Number 5 - Geological Curators Group

THE GEOLOGICAL CURATOR
Volume
3, N o . 5, November
1982
P a g e No.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . ...
THE GEOLOGICAL CUR4TOR: EDITORIAL POLICY ... ... ... ... ... ...
EDITORIAL
... ...
REPCRT OF MEETTFK: K R T R R A . T v ?P,JAXl???FL?GY, IITCTORY Q?
COLLECTTNC 6. TTliuJTTnN .., ... ... ... ... .., ,.. ... . . , .,.
?5Th'lrTEq
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OF THE GEOLOGICAL CURATORS GROIJP
265
267
7 68
271
G?.flIc\r;ICAL SOMTROWFSY GREM123.NS OR. Y.0T.I W,F, GCG ST0Y.E FEETTI'TC
BRZ.&ME P FAB?..E h:. D . T . S t e w a r d
,
... ... ... ... .. ... .. . ...
LETTER TO THE EnTTOR ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
LETTER FROM AUSTR.41,LA b y Sue T u r n e r
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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF RESEARCH CO1,LECTIONS
...
FAZARDS I N THE CURATION AND D I S P I A Y OF NIFZRAL O; ROCK SPECIMENS
V T T H ESPECIAL EMPHASIS ON RADIOACTSVITY
by P a u l H e n d e r s o n
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
THE PUBLIC EXHIBITION OF URANIUM MINERALS: A NOVEL TECHNIQUE
b y R. P a u l H i c k s
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..
FROM MATCHBOX 'D COMPUTER OR THE COMPUTERIZATION OF THE P H I L I P
C4MBRIDGE COLLECTION AT M E SEDGWICK MUSEUM
b y S t e p h a n i e H. E t c h e l l s - B u t l e r
LOST AND FOUND
C o m p i l e d by Hugh T o r r e n s
.. ... ... ... ... ... ... ..
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
TOWN MUSEUMS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ROCHESTER & CHATHAM
b y C. B i r d
.. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
HOW TO SUCCEED I N MUSEUMS WIMOUT R U L L Y TRYING? ... ... ... ...
NOTES AND NEWS
C o m p i l e d b y T o n y C r o s s ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
GEOLOGICAL DEALERS LISTED I N 'MEDALS OF CURATION' ... ... ,.. ...
POETS CORNER ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
COLLECTION LABEL REGISTER
1923)
. S H E E T 6 JOSEPH WRIGHT ( 1 8 3 4
SHEET 7 THOMAS DAVIDSON (1817
1885)
-
-
ERRATUM
P l e a s e note i n S h e e t 6
r e f i r s t sentence, r e a d
H a n c o c k Museum f o r H u n t e r i a n
Museum.
EDITORIAL
I n d u s t r i a l g e o l o g i c a l waste products
Its a sad f a c t t h a t most commercial companies involved with geology have
l i t t l e r e g a r d f o r t h e s c i e n t i f i c and e d u c a t i o n a l v a l u e o f t h e g e o l o g i c a l
m a t e r i a l which they handle. I know of rock c o r e s , which must have c o s t
hundreds of thousands of pounds t o d r i l l , showing superb and i n many
i n s t a n c e s unique assemblages of e v a p o r i t e s , m i n e r a l s , f o s s i l s e t c . , which
have been t i p p e d , b u r i e d o r o t h e r w i s e d e s t r o y e d and, i n one c a s e , thrown
overboard from an o f f s h o r e d r i l l i n g platform. I n a n o t h e r i n s t a n c e a
famous f i s h bed which y i e l d s superb v e r t e b r a t e f o s s i l s , i s q u a r r i e d on a
v a s t s c a l e t o be subsequently dumped a s a waste product and b u r i e d b e f o r e
any i n t e r e s t e d g e o l o g i s t s can examine i t .
T h i s seems t o be a d r e a d f u l waste a s eliere must be many t e a c h i n g i n s t i t u t i o n s
and museums f o r which such m a t e r i a l would be extremely u s e f u l . The main
problem i s t h e s h e e r d i f f i c u l t y f o r t h e company o f even s h o r t term s t o r a g e
of such m a t e r i a l . Unwanted r o c k s ' g e t i n t h e way' and i n t h e c a s e of
horehole c o r e s proper s t o r a g e accommodation c o s t s money and s o a s soon a s t h e
c c r e s have s e r v e d t h e i r c o m e r c i a l purpose they a r e u s u a l l y d i s c a r d e d . The
companies have n e i t h e r t h e time o r t h e money td c o n s i d e r c o n t a c t i n g i n t e r e s t e d
p a r t i e s . Furthermore some borehole c o r e s a r e considered t o c o n t a i n c o n f i d e n t i a l
information
.
However, by law, a l l borehole and s h a f t d a t a have t o be n o t i f i e d t o t h e
I n s t i t u t e of Geological Sciences and, i n many c a s e s , t h e b o r e h o l e c o r e s a r e
o f f e r e d t o t h e I.G.S.
Obviously t h e I.G.S. can o n l y t a k e a v e r y s m a l l
p r o p o r t i o n of t h i s m a t e r i a l and t h e remainder i s destroyed. Bearing t h i s
i n mind, s e v e r a l y e a r s ago, I d i s c u s s e d t h e a c q u i s i t i o n p o l i c y o f my museum
with t h e a p p r o p r i a t e I.G.S. D i s t r i c t Geologist. This r e s u l t e d i n a whole
range of superb borehole m a t e r i a l , s u r p l u s t o t h e requirements o f t h e I.G.S.,
being o f f e r e d t o t h e Museum. Perhaps c l o s e r l i a i s o n between g e o l o g i c a l
c u r a t o r s and t h e a p p r o p r i a t e D i s t r i c t Geologists of t h e I.G.S. would go sane
way towards t h e s a l v a g i n g of commercial g e o l o g i c a l m a t e r i a l which would
o t h e r w i s e be d i s c a r d e d .
