The Scottish Naturalist. 53 



One is devoted to mineralogy, a second to illustrating the structure 

 •of rocks, and the third shows, by means of characteristic fossils, 

 the succession of the sedimentary rocks. The mineralogical 

 department possesses already upwards of 300 species and varieties 

 of the most typical minerals, a little preponderance being given to 

 those which occur in the rocks of the district. They are arranged 

 according to Dana's classification, and each specimen is placed on 

 cotton wool in a small paper tray, the trays being arranged in 

 rows, and each row separated from the next by a squared black 

 stick, on which the label is placed. The label indicates the name, 

 the crystalline system, the chief chemical components, and the 

 locality whence the specimen has been derived. In addition to 

 the label appropriate to each specimen, a larger label or placard 

 on the perpendicular back of the case indicates the group or 

 groups to which the specimens in each of the wooden trays 

 belong. In order to avoid the risk of confusion in any re-arrange- 

 ment of the collection, each specimen has a number painted on it, 

 the label bears the same number, and the same is entered in a 

 catalogue of the specimens. 



The department containing the fossils of the sedimentary rocks 

 is arranged in a similar way to the mineralogical one, and has 

 specimens illustrative of upwards of 300 species of animals and 

 plants. As amongst the minerals, so each specimen of the fossils 

 has a number painted on it. The labels indicate the formation 

 and division of the formation of which the fossil is characteristic, 

 the name of the species, and the locality whence the specimen 

 has been derived. The larger labels behind the trays point out 

 the geological epoch of the contents of the wooden trays. 



The department relating to rock structure is not yet quite as 

 complete as it is intended it should be. The larger labels at the 

 back of the case indicate the nature of the specimens in the trays, 

 the main divisions being igneous rocks, aqueous rocks, specimens 

 showing contact-phenomena between igneous and aqueous rocks, 

 and altered or metamorphic rocks ; while a small part of the case 

 is devoted to historical geology, illustrated by stone implements. 

 As in the other departments, each specimen bears a painted 

 number. 



{To be continued.) 



