Miscellaneous. 22 1 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



NOTICE OF THE NAflTURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS OF THE MC(HL& 

 UNIVERSITY. 



The collections of the University in Natural History, which 

 have been accumulating under the care of Dr. Dawson, are now 

 placed in the new rooms provided by the liberality of Mr. Molson, 

 though the naming of the specimens has not been quite completed, 

 and will still require much time. 



The principle of arrangement adopted has been that of dis- 

 posing in flat and wall glass cases, suites of specimens illustrative 

 of the subjects of the lectures in Natural History, in the order in 

 which they are taken up in the lecture room. Geographical col- 

 lections, and duplicate and extra specimens are placed in drawers 

 under the cases in which objects of similar character are arranged. 

 The greatest possible facilities will thus be afforded to the ele- 

 mentary student, while there will also be opportunity for farther 

 and more detailed study. 



The whole collection numbers about 10,000 specimens, of 

 which about 2000 have been collected by Principal Dawson, or 

 contributed from his private collection. The remainder have 

 been procured by purchase or exchange, or by donations from 

 friends of the University, The specimens may be grouped under 

 the following heads : 



1. Mineralogy. — The basis of this department is the collection 

 of about 2000 Canadian and foreign minerals acquired from the 

 late Dr. Holmes. To this have been added several species and 

 varieties by donation and purchase. 



2. Geology and Palceontohgy. — In this department are the 

 fossils of the Holmes collection ; the collections of rocks and 

 fossils presented by Sir W. E. Logan, and numbering 475 speci- 

 mens ; collections of British fossils presented by H. Chapman, 

 Esq., G. Evans, Esq., and others ; collections of tertiary and car- 

 boniferous fossils, and local collections from the Azores, Murray 

 Bay, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, &c., contributed by the Prin- 

 cipal ; with a great number of miscellaneous specimens, dona- 

 tions from friends and students. This collection is still very in- 

 complete in Permian, Triassic, and Tertiary rocks and fossils, 



3. Zoology, — In this department there are about 300 speci- 

 mens of Vertebrate animals, selected as far as possible with a view 



