12 



Mineralogy, Geology, and Palaeontology. 



The miner alogical collections have undergone no change 

 during the year, all efforts being concentrated upon the 

 development of the pala^ontological and geological collections. 

 The arrangement of the Brachiopod series was completed 

 early in the year, and a reserve series of specimens arranged 

 in four cabinets of 40 drawers. This latter series, from which 

 teaching collections will be drawn at a later date, includes 

 many thousands of specimens, and contains also a large 

 amount of material suitable for research. 



The formation of the pala^ontological series is one of 

 considerable labour, requiring an examination of all packed- 

 up store material, in addition to the stratigraphical series. 

 All types, figured specimens, and others possessing special 

 scientific interest are transferred to the table cases, and many 

 specimens are freed from matrix in order better to show 

 structural details. 



The pelecypoda are now in hand, and examples of 48 

 genera and about 250 species have been mounted for exhibition. 



In January the Museum received several large slabs 

 of Old Red Sandstone from the famous fish-quarry at Dura 

 Den, Fifeshire, which had been re-opened by a British Associa- 

 tion Committee. The fish remains were partially buried in 

 the sandstone, but it was fortunately found possible by careful 

 etching with needles to uncover the whole of them. The 

 result has been that the Museum now possesses a most 

 valuable and unique series of fossil fish from this locality ; 

 the specimens exhibit detailed internal and external structure 

 of the skull, whilst the general external details of the bodies 

 and fins are well nigh perfect. The fish include examples of 

 Holoptychius, Phaneropleuron, Glyptopomus , Gyroptychius , 

 and other specimens, one of which is believed to be a new 

 and undescribed form. 



