358 The Scottish Naturalist. 



tute of Professor Jameson as lecturer. Among the many ques- 

 tions in natural history in which Professor Traill took an interest 

 was that of native gold; and he is credited with having, in 1802 

 or 1803,^ "found gold in a vein of quartz i7i situ at Wanlock- 

 head."^ But I have never met with anything like proof or 

 evidence that he did so. 



Mr Dudgeon assures us^ that " several specimens Qi auriferous 

 quartz have been found besides the Gemmell specimen. One is 

 now in the Museum of Science and Art in Edinburgh ;* another 

 was obtained in the district by the late Professor Traill ; a third 

 was got a good many years ago in a very singular manner by 

 Professor Heddle, who was fishing in the Glengonar water. His 

 hook became entangled, and, on pulling up his line, he brought 

 up a stone, which proved to be a piece of quartz containing 

 gold. This also got into Dr Traill's hands, and both these last 

 specimens, on his (Professor Traill's) death, were sold, with the 

 rest of his collection, in Liverpool, and all trace of them is lost." 



In many museums, especially private ones, it is common to 

 have a catalogue, written or printed, containing a history of the 

 individual exhibits ; and, in the case of such an exhibit as the 

 Jameson specimen of gold-quartz, a proper catalogue would de- 

 tail the circumstances under which it was found — those that would 

 prove it to be a native of the Leadhills district. But I am not 

 aware that, as concerns the Jameson specimen, any such history 

 or proof is forthcoming ; and in its absence it is obviously impos- 

 sible to found anything upon such a specimen, and on such a 

 label ^ as it possesses. 



Of the Wright specimen in the British Museum, on the other 

 hand, a good deal is known ; but the information at command is 

 not sufficient to enable the unbiassed student of his country's 

 mineralogy to decide whether the specimen is native or foreign. 



^ Greg and Lettsom's 'Manual,' p. 236, speaks of Professor Traill's speci- 

 men of 1802 as the only specimen of gold found (up to 1858) in the matrix in 

 Scotland. 



2 Vide paper already quoted in the 'Journal of the Royal Geological 

 Society of Ireland,' p. 180. 



^ In a letter published in the * Dumfries Herald' of March 28, 1S77. 



^ Alluding, apparently, to the Jameson specimen. 



^ Descriptive printed labels are also common in museums, and are extremely 

 useful where their information is accurate. The Gemmell specimen has a 

 short descriptive printed label, of which I have a duplicate. But it fur- 

 nishes no evidence that the specimeit is a native of the district in which it 

 was found. 



