BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 



263 



the Malverns. The section presented beds of the old red sandstone, in- 

 dined to the W.; beneath these were arenaceous beds of a lighter co- 

 lour, forming the junction with Silurian shales ; these again passing on 

 to calcareous beds in the lower part of the quarry, containing the corals 

 and shells of the Aymestry limestone, of their agreement with which 

 stronger evidence might be obtained elsewhere. He had found none of 

 these scales in the junction beds, or in the Upper Ludlow shales ; but 

 about sixty or one hundred feet lower, just above the Aymestry lime- 

 stone, his attention had been attracted to discoloured spots on the 

 surface of the beds, which, upon microscopic examination, proved to be 

 the minute scales and spines before mentioned. These remains were 

 only apparent on the surface, whilst the "fish bed" of the Upper Lud- 

 low rock, as it usually occurred, was an inch thick, consisting of innu- 

 merable small teeth, spines, &c. Future observations would probably 

 show that many forms supposed by M. Agassiz peculiar to certain de- 

 posits, would, at other localities, be found occupying a higher or lower 

 level in the series. That fish remains might be met with in many loca- 

 lities not hitherto suspected, was shown by researches in the Ardwick 

 limestone near Manchester, by Mr. Binney and his friends, which had 

 been hitherto considered a part of the magnesian beds, until the disco- 

 very of numerous fish and shells proved it to belong to the carboniferous 

 period. By renewed search, we might expect to obtain evidence of 

 this nature, by which many discordances in our system would be ad- 

 justed, and the correspondence in distant parts of the same series ren- 

 dered much closer than it was seen now. 



MINERALOGICAI. SECTION. 



Account of the Mineralogical and Geological Museum of the 

 Imperial Mining Department of Vienna, by Prof. Haidinger, 



The basis of this collection existed in the museum of the 

 mining department previous to the appointment of Prof. 

 Mohs. Under the presidency of Prince Augustus Lobko- 

 wicz^ the museum was considerably augmented^ both by 

 the exertions of the mining department and by contributions 

 from private collectors. The method of arrangement em- 

 ployed in the museum was suggested by Mohs himself, and 

 followed out by Prof. Haidinger after the death of the for- 



