Manchester Mcuioirs, Vol. Ixi. (191 7), No. "Z- 



II. The "Mark Stirrup" Collection of Fossil Insects from 

 the Coal Measures of Commentry (Allier), Central 

 France. 



By Herbert Bolton, M.Sc, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., 



The Bristol /Ihtseit/n. 

 {Received (7/id read November 28t]i, IQ16.) 



The collection of fossil insect remains from the Coal 

 Measures of Commentry (Allier), Central France, which are now 

 the property of the Manchester Museum, were presented by the 

 late Mark Stirrup, and form the " Mark Stirrup Collection." 

 They are representative of the largest insect assemblage known 

 to occur in any of the Palaeozoic rocks of Europe, the late 

 Charles Brongniart having recorded no less than 1,300 speci- 

 mens, and to this number must be added many more discovered 

 since his death. Brongniart's researches upon the fossil insects 

 of Commentry resulted in the publication in 18Q4 of his now 

 classical memoir, " Recherches pour servir a I'histoire des In- 

 sectes Fossiles des Temps Primaires.'' 



x-\ll the important discoveries of insect remains in these 

 Coal Measures of Commentry were made later than 1878. 



The late Mark Stirrup (Notes on the Carboniferous. Insects 

 found at the Commentry Mines (Allier), France, Trans. Manch. 

 Geol. Soc, Part IIL, Vol. XXI.) has given a brief description 

 of the character of the coalhcld, from which it would appear 

 that the coal seams and associated rocks were laid down in 

 long narrow depressions formed in schistose and massively 

 crystalline rocks of a much older period. Monsieur Henry 

 Fayol, the director and engineer of the mines, has by observa- 

 tion and experiment, satisfied himself that the coal seams arc 

 made up of drifted vegetation. The rock in which the insects 

 occur is a very fine grained mudstone, which may well have 

 accumulated by the deposition of fine sediment in enclosed or 

 lake-like waters. 



During the period in which Brongniart was actively en- 

 gaged in his studies of the Commentry insects, and indeed until 

 his death. Stirrup was one of his closest friends. The interest 



May nth, iQiy. 