Recommendations f o r t h e p r e s e r v a t i o n of r e s e a r c h c o l l e c t i o n s
Members of t h e Group have e x p r e s s e d concern over t h e l a r g e number of g e o l o g i c a l
c o l l e c t i o n s , amassed d u r i n g r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t s , which have subsequently been
improperly documented andfor d e s t r o y e d a f t e r t e r m i n a t i o n of t h e p r o j e c t .
Some p o t e n t i a l l y v a l u a b l e c o l l e c t i o n s of unique m a t e r i a l have been r u i n e d o r
l o s t i n t h i s way because t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s and i n d i v i d u a l s concerned have
been i g n o r a n t o r u n w i l l i n g t o undertake r e s p o n s i b l e c u r a t o r i a l c a r e . To t r y
Howard Brunton, on behalf of t h e Group, h a s produced
and r e c t i f y t h i s
a s e t of recommendations which have now been c i r c u l a t e d t o a l l r e l e v a n t
i n s t i t u t i o n s u n d e r t a k i n g g e o l o g i c a l r e s e a r c h . These a r e reproduced on page
A G.C.G.
publicity l e a f l e t
Enclosed w i t h t h i s i s s u e of The Geological Curator i s a l e a f l e t p u b l i c i s i n g
t h e work and aims o f t h e Group. I t i s hoped t h a t t h i s w i l l h e l p t o a t t r a c t
new members. F u r t h e r c o p i e s can be o b t a i n e d from Geoff T r e s i s e . The l e a f l e t
was compiled by John Cooper and Diana Smith and designed by S a l l y Cooper.
The Group i s extremely g r a t e f u l t o Robertson Research I n t e r n a t i o n a l Limited
who p r i n t e d t h e l e a f l e t f r e e of charge.
G.C.G.
new-style meetings
To enable GCG members t o p a r t i c i p a t e more f u l l y i t has been decided t o
devote p a r t of each meeting t o an 'Open S e s s i o n ' where members can p r e s e n t
a t a l k o r demonstration on a g e o l o g i c a l t o p i c of t h e i r choice. I t i s hoped
t h a t t h i s w i l l p r o v i d e a s t i m u l u s f o r l i v e l y d i s c u s s i o n . I t i s a l s o hoped
t o i n s t i t u t e a ' P o s t e r S e s s i o n ' where members can e x h i b i t g r a p h i c s andlor
specimens t o g i v e a f o c a l p o i n t f o r informal d i s c u s s i o n d u r i n g t h e meetings.
P l e a s e support u s i n t h i s new venture. The f i r s t o p p o r t u n i t y f o r you t o
p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h i s way w i l l be during t h e meeting a t Buxton ( s e e p. 269 ).
Contact l o c a l s e c r e t a r y Mick S t a n l e y .
Subscriptions
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a p p e a l f o r prompt payment
S u b s c r i p t i o n s f o r 1983 a r e due and should be p a i d no l a t e r than January.
I t i s VITALLY important t o t h e f i n a n c i a l well-being of GCG t h a t subs a r e
p a i d AS SOON AS POSSIBLE i n t h e new year. Late payment by t h e membership
may mean t h a t we cannot pay f o r t h e p r i n t i n g and
d i s t r i b u t i o n o f The
Geological C u r a t o r o r t h a t i n t e r e s t may have t o be p a i d on o u t s t a n d i n g
d e b t s . So p l e a s e support t h e Group by paying your sub promptly i n January.
Overseas s u b s c r i p t i o n
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a i r m a i l option
A p a r t from European members, a l l o t h e r o v e r s e a s s u b s c r i b e r s r e c e i v e t h e i r
i s s u e s of The Geological Curator by s u r f a c e m a i l . The p r e s e n t r a t e of
s u b s c r i p t i o n i s n o t s u f f i c i e n t t o cover t h e c o s t s o f a i r m a i l i n g . I n view
of s e v e r a l complaints, i t h a s been decided t o i n t r o d u c e a scheme whereby
o v e r s e a s s u b s c r i b e r s have t h e o p t i o n t o pay an i n c r e a s e d s u b s c r i p t i o n t o
enable t h e i r c o p i e s o f The Geological Curator t o be d e l i v e r e d by a i r m a i l .
Overseas members and s u b s c r i b e r s wishing t o t a k e advantage of t h i s scheme
should w r i t e t o t h e T r e a s u r e r f o r f u r t h e r d e t a i l s .
Labels r e g i s t e r
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request for e n t r i e s
Ron Cleevely, who produces t h e e n t r i e s f o r t h e r e g i s t e r ' , u r g e n t l y r e q u i r e s
examples of C o l l e c t o r / d e a l e r l a b e l s s o t h a t he can produce f u r t h e r s h e e t s f o r
t h i s s e r i e s . Examples of j u s t one c o l l e c t o r / d e a l e r from each g e o l o g i c a l
c u r a t o r i n t h e Group would be s u f f i c i e n t t o p r o v i d e e n t r i e s f o r a t l e a s t
a n o t h e r year.
THE GEOLOGICAL CURATOR:
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Geological Cui s a j o u r n a l published t h r e e times a y e a r by t h e
Geological C u r a t o r s Group. C o n t r i b u t i o n s a r e i n v i t e d from members and nonmembers of t h e Group on such t o p i c s a s techniques of specimen p r e p a r a t i o n ,
Curation and d i s p l a y , r e p o r t s of meetings and b i o g r a p h i c a l accounts of
C o l l e c t o r s and C o l l e c t i o n s . L e t t e r s d i s c u s s i n g a v a r i e t y of g e o l o g i c a l
t o p i c s a r e a l s o published. A l l a r t i c l e s should be s e n t t o t h e e d i t o r typed
and i f p o s s i b l e camera ready t o t h e A4 format used. A r t i c l e s a r e s u b j e c t
t o r e f e r e e i n g and t h e a u t h o r ( s ) may be r e q u i r e d t o modify t h e i r o r i g i n a l
s c r i p t . Authors r e q u e s t s f o r r e p r i n t s of i n d i v i d u a l a r t i c l e s must be
submitted BEFORE p u b l i c a t i o n i n The Geological Curator. These w i l l be
charged f o r a t t h e c u r r e n t r a t e . Items and e n q u i r i e s r e l a t i n g t o t h e
s p e c i a l i s t s e c t i o n s l i s t e d below should be s e n t t o t h e a p p r o p r i a t e sube d i t o r l i s t e d i n a c u r r e n t i s s u e of The G e o l o ~ i c a lCurator.
