Number 3 - Geological Curators Group

THE GEOLOGICAL CURATORVOLUME 4, N0.3CONTENTSCONTENTS .........................................................FORTHCOMING MEETINGS .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EDITORIAL - GEOLOGY AT THE NCC by P.R. Crowther ... .. . .... . .COLLECTIONS, COLLECTORS AND MUSEUMS OF NOTE.No. 45 (cont. ), GEOLOGY AT STOKE-ON-TRENT MUSEUMAND ART GALLERY: SUPPLEMENT by D.I. Steward . . . . . . . . . . . .No. 47, ROBERT HUNT F.R.S. (1807-1887) by R.L. Atkinson . . . .No. 48, THE BEASLEY COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS ANDDRAWINGS OF FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS AND BONES, AND OFFOSSIL. AND RECENT SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES byW.A.S. Sarjeant ................................................PREPARATION TECHNIQUES FOR MATERIAL FROM THEPOSlDONlENSCHlEFER (LIAS EPSILON, UPPER LIASSIC)OF GERMANY by F. ~8rcherand T. Keller . .... . .. . ... .. . . .. . .. .LOST FOSSIL AMPHIBIAN OF BEAR ISLAND by A.G. Dor6and B. WandAS ..................................................NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT BATH GEOLOGY MUSEUM byM.A. Taylor .....................................................POET'S CORNER ..................................................LOST AND FOUND compiled by M.D. Crane and H.S. Torrens . . . . . .NOTES AND NEWS compiled by T. Cross . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BOOK REVIEWS .....................................................LAUNCHING 'GUIDELINES FOR THE CURATION OF GEOLOGICALMATERIALS' by C. H. C. Brunton .....................,.....GEOLOGICAL CURATORS' GROUPJuly 1985

to select and conserve a flood ofscientifically sub-standard SSSIs forcultural, recreational, inspirational andspiritual reasons. Further, the general toneof the policy statement indicates a swiftmove away from conservation by co-operationand consent in favour of a new stance basedon arbitrary decisions against which there islittle if any appeal. I have always been infavour of conservation by consensus and notby diktat; further I do not feel that I amprofessionally qualified to select SSSls oncultural, recreational, inspirational andspiritual grounds. The new policy seeksconflict rather than co-operation and in myopinion will be disastrous for earth scienceconservation, whose primary requisite issymbiosis with the mineral industry."Throughout his service with NCC, Dr Black hasbeen well-known for his efforts to maintainthe closest possible relationships betweenthe scientific community (as the persons forwhom SSSls are primarily to be conserved) andthe other land using interests who are theowners and creators of many of the mostimportant Sites. In Dr Black's opinion,conservation, both biological and geological,must be flexible enough to accommodate theneeds of both the site owners and the siteusers. It must accept changes to theenvironment and seek to maintain its qualityby offsetting losses with gains elsewhere.As a form of applied science, conservationmust confine its attentions to scientificparameters (e.g. in the criteria it employsto evaluate sites) and not be seduced intoaccepting the apparently easy optionsprovided outside science.Unfortunately these views are in directconflict with recently adopted NCC policy aspromulgated in the definitive publicationNature Conservation in Great Britain.'For those with access to NCC's new strategydocuments, the sections most relevant to theabove press release are paragraphs 14.2.2,14.2.3, 14.2.4 and 15.2.5 of the maindocument Nature Conservation in Greatm, and 2.1, 2.3. 2.4, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4of the separate supplementary Summary ofobjectives strategy.Given the position of geology within NCChighlighted by the report (above) of theGeological Society (on whose ConservationCommittee Dr Black sits) it is perhaps alittle puzzling to the 'outsider' why DrBlack should have restricted his resignationissue. at least nubliclv. solelv " around-thepotential widencng of criteria used by NCC indesignating SSSIs (to include 'cultural,recreational, aesthetic, inspirational andeven spiritual' aspects). Many may share hisdisquiet but the long term effects of suchchanges are surely more difficult to predictthan those, already with us, which stem fromthe presently recognized shortcomings inNCC's provision for geological conservationtoday? Certainly what media reaction therewas to the press notice from George BlackAssociates failed to appreciate his uneaseabout the long term disadvantages togeological site conservation which he sawresulting from NCC's new strategy; theGuardian took the line thata new 'uncom~romisin~ militancy' within NCCwas possibly iong overdue. he Guardianfollowed up an almost verbatim report of theoriginal press notice on 1 December 1984(under the title 'Scientist quits 'militant'nature council') with a more reflectiveleader on 5 December, headed 'Rancour in thegrass'; the latter's general tone can beseen from the following extracts:'This is a strange time for civil strife tobreak out in the Nature Conservancy Council.For vears the NCC and the numerous voluntarv "organisations working the same ground havefaced official indifference despite numericalevidence of strong popular support. Withinthe past twelve months their outlook hassuddenly changed. Conservation has beenpromoted from a worthy cause to a politicalissue.The failings of the Wildlife andCountryside Act, 1981, no longer have to beargued: the Government recognises them,looks for amendments, and gives the NCC anextra 67 million to cover its addedresponsibilities.'. . . ..'Against this backdropthe resignation of Dr George Black, the NCC'sChief Geologist, may be no more than anaberration; hut his claim that the staff arebeing radicalised into young zealots willrejoice that section of the farming lobbywhich has little time for the NCC or any ofits works. There is good reason why thestaff should be radicalised, but not muchevidence to support Dr Black's claim thatthey are.'. . . . .'Dr Black's allegation thatsites are now being chosen for protectedstatus on diminishing grounds of environmentalvalue needs evidence to support it.The NCC is amply occupied with the sites ithas already named and any new ones areselected on grounds of their imminentvulnerability as habitats. That is notpopular work with the landowner, but unlessmore of Britain is to go East Anglia's wayinto ecological oblivion a slight touch ofzeal may be essential to the job.'NCC GEOLOGISTS - ARE THERE ENOUGH?A major concern brought out in the GeologicalSociety's report reproduced above is theinadequacy of geological representation atall levels within NCC - on the Council andCommittees, in senior management, among theChief Scientist's staff, and at RegionalOfficer level. The imbalance in favour ofthe biologists is clear for all to see.Growth in regional staff over the years hasnot been matched by equivalent growth ingeological support - without which theregional staff cannot carry out theirgeological function. The Wildlife andCountryside Act, 1981 has resulted in amassive increase in workload for the NCC as awhole. But, as in the past, the recentincrease in regional staff prompted by therequirements of the Act is not being matchedby the extra geologists necessary to backthem up.IrOniCaUY, the longstanding and closecooperation between the small but effective

year 1884, after he had retired from activelife, he published his important work BritishMining; a volume of nearly one thousandpages, and of which he was preparing a newedition at the time of his death. His penwas never at rest. From the picturesqueimagery displayed in some of his earlierwritings, he was frequently spoken of as the'Poet of Science'. His Panthea (althoughconsidered by its author to have beenmisunderstood), was, at the time of itsappearance, characterised as work in which"Philosophy and Poetry are finely blended,and great truths and noble sentiments areexpressed in language full of beauty andeloquence. If His Poetry of Science passedthrough three editions.In any publication issued in the westerncounties of England, it would be superfluousto dwell on the personal characteristicswhich made Mr Robert Hunt so deservedlypopular. Scattered about the world, theremight now be found many who owe their succin life to kindly help received from him.His fluent speech, his courteous bearing, hisunvarying readiness to place his knowledgeand influence at the service of others, willnot readily be forgotten; and by no personswill respect for his memory be longercherished than by those who had the privilegof daily association with him.THE ROBERT HUNT COLLECTIONFig.1. .Robert Hunt F.R.S. (1807-1887)Mr Hunt was for many years a strenuousadvocate for the establishment, in miningcentres, of scientific schools for youngminers, who always had his warmest sympathv.To him chiefly is owing the institution of the ,Minersf Association of Cornwall and Devon,which finally resulted from a public meetingat Camborne, called together by Mr Hunt, andpresided over by Sir John St. Aubyn, Memberfor West Cornwall. It has been said that thescientific knowledge acquired bymetalliferous miners through this associationhas contributed to the improvement of miningin all parts of the world.He was closely connected with theorganisation of the Great Exhibition of 1851,and also with the International Exhibition of1862; for both of which he furnished guidesand synopses. In 1866 he acted as one of theRoyal Commission appointed to consider thepossible exhaustion of coal fields of Britain.The writings of Mr Hunt relate mainly tophotography, the chemical action of light.mining, and folk-lore. He edited andreconstructed Urefs great Dictionary of Artsand Sciences. He contributed to the ArtJournal, the Quarterly Journal of ~cieG.The Athenaeum, the Dictionary of NationalBiography, the Western Antiquary, and manyother publications. And even so late as theOn the death of Robert Hunt in 1887 a fundwas set up for a memorial to him. The donorfrom London suggested the getting up of amedal but local people thought a museum woulbe more desirabie in the district. This wasaccepted and funds were made available tothat end on the condition that it was calledThe Robert Hunt Museum. The collections ofMr Stephen Davey of Redruth and anotherunknown local gentleman formed the basis ofthe display. The unknown figure may havebeen Hunt's friend Sir John Herschell, whosewife possibly handed over Sir John'scollection on his death.The original building consisted of a largehall 40 X 30 X 20 feet high adjoining theRedruth Science and Art Schools on a sitepresented by Lord Clifton. Underneath thehall were rooms for the caretaker and storagespace. The total cost was about £700.Initially there were seven cases containing2263 specimens. The museum was opened onOctober 26th, 1891 by the chairman of themuseum building committee Mr W.M. Grylls(from a local mining family). The buildingstill survives.The museum was absorbed into the RedruthSchool of Mines at some unknown date, whilethe Redruth. Penzance, and Camborne miningschools merged in 1909. The collection wastransferred to the Camborne Museum in 1953with the understanding that it should be madeavailable to the public and displayed in thesame cases. Much of the material wasabandoned in cardboard boxes at the CamborneMine and has since disappeared.

In 1975 the Camborne School of Mines movedinto new buildings on the Trevenson site halfway between Redruth and Camborne. The oldcases were in poor condition and left behindbut the Robert Hunt Collection has been givenprominent display space in new cases inkeeping with the original idea of a memorialto the founder of mining education inCornwall.BIBLlOGRAPHYThe following list is based on that whichaccompanies the Western Antiquary obituaryand includes only Hunt's principal publishedworks.1841, 1854. Art of photography.1844, 1854. Researches on light and itschemical relations.1846, 1849, 1854. Poetry of science; orstudies of the physical phenomena ofnature.1846, 1852. Records of the Schools of Minesand Memoirs of the Geological Survey:Lecture on "Cultivating Habits ofObservation"; articles on miningstatistics, lead-mining, voltaiccurrents, etc.1846, 1852. Mineral statistics of the UnitedKingdom. [also separately published1852, 188211849. Panthea: the spirit of nature.1851, 1855. Elementary physics.1851. Handbook to the Official Catalogue ofthe Great Exhibition.1851. Synopsis of the Great Exhibition.1853. Manufacturer in metal (CabinetCyclopadeia) .1857, 1877. Descriptive guide to the Museumof Practical Geology.1858. Catalogue and contents of the MiningRecord Office.1860, 1867, 1875. Ure's Dictionary of Arts,Manufacturers, and Mines. [editions 5,6 and 711862. Handbook to the Industrial Departmentof the International Exhibition.1865, 1871, 1881. Popular romances of theWest of England.1867. (pamphlet). Is it practicable to insurecolliery property, and the lives ofcoal miners?1884. British mining; a treatise on themetalliferous mines in the UnitedKingdom.Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society's Reports.Numerous papers related to earthquakephenomena, air in mines, waters frommining districts, Cornish engines,electricity of mineral veins, etc.British Association Reports. Papers on theactinograph, the influence of solarrays on plants, the chemical action ofsolar radiations, the Daguerreotypeprocess, etc.Royal Society's Catalogue of ScientificPapers. Forty-nine articles publishedin transactions of learned societiesand scientific journals;the earliest'On Tritiodide -of erc cur^' appearing in1838.R. Lesley AtkinsonCurator, Geological MuseumCamborne School of MinesPool, RedruthCornwall TR15 3SE .Typescript received 15 July 1984Revised tv~escri~t received 4 Februarv 1985'Team photograph' of GCG members at the Winchester meeting, 19th April 1985.County Museums Service.Photograph : Hampshire

THE BEASLEY COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS OF FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS AND BONES, AND OF FOSSIL AND RECENT SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES BY WILI-IAM A.S. SARJEANTThe Beasley Collection was assembled by an amateur geologist. Mr Henry C. Beasley of Liverpool, between about 1895 and 1914: it is now owned by the Liverpool Geological Society and held in the Library of the Geology Department, University of Liverpool. The Collection consists of some 3.70 photographs and drawings, the majority of which are of fossil vertebrate footprints (tracks and single prints), together with a few of Triassic vertebrate fossils and invertebrate tracks, and a number of sedimentary structures, Triassic and recent. The photographs are most often mounted on cards, numbered and annotated by Beasley himself; additional annotations were made many years later by Dr J.C. Harper of the University of Liverpool and Dr W.A. Cummins ,of the University of Nottingham. Themajority of the earlier (and some of thelater) photographs were taken for Beasley byfriends or by curators of the collectionswhich contained the specimens. In general,these are of high quality. Later Beasleyacquired his own camera, but unfortunatelyhis own photographs are generally of aninferior standard. In a number of instances.the name of the photographer is given only inabbreviated form (and remains unrecognized)or not at all. The collection also includessome mounted drawings of footprints made byBeasley from published photographs andfigures.The collection was borrowed by me early in1970. Only narrowly did it escapedestruction in the fire which devastated theupper floor of the new Geology building ofthe University of Nottingham in late March ofthat year, the boxes containing thephotographs being charred and the photographssuffering some discoloration. Preparation ofa list was embarked upon, as a prelude todeciding which photographs would be used in ahistorical article I was then preparing onthe study of fossil footprints in the Britishlsles (Sarjeant 1974). So great was theinterest of the collection, however, that 1decided to prepare and circulate a restrictednumber of copies of that list. To increaseits usefulness, supplementary information wasadded to Beasley's notes concerning theplaces of lodgement of specimens, wheneverknown, and the names currently applied to thefootprint ichnotaxa. Since some numbers wereduplicated and some vacant, whilst somephotographs and drawings lacked numbers, 1undertook a limited renumbering of the cardsand photographs for the sake of coherence.Only 100 copies of the list (Sarjeant 1971)were produced, half of these being sent tothe, Liverpool Geological Society. The workFig.1. Portrait of Henry Charles Beasley(1836-1919).has been long out of print and inaccessible;moreover, it contains some minor errors (herecorrected). For these reasons, itsrepublication in a more readily accessibleform seems desirable.In the revised list that follows, Beasley'scomments are contained within inverted commaswhen directly quoted, though it should benoted that his comments have in some casesbeen reordered and that punctuation hassometimes been inserted, to clarify hismeaning. Indirect quotations (summarised oramended) are not enclosed in quotationmarks. His spelling 'Moreton' of the surnameof George Highfield Morton (1826-1900) isretained, although incorrect. Beasley'ssystem of letter designations of footprinttypes is explained in Sarjeant (1974.pp.301-309). the present equivalentichnogeneric and ichnospecific names beingspecified there and herein.

