1874.] O [Annual Report. 



von der Linth, Heer and others. Besides suites of specimens 

 with localities and names vouched for by these great author- 

 ities, the bulk of the collection possesses no little value de- 

 rived from the careful determinations of Herr Eser himself, 

 generally with the assistance of the authorities living near 

 him, Prof. Quenstedt, Fraas and others. 



The uniques which it contains, as might be anticipated 

 from what I have said, are both remarkable and numerous. 

 The locality of Unter and Oberer Kirchberg, which was first 

 opened by Herr Eser, afforded many of these, named by Von 

 Mayer and Heer. A collection from the eocene and creta- 

 ceous beds of Appenzell, Switzerland, is very fine. The 

 Portland stone from the neighborhood of Ulm, contains 

 many unique specimens described by Oppel, all the fossils 

 found during the building of the extensive fortifications hav- 

 ing been sent by the chief architect to Herr Eser. The 

 most valuable single series in the collection consists of 

 the two head pieces and detached bones of Belodon Camp- 

 belli, described and figured by Von Mayer, the only remains 

 of this remarkable animal ever found. I would also call 

 attention to the specimens of tertiary plants, which are of 

 such delicacy that they are mounted like botanical specimens 

 on paper. Herr Eser assured me that it took him six months 

 to clean and mount them, and they have been identified by 

 Heer, the great fossil botanist. 



This purchase left me at liberty to enter into negotiations 

 for a collection of fossils to fill out the Silurian portion, 

 which was poorly represented in Herr Eser's collection, and 

 this I hope may still be sent to us. It was also essential that 

 some larger specimens should be added to the collection, and 

 this the generosity of Mr. Cummings enabled me also to ac- 

 complish by the purchase of several Icthyosauri and Teleo- 

 sauri, and a magnificent plate of the expanded crown of 

 Pentacrinus Briareus. Besides these collections, the PalaBon- 

 tological Department has also been richly increased by the 

 acquisition of the splendid suite of Devonian fossils collected 



