i'he Hawketk Ornithologist and Oologist. 



66 



pressed on his memory. 



Even in the profound laws of chem- 

 istry and astronomy he finds a beau- 

 ty that is irresistable and studies 

 them until he deveiops a giant intel- 

 lect. He can see beauty in truth; he 

 can see truth in Nature; and Nature 

 becomes his inspiration. 



. 9 ■ ■ 



For The Hawkeyz O. and O. 



CARE OF MINERALS. 



BY W. S. BEEKMAN. 



There seems to be difficulty in real- 

 izing a progress that is not in some 

 niantm dependant upon care. Care 

 is exemplified at our several points of 

 observation in the universe, and is 

 realized in all things capable of ad- 

 vancement. Ourselves require care. 

 Care for health, system, surround- 

 ings, character, and appearance. 

 Among some of the many things, 

 where, in its advancement, care great- 

 ly tends to produce a degree of per- 

 fection, equal to the amount bestow- 

 ed, may be mentioned the various 

 forms of accumulating objects for ad- 

 vancement. Among these forms, it 

 will serve us at present to consider 

 only that which has for its object- 

 matter the accumulation of the natu- 

 ral chemical bodies for mineralogical 

 study. Every one admires a prettily 

 arranged series^of rocks, and in our 

 efforts to please both visual and in- 

 tellectual senses, ever bear in mind 

 that the direct results to be obtained 

 are ever dependent uponthe genuine- 

 ness of the care bestowed. 



Minerals are as much under the ne- 

 cessity of receiving care as is the del- 

 icate skin of an infant. Those liard 

 and popularly considered imperish- 

 able bodies we do not exempt from 

 the rulings of care as one would sup- 

 pose. It is the first impulse that 

 much govern our actions while work- 

 ing our specimens of the bed-rock. 

 Specimens must be broken from 



their homes as carefully as one would 

 exhume a mummy. Hammer and 

 chisel must be deftly applied to the 

 mother-rock, giving a nip here and 

 a whack there, making every blow 

 tell. After securing the specimen 

 carefully protect all its friable or del- 

 icate parts. This ran be done in 

 many ways; often in emergencies 

 where one does not care to utilize 

 their handkercheifs, a handful of 

 grass applied to a projecting crystal 

 will insure its safety while trimming 

 for cabinet use. 



Before trimming your specimen 

 very much, consider carefully all the 

 objectionable parts you wish to re- 

 move. As in a game of chess — you 

 must know the positions and the ef- 

 fects of every move. Many times one 

 will in a hurry glance over a rock 

 and say: "Well, now, if that was 

 trimmed about so it would be a good 

 thing." Whack goes the hammer, 

 and crumble goes the specimen^ 

 Failing to see that there was a weak 

 place of partial fracture of the rock, 

 which, had it been seen, could have 

 been protected, the specimen is des- 

 troyed, owing to the lack of care. In 

 trimming a specimen consider what 

 you want saved and what will be bet- 

 ter off than on. See how it can be 

 best shaped so as to stand easily 

 and shov what is to be admired most- 

 ly. In many instances applying the 

 chisel to the surface in directing 

 cleaveage planes will facilitate the 

 improvement of the mineral at a less 

 expense of battered material. A hard 

 compact rock may be more easily 

 broken by striking the stone while 

 held in the hand, first protecting the 

 hand by an old glove, than when laid 

 on a he^rd surface. Where a stone is 

 known to be quickly broken into 

 fragments it may be found well to 

 wTap the stone in stout paper, or 

 cloth, before pounding. In this way 

 the smaller fragments are easily ob- 

 tained. Always trimming your spec- 

 imens at the quarry your next atten- 

 tion should be the wrapping of each 

 individual in soft paper, previous to 

 being carried home. 



[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



