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and unique as many of them are of their kind, illustrate but 
a small part, and that imperfectly, of the coal field. They 
consist of a few remains of fishes and. of shells, of various 
species of calamites,* sphenopteris, neuropteris, pecopteris, 
lepidodendron, ulodendron, lepidostrobus, sigillaria, &c., 
some of which are quite new ; specimens illustrative of strata 
passed through in sinking shafts, and specimens of build- 
ing stones. Having thus pointed out how the Museum is 
capable of being furnished, and having given a short summary 
of its contents, I shall next proceed to enumerate those 
objects which may be considered as essentially necessary to 
be obtained to render the Museum practically useful. 
1st. In Ichthyology — 
To have a complete collection of the fossil fishes, and their 
remains found in the district. We must request those ^f our 
members who are working coal to supply us with this deside- 
ratum, for it is on the roof of our coals that the greatest 
portion of these remains have hitherto been found ; they do 
not frequently exist at any great height above the coal, but 
just where the coal separates from the stone. The search for 
them is best made when the coal has been recently removed 
and the roof smooth. We should be careful to note under 
what circumstances they exist in the greatest abundance, and 
whether, as up to this period has always been held, they 
are no where present in the roof of the coal except it con- 
tains a notable proportion of bitumen. Are they more 
frequent on the upper surface of the seams of Cannel coal 
than on seams of common coal ? Are they more abundant 
when the roof approaches to the nature of Cannel coal or 
when it is only a bituminous clay ? Do these strata derive 
• One of the specimens, a calamite procured by Mr. T. Wilson, from the 
Falconar pit at Kexbro, is very valuable, as showing that the calamites have true 
phragmata, a fact which had been previously doubted. This fossil will be figured 
on the resuming of the Fossil Flora, by Henslow and Hutton. 
