department of mineralogy. 191 



Department of Mineralogy. 



I. — Arrangewient. 



The European rock-specimens belonging to the Geological 

 Society's Collection have been topographically arranged in nine 

 new cabinets, each containing 20 drawers, which have been 

 placed in the basement corridor. 



Specimens of calamine, opal, and augite have been arranged 

 in 30 of the new drawers recently fitted beneath the table-cases 

 in the Gallery. 



A series of fine, unaltered specimens of laumonite, exhibited 

 in the case-tops, have been placed in sealed glass troughs, to 

 preserve them in a moist atmosphere. 



The crystal-sections have been re-arranged and numbered, 

 and the recently-acquired large series of sections of rock- 

 forming minerals have been incorporated. 



In connection with the re-arrangement of the European 

 rock- collections in the Gallery, the large series of Hungarian 

 rocks have been re-arranged. 



A large fulgurite from Maldonado, Uruguay, has been fitted 

 together, mounted in a special case, and exhibited in the 

 Pavilion. 



Certain of the Meteoric Irons which showed considerable 

 rusting have been provided with a protective coating of shellac 

 by means of french-polishing. 



Eighty-nine boxes or parcels of mineral specimens have 

 been received, unpacked, and examined ; 104 boxes have been 

 packed and despatched. 



II. — Registration, Indexing, and Cataloguing. 



All the specimens of minerals, rocks, and meteorites acquired 

 during the year have been registered, numbered, labelled, and 

 incorporated with the Collection. 



The preparation of the slip-catalogues of the mineral- 

 specimens in the Collection, species by species, and of permanent 

 labels giving all available information for each specimen, has 

 been in progress for the Divisions of the Haloids, Oxides, and 

 Carbonates. In the course of this work slips have been prepared 

 for the specimens of aragonite, alstonite, and haematite ; and 

 permanent labels have been written, checked, and placed in the 

 Collection with the specimens of all the species' of the Haloids 

 up to and including liuor. At the same time the specimens of 

 fluor in the drawers have been re-arranged and extended into 

 other cubes, and the history of various specimens not entered 

 in the General Register has been investigated. 



In connection with the acquisition of specimens selected 

 from the Walker Collection (pp. 194-5 ), many of which had been 



