84 NOTES ON SOME MINERALS. 



rare. Colour, garnet red, transparent. Formation, granite, 

 basalt, slates and conglomerates. 



At Lyndhurst, thirty miles north-east from Armidale, in creek 

 near Lyndhurst homestead, in pieces more or less rolled, and up 

 to half -ounce in weight. Generally translucent, or opaque, small 

 pieces transparent, colour pale sherry-red to brownish-red. Hard 

 splintery argillaceous slates prevail in this locality. 



At Rocky River gold-field, near Uralla (N.E.), in auriferous 

 drifts, with titanic iron, topaz, and sapphire, the latter only in 

 small fragments and rare. Colour, wine red, pale red, greyish, 

 rarely green, some small crystals ruby red ; transparent to opaque. 

 Sp. G. 4.55 to 4.56. The zircons in this locality occur as 

 octahedrons, formed by the association of the terminal tetragonal 

 pyramids. The prismatic form, if at all existing, must be 

 extremely rare, as not one example was observed in the 

 examination of some thousands of specimens. Crystals more or 

 less fractured, but not appreciably worn ; the smaller crystals, as 

 usual, being the most perfect. Large pieces occasionally, but not 

 of common occurrence ; three of the largest pieces noticed weighed 

 45, 39, and 15 carats. Sp. G. 4.55 to 4.64. Colour, garnet red; 

 transparent, but slightly flawed. 



At Oban (N.E.), in the Ann River, in waterworn pieces, with 

 red spinel, sapphire, topaz, cassiterite, gold, and titanif erous iron ; 

 rare. Colour, pale yellowish red. A stone from this locality 

 weighed 48 carats, but contained flaws and blemishes. Sp. G., 4.64. 



In the Mann River and Bald Nob Creek, near Glen Innes, 

 with stream tin ore and corrundum. Nearly colourless to pale 

 reddish. The paler coloured stones often with patches of deeper 

 colour in part ; very much waterwarn, transparent, translucent, 

 rarely opaque ; common in pieces 5 to 8 carats. 



At Nundle gold-field, in the auriferous cemented gravels of 

 Mount Pleasant, and less plentifully in several other parts of the 

 field. At Mount Pleasant the associated minerals are chromite 

 (in small black shining octahedrons), magnetite and other oxides 

 of iron ; small quantities of titaniferous iron sand are usually 

 present. The zircons do not occur in any very considerable 

 quantity, an ounce or two, only, being contained among the 

 concentrates from a month's ground sluicing. They are generally 

 much worn and with smooth polished surfaces. Occasionally 

 perfect crystals are met with, which almost invariably have very 

 short prisms and modified terminations, the normal planes and 

 faces being often nearly extinguished by the replacement of edges 

 and solid angles. Simple forms rare ; crystals and fragments 

 small ; rarely more than - x ^- inch in area. Colour, pale amber 