1.
C o l l e c t i o n s and Information Lost and Found.
2.
I n f o r m a t i o n S e r i e s on Geological C o l l e c t i o n Labels.
3.
Notes and News.
I n f u t u r e n i n e i s s u e s o f The Geological Curator published o v e r t h r e e y e a r s
w i l l c o n s t i t u t e 1 volume. An i n d e x f o r each volume w i l l be p u b l i s h e d a s
soon a s p o s s i b l e a f t e r t h e n i n t h i s s u e .
P e r i o d i c a l l y S p e c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n s and Supplements w i l l be p u b l i s h e d with
Geological Curator. Supplements may c o n s i s t of s p e c i a l r e p o r t s on an a s p e c t
o f t h e Groups work o r be a s e r i e s of papers on a common theme p r e s e n t e d a t a
meeting o r g a n i s e d by t h e Group. Each supplement w i l l be a complete e n t i t y t o
be bound i n with t h e i s s u e w i t h which i t i s published.
S p e c i a l p u b l i c a t i o n s may c o n s i s t of c a t a l o g u e s of type f i g u r e d c i t e d o r o t h e r
i m p o r t a n t C o l l e c t i o n s which would o t h e r w i s e n o t be published. These may be
p u b l i s h e d a s a s i n g l e i s s u e o r i n s e v e r a l p a r t s spanning s e v e r a l i s s u e s o r
volumes of The Geological Curator.
Librarians should.note t h a t Special
p u b l i c a t i o n s should b e bound s e p a r a t e l y from The Geological Curator. S e v e r a l
p a r t s o f one c a t a l o g u e should be bound i n one volume.
Persons o r i n s t i t u t i o n s a s k i n g t h e Group t o p u b l i s h a c a t a l o g u e a s a S p e c i a l
P u b l i c a t i o n must f i r s t c o n t a c t t h e e d i t o r with d e t a i l s of t h e s i z e and scope
of t h e p r o p o s e d catalogue. Each c a s e w i l l b e c o n s i d e r e d on i t s own m e r i t s
b u t i n g e n e r a l a t l e a s t p a r t o f t h e c o s t must be borne by t h e sponsor. Where
a p p r o p r i a t e t h e sponsor can e l e c t t o undertake t h e t y p e s e t t i n g b u t o n l y a f t e r
consultation with the editor.
FORTHCOMING MEETINGS
NEW EXHIBITIONS
Annual General Meeting a t Oxford U n i v e r s i t y Museum
Geological d i s p l a y s and a s s o c i a t e d problems
The AGM w i l l t a k e p l a c e on F r i d a y 1 0 t h December, a t Oxford U n i v e r s i t y Museum,
Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW. For f u r t h e r information p l e a s e write t o l o c a l
s e c r e t a r y H.P. Powell a t t h e museum.
Programme
11.00
Coffee
11.15
I n t r o d u c t o r y t a l k on t h e g e o l o g i c a l c o l l e c t i o n s a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y
Museum followed by a guided t o u r .
12.30
Lunch.
Club.
1.45
E x h i b i t i o n Conserva-cion of Geological Specimens, Frank Howie
(Palaeontology Dept. BM(M1)).
2.05
C o l l e c t i o n of a Dinosaur Trackway and problems of i t s d i s p l a y .
Paul C. Ensom ( D o r s e t County Museum.)
2.25
S i t e Conservation on wheels; problems of a mobile d i s p l a y on s i t e c o n s e r v a t i o n i n Warwickshire. T r i s t r a m Besterman (Warwickshire
County Museum S e r v i c e )
2.45
Nineteenth Century C o l l e c t i o n s of f o s s i l marine r e p t i l e s and t h e
problems of t h e C u r a t o r , r e s e a r c h e r and layman. Michael A . Taylor
(Oxford U n i v e r s i t y Museum).
3.05
The Mineral d i s p l a y a t t h e U l s t e r Museum.
Museum, B e l f a s t ) .
3.30
Tea.
3.45
Annual General Meeting of t h e Geological C u r a t o r s Group.
There i s a s e l f s e r v i c e c a f e t e r i a a v a i l a b l e i n t h e U n i v e r s i t y
P h i l i p S. Doughty ( U l s t e r
F r i d a y 29th A p r i l , 1983. Geology teaching i n and around t h e museum. This
ATG/GCG meeting w i l l be h e l d a t Merseyside County Museum. Speakers w i l l
i n c l u d e Andy Mathieson ( B r i s t o l Museum) and Alun Thomas (Nat. Mus. Wales.)
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Thurs, 22-23 June, 1983 ( p r o v i s i o n a l d a t e s ) . Technical and c o n s e r v a t i o n
Wed.
techniques. To be h e l d a t t h e B r i t i s h Museum ( N a t u r a l H i s t o r y )
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Friday
Saturday 9-10 September, 1983 Buxton Museum. P a r t o f t h e s e s s i o n
on t h e 9 t h September w i l l be devoted t o S i t e Documentation and w i l l p o s s i b l y
A s an
extend t o s i t e meetings, a mine v i s i t n o t t o mention a party!!?
experiment some of t h e s e s s i o n s w i l l be open t o c o n t r i b u t i o n s from any GCG
member wishing t o t a l k on any a s p e c t of g e o l o g i c a l c u r a t i o n . There w i l l a l s o
be an o p p o r t u n i t y f o r exhibitingldemonstrating specimens o r m a t e r i a l o f
interest.
NOTE T h i s meeting i s a b i t o f an experiment designed t o g i v e t h e membership
a chance o f i n c r e a s e d p a r t i c i p a t i o n . P l e a s e g i v e us your s u p p o r t i n t h i s
venture.
