



■Choate Hamlin. Published by the Author ; Bangor," Maine, 1895, 

 pp. 72, forty -three colored plates, etc. 



This is a memorial volume, dedicated by the author to his father, 

 Hon. Elijah Livermore Hamlin, and his son, Frederick Cutting 

 Hamlin . It gives a history of the development of the locality from 

 the time of its discovery down to the present day, describes the 

 deposits and the mode of occurrence of the tourmalines with a 

 -chapter (VII.), giving explanations of a plan of the workings and of 

 the beautiful colored plates. The book is attractive in appearance, 

 and that it is pleasantly written the following extract will suffice to 



■ show : — " It (Mount Mica) was discovered in 1820 by two students who 

 had become interested in the study of mineralogy, and who spent 

 much of their leisure time in searching for minerals among the 

 exposed ledges and the mountains around the village. Late in the 

 autumn of 1820, and on one of its clear, calm days, they started out to 



•explore the range of hills which form the eastern boundary of the town, 

 and stretch away to the north-west until lost among the mountains 

 around Molly Ocket. The names of these two students were Elijah 

 L. Hamlin and Ezekiel Holmes. Hamlin was a resident of the 

 village, but Holmes was a visitor, and temporarily a student in the 

 place. They had spent most of the day along the mountain ridge 

 to the southward, and were descending the western declivity on their 

 way home, just as the sun was setting behind the great White 

 Mountain range, fifty miles or more away on the western horizon. At 

 this moment the view of the intervening country, diversified in color 

 and in shade, together with the gorgeous masses of changing clouds in 

 the western sky, formed a picture of great beauty, and young Hamlin, 

 fascinated with the entrancing picture spread before liim, halted for a 

 moment on the crest of a little knoll to enjoy the scene. On turning 

 to the eastward for an instant for a final look at the woods and 

 mountains in his I'ear, a vivid gleam of green flashed from an object on 

 the roots of a tree, upturned by the wind, and caught his eye." Such 

 was the discovery of the first of the matchless tourmalines of Mount 

 Mica. A heavy fall of snow prevented the students from continuing 

 their investigations on the following day, but when the winter's snow 

 had melted they returned to the spot and soon discovered the source 

 from whence the tree-borne fragment had been derived. 



The plates are from original drawings by tlie author, and have been 

 produced in color by the Coloritype Company of New York. 



B. J. Harrfngton. 



