422 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
sami)lcs of coal lie lias bad lie is of opinion the Japanese, not understanding 
the art of mining, M'ork indiscriminately for bad or good scams, thereby pro- 
ducing a mixture unfit for geiu-ral steam purposes, but that there must be 
sph'iidid coal in tlu; country, if they will only allow of the aid of a little science 
in working the mines. — "China 'I'dcgraph." 
Alton Museum. — Sir, — For the information of geologists visiting Sel- 
bourne, or any other place in the neighbourhood of Alton, I wish to state 
in the pages of your journal that the museum of the Alton Mechanic's Institu- 
tion ])osscsses a collection of local specimens deserving theii- attention. Thqy 
are from the drift, the tertiary clay and sand, the chalk-marl, malm-rock, 
^ault, &c. They are not yet fuUy iabcllcd, but I shall be happy to give in- 
formation respecting them to any one who may pay us a visit. 
So much has been said of late in disjiaragement of local museums ; they 
have so often — and too often perhaps justly — been styled mere collections of 
rubbish, that where their existence is known they may happen to be overlooked 
and neglected Al lien they may really contain mucli that is worthy of notice. 
I may add that the Alton Museum contains, besides the collection of local 
fossils, one representing most of the British fornuitious ; also others of British 
mammals and birds, eggs, and land and fresh-water moUusca, cliiefly local. 
Besides these there are small collections in comparative anatomy, eonchology, 
mineralogy, &c., all of them sutlicieut for the illustration of lectures and of 
class-teaching. — I am yours, &c., Wm. Curtls. 
Ancient Indian Aiuiow-heads. — Sik, — Throughout Canada various relics 
are turned up by the spade and the ploughshare which were in use among the 
most ancient inhabitants. These relics consist of Indian arrow-heads from 
one and a-half to four and a-half inches long, darts or spear-heads six to seven 
inches long, battle-axes or hatchets, gouges, and chisels, all being composed of 
various kinds of stone and of copper, but principally of Hint and chert. 
Sometimes the larger implements arc formed of limestone, greenstone, or schist, 
whilst the smaller, such as the arrow-heads, arc formed of grey or fawn-coloured 
chert or Hint, and more rarely of red and black slates, and white chalcedony. 
On the sites of ancient battle-grounds the arrow-heads are ploughed up in 
tolerable numbers, but elsewhere isolated specimens are casually picked up. It 
is a curious fact that no arrow-heads are found in any of the comparatively 
modern Indian burial-grounds, but the stone gouges are sometimes met with, 
thus indicatiijg the more recent origin of the latter. 
If Hint arrow-heads are encountered, with other relics of stone and copper, 
among human skeletons, I think it affords an evidence of the extreme antiquity 
of the latter, which may probably be coeval with the Celtic period of Britain 
Some of the arrow-heads are exceedingly smooth, whilst the majority are 
rough, with a number of facets, and seem to have been formed by chipping the 
flint, and are not dissimilar to the ancient flint weapons of the British Isles. — 
Geo. D. Gibb, M.D., M.A., T.G.S. 
Errata in Dr. Gibb's Paper on Canadian Caverns. — Page 132, 34th 
line, for Bnnchettes read BoucJiette's. Page 162, I5th line, for thotimnd read 
Imndred. Page 1(32, 3Ist line, for mall read tcall. Page 168, 6th line, for 
Merrjan read Mhigan. Page 169, I5th line, for Baric read Boric. Page 173 
(foot-note, 2nd line) for Keep read Beef. Page 17'1, last line, for way read baij. 
]?age 217, ISth line, for Bay read Bass. 