Local S e c r e t a r y ; Mick S t a n l e y (Derbyshire Museum S e r v i c e )
F r i d a y 9 t h December, 1983 AGM a t Warwick Museum. Papers on t h e h i s t o r y of
t h e museum and a chance t o s e e t h e c o l l e c t i o n s . Again t h e r e w i l l be a s e r i e s
of open s e s s i o n s where members of GCG can p r e s e n t p a p e r s on any a s p e c t of
g e o l o g i c a l c u r a t i o n . Local S e c r e t a r y T r i s t r a m Besterman (Warwickshire Museum).
A p r i l 1984. A meeting a t L e i c e s t e r t o c e l e b r a t e 10 y e a r s of GCG.
i n a u g r a l GCG meeting was h e l d i n L e i c e s t e r i n A p r i l 1974.
1984.
( t o b e confirmed)
The
Meeting a t Ludlow Museum.
Volcanoes and early Ilfe - Late Precambrian
Coastal swamp - Upper Carboniferous
Red desert - Triassic
Mammoths In a cold wasteland-Devensian
Our new geology gallery shows you
how geologists reconstruct
Leiceaershire's past landscapes,
using the evidence of fossils,rocks and minerals.
and four large, landscape reconstruaions
palmed specially fortheexhobition.
muSEurn firm FIRT CAIIERY
nEur UJFIIH, IEICESTER
Ovring t o t h e illness o f P r o f e s s o r G. Malcclm Brown, t h e e x h i b i t i o n
w i l l now be opened b y F.W.
l h m i n g OBE BSc FGS, C u r a t o r o f t h e
G e o l o g i c a l Museum, London, at ll.3Oam on 'Phursday 2 5 t h November 1982.
It w i l l be open t o t h e p u b l i c that afternoon and then f r o m S a t u r d a y
2 7 t h November.
Further d e t a i l s from:
John W t i n
Keeper o f E a r t h S c i e n c e s
L e i c e s t e r s h i r e Museums
96 New Walk
Leicester
Tel r
Nusewn opening times:
LE1 6TD
Leicester
Monda;y
(0533) 554100
- l'hwziW9S a t u r d a y loam - 5.30pm
2pm - 5.30pm
Sunday
CIASED FRIDAYS
Admission free
THE NORTH EAST BEFORE MAN
A new geology gallery at Sunderland Museum.
A new gallery devoted to the geology of Tyne and Wear, Durham and
Cleveland was opened by Professor J. F. Dewey of Durham University
on Saturday 14th August. The gallery features the most comprehensive
display in Britain on the English Zmhstein rocks which a r e s o magnificently
exposed in the region. Exhibits include well preserved fish from the
Mar1 Slate, the only British specimen of a Permian gliding-reptile, a
selection of fossils from the Middle Magnesian Limestone reef complex
and polished borehole cores from the North Sea. Apart from the Permian
specimens the displays show Pennine minerals and Carboniferous rocks
and fossils.
Admission is free and classroom facilities a r e available.
Tyne and Wear County Council Museums gratefully acknowledge support by
the British Petroleum Company p. 1. c.
Sunderland Museum,
Borough Road,
Sunderland,
Tyne and Wear.
(0783)41235 Telephone.
Palaeoniscum ; a 240 million year old fossil fish from the Upper Permian
rocks of County Durham.
MINUTES
OF THE 8 t h ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
OF THE GEOLOGICAL CURATORS GROUP
a t Birmingham U n i v e r s i t y Museum
Tuesday 8 t h December 1981 3.50 p.m.
The Chairman, Howard Brunton, was unable t o reach Birmingham due t o bad
weather, P h i 1 Doughty agreed t o Chair the meeting.
Apologies r e c e i v e d from H. Brunton, R. Cleevely, R. Markham, J . Nunney
and R. King.
Minutes. The minutes of t h e l a s t annual g e n e r a l meeting were approved and
s i g n e d by P. Doughty.
Matters Arising.
There were no m a t t e r s a r i s i n g .
Chairman's Report. There was no r e p o r t due t o t h e absence of t h e chairman,
s e e appended r e p o r t .
S e c r e t a r y ' s Report. Group meetings t h i s year c o n s i s t e d of a workshop on t h e
M.D.A.
Geology Specimen c a r d h e l d a t t h e B r i t i s h Museum (Nat. H i s t . ) i n June;
a s e s s i o n on t h e Computer S t o r a g e of d a t a a t Manchester Museum i n September;
and t h e Annual General Meeting a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Birmingham. A proposed
Mineral Workshop a t t h e Geological Museum had t o be c a n c e l l e d through l a c k
of s u p p o r t (probably because of the v e r y s h o r t n o t i c e given t o a m b e r s ) b u t
i t i s hoped t h a t t h i s can be rescheduled f o r June 1982.
Other meetings planned f o r n e x t y e a r a r e 'Geological E x h i b i t i o n s f o r t h e Mid8 0 ' s a t Stoke on 23rd A p r i l ; a two-day j o i n t meeting with t h e P a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l
A s s o c i a t i o n on ' V e r t e b r a t e Palaeontology: H i s t o r y of C o l l e c t i n g and C u r a t i o n '
t o be h e l d i n London on 8 t h and 9 t h September; and t h e A.G.M. a t Oxford
U n i v e r s i t y on 1 0 t h December.
P. Doughty's r e p o r t on t h e ' S t a t e and S t a t u s of Geological Collectionii i n
B r i t i s h Museums' i s expected t o be published v e r y soon. It i s being produced
by t h e Geological S o c i e t y i n t h e i r s e r i e s of S p e c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n s . Members
w i l l a l r e a d y b e w e l l aware of t h e dismal s t a t e of a f f a i r s r e v e a l e d by t h i s
r e p o r t and i t i s ' v i t a l t h a t t h e s e f a c t s a r e now published a s widely
as p o s s i b l e . The committee have a l r e a d y met t h e Chairman of t h e I n s t i t u t i o n
of G e o l o g i s t s who w i l l provide a l i s t of those Members of Parliament most
l i k e l y t o be sympathetic to the conclusions of t h e r e p o r t , s o t h a t s e l e c t i v e
Parliamentary lobbying can be undertaken. A s t a n d t o p u b l i c i s e t h e r e p o r t i s
a l s o planned a t t h e j o i n t meeting of Geological S o c i e t i e s i n Glasgow n e x t
September.
