MINERAL SPECIMENS. 
53 
times called by the French archaeologists the reindeer age , in 
consequence of the presence of the reindeer in certain southern 
districts where it has not been found during the historic period. 
For information on the French bone-caves, the visitor should 
refer to Messrs. Lartet and Christy’s Reliquice Aqnitanicce , edited 
by Professor T. Rupert Jones, 1875. 
Nevtll Collection. Cases JS T os. 25 and 26. 
Two Table Cases standing at the northern end of the Museum, 
one on each side of the large fluor-spar vase, contain a valuable 
collection of minerals formed many years ago by the late 
Mr. William Hevill, of Godaiming in Surrey, from whom it was 
purchased by Mr. Henry Ludlam, who bequeathed it, with his 
other minerals, to this Museum. The collection includes many 
specimens of historical interest, such as those obtained from the 
Lettsom cabinets. In 1872 Mr. Nevill printed a descriptive 
catalogue of this collection, and it is from this catalogue that 
the printed labels attached to the specimens have been extracted. 
The arrangement is founded on Gustav Rose’s crystallo-chemical 
system, and is very similar to that adopted at the British 
Museum. The collection comprises between three and four 
thousand specimens, of which only a small proportion can be 
displayed in the glass cases, the remainder being preserved in a 
series of 72 glass-covered drawers in the lower part of the 
cabinets. 
Large Yase of Fluor-Spar. — Presented by the late 
S. Addington. No. 27. 
This handsome Yase is formed of a beautiful variety of Fluor- 
spar which occurs only at a single hill called Tre-clifF, near 
Castleton in Derbyshire. It is a mineral of finely- variegated 
purple tints, known locally as “ Blue John,” a name adopted by 
the Derbyshire miners to distinguish it from “Black Jack,” or 
zinc-blende (p. 70). The Derbyshire spar was not known until 
the year 1770, but it lias since been so largely employed for 
ornamental purposes that the true “ Blue John” is no longer to 
be obtained. The spar rarely occurred in masses of large size, 
and hence the difficulty of procuring material for manufacturing 
so large a vase as that exhibited. This vase, which was made 
by Mr. Yallame, of Matlock, of several pieces of spar, is 2 ft. 8 ins. 
high, and its greatest circumference is about 3 ft. 7 ins. 
Meteorites. Case No. 29. 
Only a small collection of these fascinating objects — stones 
which have fallen from the sky — was formerly exhibited; but 
Mr. Ludlam’s bequest some years ago brought into the possession 
of the Museum the splendid collection of Meteorites which was 