Fig.2. Triassic (Lower Keuper) sandstone slab in Bootle Museum, from the storeto; quarries, Cheshire,exhibiting vertebrate footprints of Rhynchosauroides type and other sedimentary structures. Photo:F. Anyon (Beasley Collection no.3).All photographs are of footprints, unless otherwise indicated: all are of Triassic (Lower Keuper) specimens, unless otherwise indicated. An asterisk before the number indicates that a negative of a photograph 'made by me, either of Beasleyls photograph orof the entire card, is lodged in mycollection (University of Saskatchewan).Copies of these photographs can be produced.for a suitable small charge, on request.Accounts of the Storeton Quarries, from whichthe greatest number of specimens photographedwere obtained (many photographs being takenin the quarries themselves), were publishedby George H. Morton (1883) and by Beasleyhimself (1913). Working of the quarriesceased long ago; the area is now a park andthe quarries largely overgrown or filled in.Unfortunately. Beasley rarely makes it clearfrom which quarry or from which horizon aparticular specimen was obtained. Moreover,very often the lodgement of the samples isalso left unclear; the fact that Beasleygave a number to a specimen does not mean itformed part of his own extensive collection.since he allocated his numbers also tospecimens that he had examined in othercollections. Moreover, many specimensphotographed and numbered by Beasley maynever have been collected.Henry Beasley's personal collection was presented before his death to the Liverpool Museum, which already contained extensive footprint materials from Storeton.Unfortunately, as a consequence of wartimebombing of the Museum, some of the specimenswere undoubtedly destroyed, but whatproportion I do not know. Labels on thesurviving specimens were very often burnedaway, so that their identification is noteasy. Their restudy will be a major task,especially because of the size andIunhandiness' of many of the footprintbearing'slabs; but its carrying out ishighly desirable, in view of theirimportance. It should be attempted inassociation with Beasleyls photographs, tofacilitate the recognition of specimens.Where a place of lodgement is stated, it hasbeen checked by Dr Harper andlor myself,though in some instances confidentidentification was impossible. My list ofholdings of fossil vertebrate footprints inBritish museums (Sarjeant 1984) should bereferred to whenever necessary.HENRY CHARLES BEASLEY (1836-1919)Although he is perhaps the most importantsingle figure in the field of Britishpalaeoichnology, biographical informationconcerning Henry Beasley is meagre. Thefullest biography known to me is an anonymousobituary published in the Liverpool Daily-- Post & Mercury for 18th December 1919; thisis short enough to be quoted here in full:

Fig.3. Triassic (Lower Keuper) sandstone slab in Bootle Museum, from the Storeton quarries, Cheshire,exhibiting vertebrate footprints of Rhvnchosauroides type and other sedimentary ,structures. Photo:F. Anyon (Beasley Collection no.4).Fig.4. Triassic (Lower Keuper) sandstone slab exhibiting vertebrate fdotprints (Chirotherium sp.),propped up in the Storeton quarry in 1906 before sale and transport to the British Museum (NaturalHistory). Photo: W .H. Rock (Beasley Collection no.84).-135-

Fig. 5. Invertebrate tracks (probablyPermichnium volckeri Guthorl) in Triassic(Lower Keuper) sandstones from Storetonquarry, Cheshire. Photo: Edmunds (BeasleyCollection no. 211)..The death of Mr Henry C. Beasley, at the ageof eighty-three, removes from the life ofLiverpool one who was well known for manyyears in scientific circles. His work ingeology is known and appreciated not only inthis country but on the Continent of Europeand in America. For over forty years MrBeasley was an active member of the LiverpoolGeological Society, and served the society assecretary for several years, and on twoseparate occasions as president. He is bestknown by his researches and original work onthe remarkable footprints which are found onthe sandstones of Storeton Quarry, inconnection with which he was led to the studyof similar occurrences in rocks of the sameage in other parts of England and in othercountries. He described a number of newspecies or varieties and suggested aclassification of the local footprints. ' Hesecured valuable specimen slabs from Storetonfor the geological department of the BritishMuseum, the Liverpool University, and otherpublic collections. His own valuablecollection of footprints and other geologicalspecimens was recently purchased by theLiverpool Public Museum, where a selection oftypical and interesting specimens are atpresent on view in the large hall. MrBeasley was for many years a Fellow of theGeological Society of London, and he alsoserved in 1901-2 as president of theFig. 6. Vertebrate tracks in Triassicsandstones from Townhead Quarry, Alton,Staffordshire. Photo: A. Harris (BeasleyCollection no.362).Liverpool Biological Society, taking as thesubject of his presidential address hisfavourite study of the life of the localTriassic rocks.However, this leaves one in ignorance ofBeasley's antecedents, profession (if any),and marital status. A brief biography by'W.H.' (1920) in the Geolovical Magazineprovides only three pieces of furtherinformation; that Beasley was awarded theproceeds of the Barlow-Jameson Fund by theGeological Society of London in 1908, inrecognition of his work on footprintclassification, that he died on December14th, and that his collection was purchasedfor Liverpool's Free Public Museum byCouncillor C. Sydney Jones. M.A. 'W .H.' alsonotes that:'Mr Beasley was a most indefatigable andpersistent worker at his favourite geologicalsubjects, such work being his relaxation froman active commercial career. His unselfishcharacter and his readiness at all times toassist any fellow-worker endeared him to allwho knew him'.If any readers know of additional biographies1 have missed, or can supply anyreminiscences (personal or second-hand) ordetails of Henry Beasley. I would welcometheir letters.

Fig.7. part of the display of vertebrate footprint specimens in Warwick Museum, 1905. The principalslab shows prints attributable to Cheirotherium cf. herculis Egerton. Photo: J. Harriott, Warwick(Beasley Collection no. 365).ACKNOWLEDGEMENTI am indebted to Dr Geoffrey Tresise (Keeperof Geology, Merseyside County Museums,Liverpool) for his valuable assistance inidentifying localities mentioned by Beasley ,and for his critical comments on thismanuscript.TAXONOMIC NOTESI. Chirosaurus Kaup, though a moreappropriate name, is unfortunately a juniorobjective synonym of Chirotherium Kaup:'Cheirosaurus' and 'Cheirotherium' arevariant spellings employed by Beasley andothers from time to time.11. Chirotherium (= Chirosaurus)storetonensis Morton is considered by Haubold(1971, p.55) to be a junior subjectivesynonym of Chirotherium barthii Kaup .However, since no restudy of the holotype ofMorton's species has been made, I am notprepared as yet to accept this synonymization.111. Chirotherium majus Sickler is likewiseconsidered by Haubold (1971, p.55) to be ajunior subjective synonym of ~hirotheriumbarthii.IV. Chirotherium minus Sickler is consideredby Haubold (1971, p.55) to be a juniorsubjective synonym of Chirotherium sickleriKaup.V. Chelone? subrotundus Morton is consideredby Haubold (1971, p.41) to be a juniorsubjective synonym of Dicvnodontipus geinitzi .(Hornstein) Haubold.However, until theholotype of Morton's genus is re-examined,this judgement must remain disputable.V1. Brontozoum Hitchcock, 1847 is consideredby Haubold (1971, p.75) to be a juniorsubjective synonym of Eubrontes Hitchcock,1845.V11. Ichnium gampsodactylum gampsodactylumPabst, 1, gampsodactylum gracilis Pabst, 1,g. albendorfense Pabst, I. g. minor Pabst,and I. g. friedrichrodanum Pabst have beenthe subject of much taxonomic controversy.When Gampsodactylum was elevated to genericstatus by Nopcsa (1923, p. 138). two species,-G. albendorfense and G. friedrichrodanum ,were distinguished: the subspecies gracilisand minor were both placed within the former.Kuhn (1963) retained these two ichnospecies(pp.25-26) but also treated them, on anotherpage, as junior subjective synonyms ofEumekichnium lacertoides (Geinitz, 1861)Nopcsa. Haubold (1971) treated both theseichnogenera (Gampsodactylum and Eumekichnium)as junior subjective synonyms of DromopusMarsh and the subspecies gracilis and minoras junior subjective synonyms of D.lacertoides (Geinitz) Marsh; his opinion onthe placement of Gampsodactylum albendorfenseand c. friedrichrodanum is unclear.

VIII. Whilst pachydactvlum minusPabst and 1, p. albendorfense Pabst arevalidly published subspecies, 1. p.irregulatum' does not exist and must beconsidered a product of an orthographicerror. I have not been able to placeBeasley's card alongside Pabst's text and socannot determine which subspecies was meant.Kuhn (1963) treated both subspecies as juniorsubjective synonyms of Ichniotheriumleisnerianum (Geinitz) Kuhn. In contrast,Haubold (1971, p.20) treated them as juniorsubjective synonyms, not of I. leisnerianum(which he transferred to Dimetropus Romer andPrice, as g. leisnerianus) but of his ownichnospecies Amphisauropus imminutus. (Thisis a perfectly correct taxonomic procedure.since Pabst's ichnotaxa, though senior, weremere subspecies and a name does not havepriority outside its own taxonomic rank). Afuller study of the morphology and taxonomyof these ichnospecies is desirable to clarifywhich alternative placement is preferable.REFERENCESBEASLEY, H.C. 1913. Notes on a map of thefaults in the neighbourhood ofStoreton made by the late Mr G.H.Morton, F.G .S. Proc. Lpool geol. Soc.11, 311-316, p1.12 (folding map).H., W. 1920. Henry Charles Beasley. m.a. 57, 94-95.HAUBOLD, H. 1971. Ichnia amphibiorum etreptiliorum fossilium. In KUHN, 0.(ed.). Handbuch &r Herpetologie,Pt.18. 124oo.. 65 figs.. 7 tabs.~usta; a hischer V&lag, Stuttgart.Germany and Portland, U .S .A.KUHN. 0. 1963. Ichnia tetranodorum. InIVESTPIIAI., l:. (erl.). '~ossiliumCatalogus. I. Animolin, Pt.101.176vv. dunk: s8Gruvenhuge, Netherlands.MORTON, -&.H. 1883. IJescripti;n of a geologicalmap of the Storeton quarries,Cheshire. Proc. Lpool geol. Soc. 4,4nfi-4117. . . . ..SARJEANT, W .A.S. 1971. The Beasley Collectionof photographs and nriwings of fossilfootprints and boncs and of fossil andrecent sedimentary structures.Privatelv oublished. Nottingham. 3 8 ~ ~ .~~imited ebition of ioo copiZsl.SARJEANT, W.A.S. 1974. A history andbiblioeranhv of the studv of fossilverteGraie kootprints in ihe BritishIsles. Palaeogeog. Palaeoclimatol.Palaeoecol. 16, 265-378, figs.1-34.SARJEANT, W.A.S. 1984. British fossilfootprints in the collections of someprincipal British museums. TheGeological Curator, 3, 541-560.William A.S. SarjeantRoom 108.3 (Geological Sciences)General Purpose BuildingUniversity of SaskatchewanSaskatoon, Canada S7N OWOTypescript received 27 August 1984

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSNatural History Museum.my No. 290". (photo 236) [Note in another hand:ular scales of epidermis. The length of the

BFASLEY 'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS

BEASLEY 'S COMENTSADDITIONAL COMNENTSlie£ Sandstone slab. "There are 4 digits and 2 of the "Catalogue sys-' l'appendice en Earme de ponce

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSoniferous of Yorkshire alsobe the original of pl.Morton's collection waspurchased by BM(NH) in1900.*52ManchesterMus.(Prab.LL.66621)Prob.Storeton,Cheshire"AI".Chirotherim storetonensisMorton"53Br.Mus.(NaturalHistory)No.RZ95Tarparley,CheshireCheirotherim herntZis Egerton 1839 [Two photographs].Holotype and paratype.[Now IsochirotheriumhercuZis (Egerton)Haubold] .*54*55WarringtanMus.Br.Mus(NaturalHistory?LW,CheshireStoreton,CheshireLength 9 inches''A21'Possibly ?Otozom swinnertoniSarjeant 1970Similar to last.

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSnr. Birken-

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSHickling 30 - ? - 05. See his letter. Aboutx 3'0"[Two photographs] Photo: Jas. Naite.Jas. Waite.type D1 of Beasley 1906Trent) Museum Collection.