Two o t h e r p u b l i c a t i o n s l i k e l y t o be of p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t t o Group members
should appear i n 1982. R. C l e e v e l y ' s 'Index of F o s s i l s and r e l a t e d C o l l e c t i o n s
i n B r i t i s h Museums' w i l l be produced a s one of t h e B r i t i s h Museum (Nat. H i s t . )
Centenary p u b l i c a t i o n s ; and T. S h a r p e ' s Bibliography of Geology i n Museums
It
w i l l be p u b l i s h e d j o i n t l y by t h e National Museum of Wales and M.D.A.U.
i s hoped t h a t t h e l a t t e r w i l l f o w the b a s i s f o r s h o r t e r b i b l i o g r a p h i e s
produced f o r L e i c e s t e r s t u d e n t s and f o r t h e Museums A s s o c i a t i o n ' s forthcolning
Manual of C u r a t o r s h i p .
Following the successful nomination of I . ROLFE f o r the Museums' Association
Council i n 1980, the Committee agreed t o support the nomination of the
Secretary i n the 1981 Council elections. This nomination was a l s o supported
by B.C.G. and was again successful.
E a r l i e r i n the year the Committee sulmitted i t s comments on the ABsociations
proposals f o r a revised c o n s t i t u t i o n and the proposals which were f i n a l l y
adopted included many of the G.C.G. suggestions. The l i m i t i n g of the new
Professional Groups Consultative Committee t o those groups representing
c u r a t o r i a l i n t e r e s t s i s p a r t i c u l a r l y t o be welcomed. I t i s hoped t h a t t h i s
new committee (on which M. Stanley represents the Group and the Secretary
serves a s one of the Association representatives) w i l l be able t o e x e r t a
more p o s i t i v e influence over Council decisions than has been the case i n
the past.
The choice of 'Use and Abuse of Collections' a s the theme f o r the Associations
Conference i n Manchester was the d i r e c t r e s u l t of the i n t e r e s t aroused by the
papers given by P. Doughty and G. Hancock a t the 1980 Conference. It i s
g r e a t l y t o be hoped t h a t the Association's better-late-than-never concern
over c u r a t o r i a l matters can be maintained.
The Secretary has represented tk Group on the 'Federation f o r Natural Science
Collection Research (FENSCORE), s e t up to co-ordinate an'd extend the work of
the Collection Research u n i t s i n the various Federation areas. It i s hoped
t h a t a n a t i o n a l r e g i s t e r of the c o l l e c t i o n s can ultimately be produced and
to t h i s end an application has been made t o ICSUIUNESCO f o r a g r a n t f o r the
f i v e year period 1984-89. This would provide funds f o r the employment of a
s t a f f of four, two based a t Manchester, two a t Edinburgh. A decision on
whether the g r a n t w i l l be forthcoming i s expected e a r l y i n 1982.
A FENSCORE working party on a proposed Legister of type specimens has a l s o
been s e t up, with the Chairman a c t i n g a s G.C.G. representative. A j o i n t
B.C.G.1G.C.G.
meeting has been held with representatives of I.G.S. and NERC.
The Chairman, R. Clements and H. Torrens represented G.C.G.
and s t r e s s e d the
need f o r c o l l e c t i o n s amassed i n the course of research p r o j e c t s funded by
NERC to be properly curated and housed i n i n s t i t u t i o n s where t h e i r f u t u r e
safeguarding i s assured. I n i t i a l reaction from I.G.S. and NERC had been
encouraging and the meeting i s seen a s a f i r s t s t e p towards making these
bodies more museum conscious.
The Committee have discussed p r i o r i t i e s f o r Group a c t i v i t i e s . The f i r s t
p r i o r i t y was agreed to be the produc,tion of 'The Geological Curator' to a
high standard. Second p r i o r i t y was the production of a s e t of 'Guidelines
f o r the Curation of Geological Collections'. Third came Group a c t i o n with
regard t o c o l l e c t i o n s a t r i s k ; t h e i r discovery, curation and p o s s i b l e
removal to a more s u i t a b l e repository. It was recognised t h a t t h i s l a s t
o b j e c t i v e could only be achieved through close l i a i s o n with such bodies a s
the Museums Association, the Area Council and the Government's new Museums
and G a l l e r i e s Commission.
F i n a l l y my thanks t o the Group's o f f i c e r s and committee must be g r a t e f u l l y
recorded. The work undertaken by my fellow o f f i c e r s w i l l be r e a d i l y apparent
and needs no a d d i t i o n a l conrmendation from me. What may be l e s s obvious a r e
the s p e c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s undertaken by many members of the canomittee.
Thus Diana Smith a c t s a s Advertising and P u b l i c i t y Officer a s well a s Minutes
S e c r e t a r y ; Ron Cleevely r e p r e s e n t s t h e Group on the Geological S o c i e t y ' s
S p e c i a l i s t Groups Committee; Alan Howell a c t s a s C o l l e c t i o n s Liaison
O f f i c e r and a l s o s e r v e d on t h e Museums A s s o c i a t i o n working p a r t y on N a t u r a l
Science C o l l e c t i o n Resources; Mick S t a n l e y i s Groq r e p r e s e n t a t i v e on t h e
A s s o c i a t i o n ' s P r o f e s s i o n a l Groups C o n s u l t a t i v e Committee. Were i t n o t f o r
t h e i r u n f a i l i n g a s s i s t a n c e i n these and o t h e r m a t t e r s , t h e d u t i e s developing
on t h e S e c r e t a r y would be f a r more ardous than they a r e .
