INTRODUCTION. i'$ 



The word mica is referred to the Latin mico, I shine, and in some 

 form or other its perfect reflective and sparkling properties are ex- 

 pressed by its names in most languages. 



Mineralogists are accustomed to correct — not without a touch of 

 self-conscious superiority — the common use of the word talc for the 

 minerals now grouped under the generic term mica. But as a matter 

 of priority the common usage has probably superior claims, as the word 

 talc appears to be much older and was applied to the large sheets of 

 mica used for window-panes. According to Lane the word j^'k (talq) 

 is an Arabicized form of <-&>' (talak) ; but the original meaning of the 

 word does not appear to be known. The prominent sparkling charac* 

 ter of the mineral is expressed in Arabic by the name u*' J' *r*0* 

 (kaukabu-l-az), "the star of the earth," and references to its use as 

 window-panes show the true nature of the mineral. 1 The use of the 

 term mica for the minerals described in this note is now, however, so 

 well established that it would be futile to attempt the reinstatement 

 of the name talc, even if there was any advantage in the reform. The 

 word talc is reserved by the mineralogist for the hydrous silicate of 

 magnesia which is well known in one of its forms as steatite and 

 French chalk. 



The romance languages follow the Latin ; but in German we have 

 Glimmer, whilst the common name in Hindustani abrak (tjj^l) from 

 abr, a cloud, or abru, heavens, goes a step further, and connects its 

 lustrous character with its supposed celestial origin. The Hindu clas- 

 sical writers imagined mica to be a sort of petrified lightning-flash, 

 hence the use of vaj'ra {bazar), thunderbolt, as one of its names. In 

 ancient times, or Sat Yoga, it is supposed that in order to kill the 

 enemy of the gods, Baratur (Vitro), Indra lifted his thunderbolt vajra, 

 and a flash of lightning spread throughout the length and breadth 

 of the sky, whilst the sparks which fell on the mountains were pre- 

 served in the form of mica. 8 Other names, like gagana (sky) anu 



1 The writer is indebted to Col. G. S. A. Ranking, I. M.S., for this information. 

 5 " Kabi-kal Padrama," a Sanskrit work quoted by Raja Sir Radha Kanto 

 Deo in his Sanskrit Dictionary. 



B 2 ( 3 ) 