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSPhoto: W.H. Rockith No. 2, 1907") .tion details given underprobably left forefoot. It is in rather high re-

BEASLEY 'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSAssoc. Rept. 1904) as &, of Beasley. Named specificallyby F.E. Peabody 1948 (Univ.CaZif.Pub2.GeoZ. Vol. xxvii p. 347) on Lomas's description.Slab therefore becomes Type of Cheirotherium beasend. Central protion now in British Museum." (cf.

BEASLEY 'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSindication of presentplace of lodgement.

H.C.B.LODGEMENTLOCALITYPHOTOMUSEUM& STRAT.BEASLEY 'S COPP4ENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSNOS.& NO.POSITION126127128129LiverpoolMuseumLiverpoolMuseumLiverpoolMuseumLiver-Aughton nr.Ormskirk,CheshireLittleCrasbyQuarry,Merseyside,nr. LiverpoolDaresbury,Cheshirestoreton,"Fine parallel markings in relief.... Owncolln. no. 275, 21/8/97. Height 16 cm." Photo:H.C. Beasley."Straight markings ... Own colln. 228. 4/6/96.Length of longest marking 12 cm. The markingsare parallel; the one on the right is in relief,the middle one an impression, that on the leftalso an impression: these two may be margins [of]one object". Photo: H.C. Beasley."Curved markings ... The lower one is a filletquite square in section, the others mouldings inlow relief. Length of upper margin 18 cm. Inthe large slab of what [sic] this is a portion,the curve of the markings was clearly shown".No. 142, Beasley Colln. Photo: H.C. Beasley."Sundry prints.. . No. 179, own collection".Groove casts.Groove casts.Groove casts.prints. No indication of

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS*l44145146147148149150151Br.Mus.(NaturalHistory)LiverpoolCityMuseumLiverpoolCityMuseumLiverpoolCityMuseumLiverpoolCityMuseumCheshireStoreton,CheshireStoretonHillQuarries,CheshireRuncorn,CheshireNorthQuarryStoretan,CheshireSmallquarry,FiveLane Ends,Frodsham,CheshireOxton Heathnr.Birken-Photo of three specimens, two with "cusp shapedmarkings" (131, 208), one with "straight markhead,Cheshire(131) :ings" (276). Beasley Colln. Photo: H.C. Beasley.prab .Runcorn,Cheshire(208) ;prob.Aughtonnr.Omskirk,Cheshire(276)OxtonHeath, nr.Birkenhead,eheshireOxtonHeath, nr.Birkenhead,Cheshire(No. 197 17-3-94)". Photo: H.C. Beasley.No indication of placeof lodgement."Slab of sandstone, bearing casts of prints ofCheirotheraid, Rhynchosauroid and Chelanoid forms.The white line is a 12 inch Rule for comparisonfor size. April, 1906".Lithograph: "Fossil Fucoidea discovered in theNew Red Sandstone....by John Cunningham, F.G.S.August 1841. Published by the Natural HistorySociety of Liverpool. From Nature by A.F. Tait;printed by McCahey 15 Lord St." Photo: H.C,Beasley."Fine current striations. ..(Own Colln. No. 305). Character not clear.Probably caused by slipping of a roughened surfaceof a foot"."Invertebrate tracks, an upper surface, wavemarked. Probably Arthropod, Crustacean. Owncolln. No. 206. Found by Marvby & Bruce. See alsoa similar specimen [in] Brit. Mus. same place".Photo: H.C. Beasley."Series of curves, generally concentric in relief.... some imperfect footprints in samequarry. In lower, rt. hand Corner, probably wormboring, horizontal. (Own Colln. 294). Scale atside in centimeters." Photo: H.C. Beasley."Cast of injured portion (before accident) ofslab. .. (My no. 205) with invertebrate markings':Photo: H.C. Beasley."Entire slab.. .including central injured portionof which 150 is aphatohefore injury. Certainmarks are supposed to represent webbed feet(right hand side of centre of fracture). Thereare other invertebrate markings."Probably Pemichniwnvijlckeri. [See also2091.Probably groove casts.Probably ctenoid casts(131, 208) and groovecasts (276).Furrow casts joininglongitudinal channelcast? Place of lodgementnot indicated.Comments as last: "webbedfeet" may be ctenoidcasts?

H.C.B.PHOTONOS.LODGEMENTMUSEUM& NO.LOCALITY& STRAT.POSITIONBEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS152153154?Geol.Dpt.Lpoo1.U.MuseumStoreton,Cheshire?Harley,Staffordshire(324):Runcorn,Cheshire(l43)Storeton,Cheshire(266,357):Runcorn,Cheshire(325)en ey s ."Possibly footprints of small vertebrates (No.128 in Calln.)" Photo: H.C. BeasleyPhoto of two specimens 324a footprint, 143"? Worm Cast".Photo. of three specimens "266 Very small markings,probably footprints. 357 Worm casts.These appear to be on the upper side of thestone as the other side is covered with a thin& smooth layer of Iron Band ... Compare withphoto 153...which also appeared to be upper sidewhen compared with other pieces in the quarry.300 Short rods with longitudinal [illegible]Camp. 125. Runcorn".Place of lodgement notindicated.Place of lodgement notindicated.sis. Morton. Present

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSf lodgement not indi-f salt in relief. (No. 227 H.C.B. Colln)".succeeding photos.

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSlace of lodgement nottern of mud cracks, and two close-ups of do.'Whereabouts of slab not

BEASLEY 'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSith from photo by Mr. Forrest of .-226227228h229*230(aversized)LiverpoolCityMuseumFlaybrickHill, nr.Birkenhead,CheshireWallasey,CheshireWallasey,CheshireStoreton,CheshireStoretan,Cheshire" Ridges & grooves, with signs of drag ... (No.4)". Photo: H.C. B[easleyl."Markings on Wallasey shore between tide marks.Small streamlets running into a little pool inthe sand". Photo: H.C. Bleasleyl. Oct.1'08."Markings an Wallasey shore between tide marks.Effect of broad shallow streams". Photo: H.C.Breasleyl, Oct.1'08. [Pencil note illegible]."No. 9, 1907. Underside; footprints & plant remainsin relief ." Figured "Brit.Assoc.h'andbookMerseyside", opp. p. 242 Proc.L'pooZ.GeoZ.Soc.Vol. xiv, pl. 9 p. 190 (1925)."(Type F2 &C.) About Actual Size. Enlarged byJ.F. Smith from Photo no. 267".Groove casts. Photo usedby Cummins, L

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSMorton. A, = IsochirothcrimZomasi (Baird) Hau-ts of digits che ends of long claws?"

BEASLEY 'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS2nd edn., Plate XXI.per bed". Photo: H.C. Beasley 27/5/1912.

H.C.B.LODGEMENTLOCALITYPHOTONOS.MUSEUM& NO.& STRAT.POSITIONBEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS29 2293 ?Geol.Surv.Mus.London.(see 298)294295 Formerlyin RuncornTechnicalInstitute29629 7298 ?Geol.Surv.Mus .[Note:"TheJerm n St.P,thisv!:29930030130230 3304 DenstoneCollegeMuseumNO. 884305 Geol.Dpt.Univ.Leic.(formerlyin DenstoneCol&lege Mus .)Storeton,CheshireStoreton,CheshireStoreton,Cheshire"Couches 'Corner",Runcorn,CheshireStoreton,CheshireStoreton,CheshireStoreton,CheshireStoreton,CheshireS toreton,CheshireStoreton,CheshireStoreton,CheshireStoreton,CheshireHollington,StaffordshireTownheadquarry,Alton,Staffordshire"Part of slab...1912, from upper bed. Small A1top right hand & scar of large Cheirotheroidprint near bottom of print: This probably wassame form as no. 291"."111, IV & V digits of A1 on no. 1/1912". Photo:W.H. Rock & H.C. Beasley, 27/5/12."1912. Two slabs near crane. a. Large impressions.b. A1 in relief (much foreshortened)".Photo: H.C. Beasley, May, 1912.Large slab."From upper footprint bed, showing the network ofdesiccation cracks & cast A1 pes & trace of manus,with deep hollow where the mud was pressed upwardround the pes. Size of pes 9" X 7", stride 3'8".Photo: H.C. Beasley 22/6/12.Same as above. "Whole length of 1811912.296". Photo: W.H. Rock 22/6/12."Series of manus & pes of A1 clearly defineddigits & nails: for large photo of digits seeNo. 293. Length of pes 7", stride 2'7", sizeof slab 5'3" X 5'3":' Photo: H.C.Beasley, 2216/12."6, 1912. 3 pairs of A1 well defined". Photo:H.C. Beasley."Storeton a/1912. Rather stout prints of A1length 8" stride 2'7"." Photo: H.C. Beasley.It8/1912. Ripple marks more strongly shown wherecrossing large footprints". Photo: H.C. Beasley,22/6/12."10/1912. Strongly 'ripple-marked' slab with somelarge D with long nails & traces of trail offoot in rear of print. (Vertical)". Photo: H.C.Beasley, 22/6/1912."10/1912. Rippled surface with D prints with nailin rear. Same slab as 302". Photo: W.H. Rock,22/6/12."Supposed bone"."Supposed plant remains".Place of lodgement, ifany, not indicated.See also 298.Chirotheriwn storetonen- sis Morton. Place of lodgement not indicated. Note by J.C. Harper. "The clerk to the Run- corn Council failed to find this slab after numerous enquiries". See also 191, 212, 213. Place of lodgement notindicated.Place of lodgement notindicated.Chirotheriwn storetonens'isMorton.Chirotheriwn storetonensi8Morton. Place oflodgement not indicated.Place of lodgement notindicated. Poor photograph,taken at quarry.Place of lodgement notindicated. Poor photograph,probably takenat quarry.Rhynchosauroides sp.Place of lodgement notindicated. Poor photograph,taken at quarry.Rhynchosauroides sp.Place of lodgement notindicated. Poor photograph,probably takenat quarry.Note by W.A. Cummins:"Labelled Mar1 concretionsimulating a bone".14-6-57.Figured and discussed byW.A. Cumins, MercianGeoZ. Vol. 1 no. 2, 1965[This invalidates Cummins'earlier comments in Liv.Manch.GeoZ. J. Vo1.2, 1958.

BEASLEY' S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS00 prln s e c.groove casts.lodgement not indicated.39)". Photo: H.C. Beasley.

H.C.B. LODGEMENT LOCALITY PHOTO MUSEUM & STRAT. BEASLEY'S COMMENTS ADDITIONAL COMMENTSNOS. & NO. POSITION.327, Storeton, "All from ...1st footprint bed, 1912. N.B. NO. Almost certainly not 328 Cheshire 327 is the upper part of same slab as 292 as it collected. & 329 . at present stands. They show the marks where thecasts of footprints have broken off, owing totheir being continuous with the bed of sandstonebelow the mar1 in which they were made" Photo:H.C. Beasley. 330 Br .MW. Storeton, "No. 511906. Part of negative 89, enlarged". (Natural Cheshire Photo: H.C. Beasely. History) No. R. 3483 331 Storeton, "Scar left after a large A print (photo 291) had Almost certainly not Cheshire been accidentally chipped off". Photo: H.C.Beasley. collected. 332 ~ieldings' "Stem of plant and other markings". Photo: H.C. Groove casts, etc., Quarry, BeasleyHollington, Lodgement not indicated. Stafford-shire *333 Storeton, "Upper bed; sundry bootprints, including a three- Photographed in quarry: Cheshire toed foot". Photo: H.C. Beasley. perhaps not collected. -334 Leicester Kegworth, Photo and drawing. See Howood, Br.Ass.Advmt. Isochirotherim cf. her-City Leicester- Sci.Rept., 1909 Maidwell, GeoZ.Mag. 1916, "Note cuZis (Egerton) Haubold: Museum shire on the Kegworth footprint". photograph in Sarjeant, 1974 (fig. 20). 335 Weston nr. "Impressions & in relief (light from left) ...in 'Place of lodgement not Runcorn, a bed of micaceous fissile sandstone high up in indicated. Cheshire the building stones". Photo: H.C. Beasley. 336 Weston nr. "Invertebrate tracks (H.C.B[easley] . 465)". Possibly Pemichnium Runcorn, Photo: H.C. Beasley. vSZckeri? Lodgement not Cheshireindicated. 337 Townhead "See photo 290 (H.C.B[easley]. 43517 &C.) These Ctenoid casts. Present Quarry,Alton,Staflentme by Mr. C. Brett, Aug. 1913". Photo:H.C. Beasley. lodgement not indicated. f ordshire 338 Formerly Townhead "Photo of slab ...sent me by Mr. C. Brett, Aug. Ctenoid casts, figured by& 338X Denstone Quarry, 1913". W.A. Cmins , Liv. Manch.College Alton,Staf- Geo2.J. Vol. 2, 1958, pl.Museum f ordshire 1 fig. 4 [Note by Cumminson photo: "Feb.1957. Thisslab no longer preservedin Denstone Museum, thus;but other similar butsmaller pieces are stillthere"]339 Townhead "Original specimen lent me by Mr. C. Brett. 6 Ctenoid cast. Present Quarry,Alton,Staf-Aug. 1913". Photo: H.C. Beasley. lodgement not indicated. f ordshire 340 Townhead "C. Brett 6 Aug 1913. No. XVI" Photo: H.C. Ctenoid cast. Present Quarry, Beasley. lodgement not indicated.Alton,Staffordshire341 Townhead "C. Brett 6 Aug. 1913.No. 11. Besides sundry in- ~hynchosauroidessp. Pre-Quarry,Alton,Stafvertebratemarkings, this shows also 2 toes of Dprint. Compare my 409, [illegible word]". Photo:sent lodgement not indi- cated. fordshire H.C. Beasley.

BEASLEY'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTSsandstone"[G. Tresise,in Zitt. to N.A.S.S.].