T r e a s u r e r ' s Report
Account s h e e t s were d i s t r i b u t e d a t t h e meeting. A s a
r e s u l t of the change t o the C o n s t i t u t i o n l a s t year t h i s y e a r s accounts were
a u d i t e d . It had been agreed t h a t two members of the Group a c t a s a u d i t o r s
each year. For t h i s year R. Clements and M. Jones had been a u d i t o r s . The
accounts o f t h e l a s t t h r e e y e a r s were a l s o submitted t o them. I n 1978 t h e
Group made a p r o f i t , i n 1979 t h e r e was a l o s s and i n 1980 a s l i g h t p r o f i t .
The a u d i t o r s approved a l l t h e accounts. J . Cooper p o i n t e d o u t t h a t money
from the d e p o s i t account i s t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e c u r r e n t account as necessary,
s o f s r t h i s y e a r £600 h a s been t r a n s f e r r e d t o cover t h e E500 d e f i c i t and
l e a v i n g £100. However t h e production c o s t and postage of t h e n e x t double
i s s u e of t h e 'Geological C u r a t o r ' has s t i l l t o be covered.
J . Cooper i s c o n f i d e n t t h a t the Group w i l l be a b l e t o cover i t s c o s t s f o r
another y e a r without having t o r a i s e s u b s c r i p t i o n s . M. S t a n l e y thanked
J. Cooper f o r s e c u r i n g t a x deduction on t h e s u b s c r i p t i o n s .
T. Besterman asked how J . Cooper envisaged covering c o s t s i n t h e f o r t h coming y e a r . J . Cooper r e p l i e d t h a t he was hoping t o i n c r e a s e funds by
g a i n i n g a d v e r t s f o r t h e j o u r n a l . T. Besterman suggested t h a t i t would n o t
be unreasonable t o i n c r e a s e s u b s c r i p t i o n s a s the j o u r n a l i s v e r y good value.
J. Cooper r e p l i e d t h a t i f t h e members p r e s e n t supported t h i s suggestion then
he would n o t o b j e c t . I t c e r t a i n l y would make t h i n g s comfortable f o r the
coming year. J . Cooper added t h a t a reminder i s being i s s u e d with the n e x t
j o u r n a l . He p o i n t e d o u t t h a t 31 p e r s o n a l members, i n c l u d i n g o v e r s e a s and
5 i n s t i t u t i o n a l members, i n c l u d i n g o v e r s e a s have s t i l l t o pay t h i s y e a r s
s u b s c r i p t i o n . The c u r r e n t membership i s 185 p e r s o n a l i n c l u d i n g 16 overseas
and 93 i n s t i t u t i o n a l i n c l u d i n g 1 3 overseas. There were 17 new members t h i s
y e a r and h e expects about t h i s number w i l l l e a v e t h e Group. Twelve complimentary c o p i e s of t h e j o u r n a l a r e s e n t o u t f o r exchange, goodwill and
o f f i c i a l reasons.
M. S t a n l e y asked i f t h e r e had been any r e a c t i o n t o t h e change of name of t h e
j o u r n a l . J. Cooper r e p l i e d none.
J. Cooper thanked R. Clements and M. J o n e s f o r a u d i t i n g the l a s t t h r e e y e a r s
accounts and h e proposed t h a t T. Getty (Portsmouth Museum) and A. I n s o l e
(Sandown Museum) be i n v i t e d t o a c t a s a u d i t o r s f o r t h e f o r t h coming year.
T h i s was seconded by M. S t a n l e y and passed nem.con.
T. Besterman proposed t h a t t h e s u b s c r i p t i o n r a t e s a r e increased.
seconded by B. Boneham. Votes were a s follows;
For
Against
Abstention
17
3
4
This was
The subscription r a t e f o r personal G.B.
1st January 1982.
members w i l l now be E5 due on
Recorder's Report. There was no r e p o r t due t o the absence of the Recorder,
see appended report.
E d i t o r ' s Report. T. Pettigrew apologized f o r the l a t e publication of i s s u e
312 but he has had i n t e r n a l museum pressures. He a l s o explained t h a t a t
the moment the typing i s f r e e but delays a r e incurred when contributions
a r r i v e l a t e . The p r i n t e r s have been changed s i n c e the l a s t i s s u e so the
type face w i l l now be uniform. This issue, unforeseeably delayed, w i l l
now be a double i s s u e of 110 pages. I t sees the launch of the l a b e l
r e g i s t e r with an introduction by R. Cleevely and a supplement; Par1 1
C a s s i t e r i t e s , R. King's Mineral Collection.
-
R. Clements enquired whether authors should supply t h e i r a r t i c l e s i n a
camera-ready s t a t e . T. Pettigrew r e p l i e d t h a t t h i s would r e s u l t i n a g r e a t
v a r i e t y of type faces which i s not wanted i f the standards of the journal a r e
t o be increased.
C.G.S.D. Report. J. Cooper reported t h a t l a s t years annual r e p o r t had been
s e n t o u t to a l l record c e n t r e s and t h a t a b s t r a c t s w i l l appear i n t h e next
i s s u e of t h e journal. There a r e 36 record c e n t r e s holding i n excess of 1600
records. There i s one new c e n t r e - Hampshire. There a r e three MSC posts
running a t the moment, t h i s i s lower than i n previous years when t h e r e have
been ten posts, so i t i s hoped t h a t there w i l l be more posts i n the near
future.
The Committee members a r e J . Cooper, M. Stanley, K. Sedman and P. P h i l l i p s and
has met once t h i s year to examine t h e i r r o l e and f u t u r e aims. I t was decided
n o t t o disband the committee and J . Cooper explained t h a t the r e c e n t i n a c t i v i t y
of the committee i s due to members being concerned with more important
c u r a t o r i a l d u t i e s and there has n o t been the f i n a n c i a l backup necessary f o r
activity
.
J. Cooper pointed o u t t h a t good r e l a t i o n s with the NCC have been r e s t o r e d and
hopes t h a t t h i s w i l l bear f r u i t i n the near future. Plans f o r 1982 a r e to
s e e new c e n t r e s , possibly ones a t the Dick I n s t i t u t e , Ayrshire and a t Brighton,
and to change the committee. J. Cooper asked f o r anyone i n t e r e s t e d t o contact
him.
