46 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
A COLLECTION of fossil leaves from the Fort Union beds of ‘Tertiary 
time has recently been received at the Museum. ‘The specimens were 
gathered by Mr. Barnum Brown and his assistants in central Montana 
during the field season of 1906. ‘The collection, which is said by Doctor 
F. H. Knowlton of the National Museum, a high authority on palzeobot- 
any, to be the finest he has ever seen from this deposit, comprises many 
remarkably fine examples of twenty-one known species belonging to 
fourteen genera, besides several new genera and species. Aside from 
its value from the point of view of the paleobotanist, the collection has 
great importance as a means of separating several geological horizons. 
The Fort Union beds contain beds of lignite, or brown coal, which are 
an important source of fuel. In some places this lignite has been 
ignited by spontaneous combustion or through some other natural 
agency, and the fires have burned for an unknown length of time, baking 
and fusing the clays above and below the coal until they look like brick, 
slag or volcanic scoriz. Specimens of this material also were brought 
in by the expedition. 
Tue International Exhibition of Safety Devices which was open in 
the power room and adjacent corridor from January 29 to February 9 
was the first affair of the kind ever held in this country, and it attracted 
a large number of visitors. ‘There were about 300 entries of exhibits. 
comprising all sorts of contrivances for the prevention of accidents and 
of injury from unavoidable accidents in street, house and factory. 
In connection with the exhibition lectures were delivered on February 
1,4 and 7 by Dr. W. H. Tolman upon “European Museums of Safety 
Devices and American Industrial Betterment,’’ while on February 11 
“ee 
Dr. Josiah Strong lectured on ‘“ Safety for American Life and Labor.” 
THE legal holiday lecture of New Year’s Day was given by Mr. 
Frank M. Chapman upon the topic “The Home Life of Flamingos”’ 
and was illustrated with some of the remarkable photographs from 
nature a portion of which were used in making up the flamingo group. 
The lecture on Washington’s Birthday was by Mr. Harlan I. Smith 
upon “The Five American Nations: Conquerors of the Snow, Forest, 
Mist, Desert and Plain. 
on the principal holidays of the winter was 2710, indicating the hold 
” 
The attendance at the four lectures given 
that this course has upon the public. 