BEASLEY 'S COMMENTSADDITIONAL COMMENTS366& 367368369370MuseumWarringtonMuseumStoreton(366) andRuncorn,Cheshirescale is a 1 foot marked in inches". Photo: J.Harriott, Warwick."366 A4 Plaster cast ... H.C.B[easleyl. No. 333.The manus described" Brit.Assoc.Advmt.Sci.Rept.1906. "367. A2 do. (H.C.B[easleyl. no. 434)".Two photos of "Wood or bone? a. lighted fromright, b. lighted from left".Five"Imperfect footprint (in relief)".Crosses,Frodsham,Cheshire-(Recent) "Footprints of hhys orbicuZaris in modellingclay, 22 Jany. 1905". Photo: Dr. J.H. O'Cannell.mens.Place of lodgement notindicated.Very bad photos. Lodgementof specimen notindicated.[Beasley quotes localityas "Vie Corners" hutinscription on specimenreads "Five Crosses.]

- The Geological W, Vo1.4, No.3, 1985 (for 1984), pp.164-168PREPARATION TECHNIQUES FOR MATERIAL FROM THEPOSIDONIENSCHIEFER (LIAS EPSILON, UPPER LIASSIC)OF GERMANYBY FRlTZ LORCHER AND THOMAS KELLEFiSUMMARYThe authors describe methods of mechanicaland chemical treatment of fossils from thePosidonienschiefer (Lias epsilon. UpperLiassic, Lower Jurassic, south-westeinGermany). Special tools and techniques arediscussed. he use of acids in thepreparation of vertebrate fossils fromcalcareous layers gives very good results,better than any mechanical method ofpreparation.MECHANICAL PREPARATIONFig.1 sets out the chemical composition ofthe various lithologies found in the Liasepsilon of Holzmaden. The shale is usuallyimoreenated with microscopic particles ofpyrite which makemuch moredifficult.Fig.1. Chemical composition of the threemain subdivisions of the Posidonienschiefer(Lias epsilon) at Holzmaden. Kalkhanke =epsilon I; Mittel-Epsilon = epsilon 11;Ober-Epsilon = epsilon 111.Percussion tools - mallets (Fig.2)IOber-EpsilonaMittel-Epsilon(a) Wooden mallet: gives a gentle, full,and somewhat resilient blow easilyvaried by hand as required by the needsof the specimen in question;constructed from laminated hornbeam.(b) Iron mallet: gives a hard, full, andless resilient blow which can also bevaried according to need.(c) Steel mallet: gives a powerful, hard,and resilient blow which again can bevaried as needed.Fig.2. Steel (Stahl), iron (Eisen), andwooden (Holz) mallets used in mechanicalpreparation by chisels.cut tin^ tools - chisels and preparationknives (Fig.3)Old iron sawblades about 2-3mm thick(available from any locksmith) are cut intostrips 10-15cm long and 5-10mm wide.Alternatively, use high capacity, high speedtool steel, such as can be obtained fromPlate-Stahl, R. s H. Plate, Platehof, 5880Liidenscheid, specifying 'Atomit 1500V'. Inboth cases the metal should be 2mm thick forknives (small ones 5mm wide and 12cm long,large ones l0mm wide and 12cm long) and 3mmthick for chisels (small ones 4mm wide and14cm long, large ones lOmm wide and 15cmlong).Handles can be obtained ready-made from alocksmith or toolshop. Alternatively,preparation knives can be inserted intoquick-setting epoxy resin poured intotest-tubes, so that 5cm is left projectingfrom the resin; when the resin sets, itshrinks and can be withdrawn. Chisels musthave steel handles, of round steel 15cmlong. For the coarse chisel, the handleshould be of 16mm diameter stock and have ahole at one end llmm in diameter and l0cmlong. A 4mm diameter hole is bored in theside of the hollow cylinder thus produced,8mm from the end, and tapped with a thread totake an 'Imbus' socket screw. This allowsthe chisel to be clamped in the handle. Thehandle for the fine chisel is made similarly,except that it is 12mm in diameter and thehole for the chisel is 6mm in diameter.The initial rough grinding of chisels andknives is done on a mounted grinding machine

Fig.5. Using a .hand held knife to removematrix from an ichthyosaur, using both handsas described in the text.trimmed with a diamond saw and fitted to anexactly matched clean-cut replacement. Aclean-cut jointing surface with a barelyperceptible cemented joint can thus heensured. Fossils which are not surrounded byshale can be emhedded in a steel frame withlightweight concrete, cellular concrete, or'Liapor' (a porous cement-hased materialmanufactured bv the Portlandzementwerke.Dotternhausen, "from Lias rocks) mixed withconcrete. The concrete or cement can becoloured to match the matrix, or simply leftas it is. ,The specimen is prepared after the pieceshave been fitted together and mounted. Asnoted above, the fossil is prepared on itsoriginal bottom side. When the fossil isassembled the positions of any hone seen inthe fractures can be marked on the bottomside (Fig.6) so as to give some help duringpreparation. The wooden mallet and a large,coarse chisel are used for the roughuncovering work. It is then hest to use thelarge preparation knife, with caution hutstill boldly, so that any signs of fossil canbe expo~ed, and an idea can be obtained ofthe layout of its upper surface. Theuncovering should be done so that the workprogresses to best advantage using the coarsechisel and large knife in turn. After thefossil has been exposed, you should carefullyconsider whether to omit any polishing orgrinding of the matrix surface (as practisedby Hauff) since the fossil shows up better ifthe surrounding matrix is left naturallyrough.As each section of the fossil is uncoveredand finely prepared, the shale is cleaned upwith a brass or nylon brush, and waterapplied with a sponge. This cleaning processhas the side-effect of revealing fine detailsof fossil structure through the delicateinterleaved layers of light and dark colouredshale, but only in the last layers whichdirectly overlie the fossil.Ammonites are freed from the Posidonienschiefermatrix with a narrow chisel usedalmost vertically and struck with the woodenmallet. The ammonite should then be hardenedFig.6. Wooden mallet and fine chisel beingused to remove matrix near the hone. Notethe marks indicating the known positions ofbone, as seen along breaks in the specimen.by a consolidant. We use either a celluloselacquer, such as 'Zaponlack', or the facingstonesealer 'Fassaden-Stein-Siege1 STH 201'from Stassig-Chemie, Krefeld. When applyingthe lacquer the fossil and shale must be warm(but not too hot, otherwise there is apossibility of white streaking caused by airbubble formation). Facing-stone sealer hasthe advantage that it is very fluid and sinksdeeply into porous bone, hardening to a veryresistant material. It is advisable not touse fluosilicate (fluate) as it is verydifficult to clean off and, if the specimendeteriorates, it becomes difficult to cementor repair. Fluosilicate also spoils theappearance of the specimen due to itsexcessively glossy appearance.Geodes and concretions from the Stinksteinbituminous limestone beds are often sostrongly impregnated with pyrite that theyare very difficult to prepare mechanically.In such cases they should only be preparedwith 'Widia' chisels and vibrographs. Forthis operation the geode specimens should beplaced on a sandbox or sandbag.The cement used depends on thebitumencontent of the matrix. In specimens fromHolzmaden and its neighhourhood asatisfactory compounduis polyester resin,coloured to match the local shale. Polyesterresin is not recommended for material fromDotternhausen;SchBmberg, Frommern, Balingen,and Weilstetten as the bitumen content ishigher than at Holzmaden; here we use epoxyresin coloured with shale dust, powderedfossil wood (Gagatmehl) or the brown shalewhich occurs directly above the Unteren Stein.Finally and unfortunately, no mechanicalmethod of preparation has vet been found toprevent slight scratching of the superficialbone layer in vertebrates from one particularmatrix, the marly bituminous shale of theLias epsilon. It is only possible to use thespecial technique of acid preparation todissolve away the matrix of concretions orgeodes.

CHEMICAL PREPARATIONMechanical preparation of vertebrate fossilsfrom the hard limestones (Kalken) of theUpper Lias beds is not a very satisfactorymethod. Acetic acid preparation is not newbut has seldom been practised in Germaninstitutions, although, when it is doneproperly, the risk is very slight and theresults are very good. In July 1971 oneauthor had the opportunity of visiting thelaboratory of the British Museum (NaturalHistory) where a method developed there wasbeing very successfully practised by A. E.Rixon and R. Croucher. Knowledge of thisEnglish method is indispensable:Prerequisites(a)(b)(C)Suitability of a specimen for acidtreatment: as the size of the objectincreases, so does the cost ofmaterials; above all, the time spenton the job can be tremendous; and theneed for special technical equipmentbecomes greater. With objects abovethe size of, say, an ichthyosaur skull(40-50cm). it is better not to use thismethod unless special equipment andfacilities are available.The calcium carbonate content must behigh.The inner structure of the matrix isimportant. Badly weathered, eroded, orfissured material is not suitable.Also unsuitable are more compactmatrices in which the larger hollowshave been filled with diageneticcalcite e. g. limestone with shell-bedlayers, or grown-over ammonite chambers.Preliminary treatmentSome preliminary mechanical treatment may benecessary. In the case of very thickconcretions it is worth chiselling away thematrix until close to the bone, so that theacid can work equally all over. Parts not tobe dissolved should be varnished, as aprotective measure, then enveloped in rubberand epoxy resin (Rixon 1968). The specimenshould be suitable for setting up, with asolid base and in particular with pointswhere it can be grasped.PreparationIt must be decided in advance how far theacid treatment will be taken, and which boneswill be freed. Unlike material fromSolnhofen or the Muschelkalk, it is necessaryto remove the undissolved sludge from allareas - not just the bone - of the washed anddried specimen, so that acid dissolution cango on equally. This can take up much time inthe case of complex and large specimens. Thefirst general rule is never to leave thespecimen too long in the acid, but rather tocheck it often. Excessive haste isinadvisable.The acid often acts uncontrollably. Finefissures or transversely or verticallyembedded thick mollusc shells can lead acidto the interior where it can act injuriouslyFig.7. A, ichthyosaur fragments in slab fromthe Unteren Stein, Holzmaden, before aceticacid preparation. B, close up of ichthyosaurbones after partial preparation in acid(field of view shown on A).without being noticed. These inletscontinuously have to be temporarily closedoff with cement. When doing this it isdifficult to keep a continuous and permanentclosure without unwanted impregnation of theadjacent bone and softened sediment. Thebone's calcite infilling is also eaten away;this considerably weakens the bone, which isalready suffering from deformations,haircracks, and fractures.Large artists' paint brushes can be used toclean away the residue of dried and powdery,caked sediment sludge; they should be heldsome two-thirds of the way down the length ofthe hairs so that a relatively firm yetyielding brush results. This brushwork mustbe done without applying too much pressure.Another general rule is to take care whereyou do not expect bone, and to avoidexcessive lateral cutting, graduallydeepening a level area instead. Progressslowly and methodically.The application of careful and, if possible.repeated coats of consolidant is importantfor the strengthening of skeletal parts.Each portion of bone should be consolidatedas it is revealed, so preparation should onlyprogress by millimetre layers. Only the bonemust be soaked, and this is not easy incomplicated structures. Restoration,

.fractures, and cracks can be made good with acement made of cellulose lacquer, 'Lithophon'(no longer used; a powdered meal of organicand~~ ~ ~inorganic comoonents) and oowderedm~ -~ ~colouring matter, and if necessary syntheticresin.A practical exampleIchthyosaur fragments in a slab from theUnteren Stein of Holzmaden were prepared withacid (Fig.7). This specimen was made easierto deal with by levelling the surface, and bycarefully watching the progress of treatmentand the behaviour of the bones duringtreatment and consolidation. Treatmentrequired 91.5 hours in acid and 250 hours inwater (frequently changed) to remove theacid. The result. was an average dissolutionof 7-8mm of matrix, corresponding to acontinuous rate of 0.07mm per hour (the rate,however, falls away' sharply when the acidgrows weaker and is not really measurable).Verv thin lavers of shale or of harder rockenciosed in the limestone delayed theprocess, but frequent renewal of the acidconsiderably encouraged the treatment. Itwas necessary to interrupt preparation seventimes for a cycle of washing, drying, andconsolidation to remove the undissolved rock.Further examplesAn ichthyosaur mandible from the Arietenkalk(Lower Lias, Gryphaea limestone, Wiirttemherg)was extracted by acid. The limestone wasefficiently removed by the strongestconcentration (17%) of acetic acid. Therewas little insoluble residue, which requiredless frequent removal than in the previousexample from the Upper Lias. However, thin-irregular layers in the rock form toughcrusts which had to be regularly removed toensure uniform solution.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTTra~slated hy Mr A.C. Benton from theoriginal German article, Larcher, F. andKeller, T., 1976. Praparationstechniken desLias-epsilon-Schiefers. Praparator, 22,213-220. Some of the tradenames of resins,etc., mentioned in the original German havebeen omitted as they are unavailable in thiscountry. I am grateful to Fritz Lorcher,Thomas Keller, and the publishers ofPraparator for permission to use theirarticle and photographs, to Thomas Keller forchecking the translation, and to the AreaMuseum Council for the South West for payingtranslation charges. - M.A. Taylor.Herr R. Uttenweiler (Dotternhausen) providedFigs.2, 3A, 4-6.McGowan, C. 1973. The cranial morphology ofthe Lower Liassic latipinnateichthyosaurs of England. Bull. Brit.- Mus. nat. Hist. (-.l, 24, 1-109. [A'Carbowax' method for reconstructionwork on original bony elements etchedout by acid is described on p.106 etseq.1.Rixon, A.E. 1968. The development of theremains of a small Scelidosaurus from aLias nodule. Museums Jl, 67, 315-320.Toombs, H.A. and Rixon, A.E. 1959. The useof acids in the preparation ofvertebrate fossils. Curator, 11,304-312.Fritz LorcherandThomas KellerPalaanthrop. Abt.Forschungsinstitut SenckenbergSenckenberganlage 256000 Frankfurt 1West GermanyTranslation received from M.A. Taylor 29 August 1984.

