Of particular interest among the newly acquired fossil inverte- 

 brates is a fine specimen of a winged insect from the Lower Penn- 

 sylvanian rocks of Greene County, Indiana, presented by Dr. 

 James E. Canright of Indiana University. The insect, a member 

 of the extinct order Palaeodictyoptera, is preserved with its four 

 wings spread out, covering a span of four and one-half inches. It 

 was collected from a geological level beneath the fossil-bearing beds 

 of the Coal City area and ranks among the oldest as yet discovered. 

 Another significant Coal Age fossil added to the collection this year 

 is a small trilobite tail collected in the strip-mines near Coal City by 

 Miss Wiebe, Departmental Artist. Although it is preserved in 

 a piece of shale rather than in a concretion, as are most of the known 

 fossils from that area, it is probably a member of the same fauna 

 and is the first trilobite yet found there. 



The most valuable addition to the Gem Collection for the year 

 was a beautiful necklace of ninety-five matched Oriental pearls 

 of exceptionally fine quality, weighing 260.96 grains, personally 

 presented to the Museum by Albert L. Arenberg, of Highland Park, 

 Illinois, with the wish that it be recorded as "Gift of Claire and 

 Albert Arenberg" (see pages 25 and 103). 



Care of the Collections— Geology 



Our study-specimens are used by our own Museum personnel, 

 visiting scientists, and students, and, as a result of much handling, 

 there is always unintentional breakage. Our policy is to keep all 

 damaged specimens repaired and restored to their original appear- 

 ance as far as practicable. Throughout the year the Hall of Meteor- 

 ites and Minerals (Hall 35) was closed to the public and exhibits 

 were dismantled. Approximately seven thousand specimens of 

 minerals and all the meteorites were removed and integrated into 

 their respective reserve and study collections. The enormous task 

 of rearrangement of the two collections took Harry E. Changnon, 

 Curator of Exhibits, Henry U. Taylor, Preparator, and Assistant 

 Horback several months to complete. It is gratifying to report that 

 this effort has resulted in a complete inventory of the two collections. 

 David Techter, Assistant in the Division of Fossil Vertebrates, 

 catalogued the remainder of the Harvey Collection of invertebrate 

 fossils and integrated and partly catalogued the Paleozoic fish- 

 specimens from the University of Chicago. The fossil turtles and 

 the carnivores from the Oligocene also received his attention. Late 

 in the year portions of the Northwestern University Bebb Collection 



57 



