REPORT ON JURASSIC FOSSILS. 



Other Brachiopods tell the same tale. And another feature due 

 to some local causes is the paucity of Ammonites, though a few 

 miles to the south they were overwhelmingly abundant. 



It is this local character which gives to a collection of Chel- 

 tenham Inferior Oolite fossils their special interest. It is the local 

 collection which the visitor from a distance has in this case a more 

 than usual desire to see. And though it may be outside the scope 

 of the College Museum, yet this is what gives a particular value 

 to any good local collection. 



Towards the close of the Inferior Oolite time more general 

 sea communication appears to have been re-established ; and the 

 special local character of the fauna is not so pronounced. But by 

 the time of the Great Oolite there again obtained, to a certain 

 degree, special local conditions, well exemplified in the Minchin- 

 hampton fossils, of which the Museum has a good series. 



It is with the strata from the Lias to the Cornbrash that the 

 Cheltenham district is most concerned. The Upper Jurassic 

 deposits lie further away, and do not therefore come so well within 

 its area. But a collection from these upper rocks is necessary to 

 complete the series of Jurassic fossils. 



Method of Arrangement. 



Having given this introduction, I may now explain the method 

 which has been adopted in the arrangement of the collection. 



The Jurassic fossils have been placed in the two wall cases on 

 the right hand side towards the further end of the Museum. Those 

 from the lowest Jurassic rocks have been placed at the furthest 

 end, and coming towards the door, those from higher and higher 

 beds are found. So far as it was possible the arrangement has 

 been both vertical and horizontal. The vertical view of the portion 

 of the case before the observer shews the different fossils which 

 lived during a particular time. A horizontal view shews — to the 

 left, according to the shelf — the fossils of a particular group which 

 preceded them in time ; to the right those which succeeded. So a 

 vertical view shows the species of any particular rock in which the 

 student may be interested ; while following a shelf from left to 

 right he will see how different species of a particular group succeed 

 one another in the rocks. 



This is the ideal arrangement. It will be easily understood 

 that it could not be followed out entirely. How far it has been 

 accomplished may be seen from the annexed Diagrams, I., II. 