-The Geological C-,Vo1.4, No.3, 1985 (for 1984). pp.169-171LOST FOSSIL AMPHIBIANOF BEAR ISLANDBY ANTHONY G. DORE AND BJORN WANDASA larne and ootentiallv " imnortant - Triassicamphibian - found 36 years ago on Bear Island(Norwezian Arctic) but presumed destroyed -has been rediscovered in good condition by arecent expedition.Most people have only heard of Bear Islandthrough Alistair McLean's adventure novel ofthe same name. However, this tiny island inthe Barents Sea (Fig.1) is increasingly inthe public eye in Norway due to the petroleumpotential of the adjacent continental shelf.The island is one of the Svalbard group andhas been under Norway's dominion since 1925.The ground is permanently frozen and theisland is ice-bound and all But inaccessiblein winter. It has in the past been a stagingpost for whaling and seal hunting, as well as(briefly) sustaining a coal mining town. Theonly inhabitants now are the dozen or sohardy Norwegians who man the radio station atthe northern tip of the island.In August 1984 the Norwegian ContinentalShelf Institute and a small group ofpetroleum geologists (including the authors)visited the island and, while studying asequence of Carnkn (late Triassic) age,found the remains of a large vertebrate - thefirst from Bear Island and one of very fewFig, l. Location map for Bear Island, NorwegianArctic.such finds in Norway. It was discovered onthe dark shale slopes of Miseryfjellet (MountMisery - named by homesick British sailorsin the seventeenth century) (Fig.2). Thefossil is an amphibian of the labyrinthodonttype 2.7m long and preserved in dorsal view.The first bone fragments were found weatheredout by geologist Eigill Nysaether, who drewthem to the authors' attention. A return tothe site and subsequent excavations revealeda large number of ribs (broken but in place,Fig.31, vertebrae, skull fragments, and limbmaterial. The bones were embedded in shaleand covered by some of the thin siltstoneflags which abound on Miseryfjellet. Onupturning one such slab the finders wereastonished to discover a rusty sardine cansitting amongst the bones! It was temptingto deduce that the amphibians of Triassictimes preferred their food hermeticallysealed, but after reluctantly dispelling thisnotion it became obvious that the fossil hadbeen found previously. This seemed tocorroborate a story several of the party hadheard of a large vertebrate being found - andthen lost - on Bear Island several decadesago.In fact, the amphibian was first discoveredin 1948 during an ecological survey of theisland by Cambridge University. Because thefossil was in several hundred pieces, and dueto the lack of available equipment, it couldnot be collected. Instead photographs weretaken and a few sample bones were embedded inparaffin wax. The find was briefly describedin a letter to Nature by Lowy (1949). Lowyfeared that the vertebrate would almostcertainly be lost during the ravages of thefollowing winter. Obviously these originalfinders covered their discovery withsiltstone slabs for protection. Slippage ofshale down the slopes of Miseryfjelletcompleted the cover-up, putting an end to theamphibian's brief sortie into the daylightafter 210 million years. The originalphotographs from the Cambridge expeditionwere found in the archives of the PalaeontologicalMuseum, Oslo. These confirm that thetwo finds are one and the same, and - yes -there is a gleaming new sardine can in one ofthe pictures.The fossil does not correspond exactly withdescriptions of any known-~riassicamphibian. It is probably a plagiosaurclosely related to the much smallerGerrothorax (Fig.4). Romer (1971) hasdescribed this highly specialized group as'grotesque Triassic end forms' and indeedthis seems to be a valid description.Gerrothorax had a short, very broad skull(the Bear Island specimen's skull is 70cmwide) and a flat body with armour above andbelow. A peculiarity of the genus is the

Fig.2.The Triassic section at Miseryfjellet, Bear Island (from the south).Pig.3.Initial re-excavation of the amphibian, complete with sardine can (see text). More ofthe skeleton has since been revealed, including substantial portions of the skull.-110-

Fig.4.Gerrothorax, a Triassic plagiosaur (Romer 1971, fig.127 At about lm long, it isapproximately one-third the size of the Bear Island amphibian.presence of external gills in the adult form,a characteristic seen in present daysalamanders.After carefully excavating enough of thespecimen to determine the scale of the find,the 1984 rediscoverers realized that, likethe 1948 expedition, they too lacked theequipment and specialist knowledge to collectand preserve the specimen. A hasty radiocall to Oslo Museum secured the services ofAage Jensen, probably Norway's foremostexpert on fossil extraction and development.Mr Jensen is currently sealing and preparingthe fossil (not an easy task in the hostileenvironment of Bear Island) as a precursor toshipping it intact to Oslo. The find will hestudied and its importance assessed byNatascha Heintz of the PalaeontologicalMuseum, who has already made contact withvertebrate palaeontologists in England in aneffort to trace any original materialcollected by the Cambridge expedition.REFERENCESLowy, S. 1949. A labyrinthodont from theTrias of Bear Island, Spitsbergen.Nature, 163, p.1002.Romer, A. S. 1971. Vertebrate palaeontology.University of Chicago Press, Chicagoand London, 468 pp.P.O.Anthony G. DoreConoco Norway Inc.BOX 488, 4001 StavangerNorwayBjern WandasNorwegian Petroleum DirectorateTypescript received 21 September 1984

TA Geological Curator, Vo1.4, No.3, 1985 (for 19841, pp.172-1.73NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT BATH GEOLOGY MUSEUMBY MlCHAEL A. TAYLORThe Geology Museum, Bath, houses thescientifically and historically importantcollections of the Royal Literary andScientific Institution and of Charles Moore,as well as natural history and ethnographicmaterial.The vicissitudes of thecollections have been related in variousarticles in The Geological Curator but RonPickford, the Curatorial Assistant, has beenable to restore considerable order to thecollections and their documentation.Although much work remains to be done, itmust be stressed that the present conditionof the collections is now much better thanone might expect from reading the variousarticles. Their comments, while valid whenpublished, are now somewhat out of datethanks to Mr Pickford's work.A matter of fundamental importance is theorganisation and status of the museum. Thecollections are presently in the care of AvonCounty Libraries, who have continued toemploy Mr Pickford as Curatorial Assistant -Curator de facto. During the three financialyears 1983-1986 Avon Libraries have been amajor contributor towards the cost of settingup and running the post of GeologicalConservator-Preparator, Area Museum Councilfor the South West, presently held by theauthor. In return Bath receives assistanceand, as a first instalment, the authorprepared several reports on the importance.cnration, conservation, storage, and presentand potential use of the collections, whileBryan Cooper (Torquay Natural History SocietyMuseum) is reporting on the minerals.In the longer term the collections may betransferred to Bath City Museum Service.Bath City Council has decided in principle todeVel0~ a new museum in the town centre.using ihe premises presently occupied bytheVictoria Art Gallery and City LendingLibrary. The new museum would take overresponsibility for the collections of theGeology Museum but such a transfer will notin any case take place for the next twoyears. The A.M.C.S.W. has meanwhile providedthe Bath Museum Service with detailed adviceon the storage environment and furniturerequired by geological material. Thistransfer is still under discussion but inthese circumstances no decision has been madeto make extensive improvements to the storagearrangements at Queen Square, nor has theA.M.C .S .W. provided detailed advice; thelarge ichthyosaurs at the National Museum ofWales will also remain in Cardiff for thetime being. This important scheme has beendiscussed and agreed in principle betweenAvon County Council and Bath City Council butcomplex property and financial arrangementsare involved and it is likely to be at leasttwo years before any formal transfer of thegeology collections occurs.Meanwhile, the Director of Community Leisurefor the County of Avon, Mr D. Liddle, isanxious that Avon Library Services care forand promote the use of the collections asmuoh as oossible and has discussed articularA~ ~~~~measures-with Stephen Locke, the ExecutiveDirector of the A.M.C.S.W., as describedbelow.A Select Catalogue of the Bath Collections isto be produced, and probably financed as ajoint publication between Avon CountyLibraries Service and the Area Museum Councilfor the South West. It has provisionallybeen decided to publish the catalogue as aseries of separate sections in the South WestNatural Science Collections ResearchNewsletter, which is already funded by theA.M.C.S.W., as this will help avoid thebibliographic problems of specialpublications. The Catalogue will be basedvery largely on the pre-existing butunpublished work of Charles Copp(invertebrates) and Christopher Duffin(vertebrates), and produced and edited by theauthor as part of the A.M.C.S.W. service toBath. It will include a catalogue of type,figured, and cited specimens. However, thecollection contains many unpublishedspecimens of undescribed species or whichshow important new features of previouslyknown species, and the Catalogue willtherefore include a listing of theseimportant specimens. It will also includerelevant historical notes and perhapssections devoted entirely to the history ofthe collection as a whole. Eventuallv theCatalogue will become a powerful tooi inmaking the collections better known toresearchers.Avon Libraries have also allocated £1,000towards the cost of materials to conserve thetwenty-eight or so cased ichthyosaurspresently stored in excellent facilities atthe National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. Thiswork will be done in late 1985 or early1986. The most important specimens in Bathwhich urgently need treatment will soon beconserved at the A. M. C. S. W. geologyconservation laboratory at Bristol CityMuseum. The superb foss% fish and reptilesfrom the Upper Lias at Ilminster will also besampled for trial acetic acid preparation,although there will only be time to do a fewdemonstration specimens.The storage of the collection has beenstudied but, in view of its potentialtransfer, no substantialimprovements are being recommended for theexisting arrangements which are in anv casereasonably adequate. A detailed report onthe requirements of the collection wasprepared for Bath Museum Service to help themconsider the implications of a' transfer, andthe A.M.C.S W. is ready to offer furtheradvice in the light of a final decision onthe location of the collection. It is alsoanticipated that a curatorial appointmentwill be made upon the retirement of Mr

Pickford to ensure that the collectionsreceive proper care and are appropriatelypromoted and used, as far as possible.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI am delighted to be able to report thissplendid news for the Bath ColleCti~nS,especially in the light of Mr Pickford's hardwork on them over the years, and I amgrateful to Mr D. Liddle (Director ofCommunity Leisure. County of Avon) and Mr S.Locke (Executive Director, Area MuseumCouncil for the South West) for permission topublish this article.Michael A. TaylorArea Museum Council for the South-WestCity of Bristol Museum & Art GalleryQueen's Road. Bristol BSB 1RLTypescript received 1 May 1985POET'S CORNERTony Cross (Curtis Museum, Hampshire CountyMuseum Service) sends the following from- A Geological Primer in Verse (1820).GEOLOGICAL COOKERYTo make GraniteOf Felspar and Quartz a large quantity take,Then pepper with Mica, and mix up and bake.This Granite for common occasions is good;But, on Saint-days and Sundays, be it understood,If with bishops and lords in the state-roomyou dine,Then sprinkle with Topaz, or else Tourmaline.N.B. The proportion of the ingredients maybe varied ad libitum; - it will keep a longtime.To make PorphyryLet Silex and Argil be well kneaded down;Then colour at pleasure, red, grey, green,or brown:When the paste is all ready, stick in hereand thereSmall crvstals of Felspar, both oblong andTo make Pudding-stoneTo vary your dishes, and shun any waste,Should you have any left of the very samepaste.You may make a plum-pudding; but then do notstintThe quantum of Pebbles - Chert, Jasper, orFlint.To make Amy~daloidTake a mountain of wacke2, somewhat softishand green,In which bladder-shaped holes may be everywhere seen;Choose a part where these holes are decidedlyvoid all,Pour Silex in these, to form Agatesspheroidal,And the mass in a trice will be Amygdaloidal.To make a good Brsccia witha Calcareous CementBreak your rocks in sharp fragments,Dreservine the at~eles;Of ~ & or a QUG~Z you &ay add a fewspangles;Then let your white hatter be well filter'dthrough,Till the parts stick as firm as iP fasten'dby glue.To make a coarser BrecoiaFor a Breccia more coarse you may vary yourmatter;Pound Clay, Quartz, and Iron-stone, moisten'dwith water:Pour these on your fragments, - and then waitawhile,Till the Oxyd of Iron is red as a tile.his is the old-fashioned receipt for'waclre is generally greenish, and rathermaking Porphyry. used by our grandmothers: unctuous to the touch. This rock must not beVG. they made the paste first, and stuck in confounded with Grey Wacck.the Felspar afterwards. This method is easyand plain: but in the most approved modernreceipts, the ingredients are all mixedtogether at first, and the Felspar is left tocrystallize while the paste is hardening.

