secretaries' report. 
13 
"The neighbourhood of Plymouth having been peculiarly rich 
in ossiferous deposits, owing to the immediate contiguity of the 
limestone rocks, it is only fitting that the Museum of the Plymouth 
Institution should contain as complete a record as possible of these 
products of the Devonian caverns. We now have a tolerably com- 
plete set of representative specimens from all the known bone caves 
in Devon, except the latest discovered at Brixham. They include 
bones from the Hoe fissures (Plymouth), Stonehouse, Oreston, 
Pomphlett, Yealmpton, Chudleigh, Ash Hole (Brixham), and 
Kent's Cavern (Torquay). 
"A statement of the specimens belonging to each cavern will 
appear in the Society's Transactions, appended to the paper read 
by Mr. E. K Worth, on February 20th, 1879, to whom the 
Society is indebted for the classification and arrangement of this 
portion of the geological collection, properly to display which as it 
deserves would occupy more space than is at command. 
"The general collection of fossils remains much the same as 
reported last year. 
"The mineralogical collection has received a few additions. 
Mr. Brent has presented some gneiss from the Eddystone, also a 
beautiful piece of hematite iron ore, and some garnets in the mass ; 
and Mr. Worth a piece of axinite from South Brent, and iron ore 
from Perran. 
"The mineralogical collection has far outgrown the available 
space in the show-cases, as in addition to the already overcrowded 
cases, there are large numbers of specimens in the drawers under 
the eastern case which are practically useless for want of adequate 
exhibition space. 
" Besides these the nucleus of a collection of dressed local rock 
specimens has been formed, which may be made of considerable 
economical value to the district. Contributions to this collection 
will be welcomed." 
The Curator of the Library reports : 
" The Curator of the Library in his Eeport for last year called the 
attention of the Society to the need of additional shelves for the 
books. This want has been met by the fixing of some additional 
ones on each side of the window of the Library, through which 
sufficient space has been obtained for a due arrangement of the 
volumes for two or three years to come. 