J. Cooper a l s o reported t h a t the Conservation Committee of the Geological
Society, Chaired by R. Clements, had been successful i n purchasing the
Devonian f i s h s i t e a t Achanarras i n Orkney.
Election of Officers. P. Doughty thanked the present o f f i c e r s and members of
the Committee f o r a l l the work they had done i n the p a s t year. I n the absence
of a l t e r n a t i v e nominations the following o f f i c e r s and committee members were
declared elected.
Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer/Membership Sec.
Editor
Howard Brun ton
Geoff Tresise
John Cooper
Tim Pettigrew
B r i t i s h Museum (N.H.)
Merseyside Museum
Booth Museum, Brighton
Sunderland Museum
Recorder
P u b l i c i t y / M i n u t e s Sec.
New Committee members
Continuing members
Ron Cleevely
Diana Smith
Tony Cross
Ken Sedman
T r i s tam Bes terman
Alan Howell
B r i t i s h Museum (N.H.)
B r i s t o l C i t y Museum
Haupshire Museum S e r v i c e
Middlesbrough Museum
Warwickshire Museum
Bolton Museum
D. Smith informed t h e meeting about a p u b l i c i t y l e a f l e t s h e i s
. *A
compiling and which w i l l h o p e f u l l y be p r i n t e d e a r l y i n t h e new year. It
i s i n t e n d e d t o d i s t r i b u t e t h e l e a f l e t around t o a s many people and p l a c e s
a s thought s u i t a b l e i n an a t t e m p t t o i n c r e a s e membership members. The
l e a f l e t o u t l i n e s t h e aims of t h e Group and g i v e s d e t a i l s about t h e j o u r n a l
and meetings. An a p p l i c a t i o n form w i l l a l s o be included.
There being no o t h e r b u s i n e s s the meeting f i n i s h e d a t 4.33 p.m.
APPENDED REPORTS
Reports t h a t were unable t o be given a t t h e Annual General Meeting
Chairman's Report. Thanks t o Committee, e s p e c i a l l y o f f i c e r s about t o r e p o r t
and t o D i Smith f o r minutes.
BCG/GCG i n i t i a t i v e w i t h NERC; following Dec.'80 meeting, Jeremy Smith of
NERC c a l l e d meeting on 1 1 t h J u n e 1981 a t which Hugh Torrens, Roy Clements
and I were p r e s e n t , r e p r e s e n t i n g GCG. We p r e s e n t e d t h e c a s e showing wastage
of specimens and d a t a during and a f t e r r e s e a r c h s t u d i e s and urged t h a t NERC
make a c o n d i t i o n t h a t specimens and d a t a must be c u r a t e d a s p a r t of t h e
r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t , and o f f e r e d t o a museum where i t can be k e p t s a f e l y . The
u n s a t i s f a c t o r y s i t u a t i o n was accepted and M r . Smith agreed t h a t something
should be done, b u t was a g a i n s t b u i l t - i n l e g i s l a t i o n a s p a r t of t h e g r a n t
aiding. I n s t e a d h e suggested a c t i o n via t h e u n i v e r s i t i e s , and g u i d e l i n e s
p u b l i s h e d and d i s t r i b u t e d w i t h g r a n t a p p l i c a t i o n s .
IGS and t h e I n s t . of T e r r e s t r i a l Ecology were r e p r e s e n t e d , and i t seems have
l i t t l e a c t i v e p o l i c y about c o l l e c t i o n s !
Imp. C o l l . amongst o t h e r u n i v e r s i t i e s , h a s 'Guidelines f o r t h e handling and
It s u g g e s t s
d i s p o s a l of specimens t h a t have been used by r e s e a r c h s t u d e n t s . '
t h a t a degree may be w i t h e l d i f t h e c o n d i t i o n s a r e n o t adhered to.
FENSCORE Type Specimen Working Party. Two meetings have been h e l d ; 25th June
and 20th Oct. 1981. A t t h e f i r s t meeting t h e concept of a t t e m p t i n g t o produce
a l i s t of t y p e and f i g u r e d specimens i n museums was accepted. Much time was
s p e n t on t r y i n g t o a g r e e t h e amount and type of d a t a t o be gathered.
A t t h e second meeting, perhaps on r e f l e c t i o n , a much reduced data-base f o r
p o s s i b l e p u b l i c a t i o n was accepted, while i t was agreed t h a t a s much d a t a a s
p o s s i b l e should be c o l l e c t e d about specimens, a t t h e time of s e a r c h i n g , s o
t h a t t h i s d a t a c o u l d be used by r e f e r e e s i n a s s e s s i n g t h e worth of t h e
specimen. The e v a l u a t i o n of specimens t o be v i a t h e l o c a l CRU w i t h backing,
i f necessary, from o u t s i d e e x p e r t s . The a i m being t o p u t specimens on one
of f i v e l i s t s :
irrelevant t o the register
u n l i k e l y t o be r e l e v a n t
worth i n c l u d i n g
confirmed
s t a t u s unknown
more i n f o needed
-
The r e g i s t e r aims t o be a guide t o taxonomists as t o where they may f i n d
r e l e v a n t m a t e r i a l . The MDA h a s o f f e r e d t o run a p i l o t p r o j e c t of about
1000 specimens, s e l e c t e d from t h e MJ R e g i s t e r , t h e f i r s t C o l l e c t i o n s
R e g i s t e r t o b e published, f o r which they a r e t o be c o n g r a t u l a t e d .
The p i l o t p r o j e c t w i l l a i d assessment of d a t a g a t h e r i n g and r e f e r e e i n g .
F u r t h e r d i s c u s s i o n i s t o t a k e p l a c e about machine p r o c e s s i n g t h e data.
Guidelines. L a s t y e a r ' s committee s t r e s s e d t h e need t o produce g u i d e l i n e s
on g e o l o g i c a l c u r a t i o n . We agree t o t h i s need and have c i r c u l a t e d t o the
committee suggestions on t h e c o n t e n t s of such g u i d e l i n e s .