LOST AND FOUNDCOMPILED BY MICHAEL D. CRANE AND HUGH S. TORRENSIn previous issues of 'Lost and Found'with Paul Ensom's help, to the British Museumrequests for information and responses to(Natural History), where it had remainedthose requests have appeared under separate after having been borrowed by a member of the'Lost' and 'Found' headings. Here, and in Museum's staff some fifteen years ago. Itfuture issues, the entries for informaiionhas now been returned to the Lyme Regisand collections sought and the resoonses will (Philpot) Museum and reunited with copies ofappear together in a single sequence.Owenis two monographs on Scelidosaurusinscribed by him and presented to Harrison.AbbreviationsThus neither the specimen nor the letters hadheen formally transferred to the BritishCLEEVELY : Cleevely, R.J. 1983. World ~alae- Museum (Natural History), pace the suggestionontological collections. British Museum made by Torrens (1979).(Natural History) and Mansell PublishingCompany, London.The juvenile specimen is, incidentally, stillDESMOND - Desmond, R. 1977. Dictionar~ of regarded as Scelidosaurus by Dr Alan CharigBritish and Irish botanists and horti-and Dr Angela Milner (pers. comm. to John--pculturalists. Taylor and Francis, Fowles), despite the suggestion by NewmanLondon.(1968) and later workers that it is notreferable to this taxon.'GCG - Newsletter of the Geological Curators'm, continued as GeologicalCurator.SHERBORN - Sherborn, C.D. 1940. Where is the----- collection? CambridgeUniversity Press.Lang, W.D. 1947. Proc. Dorset Nat. S.Archaeol. Soc. 68, 103-118.Newman, B. 1968. The Jurassic dinosaurScelidosaurus harrisoni, Owen.Palaeontolo~, 11, 40-43.13 David Christopher DAVIES (1827-1885)Owen, R. 1861. Monograph of the Reptilia ofthe Liassic Formations. Part 1. AGCG, (61, 298-299: (7). 346; (8). 428-429;Monograph of a fossil dinosaur(9). 454-455; (It?), 489. (Scelidosaurus harrisoni Owen) of theCLEEVELY, p.98. Lower Lias. Paheontogr. W.IMonogr. l, 14pp., llpls.For a biographical note of this geologist see Torrens, H. S. 1979. Collections~and informationBick (1982, pp. 105-110) which contains other lost and found. 66. James Harrisonreferences to his life and work. (1819-1864). a, 2(6), 353-354.Bick, D.E. 1982. The copper mines ofSnowdonia. Pound House, Newent,Gloucestershire.H.S.T.35, 66 James HARRISON (1819-1864)GCG, (101, 490, 491; 2(5), 263; 2(6), 353-354CLEEVELY, p.145Dr M.A. Taylor (Area Museum Council for theSouth West, clo City of Bristol Museum andArt Gallery) and John Fowles (Lyme Regis(Philpot) Museum) wqite:'It is now possible to answer the query madehy one of us (J.F.) concerning the whereaboutsof Harrison's corresoondeuce withpioneer palaeontologists, summarised by Lang(1947), and of Harrison's juvenile specimenof the eponymous dinosaur ~celidosaurusharrisoni, figured and described by Owen(1861). All had been bequeathed to theMuseum in 1937 by Harrison's youngestdaughter, Miss Mary Harrison, together withother bwks and fossils.John Fowles has discovered that the lettersare deposited in the Lyme Regis BoroughArchives at the Dorset Record Office (DROLyme Archives Index, p.28, N18). Mike Taylorhas hunted down the specimen of the dinosaur,68 Rev. William Fox (1813-1881)GCG, 2(5), 264CLEEVELY, p.121Blows, W.T. 1983. William Fox (1813-18811, aneglected dinosaur collector of the Isleof Wight. Annals of Natural11(2), 299-313.M.D.C.W.89 ECHALAZ collectionGCG, 2(8), 507 [as Eschalazl; 2(9&10),616 [as Eschalaz/EchalazlBrowsing in an old secondhand book catalogue' recently I noted the following entry:'ECHALAZ C Waterloo Museum, Liverpool.Complete History (and Description) of theEchalaz Collection (of Birds). CROYDON(1908) 8vo.. plates, cloth'. This seems tobe a very scarce item and it would beinteresting to locate a copy to see if theMuseum included geological material. TheWaterloo Museum is clearly that described byHowarth and Platnauer (1911, p.230) as theMuseum at Waterloo-with-Seaforth, nearLiverpool (pop. 26,399) run by the urbandistrict council, in a single room. Thecontents are chiefly birds with a generalcollection. The birds are the collection of

~ ~.Lt. Col. Echalaz, for which 'a hand-book(illustrated) of the Echalaz collection,compiled by Echalaz price 1s 6d isavailable.' This is clearly the item notedabove.Howarth, E. and Platnauer, H .M. 1911. Direct01 y- of museums in Great Britain and Ireland.London.H.S.T.96 Admiral Sir Edward BELCHER (1799-1877)GCG, 2(9&10), 611; see also 3(9), 14 [entryfor J. Cheetham (fl.1870s)lCLEEVELY, pp.52-53Buckland (1837, p.336) records that 'CaptainBeechey and Lieutenant Belcher foundAmmonites on the Coast of Chili in Lat. 365in the cliffs near Conception, a fragment ofone of these Ammonites is preserved in theMuseum of Haslar Hospital in Gosport.' Thisreference prompts an inquiry into whathappened to these collections (see under152)? SHERBORN, p.15, comments on Belcher'scollections; 'Shells. Sale, Ath. May 1877,863.'Buckland, W. 1837. Geology mineralogyconsidered reference to naturaltheology. London, 2 vols.H.S.T.& M.D.C.99 Louis BUNTON (1814-1838)GCG, 2(9&10), 612CLEEVELY, p.159The short life and work of this collectorhave been described by Torrens and Getty(1984). Here, too, is to be found a shortnote ahout what is known of his geologicalcollection (p.66).Torrens, H.S. and Getty, T.A. 1984. LouisHunton (1814-1838) English pioneer inammonite biostratigraphy. Earth Sci.- Hist. 3, 58-66.H.S.T.103 Alexander BROGDEN and104 John BROGDENGCG, 2(9&10), 616; 3(1), 24-25Details of the Welsh industrial activities ofthese two can be found in papers by the lateLeonard S. Higgins (1974, 1978)Hirreins. . L.S. 1974. John Broeden and Sons.Glamorgan Historian, 10, 148-156.Hiegins, L.S. 1978. The Brogden pioneers ofthe earlv industrial-develo~meit in MidGlamorgan. National ~ibrirv of WalesJournal, 20, 240-252.H.S.T.111 James LOMAX (1857-1934)GCG, 3(1), 20; see also 3(4), 234-235 and3(5), 322-323CLEEVELY, p.187Alan Howell's thesis on Lomax was submittedto the Faculty of Technology of theUniversity of Manchester for the degree ofM.Sc. in October 1984, and accepted for thefollowing month. It is to be hoped thatsome, at least, of this work Will bepublished before too long.Howell, A. 1984. James Lomax (1857-1934),- life, -- work and influence palaeohotany-- and coal research. M.Sc. thesis(unpubl.) . University of Manchester.M.D.C.120 Specimens from the BEAGLE voyagesGCG. 3(2&3), 162Buckland (1837, p.603) wrote that Mr C.Darwin has deposited in the Museum of theRoyal College of Surgeons London, a mostinteresting series of fossil bones of extinctMammalia, discovered by him in SouthAmerica.' SHERBORN comments 'Some 'Beagle'things at Cambridge. Foss. Mamm. in Coll. ofSurgeons. London. Obs on coral reefs, 1851,part of the fossils are in B.M.' Porter(1980) may prove a useful starting point.Buckland, W. 1837. Geology mineralogvconsidered m reference to llaturaltheology. London, 2 vols.Porter, D.M. 1980. Charles Darwin's plantcollections from the voyage of the Beagle.Journal of the Society fo;Bibliography of Natural History, 9(4),515-525.H.S.T.t M.D.C.148 Henry BELCHER (c.1786-1854)GCG, 3(9), 15, 17L? Mr Belcher of CLEEVELY, p.521As noted in GCG 3(9), and reiterated by PeterLingwood, this collector was honoured byMartin Simpson (1843, p.12) in the somewhatflattering description contained within thatof a new species of ammonite, 4. Belcheri.Peter, who provided the copy of thisdescription here reproduced (Fig.11, alsonotes that this work appears to contain anumber of useful short references to localgeologists.H.S .T. writes that a recently discoveredletter (now Geological Society of Londonarchives MUS 219) gives further informationahout Belcher and his geological activitiesin Yorkshire. It is dated 16 September 1837from the Whitby Stone Company Office (inwhich Belcher was clearly a partner).. Itnotes that, in addition to specimens alreadyleft at the Society, the letter accompaniesone of Porcelain Earth found near Whithy. Itasks that these donations should be recordedas in the name of the Whitby Stone Company

13. A. I~I:LCIIEI~!.Depressed; volutio~~s G or i, exposed, mther flat on thesidcs, back rounded; mdii straight, prominent, ob-solccc 011 the back, separntcd liy concnvc spaces;alxrturc squarisli ; diatuctcr 1; illch.llle smoothness nnd elrgaace of this bruutiful sheU reminh methe palitencss mtl urbnnily of H. Uclcher, Esq., President ofthe \!-hitby Philurophical Society: whose lore for natural science,entitles him to n grateful remembrance. It is from thelowerLins, may be readily distinguished from A. pynteus, andby the smooth back.Fig.].Prom Simpson (1843 , p.12)instead of as by Mr King and Mr Belcher asrecorded previously. The material inquestion is recorded as donated to theGeological Society's Museum on 30 August 1837as 'Specimens of the Wbitby and Whitehouse'building stone and of the Whitby porcelainearth in contact with a whinstone dyke'ITrans. al. Soc. Lond. (2), 5, List ofDonations 18401.Simpson, M.1843. A Monograph of fileAmmonites of ~Gkshire m. London andWhitby.149 Rocks andminerals from the OutcrHebrides, Scotlnr~dDr Keith Nicholson (Hunterian Museum, TheUniversity, Glasgow G12 8QQ). writes: 'I amgathering details of rock and mineralcollections, held in museums throughout theUK, which include specimens from any of theislands in the Outer Hebrides. In this Ialso include the islands of St Kilda, NorthRona. Sula Sgeir, the Flannan Isles andRockall. I would therefore be veryinterested in details of any specimens fromthese islands, and the collections, howeversmall, in which they are included.'150 William Henry FITTON F.R.S. (1780-1861)and151 William Roby BARR F.G.S.Geoff Hanoock (Department of Natural History,Glasgow Museums and Galleries, Kelvingrove,Glasgow; formerly of Bolton Museum and ArtGallery, Le Mans Crescent, Bolton BL1 MA),writes: 'To have a good run of the publishedorgans of the Geological Society of London isan asset for any museum but to have some ofthe earliest volumes which once belonged toWilliam Henry Fitton FRS (1780-1861) andpossibly annotated by him adds considerableinterest. Part of the set in Bolton Museumbears Fitton's bookplate (Fig.2) showing armsand crest in volumes one to five of theJournal. These are bound in exactly the sameway as the twelve volumes of the Transactions(quarter bound in leather with marbled boardsand raised bands) although these latter donot carry his bookplate. There are someannotated corrections to his seminal 225 pagearticle 'Observations on some of the strataFig.2.Bookplate of William Henry Fittonbetween the Chalk and the Oxford Oolite, inthe South-east of England' in theTransactions (second series, volume four,1836) but there are also copious notes involume one of the -. These refer tothe way in which the Proceedings were treated(Figs.3, 4). This tends to confirm theannotations as Fitton's because he was thefounder of the Proceedings in 1827 and wouldnaturally be concerned if their identitybecame altered or confused. Unfortunatelythe first four volumes of Proceedings do notform part of this series, as these might alsohave been of interest. Comparison with knownexamples of his handwriting will resolve thisquestion, and any information will be welcome.Volumes 6-18 (1850-1862) contain instead thebookplate of William Roby Barr, who waselected Fellow of the Geological Society ofLondon in 1864. Apart from his address, givenas Norris Bank. Stockport, nothing else canbe found of his activities. He is presumablythe ancestor of Charles E. Barr of Holme Lee,Lostock, Bolton, who donated (in 1913) thisrun of Geological Society periodicals up to1867 and also The Geologist, later TheGeological Magazine, also to 1867. These areall uniformly quarter bound with a differentmarbled board and with no raised bands on thespine. This could be taken to indicate thatW.R. Barr had his own set bound, obtainedFitton's* to complete his run and died circa1861. Any information on Barr would bewelcome'.*These were probably acquired at the sale ofOr Fitton's library at Sotheby's on 8-9 May

, . , ,..S4b ,11. CATALOGUE, ' 3-0,. .'LOWER GREENSAN~ FOSSILS, , ... . m Tan aoazox or TB* &~OLOGICAL socmrr,wlra worrces or speclea HEW TO BR~~AM, COXT~ZDmLLecnox8, sr pROFH8sOn xaw- ~oaslis, r.ns.*... . .(Canlinucdjra p. 450.)W O T H ~UOLLUSCA.Acephola Pnlliobronchiata99. Tcnbmlulo acllo Sow. N. C. t. 437. f I.Iac. AtherGeld, Reigate, Eythe. Faribgda".Non. On ,b. rnntin.n, ,hi. specie. .pp- to b. .onroundrd .[,hT. framrhirh it is.r,, di.inrt. .nd by which it is ..pl.ed in ,h-Upper G.~rnra"d. In ,h. young .,.!. i, is braad md depreud. sod pr..o.".r .,y % tram of ,h. ,a0 p1iurtion. .nrra.rdr .o promulenL1W. ~arehrohrlo~roelan~a Sow. in Fitton, G. T. Id ser. ~ol. iv.1. 14. f. 14.Lao. &bidstone, Sandgate.101. Terebmmla.LOO. Isle ofWight. . .102. Tereb~lulaaulcolo Parkinaon, G. T. 1st ser. v. p. 59.Snx. T. mulf$"oratn~is Roamer.Lac. Hythe.Ver. B. T.poruiroalrir Sow. in Fitton, G.T. 2d ser. vol. i+.t. 14. f. 13. .Lac. Sl~aoklin, 181s of WighLFig. 3. Annotations in Bolton Museum's copyof Q. J1 geol. Soc. Lond. 1 (1845), probablyin Fitton's handwriting.1856. A copy of the catalogue is in theGeological Society. (H.S.T.)152 Museum of Haslar Hospital, GosportCLEEVELY, p.245 [entry for Sir JohnRichardsonlSee entry 96 above for BelcherThe Royal Hospital at Haslar was built in1762 for sick and wounded seamen of the RoyalNavy. The Museum attached to it was used tohouse the 'official collections of plants,birds and possibly even minerals for theofficial naval collections at the Haslarhospital' (see m. 3(2&3), 162 - Specimensfrom the Beagle voyages). Clearly, from theitem on Admiral Sir Edward Belcher (supra),geological material was included in theircollection.SHERBORN, p.67, records that 'All coll. cameto B.M. in 1855.' The BMNH (1904) History of- the collections (pp.91-92) confirms that in1856 a large donation of botanical materialwas received there 'from the Royal NavalHospital, Haslar', but no confirmation hasbeen found that all the Haslar collectionsFig.4. Annotations in Bolton Museum's copyof Q. &l geol. Soc. Lond. 1 (1845). probablyin Fitton's handwriting.went to London. Indeed Greenwood (1888;reprinted a. 3(5), 326-333) still includedthe Hospital, the special features of theMuseum being 'Anatomy, Natural History etc'under the curatorship of Dr W. Reid R.N.Further information about this Museum andthe fate of its collections would be welcomed.BMNH. 1904. The History of the Collectionscontained in the Natural History Departmentsof the British Museum. Trusteesof the BMCNH), London. 2 vols, xvii+442,782pp.Greenwood, T. 1888. Museums and Art Galleries.Simkin Marshal1 6 Co. London.H.S.T.153 Minerals from Newent, Glos.David Bick (Pound House, Newent, Glos.) wouldbe pleased to hear of any mineral specimensfrom this vicinity in geological collectionsor museums. Iron ores were worked here inthe eighteenth century, but the sites havelargely been lost.

