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The Museum Gazette 



away the charred surface with an axe, and carefully count- 

 ing the annual rings with the aid of a pocket lens. The 

 wood rings in the section I laid bare were so involved and 

 contorted in some places, that I was not able to determine 

 its age exactly, but I counted over 4,000 rings, which showed 

 that this tree was in its prime, swaying in the Sierra winds, 

 when Christ walked the earth. No other tree in the world, 

 as far as I know, has looked down on so many centuries as 

 the Sequoia, or opens such impressive and suggestive views 

 into history " (Mr. Muir). 



On a Slab of Sandstone containing Crinoids. 

 {Extract from a Museum Lecture at Haslemere.) 



The little slab which is now before us is amongst the 

 more treasured contents of our Museum. I have never seen 

 in any collection a better specimen of what used to be known 

 as the Sea-lily or the Stone-lily. The thing shown, however, 

 is not a lily, nor is it even of vegetable nature. It is an 

 animal, although, like a plant, it has a long stalk. The animal 

 is one allied to the star-fish, and has for its proper name that 

 of Encrinus. It belongs to the great group of Echinoderms, 

 which includes, as you know, the sea-urchins as well as the 

 star-fish. The majority of these are not stalked at any stage 

 of their existence, nor is this one always. As you see it in 

 this slab the " flower " is closed, but, during life, the animal 

 could expand its long delicate arms and make them wave 

 about in the water. Sometimes it stood erect, and at others 

 hung down from a rock. Its stem, which was much jointed, 

 might be very long, even as much as eighteen feet. At its 

 top was the animal's body or cup. Encrinites are common 

 in their fossil state, but most of them rare in their living 

 condition. Ray Lankester tells us that not more than a 

 dozen species or so are now living. One of these occurs on 



