CHAP. XVII. ] The “Auld Been.” a 317 
how far the burning had gone, he gave a glance at the case 
where the bone had been replaced. He stood aghast. 
“You have put this thing on the table again!” he shouted. 
“Yes,” replied Edward. ‘‘Do you know,” rejoined the cu- 
rator, ‘‘that by so doing you are insulting myself, and the 
gentlemen of the society, who requested all objectionable 
matter to be removed from the collection?” “Iam very 
sorry for that,” said Edward. ‘Then remove it at once, 
and burn it with the rest.” Edward removed it according- 
ly, but he did not burn it. He took it home, and kept it 
there until he was able to replace it in the museum. 
TUE ‘AULD BEEN.” 
When the curator next entered the apartment, he glanced 
at the place where the bone had been, and seeing that it 
had been removed, he said nothing further about it. Short- 
ly after, Edward was himself appointed curator, and, having 
the control of the collection in his own hands, he restored 
the bone to its former place. He was still most anxious to 
know of what animal the bone had constituted a part. He 
never failed to direct the attention of visitors to the bone, 
and to inquire of them whether they could give him any 
information about it. Thus time rolled on, and, despite of 
all his endeavors, the bone still remained unknown and un- 
named, 
At last Sir Roderick Murchison and Professor Ramsay 
