258 Brush and Dana—the Spodumene of Branchville, Conn., 
A. UNALTERED SPODUMENE. 
he greater part of the unaltered spodumene occurs in 
sontaasaly crystalline masses, showing distinct cleavage, but 
seldom any approach to crystalline form. It is possible to 
obtain the mineral nearly pure, though somewhat intermingled 
with albite, in blocks weighing several hundred pounds. 
this form the spodumene has a dull white color; it is in many 
cases somewhat discolored, and is only partially i a ne 
the cleavage surfaces are often coated with delicate dendrites 
of manganese oxide. The associated minerals, in “pddition to 
the albite and a little quartz and mica, are apatite, lithiophilite, 
columbite, garnet and uraninite, with various other uranium 
minerals formed from alteration. 
In addition to this massive variety, the spodumene also 
occurs in an unaltered condition as nuclei of distinct pseudo- 
rphous crystals. These crystals ohies occur of enormous 
size, oo for the most. part. in ive quartz, though 
s 
mene ei below and figures la, 5, 8, 14, Plate Iv*) is in every 
vet a separated from the altered mineral surrounding it, 
d its characters show that the crystals must originally have 
a rare beauty. One of the finest crystals that we have found 
thus far had, as imbedded in the quartz, a length of three feet, 
a width of eight inches and a thickness of two inches. The 
unaltered spodumene, of a fine amethystine color, made up 
about one-fourth of the whole, extending rather regularly 
through the middle of the crystal. Unfortunately, the spodu- 
mene was much — and fractured, so that its former trans- 
parency had, for the most part, disappeared. The exterior of 
the crystal consist fe ead of u spodumene, with small 
which have a widt over a foot across the prism and 
thickness of two to four inches. habit the crystals are 
much like those from Norwich, Massachusetts. They are 
orwich ; a 
pee broad or flat, Pay the pa intend of the ortho- 
Pp 
or pee Pics purple color. It shows the prismatic cleavage 
with unusual perfection, and that of the clinopinacoid irregu- 
* Figures 1 to 14 inclusive Mt to be found on the accompanying Plate, the 
other even (15-20) are in the 
