138 GUIDE TO THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



XIII.— REGIONAL COLLECTION. 



This collection, which is in course of formation, may become of 

 considerable interest to people inhabiting or visiting the Colony of 

 New South Wales. It is intended to show, in a broad sense, the 

 mineralogical and geological constitution of tracts of country, so 

 that the visitor can refer at once to the region in which he feels 

 interested. The divisions adopted include each a certain number 

 of counties, and, as far as possible, are characterized by a pre- 

 dominating geological formation. Ex. : New England, or the 

 Granitic Region of the north ; the Hunter River District or 

 Northern Coalfields, &c. The specimens which are required for 

 the formation and improvement of this collection are : — The 

 most characteristic, sedimentary and eruptive rocks, to which the 

 so-called region owes its prominent features, its soil, either rich 

 or poor, and the mineral products which are found abundantly in 

 the district, or occur as a peculiarity of special interest. Some 

 of the sedimentary rocks are rendered more interesting when 

 they contain fossils, a few of which are sufficient to determine 

 the age of the formation. 



XIV.— COLLECTION OF ITALIAN ROCKS AND 



MINERALS. 



The oldest members of the series represented Iia^e been identi- 

 fied with some of the formations recognized in America, such as 

 the Saint-Alban System, to which the celebrated Carrara marble 

 belongs, in Italy. The most recent rocks represented in this collec- 

 tion include some ancient and recent lavas from Vesuvius. 



