Obituary — James Bennie, 143 



CHEVIOT PORPHYRITES IN THE BOULDER-CLAY OF EAST 

 YORKSHIRE. 



Sir, — I can confirm Mr. Stather's opinion ' (expressed in the 

 Oeological Magazine for January, 1901) that the porphyrites of 

 the East Yorkshire Boukler-clay were probably derived from the 

 Cheviots, When I was stationed at Bridlington Quay on the 

 Geological Survey, Mr. C. T. Clough, who mapped the Cheviots, 

 came to the Quay in order to identify, if possible, the far-travelled 

 erratics in the Boulder-clay. We examined the shore and cliffs 

 from Bridlington Quay to Filey, and found a large number of 

 porphyritic rocks, which Mr. Clough said might very well have 

 come from the Cheviots. J. R. Dakyns. 



Snowdon View, Nant Gwynnan, Bkddgelert, Carnarvon. 

 February 11, 1901. 



MUSEUM EXHIBITION CASES. 



Sir, — The new Geological Museum now being erected here will 

 have high windows aud a long south aspect. The effect of this 

 will be that the sun will fall suddenly on glazed cases and as 

 suddenly pass off them, thus by the expansion and contraction of 

 the air causing dust-carrying currents to force themselves through 

 every chink. From this cause it costs about three times as much to 

 keep cases and specimens clean on the side exposed to the sun as 

 it does in the shaded part of a museum. This may be obviated by 

 elastic diaphragms (which would hardly allow sufficient movement 

 for such large cases as ours) or by small sliding shutters packed 

 with cotton-wool something like Tyndall's respirators. 



Can any of your readers refer us to museums in which such 

 a system has been tried or give us any advice on the subject before 

 our cases have been built ? T. McKenny Hughes. 



WOODWARDIAN MuSEUM, CAMBRIDGE. 



Fehrmri) 19. 1901. 



OBITTJ^^ia"^- 



JAMES BENNIE. 

 Born September 23, 1821. Died .Tanvary 28, 1901. 



We regret to record the death of Mr. James Bennie, at the 

 age of 79 years. For many years he was one of the fossil 

 collectors of H.M. Geological Survey, and was well known to 

 local geologists in the west of Scotland. In early life, before he 

 joined the Survey, he was employed in a paper manufactory in 

 Glasgow, where he devoted his leisure hours to the examination 

 of the glacial, interglacial, and post-glacial deposits of the west of 

 Scotland. He likewise collected fossils from the various Carboniferous 

 horizons in that region. The results of his labours were published 

 in the Transactions of the Glasgow Geological ^Society, and^ his 

 glacial researches were communicated to Dr. CroU in 1867, as 

 acknowledged in the '^ Life and Work" of that investigator. His 

 Survey career, which commenced in 1869, was marked by his great 



> See "The Sources and Distribution oi the Far-Travelled Boulders ol East 

 Yorkshire," by J. W. Stather. 



