ROOM I. SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS. 13 



and Zamice (Ctenis), chiefly from the fluvio-marine strata of 

 the Oolite of Scarborough, in Yorkshire. 



In this case are specimens of the extinct Cycadeous plants 

 of the Isle of Portland (named by M. Brongniart, Mantellia) ; 

 and on the top of this case several fine examples, some of 

 which are cut and polished, of similar plants from the same 

 celebrated locality (collected by the author in 1825). 



On the lowermost shelves there is an extensive series of 

 silicified trunks of coniferous trees; many are cut trans- 

 versely and polished, to exhibit the organic structure, which 

 is beautifully preserved. 



On brackets between the east windows there are busts of 

 Henry VIII. and of his daughter Mary, sculptured in 

 brown jet. 



Meteoric Iron. On a pedestal between the windows there 

 is a mass of Meteoric Iron from the Gran Chaco, in South 

 America ; collected and presented by Sir Woodbine Parish. 

 It weighs 1,400 pounds, and is supposed to be part of that of 

 Otumpa, described by Rubin de Celis, in the Philosophical 

 Transactions for 1783. 



SMALL TABLE CASES, ETC. 



a. Under the window at the east end of the room. Fine 

 masses of fossil wood from Van Diemen's Land, by Mrs. 

 Howley : some of these are very beautiful examples of opal- 

 ized wood. In the recesses of the windows there are portions 

 of trunks of trees in a similar state of mineralization, from 

 New Holland ; presented by the late Sir Francis Chantry. 



b. (Unoccupied,) 



c. A fine slab of jet, from Whitby. 



(The tables of minerals under the windows are not 

 numbered.) 



d. A splendid example of the footprints of bipeds, sup- 

 posed to be those of Birds, (hence named Ornithichnites,) on 

 triassic sandstone, from Turner's Falls, Massachusetts, United 

 States of North America. This slab is 8 feet by 6, and 

 contains the foot-tracks of ten or twelve individuals of various 

 sizes, which must have been impressed on the stone when it 

 was in the state of plastic mud, and capable of retaining the 

 imprints of the feet till it became indurated. It was ex- 



