﻿W. 
  F, 
  Hillebvand 
  — 
  Mineralogical 
  JS'otes. 
  295. 
  

  

  Akt. 
  XXXII. 
  — 
  Mineralogical 
  Notes: 
  Melonite 
  (?), 
  Coloradoiie, 
  

   Petzite, 
  Hessite 
  ; 
  by 
  W. 
  F. 
  Hillebrand. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  suite 
  of 
  tellurides 
  from 
  the 
  Mother 
  Lode 
  region 
  in 
  

   California, 
  collected 
  by 
  Mr 
  F. 
  L. 
  Ransorae, 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  

   Survey, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  identify 
  a 
  nickel 
  telliiride 
  (mel- 
  

   onite 
  ?), 
  a 
  mercury 
  telluride 
  (coloradoite 
  ?), 
  besides 
  petzite 
  and 
  

   hessite. 
  

  

  Melonite 
  ? 
  

  

  Several 
  specimens 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  Stanislaus 
  mine,^ 
  the 
  origi- 
  

   nal 
  source 
  of 
  Genth's 
  melonitef 
  (Ni^Teg 
  ?), 
  but 
  now 
  included 
  

   with 
  the 
  Melones 
  and 
  other 
  claims 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  Melones 
  

   mine, 
  showed 
  plainly 
  a 
  nickel 
  telluride 
  of 
  reddish 
  white 
  cast 
  

   of 
  color 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  bismuth,:}: 
  thickly 
  scattered 
  in 
  grains 
  and 
  

   showing 
  pronounced 
  cleavage 
  and 
  a 
  brilliant 
  luster. 
  A 
  con- 
  

   centrate 
  was 
  prepared 
  by 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  cadmium-boro-tungstate 
  

   solution, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  then 
  laboriously 
  hand-picked 
  by 
  the 
  aid 
  

   of 
  a 
  powerful 
  glass. 
  There 
  was 
  certainly 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  

   foreign 
  mineral 
  present, 
  but 
  identification 
  was 
  not 
  possible 
  

   with 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  gold 
  and 
  petzite. 
  The 
  chief 
  impurity 
  

   was 
  a 
  silver 
  mineral, 
  presumably 
  hessite. 
  If 
  so, 
  the 
  analyses 
  

   seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  also 
  native 
  tellurium. 
  A 
  perfectly 
  pure 
  

   article 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  extracted 
  because 
  of 
  ditficulty 
  in 
  some- 
  

   times 
  distinguishing 
  the 
  foreign 
  minerals 
  from 
  the 
  one 
  sought, 
  

   but 
  it 
  was 
  hoped 
  that 
  an 
  analysis 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  selected 
  and 
  

   rejected 
  portions 
  would 
  permit 
  of 
  calculating 
  the 
  composition 
  

   of 
  the 
  nickel 
  mineral 
  with 
  considerable 
  certainty 
  on 
  the 
  reason- 
  

   able 
  assumption 
  that 
  no 
  impurity 
  had 
  been 
  removed 
  in 
  relative 
  

   excess 
  over 
  the 
  other 
  or 
  others. 
  

  

  * 
  Mr. 
  Ransome 
  has 
  kindly 
  furnished 
  the 
  following 
  notes 
  : 
  

  

  "This 
  mine 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  slope 
  of 
  Carson 
  Hill, 
  Calaveras 
  Co., 
  just 
  

   above 
  Robinson's 
  Ferry, 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  worked 
  for 
  several 
  years. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  

   prominent 
  vein 
  at 
  this 
  point, 
  the 
  ore 
  being 
  very 
  irregularly 
  distributed, 
  and 
  occur- 
  

   ring 
  in 
  small 
  nearly 
  horizontal 
  stringers 
  in 
  dark 
  clay 
  slates 
  of 
  Carboniferous 
  age 
  

   with 
  nearly 
  vertical 
  dip. 
  This 
  mine 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  tellurides, 
  and 
  Dana, 
  in 
  the 
  sixth 
  edition 
  of 
  his 
  System 
  of 
  Mineralogy, 
  cites 
  

   petzite, 
  calaverite, 
  melonite. 
  and 
  altaite 
  as 
  occurring 
  here. 
  The 
  other 
  ore 
  min- 
  

   erals 
  are 
  pyrite 
  and 
  galeua, 
  the 
  latter 
  m 
  small 
  quantities. 
  The 
  ore-bearing 
  

   stringers 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  quartz, 
  or 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  quartz 
  and 
  calcite 
  as 
  a 
  gangue. 
  

   The 
  rich 
  masses 
  of 
  tellurides 
  appear, 
  however, 
  to 
  be 
  usually 
  associated 
  with 
  cal- 
  

   cite 
  (or 
  dolomite). 
  The 
  melonite 
  of 
  specimen 
  No. 
  16 
  shows 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  perfect 
  

   cleavage, 
  resembling 
  in 
  the 
  thinness 
  of 
  the 
  resulting 
  laminic 
  the 
  cleavage 
  of 
  the 
  

   micas. 
  The 
  cleavage 
  faces 
  are 
  usually 
  somewhat 
  curved, 
  and 
  possess 
  a 
  splendent 
  

   metallic 
  luster. 
  (The 
  cleavage 
  can 
  best 
  be 
  detected 
  by 
  carefully 
  scraping 
  thin 
  

   folia 
  from 
  such 
  a 
  brilliant 
  surface 
  with 
  a 
  sharp 
  knife 
  point.) 
  The 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  

   cleavage 
  faces 
  is 
  pale 
  bronze-yellow." 
  

  

  f 
  Long 
  accented, 
  

  

  X 
  Under 
  a 
  lense 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  unaided 
  eye 
  in 
  certain 
  lights 
  the 
  color 
  appears 
  more 
  

   bronze-yellow. 
  

  

  