1884.] Mineralogy. 619 
depth of fifty feet in the red shale, it cannot belong to the drift, 
but is evidently of Triassic age. The subject is very suggestive. 
FLEXIBLE SANDSTONE FROM PENNSYLVANIA. — H. C. Lewis? 
records the finding of itacolumite, or flexible sandstone, at two 
ocalities in Pennsylvania, in Paradise township, Lancaster county, 
at the “ Wolf rocks,” and, in White Marsh township, Montgomery 
county, north of Lafayette. In both localities the flexibility, 
which is much less than in the North Carolina rock, is evidently 
Gue to the decomposition of the cementing material in a formerly 
inflexible sandstone. By the removal of the feldspar each thin 
yer of sand is separated by small distances from the layers 
above and below, thus allowing of limited flexibility. This ex- 
planation probably applies to all flexible sandstones. The “ ball- 
and-socket” theory of the grains of sand is of course absurd. 
Some MAINE Minerats.—G, F. Kunz? states that nearly 1500 
near Auburn, Maine. These are often brilliantly polished, an 
are characterized by their beautiful pale color. Colorless, light 
pink, light blue, bluish-pink, pale green and other colors occur in 
“rent crystals or are sometimes nearly all seen in a single tour- 
ine. Good gems have been cut from these crystals. 
The apatite of the same locality is finer in color and form than 
elsewhere in America. It has the same pale shades of pink, blue, 
og and green as the tourmaline found with it, and has been 
Set lor gems, 
Other associated minerals are lepidolite, quartz, albite, ortho- 
clase, bery], garnet, cassiterite, gummite, autunite, muscovite, leu- 
“pyrite, Cookeite, biotite, amblygonite and zircon. 
hs Gorham some unusually fine crystals of andalusite have 
: found. e color is mostly a brownish flesh tint, and some- 
near] Stayish-pink. Occasional translucent pieces occur in the 
; Th. Opaque crystals, 
the ~_nteresting fact was observed that while the hardness on 
The of the prism is 6-6, 5, the hardness on the basal plane is 7.5. 
Which oo Occur in a quartzite vein in a brown mica schist, in 
| are small crystals of pyrrhotite. 
ih ar Nitrous Oxipe, or Laucnixe Gas—It is stated? 
, ence the Sreat Sierra tunnel, at Tioga, has developed the pres- 
~ “In the indurated mudstone, silicious limestone and arena- 
L 1 
: : ins, Aed. Nat. appe Phila., 1884. 
OF (Cilin see 184 
