36 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



into the Wealden area, but without much success. It seemed, how- 

 ever, that the low plateau of the Weald, on which the Piltdown 

 deposit probably lies, must belong to a period later than that of 

 maximum depression, for otherwise these lowlands of the Weald 

 would be covered by marine deposits, as is the coastal plain. It was 

 impossible to speak with confidence, but the whole of the evidence 

 suggested that the Piltdown deposit and the plateau on which it 

 rests belong to a base-level plain, which originated about the period 

 of the Brighton raised beach. The deposits are not pre-Glacial or 

 even early Pleistocene — they belong to an epoch long after the first 

 cold period had passed away ; but they occur at the very base of the 

 great implement-bearing succession of Palaeolithic deposits in the 

 South-east of England. 



THE PENNANT COLLECTION. 



It is of interest, to zoologists especially, to know that the collec- 

 tions of Thomas Pennant, the author of the ' British Zoology ' and 

 other important works, have remained more or less undisturbed since 

 the time of his death, which took place at Downing Hall, Holywell, 

 Flintshire, on December 16th, 1798, or, at all events, although greatly 

 disarranged, it is fortunate that they have not since been entirely 

 dispersed. The Downing estate subsequently came into the posses- 

 sion of the Denbigh family, and is now to be disposed of. The 

 present Earl of Denbigh, C.V.O., has had the whole of the Pennant 

 collection sent to the Natural History Museum, and has very gene- 

 rously given permission for all specimens of interest to be retained 

 for the National Collection. 



The collection consists chiefly of stuffed birds, shells, fossils, and 

 minerals ; also a few mammals, fishes, and Crustacea. 



With the exception of the recent shells, the specimens have not as 

 yet been closely investigated, so at present it is impossible to estimate 

 their true value. Among the minerals are specimens sent to Pennant 

 by Bishop Pontoppidam, William Borlase, and others, which may 

 probably prove of interest. 



With regard to the shells, British conchologists will be glad to 

 know that fifteen types and sixty-one figured specimens described in 

 the ' British Zoology ' have been identified. Naturalists are much in- 

 debted to the Earl of Denbigh for this donation to the National 

 Collection. 



E. A. Smith. 



