Notes and Comments. 
235 
method of preparing skeletons by Dr. Langton. Mr. F. Leney 
•of Norwich dealt with the question of insurance of museum 
specimens and gave results of the correspondence he had had 
with the various museums in the country on the subject. 
VISITS TO COLLECTIONS. 
As is usual on these occasions, the members had access to 
the houses of the more wealthy inhabitants in the neighbour- 
hood, where the art treasures were freely shown and were 
described by experts from the Victoria and Albert Museum, etc. 
In this way we visited Cyfarthfa Castle, Margam Abbey, and 
St. Donat’s Castle. A visit was also paid to the cave known as 
Bacon Hole at Gower, where many archaeological objects were 
examined. Mr. Rimbault Dibdin, of the Liverpoool Art 
'Galleries, was elected President of the Association for the 
forthcoming year, and the changes in the officers were, Editor, 
Mr. W. R. Butterfield, and Executive Committee, Messrs. 
F. R. Rowley (Exeter) and T. Sheppard (Hull). 
PRIMITIVE PAINTINGS. 
It will be remembered that a little while ago a well-known 
geologist gave to the world his discovery of certain ochreous 
stains on the walls of a cave known as Bacon Hole, in the 
■Gower peninsula, and these he opined were the handiwork 
of palaeolithic man. They were described as the oldest ‘ wall 
paintings ’ in these islands. At the recent meeting of the 
Museums Association at Swansea the members paid a visit 
to this cave, under the guidance of a prominent local antiquary. 
The stains were examined, and the leader pointed out that there 
were now certainly more than when described by the Professor 
-of Geology. This being so it would seem either that palaeolithic 
man is still hanging round the Gower area and daubing the 
•cave walls to mystify us, or the Professor is not quite correct 
in his conclusions. 
CHARACTERISTIC FOSSILS. 
The British Association for the advancement of science 
has issued a Report of the Committee to consider the pre- 
paration of a list of Characteristic Fossils. In connection with 
this the following basis of operation was adopted. (1) 
Definition — A characteristic fossil is one, either genus or 
species, that is restricted to a particular horizon, or is abundant 
at the horizon and comparatively rare elsewhere, so that its 
presence in a bed would raise a clear presumption of the 
stratigraphical position or age of the bed.’ (2) A majority 
•of the members of the committee were in favour of having 
three lists drawn up — (a) Elementary, 200 species ; ( b ) Ad- 
vanced, 400 species ; (c) Honours, 600 species. As to the 
advantage of division ( c ) there was some difference of opinion, 
191J Aug. 1 . 
