366 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1886. 



a few instances for ornamental architecture, and has a rich appearance 

 when wrought. 



Three beds of serpentine are found in Blauford and another in Pel- 

 ham, in the southwest part of the town. The color of this last is dark, 

 and the quantity of the talc is considerably large. A large bed occurs 

 in connection with soapstone on the north side of Deerfield Kiver, in 

 Zoar, near the turnpike from Greenfield to Williamstown. Specimens 

 from this place resemble those from the celebrated localities of this 

 rock at Zoblitz, in Saxony." Two beds of serpentine exist also at 

 Windsor, in this State. 



U A locality of noble or precious serpentine has long been known to 

 exist in Newbury, 2 \ miles south of Newbury port, at an abandoned lime 

 quarry called the "Devil's Den." Ouly small masses cau be here ob- 

 tained, but when polished they will compare with any in the world for 

 beauty.* 



Perhaps the most interesting and important bed of this rock that has 

 as yet been found in the State is that at Lynufield, in Essex County .t 

 The bed has been traced from a point near the center of the town 

 some 2 or 3 miles in a northeasterly direction. When first quarried 

 the stone is said to be so soft that it can be cut with a handsaw and 

 very readily turned on a lathe. 



New Jersey. — A beautiful deep-green and oil yellow, often translucent 

 serpentine, occurs, associated with dolomite, at Montville, in this State. 

 Only pieces of small size are obtainable, and though of exceptional 

 beauty the stone has never been utilized except for cabinet specimens.! 



New York. — At Moriah, in Essex County, in this State, there has 

 been quarried from time to time under the name of ophite marble a 

 peculiar granular stone consisting of an intimate mixture of serpentine 

 and dolomite or calcite interspersed with small flecks of phlogopite. 

 The rock varies from a finely granular granitic-appearing rock, consist- 

 ing of about equal parts of serpentine and dolomite, to one in which the 

 serpentine patches are some 2 or 3 inches or even a foot in diameter; 

 The rock takes a good surface and polish, and by properly selecting the 

 material and exercising judgment in cutting, these variations in texture 

 can be made productive of very good effects. 



This same stone is also found at Port Henry and Minerva, in the 

 same county, and at Thurman, in Warren County. § 

 It is stated II that the largest and most valuable deposit of serpentine 



• Hitchcock's Geology of Massachusetts. Vol. 1, p. 158. 



t Hitchcock's Geology of Massachusetts, p. 159. 



t This serpentine has been recently shown to be derived from a non-aluininous py- 

 roxene. Proc. Nat. Mus. , 1888, p. 105. 



§ Report of Judges, U. S. Cent. Ex., Vol. in, p. 158. 



II Geology of New York, 1838, p. 205. The writer has recently shown that the Port 

 Henry and Warren County ophiolites are altered pyroxenic limestones, Am. Jour. 

 ScL, Mar., 1889. 