COMPILED BY TONY CROSSNATIONAL. MUSEUM-OF IRELANII'S ~XHIBITION'r\tl INTRO1)UCTION 'TO GEO1.OGY'The Geological collections of the NationalMuseum of Ireland, which have not been seenby the public since 1922, are featured in anexhibition 'An Introduction to Geology' whichhas been on display at the National MuseumExhibition Centre, 7-9 Merrion Row since 26th.',(arch 1985. The press release runs asfollows :Geology is the science involving the study ofthe physical earth. It is of value indiscovering and exploiting our naturalresources such as coal, oil, water andmetals. It is also a science of generalinterest, as there are geological featuresall around us in the form of naturallandscapes and in the raw materials of whichour civilisation is built.This exhibition illustrates the naturalprocesses which are active in the world aboutus and their end results in the form ofrocks. There are specimens on display of therocks and their minerals of which the earthis formed, including those of economicimportance to man. There are also specimensof fossils exhibiting the vast variety ofextinct forms of life which have inhabitedour planet in the past.The vvhole exhibition is lavishly illustratedwith views of the earth from crust to core,of landscapes and of the animals and plantswhich inhabited them. The exhibition isaimed at a level suited to schoolchildren andadults alike. An information poster isavailable.This exhibition offers an unique opportunityto view a section of this large collection,built up over 200 years of collecting at atime when Geology as a science was expandingat a remarkable rate. Recently, the need fornew sources of energy and raw materials meansthat Geology is of increasing importance toour future.The exhibition continues at the NationalMuseum Exhibition Centre until June 23rd,then tours to the University of Cork (July-August) and the City Museum. Limerick(September-October).Further information from:~eological SectionThe National Museum of IrelandDublin(Tel. 01-603063)Felicity DevlinEducation OfficerThe National Museum of IrelandDublin(Tel. 01-765521)GEOLOGY SERVES THE NATION150 years of the British Geological Survey'Geology Serves the Nation' is a travellingexhibition which is at the Geological Museum,London until 13th September 1985.Geology as a science was scarcely forty yearsold in 1835, the year of the founding of theGeological Survey. It was pursued bygentlemen of means and leisure, whoseresearches were discussed and published bythe Geological Society of London (founded1807) or by scientific and natural historysocieties in the provinces. The geology ofBritain had been known in outline since 1815when the canal engineer William Smith hadpublished the first geological map ofBritain. In addition many areas had beenstudied in detail by local specialists suchas G.A. Mantel1 in Sussex, John Phillips inYorkshire and N.J. Winch in Northumberlandand Durham.Little government money went into geology, orscience of any kind, in the early nineteenthcentury. The Board of Agriculture paid for amineral survey of Derbyshire in 1810 and theOrdnance Survey encouraged geological work byits surveyors in Ireland and supported JohnMacculloch in making his great map ofScotland which was published in 1836.Henry Thomas De la Beche was a typicalgentleman-geologist. He was an officer ofthe Geological Society and had publishedpapers in their Transactions. He hadtravelled abroad and was well-known on theContinent. His income began to fail in 1831when he was in the middle of making ageological map of Devon. He turned to theGovernment for funds and was granted 5300 bythe Ordnance Survey to colour the eightsheets of Devon and write a memoir. In 1835he was told to proceed to Cornwall and wasgiven a regular salary as 'Geologist to theOrdnance Trigonometrical Survey'; theGeological Survey was horn.PRINCETON TO GIVE UP ITS FOSSILSMike Crane (Bristol City Museum) spotted thisin Science (vo1.228, p.38, 5th April 1985)Princeton University's geology department hasdecided to give away most of its largepaleontoloav collection to make wav foriaboratory?~cilities for geophysics andgeochemistry. The move constitutes the couude grace for Princeton's presence inniacropaleontology and has been greeted withgreat dismay by paleontologists around thecountry. Princeton geophysicist WilliamBonini points out, however, that'macropaleontology has been more or lessdefunct here for some time ' and theuniversity must put its resources into moreproductive areas.

The collection of fossils and specimens isone of the largest and oldest in thecountry. It includes an unsurpassedaccumulation of vertebrate fossils, one ofthe five original collections in NorthAmerica, which will be transferred intact toan as yet undesignated institution.Princeton also has a collection ofmicrofossils, which will be retained in theDepartment of Geological and GeophysicalSciences; paleobotanical specimens, most ofwhich have already been loaned out to YaleUniversity and the Smithsonian Institution,and two collections of invertebrate fossils,one of which is up for adoption. The finaldecision on disposition of the fossils wassupposed to be made at a 21 March meeting ofthe board of trustees, but as of thiswriting, a university spokesman said it hadbeen delayed.If the university proceeds, it will be in theface of strenuous objections by a committeeof paleontologists from around the countrythat it had invited to advise on the disposalof the collection.Basically, Princeton's stance is that itwants to keep up with the times, and confineitself to doing a few things well rather thanattempting to cover the gamut of disciplines.According to,Malcolm McKenna of New YorkfsAmerican Museum of Natural History (one ofthe advisory committee of palaeontologists)'In order to make room for a couple of hotshots.' that is, geochemists andgeophysicists. 'they are willing to.throwaway a tremendous library' of primary data.Philip Gingerich of the University ofMichigan, a Princeton alumnus, points outthat with its broad and eclectic approach togeology. Princeton supplied an environmentthat has hatched many of today's mostcreative thinkers. Trinceton will never bebig, but we don't need that. We need whatPrinceton is uniquely endowed to do.' hesays. 'Technical universities like MIT andCaltech don't train general geologists' orpeople on the interface between biology andgeqlogy, 'This isn't Princeton Tech. This isa liberal arts universityf.MUSEUM MERGERThe merger of the Geological Museum with theBritish Museum (Natural History) took placeon 1 April 1985. Sixty-six members of staff,along with the collections of buildingstones, minerals and gems, and the buildingitself. passed from the control of theNatural Environment Research Council to thatof the Trustees of the British Museum(Natural History). British Geological Surveystaff remaining in the Museum will move.along with the rock and fossil collections.library and archives, to the new headquartersat Keyworth. Nottinghamshire. The GeologicalMuseum was founded as the Museum of EconomicGeology in 1835 specifically to accommodatespecimens collected by the newly-formedGeological Survey. In recent years theMuseum exhibitions have become less and lessdependent on the Survey collections, whilethe Survey itself has been forced to abandonits wider educational role in favour of closeties with industry. Although many are sadthat a 150-year old link is being broken, itis likely that the Geological Museum (whichwill retain its name) will have a betterchance of flourishing with the BM(NH) thanwith NERC.PAPER DUST AND JUTE FLOCMike Taylor (Area Museum Council for theSouth West) reports:'Recently some geological conservators havebeen using paper dust, then available fromF. W. Joel Ltd., as a substitute for jute floc in preparing gap-filling compounds and mixing with latex rubber to produce jackets for acid preparation. Paper dust was a by-product of a process for making Sundeala board, and this process has recently been changed. As a result Joells no longer sell paper dust. It may be useful to note that jute floc is available, as reported by R. Croucher and A.R. Woolley (1982). Fossils, minerals androcks: collection and preservation, but thatthe supplier has undergone a change of nameto: Martin Cleghorn. P.O. Box 17. Dundee DD19BR.I have just been able to obtain 10 kgs. for£1.40 plus VAT, and carriage.'A SCHOLAR AND A GENTLEMAN'Lord Cole, later the Third ~irl ofFnniskillen (William Willoughby Cole1807-1886). with his friend Sir Philip GreyEgerton, amassed one of the world's finestfossil fish collections, amounting to nearly10.000 specimens. During his lifetime thiswas housed in the family seat at FlorenceCourt, Co. Fermanagh in the west of theprovince of Ulster. There were fossil fishesfrom all the classic localities in Europe.and Louis Agassiz (the foremost vertebratepalaeontologist of the Victorian era) twicejourneyed to Florence Court, in 1835 and1840, especially to study the Collection forhis work Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles(1833-44). The Collection was presented tothe British Museum (Natural History) shortlybefore Enniskillen's death, and remainsimportant to science today. The Third Earlof Enniskillen was a Fellow of the RoyalSociety, a Fellow of the Geological Society.and a Member of the Royal Irish Academy. Aswell as being a friend of Sir Philip GreyEgerton, of Oulton Park. Tarporley. Cheshire,Lord Cole was a student at Oxford of DeanWilliam Buckland.The Department of Geology in the UlsterMuseum hopes to mark the centenary of thedeath of the Third Earl of Enniskillen in1986 with an exhibition illustrating his lifeand work. It is planned that this will be atravelling exhibition, available throughoutthe British Isles:Kenneth James would be interested to hearfrom colleagues knowing of the whereabouts ofany papers, letters, portraits, or other

elevant material. The present Earl of Geol. Cur. 4, 57-58, was in fact written andEnniskillen has vacated the family seatpublished in 1838 by G.F. Richardsontaking all of the papers with him so little(1796-1848), one of the first true geologicalis available locally. curators. Richardson's life and work (andthe ooem) will be discussed in a forth-THE NAUTILUS AND THE AMMONITEcoming article by Hugh Torrens and JohnCooper in Geol. Cur. 4, no.4 or 5. It isBoth Tony Dore' (Conoco Norway Inc.) and Hugh Hugh's excellent suggestion that this pieceTorrens (Iceele University) point out that the inaugurates a new series of articles on otherpoem 'The Nautilus and the Ammonite'forgotten curators, under the series titleattributed to Ernest Westlake (1855-1922) in 'Uncurated Curators'.STOPPING THE ROT!Hunterian Museumvolunteer Dr Lawrence Jubb (right) and M.S .C. draughtswoman Laraine Selbie examinea 150 million year old crocodile jaw for signs of pyrite-rot during its move to a new environmentally controlledstore. The store, recently installed in the Hunterian Museum, and financed by a special conservation grantfrom the Museums and Galleries Commission, will provide the stable temperature and humidity necessary toprevent the chemical decay of pyritised fossils and so help preserve Britain's fossil heritage. For furtherinformation contact: Dr Graham Durant, Hunteri?n Museum, University of Glasgow (041-339 8855 ext. 206).

BOOK REVIEWS Environmental recording and museums. MDA Information, 8 (4). 87-129. What has everyone else been doing?Geological Curator readers, familiar with thenow long-established National Scheme forGeological Site Documentation, might like togive themselves a pat on the back by readingthis special issue of Information. It isa collection of nine short to medium-lengtharticles which describe the state of the artof environmental recording by biologists,geologists, historians, and archaeologists.The link with museums in the title proves tobe somewhat tenuous - and this is where thepat on the back comes - as it is shown thatthe onlv curators who have initiated.devised, and developed a working, nationallycoordinated environmental recording scheme sofar are museum geologists.Our Archaeology colleagues come very close towinning the imaginary 'oscar' for beingfirst. Oxfordshire's Sites and MonumentsRecord, for example, was set up in 1967,beating the CGSD scheme by ten years.However, as described by C.J. Bone, althoughit developed at Woodstock into a comprehensiveenvironmental records service, it neverformed the basis of anything to be appliednationally in the way that the Leicesterpilot geological site register (1975) did.More recently, the 1979 Wiltshire BuildingsRecord described by Pamela Slocombe has beenable to use the standards and expertise ofMDA (in this case partly because MartinNorgate, new Museums Officer for Wiltshire,joined the steering committee) in the sameway as have the many other post-MDAarchaeologylhistory site recording schemes.Meanwhile, as shown in four of the remaining articles, biology seems to have been lapped in the race to start a national environmental recording scheme. At first this seems surprising in view of the wider public appeal and much greater numbers of curators of natural history (than, for example, of geology); but I suspect that a ubiquitous enthusiasm for the natural world has made itall the harder for biologists to get togetherand run in, the same direction. Everyonewants to have a go! There are currently, andmore or less independently, potential schemeseither at an early or advanced stage ofdevelopment by the Nature Conservation Trusts(a national scheme sponsored by the RoyalSociety for Nature Conservation, whichincludes computer hardware), by the Instituteof Terrestrial Ecology of NERC through theBiological Records Centre (a peripheral indexof site information generated by speciesrecords), by the Biology Curators' Group(first steps towards a national schemeresulting from a seminar held in Leicester,September 19841, and of course by individualmuseums which may or may not adopt the MDA'sstandards, data recording formats, orsoftware. Interestingly, too, there areinstances of help, encouragement or moneyfrom the Nature Conservancy Council for elements of all these separate initiatives. M.F. Stanley summarises the history of thedeveloment of the National Scheme for 'Geological Site Documentation. With 41recording centres compiling records in astandard manner, the scheme is ideal for theapplication of a standard electronicinformation storage and retrieval system;with this in mind, MDA and Derbyshire Museumshave developed a peripheral package to GOScalled the LAP (Locality ApplicationsPackage). As readers may know, GCG Committeehas proposed the establishment of acentralised data bank for geological siterecords, while the Conservation Committee ofthe Geological Society is pressing NCC toestablish a Geological Records Centre. TheLAP can also handle environmental records forother disciplines; this surely gives thelong awaited opportunity for geologists,biologists, archaeologists, historians and,for that matter, artists and technolo~iststoo, to adopt an interchangeable, stkdardsystem for their environmental recording.I have left to the end what is in fact the introductory article by G. Stansfield. After a summary of the development of environmental recording in museums, the author contemplates "the way forward'' with apparent pessimism. "The present situation is very complex and unsatisfactory'' he writes, with particular reference to biological environmental recording; there is, for instance, no agreement on a definition of the recording unit - the site - for biology or archaeology. The papers in this special issue of Information demonstrate the need for a coordinated and standardised system for environmental recording in museums. BCG is to set up a working party, and Stansfield comments that a similar initiative is needed for archaeology and history.To which I add from the concluding article by R.B. Light, "it was assumed (by IRGMA) that ... a single multidisciplinary structure for museum records .. . . would facilitate the exchange of computer-based records between institutions. However the MDA data standard .. . has not been widely used ... for the exchange of records." To me, it seems that environmental recorders should not ignore the help of MDA ,and the opportunities of the now-availableLAP package and recording standards.Biologists, archaeologists and all - don't beLAPped by geology again!John Martin Keeper of Earth Sciences Leicestershire Museums, Art Galleries and Records Service 96 New Walk, Leicester LE1 6TD

