Aragonite occurs in very small masses, of a light yellow color and fibrous structure, between layers of serpentine.  When they are separated by a small interspace, as it frequently is, the fibers are very large, coarse, and brittle, and thus do not resemble asbestos, although in some instances they might be mistaken for picolite, but, distinguished from it by effervescing on contact with a drop of acid, as it is a carbonate of lime, and also containing a trace of iron.  I have never seen any fine specimens of it from this locality, but deeper down in the rock it may occur in greater profusion.

Dolomite occurs to a limited extent as such; most of it, being in the form of gurhofite crystals, may be occasionally found with aragonite of a light pearly gray color and rhombohedral crystals.  As before noticed, Staten Island is the best locality for this species.

Calcite.—­In places the limestone is perfectly crystallized, and of a pure white or other color, when it forms an attractive mineral, and often worth removing.  The limestone of the main quarry, carefully averaged, was found to have the following chemical composition.

Lime. 11.09
Magnesia. 37.94
Carbonic acid. 30.61
Silica. 10.22
Water and loss. 4.90
Iron and alumina. 5.24
------
100.00

In places it is spotted with the serpentine, and judging from its rough state resembles “verde antique,” and at that of a beautiful color; samples of this should be obtained.

Feldspar.—­This mineral occurs very plentfully in the space between the limestones and gneiss.  It is generally of a flesh red color and often in very perfect crystals, in some instances an inch and a half in length; as its hardness is 6, it can be readily distinguished from calcite, which it much resembles, but which has only a hardness of 3, and dissolves with effervescence in acids.

A visit to this locality is a delightful manner in which to spend a holiday or other time of leisure; and as it affords so many interesting and valuable minerals, it forms a very profitable trip as well.  In reaching it many interesting localities are passed, and if one has an early start these may all be visited.  I will describe a few of these, which are alike possessors of beautiful scenery and instructing geological features and not far from the main line of travel.

Starting from the Erie depot, on the Greenwood Lake road, the first stop may be at Arlington, about seven miles west of Jersey City.  Here a visit to the Schuyler copper mine may be profitably taken; and as I have written a full account of this locality in a previous portion of these articles,[1] I will not reiterate it here, but refer to that paper.  The mine, I might add, is only a mile north of the railroad station, and on Schuyler Avenue, a short distance north from its junction with the Jersey City and Paterson