54 c.c. natural history society. 



Suggestions concerning the Collection. 



I would now call attention to certain deficiencies in the collec- 

 tion. In the first place the series of specimens from Jurassic rocks 

 superior to the Cornbrash is, with the exception of some Ammonites, 

 and some Corals, rather too weak. It need not be expected that 

 it should bulk as largely as the collection from Lias to Cornbrash, 

 which may be considered the special local feature, but a somewhat 

 more complete series is desirable. 



Coming to the special Lias-Cornbrash collection, the Ammon- 

 ite series from so special a local deposit as the Cotteswold 

 Cephalopod Bed might be more increased as a feature of particu- 

 lar interest. Local Inferior Oolite rocks above that horizon do not 

 yield much in the way of Ammonites ; but everything which they do 

 yield should if possible be preserved, especially when the particular 

 bed can be recorded. It might be suggested that to supplement the 

 Inferior Oolite series, more specimens from the contemporaneous 

 Dorset-Somerset rocks might be added. At present ihe collection 

 rather gives the idea that there was a sudden diminution of the 

 Ammonite fauna with the close of the Lias. Locally that is true ; 

 otherwise, and not so many miles away, there was a great increase. 



With the exception of good examples of Plenroiotnaria anglica, 

 the Lias Gasteropod collection may be described as non est. This 

 deficiency might in part be remedied by investigations of the local 

 brickyards. As the number of species of Lias Gastropods is 

 reckoned by hundreds, the few species in the collection is hardly 

 representative. 



It is somewhat different with the Upper Lias Pelecypoda. 

 There is almost a blank here too ; but specimens to fill it would be 

 procurable with difficulty, except in one case, namely from the 

 local arenaceous and calcareous Upper Lias strata — known as 

 Cotteswold Sands and Cephalopod Bed. Such strata yield some- 

 what plentifully, and an improvement could be effected. 



Among the Inferior Oolite Pelecypoda there might be an 

 improvement. Many of the species from Dorset-Somerset are 

 represented by what seem poor examples to anyone acquainted 

 with the high standard of the specimens obtainable from these 

 deposits. Of the local examples, many suffer from not having 

 been sufficiently developed from the matrix — the attention of a 

 skilled operator would make a remarkable difference. He could, 

 too, effect another important improvement, he could expose the 

 hinge and the internal portions of the shells. This is very 