MORRIS. S.F. and FORTEY. R.A. (compilers).1985. catalogue of the type and figuredspecimens of Trilobita in the British Museum(Natural History), i+183pp. 8pls. BritishMuseum (Natural History), London.The palaeontological collections of theBritish Museum (Natural History) have never,it seems, been victims of over-cataloguing,at least in published form. Catalogues ofseveral large groups or parts of groups havein the past appeared sporadically,particularly in two bursts: one in the lateyears of the last century, and one aboutfifty years ago. This volume is (I think)the fourth to appear in what may be called amodern (third) series of 'type and figured'catalogues. One should not be so churlish asto ask why it has taken so long to produceand publish this first listing of what is animportant group of fossils. Rather oneshould give sincere and heartfelt thanks thatthe motivation (andlor money) has beenprovided (presumably from 'upstairsf) tobring to general notice the depth and breadthof the collection.It is a wonder that this trilobite collectionhas, at least in the recent past, been sowell used and published - even without such acatalogue. That it has may largely be placedat the doors of the compilers of this volume- Sam Morris and Richard Fortey - who havebeen the 'living catalogues' of thecollections. If they didn't have in theirhead the information you wanted about thecollection, there was a struggle in view tofind what information there was. They havenow compiled this catalogue; it is ascomplete as currently possible, and it canonly greatly aid trilobite research.The book is A4 in size and printed byoffset. About 3,000 entries are listedalphabetically by their current generic name,while older generic attributions are crossreferenced.The work includes all relevantmaterial to the end of 1982. Each entry iscomprised of the generic and specific name(in bold type) followed by author and date,the status of the specimen, its BM(NH1catalogue number, its plate and figure numberin the reference given, its horizon,locality, and finally the collector. At theend of the entry section. 16 pages ofreferences are given. An index of specificand subspecific names, with presentlyacceptedgeneric attribution completes thetext. It is a pity that no room could befound for further indexes of stratigraphy,geography and, particularly, collectors. Theeight plates are included to l.. .correct someof (the) omissionsf caused by the discoveryl.. ..of a number of specimens which had beeninadequately figured, or unnecessarilyneglected1. Specimens from Iran, Australia,USA, India, Portugal, Bolivia, Burma, SouthAfrica, Federal Republic of Germany, andCanada are figured. Either to my own shame,or to underline the need for such acatalogue, l here discovered that the typesof Prosopiscus mimus Salter, 1865 from Indiawere safe in London, presumably for over acentury, although in the 60's I had assumed(mercifully without saying so in print) thatFig.1. Front cover illustration for BM(NH)Trilobite catalogue. ,Arctinurus boltoni(Bigsby, 18751, from the upper SilurianRochester Shale of Lockport, New York State,x0.5.they were long-lost or languishing in foreignparts.A random check on the entries disappointinglysoon showed some errors. Podowrinellastraitonensis is a Lamont species, not oneerected by Clarkson, Eldredge and Henry (itis their genus); the holotype of Acernaspissuperciliexcelsis was figured by Howells1982, p1.10, fig.18 (not fig.10). But by farthe great majority of entries I checked wascorrect; inaccuracies of detail areinevitable in a work of this nature. Ipresume that the compilers would be gratefulfor notification of incorrect or incompletedetails, or of material which is supposed tobe at BM(NH) but is not listed - that is, ifyou can find a copy of this catalogue tocheck. For now we come to the bad news. At125.00, this catalogue is massivelyoverpriced. The Trustees of the BM(NH) willhave difficulty in keeping up with theinfringements of copyright which willundoubtedly occur. Nevertheless,congratulations to the compilers, and notleast the motivators.This catalogue is a must for the trilobiteworkers of the world and all universityreference libraries. It is clearly laid out,and with its reference list and systematicindex it is a work which will be a time-saverfor research workers.Dr P.D. LaneDepartment of GeologyKeele UniversityStaffordshire STS 5BG

FOWLES, J. 1982. A short history of LymeRegis. 53pp. Dovecote Press, Wimborne,Dorset. Price £4.95.FOWLES. J. 1983. Lyme Regis: three townwalks. 24pp. Friends of the Lyme RegisMuseum, Lyme Regis, Dorset.If you are planning a visit to Lyme Regis youwould do well to pack two recent books byJohn Fowles (Honorary Curator, Lyme Regis(Philpot) Museum) into your beachbag -together with spade, hammer, and Good Beerand Museum Guides.--A short history of Lyme Regis is adelightfully illustrated account of Lyme'svicissitudes and glories, and includes achapter on the famous geologists who havealways come to admire the fossils andlandslips. John quite rightly points outthat the common idea of the history ofcollecting at Lyme has been greatly distortedby the romantic accretions around MaryAnning; this chapter, together with Howe,Sharpe and Torrenst (1981). are just aboutthe only accurate accounts currently inprint. Equally interesting, indeedsurprising, was the revelation of the extentof quarrying of the foreshore for stone,stucco, and hydraulic cement from the 1820sto the First World War, at both Lyme itselfand Charmouth. As at Whitby, this quarryingmust have had a great effect on the rate ofdiscovery and sale of fossils.Lyme Regis: three town walks conducts thereader about a Lyme which has many delightsin addition to the seafront and the Cobb (trythe river walk). The geologist will bepleased to find where Mary Anning, Henry Dela Beche, and the Philpot sisters lived. notto mention Maryts grave in the churchyard.Both publications, which are available fromthe Lyme Regis (Philpot) Museum and from thelocal bookshop, also contain much more aboutthe local history of Lyme - I particularlyliked the Cruikshank etching of ladiessea-bathing in 1819!ReferencesHowe, S.R., Sharpe, T. and Torrens, H.S.1981. Ichthvosaurs: a history offossil 'sea-dragons'. 32ip. NationalMuseum of Wales, Cardiff.Michael A. TaylorArea Museum Council for the South WestCity of Bristol Museum and Art GalleryQueen's Road, Bristol BS8 1RLLAUNCHING 'GUIDELINES FOR ,THE CURATION OF GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS'BY C. HOWARD C. BRUNTONNearly three years ago I wrote in theGeological Curator about the plans for theGCG producing Guidelines (Brunton 1982) and Iconcluded " .whilst the contained informationmust be sufficient to guide the curator inany particular section, it must not be sovoluminous as to deter the reader!" Sincethat time about twelve authors havecontributed innumerable pages of script whichthe editors have rendered, forged, tempered,and honed into about 300 typescript pagesready to pass to the Geological Society forpublication as their Miscellaneous PaperNo.17. This we hope will be published byearly summer, 1985. The Geological Societyhas agreed to depart from tradition andpublish our Guidelines in a form suitable forusing as a loose-leaf book. The suggestionis that most copies would be published withholes already punched for a four-ring binder.but sold only in a paper cover. For an extracouple of pounds some copies will beavailable in a four-ring binder printed withthe same cover design. We hope the basicversion will be sold to Geological Societyand GCG members at approximately £5.00.The GCG Guidelines are divided into fiveparts: Acquisition, Documentation,Preservation, Occupational Hazards, andUses. There follows a References section ofabout 200 titles, and then three Appendices:I, dealing with a large range of adhesives ofpotential use in the museum; 11, listingapparatus, equipment, materials andorganisations, with names and addresses; and111, describing the Geological SiteDocumentation Scheme, with addresses of allrecording centres. The five parts are to beprinted on different coloured papers for easydifferentiation.For the first time practicing geologicalcurators, and other experts, have writtenguidance for all likely procedures in themuseum for any curator with geologicalmaterial in his care. The subjects dealtwith are much as indicated in 1982, but therehas been some reorganisation, as can be seenby comparing the brief Contents list herewith that of 1982.In the halcyon days of 1973, NERC reported onthe geological sciences and wrote: "Curating. . . . is an essential element in relating thecomplex data of Earth history in ways thatenable a succession of researchers to makeuse of expensively collected and oftenirreplaceable material." Such views havebeen treated by governments like theproverbial 'lead balloont. Phil Doughty's(1981) report exposed the extent of our

troubles and he concluded by recommending theestablishment of "Museum standards ofcuratorial care . . . to include theenvironment, furniture, organization,documentation and conservation of museumcollections."The Guidelines make a start at settingthese standards and undoubtedly provide muchto think about when considering the propercare of geological materials. Readers of thepreliminary script from within and withoutgeological circles have enthusiasticallypraised the Guidelines, so please be sure toadvertise them widely and buy your copies assoon as possible. We must demonstrate to theGeological Society and the world at large ourconcern for geological materials - and howbetter than by creating a demand for the bookwhioh . . .. nrovides r- -information and standards atwhich to aim in preserving collectionssafelv. in good condition, and available,withall thzr data, for use now and in thefuture.1 offer a sincere thank you to all who havecontributed in so many ways to theGuidelines. but especially to fellowcontributors and editors John Cwper andTristram Besterman.CONTENTS LISTINTRODUCTIONA ACQUISITIONContentsSummary and recommendations1 General principles2 Acquisition methodsB DOCUMENTATIONContentsSummarv and recommendations1 ~arking and labelling: Entry documentationAcauisition documentation?I Specimen cataloguing5 Movement of material in the museumL. Material leaving the museumC PRESERVATIONContentsSummary and recommendations1 Field material in temporary store2 Specimen conservation3 Permanent storageD OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDSContentsSummary and recommendations1 Museum safety2 Hazards from specimensFig.1.Cover for the Guidelines.E USES OF COLLECTIONSContentsSummary and recommendations1 Information retrieval2 Scientific uses3 Exhibition and designREFERENCESAPPENDICESI AdhesivesI1 Products and suppliers, names andaddressesI11 Geological Site Documentation SchemeREFERENCESBrunton, C.H.C. 1982. Towards 'Guidelinesfor the Curation of Geologicalmaterials'. Geolopical _Curator, 3,182-185.Doughty, P.S. 1981. The state and status ofGeology in U .K. museums. Miscellaneous, Geol. Soc., London, 13, 1-118.Natural Environment Research Council. 1973.Research in the Geological Sciences.NERC Publication Series 'B', 7, 113pp.C. Howard C. BruntonDepartment of PalaeontologyBritish Museum (Natural History)Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BDTypescript received 19 March 1985

POSTSCRIPTTHE ERUDITE GEOLOGIST(With apologies to W.S. Gilbert and geologists everywhere.)1 am the very model of an erudite geologist,I'm both a metamorphic and an igneous petrologist;1 know the common minerals from andesine to cryolite,And have the skills required to tell a limestone from a rhyolite.I'm very well acquainted with the freezing of the liquidusz1 understand the temperature at which the melts ubiquitous;I know the very latest trends of isochron and isotope,I've mastered every facet of the polarizing microscope!I'm very good at sediments and basinal stratigraphy,1 read the writing of the rocks like crystal-clear calligraphy;In short, I'm neither braggart nor a falsely sham apologist,But 1 am the very model of an erudite geologist.l have a thorough knowledge of all matters geochemical,From aqueous solutions to the cyanide systemical;I know the flaws and pitfalls of the methods analytical,Of any slight discrepancy I'm always super-critical.For scientific methods I've remarkable propensity,(I know that gold and platinum have high specific density),I can quote the precious elements from silver to germanium,But know it'snever politic to talk about uranium!I'm keen to bandy language with the budding geophysicist,Of jargon and verbosity I'm quietly a quizzicistBecause I've got the makings of an amateur philologist,And 1 am the very model of an erudite geologist.I've conauered all the Droblems that are classified exolorat'rv.By obseGvation in the field and back in the laborat'r;;The meaning of the outward sign is usually deducible,Resorting to the rigmarole of spatula and crucible.I can pick a new bonanza from a spurious anomaly,1'11 preach on my opinion in a never-ending homily.1 know of ores and aquifers from principles theoretical,I follow the establishment - I've never been heretical.My exploration formula is definitely empirical.1 think that sulphide genesis is nothing but a miracle,And that divining minerals is done by a theologist.1 the very model of an erudite geologist.W.J.L. BrookeFrom Ex-Div Magazine (Western Mining) 1983.From Diana Smith (Norfolk Museums Service) whose sister foundthis in Tasmania.