The Museums A s s o c i a t i o n h a s produced a 'Manual of C u r a t o r s h i p ' and engaged
D r . D. P r i n c e t o r e s e a r c h l e d i t t h e 'Manual', which seems t o be of a
philosophical nature.
We a r e looking f o r a p r a c t i c a l guide, k e p t s h o r t , b u t w i t h e x t e n s i v e
appendices of t e c h n i c a l d a t a and addresses. We hope t o have s e c t i o n s prepared
by people knowledgable i n p a r t i c u l a r a s p e c t s of c u r a t i o n , and some of t h e s e
s e c t i o n s may be ' t e s t e d ' t o t h e membership by p u b l i c a t i o n i n the 'Geological
C u r a t o r ' . U l t i m a t e l y we aim a t a l o o s e - l e a f production of the Guidelines.
'Guidelines f o r t h e Curation of Geological M a t e r i a l s ' a r e much needed and
w i l l have important i n f l u e n c e s i n many d i r e c t i o n s . I hope we can s e e r e a l
p r o g r e s s i n 1982.
Also i n Dec. 1980 t h e r e was t a l k of a p u b l i c i t y l e a f l e t . D i Smith and John
Cooper took on t h i s j o b , both moved during t h e year, b u t d e s p i t e t h i s I am
p l e a s e d t h a t we have now a l e a f l e t which w i l l a i d i n t h e r e c r u i t m e n t of
members.
Howard Brunton 8 t h Dec. 1981.
Recorders Report. Owing t o v a r i o u s b u s i n e s s f i n a n c i a l takeovers a f f e c t i n g
t h e p u b l i s h e r s w i t h whom t h e BM(NH) a r e co-operating, the promised p u b l i c a t i o n
of t h e index of f o s s i l c o l l e c t i o n s d i d n o t m a t e r i a l i s e . The s i t u a t i o n h a s
s i n c e become s t a b i l i s e d and t h e p u b l i c a t i o n of 'World P a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l
Collections
A Preliminary Index' i s now envisaged f o r t h e summer of 1982.
The c o r r e c t e d MSS h a s gone t o t h e p r i n t e r s and g a l l e y s a r e expected i n t h e
New Year. A t p r e s e n t , i t i s thought t h a t the p u b l i c a t i o n w i l l be r e l a t i v e l y
e a e n s i v e . However, I am a r g u i n g s t r o n g l y f o r a cheaper v e r s i o n t o be
produced e i t h e r a s p a r t of t h e o r i g i n a l 1,000 c o p i e s , o r tn a d d i t i o n t o them.
I t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t a scheme f o r o r d e r i n g t h i s s p e c i a l p r i n t i n g might evolve
p r i o r t o p u b l i c a t i o n u t i l i s i n g d i s t r i b u t i o n of forms through BCG and GCG
journals.
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I n an e f f o r t t o minimise t h e l o # s of g e o l o g i c a l r e s e a r c h c o l l e c t i o n s t h e
o r g a n i s a t i o n of e d i t o r s of g e o l o g i c a l j o u r n a l s E d i t e e r e , was approached.
They were asked t o ensure. t h a t f o r a l l papers p u b l i s h e d t h e material c i t e d
had been a d e q u a t e l y r e g i s t e r e d and housed i n a r e p u t a b l e and p u b l i c l y
a c c e s s i b l e museum, o r i n s t i t u t i o n i n accordance w i t h t h e recommendation
of ICOM a t t h e meeting i n Mekico, 1980.
A j o i n t meeting with t h e MDA was h e l d a t t h e BM(NH) on 4 t h J u n e 1981 to'
c o n s i d e r USE OF THE MDA 'Geology' specimen c a r d
WHY?, o r WHY NOT?
Howard Brunton d i s t r i b u t e d a s h e e t o u t l i n i n g t h e b a s i c requirements and
purposes f o r which an EDP system might be used i n r e c o r d i n g d a t a of f o s s i l s
p r i o r t o t h e meeting. C o n t r i b u t o r s e i t h e r d i s c u s s e d t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e of
u s i n g t h e MDA system o r explained t h e i r reasons f o r p r e f e r r i n g a s e p a r a t e
method r e l a t i n g t o t h e i r own o r g a n i s a t i o n o r needs. Although t h e occasion
was f e l t t o have been s u c c e s s f u l , a u n i f i e d p o l i c y o r approach t o t h e
m a t t e r d i d n o t ensue.
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I n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h Howard Brunton and Frank Howie, a l l on behalf of
GCG
we examined Tom S h a r p e ' s 'Geology i n Museums' - a b i b l i o g r a p h y ,
providing a d d i t i o n a l e n t r i e s b u t without making s u b s t a n t i a l a l t e r a t i o n s
a p a r t from s u g g e s t i n g t h e i n c l u s i o n of a g e n e r a l g e o l o g i c a l r e f e r e n c e
section.
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A g e n e r a l l i a i s o n w i t h Charles P e t t i t t was made a r i s i n g from the formation
of FENSCORE w i t h i t s commitments t o m a i n t a i n i n g and accumulating d a t a on
N a t u r a l H i s t o r y C o l l e c t i o n s and forming a r e g i s t e r of Types. P r o v i s i o n a l l y
c o l l e c t i o n information ( - a p a r t from t h a t on f o s s i l s ,-) accumulated d u r i n g
t h e r e v i s i o n of Sherborn h a s been l e n t t o Manchester i n o r d e r t h a t they can
a s s e s s i t s p o t e n t i a l usage f o r t h e scheme. However, t h e r e a r e p o s s i b l e
d i f f i c u l t i e s i n t h i s , s i n c e t h e BM(NH) f e e l t h a t they have some r i g h t s t o
t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n , although I am s u r e t h e problem can b e resolved.
The s e r i e s on C o l l e c t i o n Labels and Hand-writing was i n i t i a t e d by t h e production
of s e v e r a l Reference Sheets f o r d i s t r i b u t i o n with t h e j o u r n a l . An i n t r o d u c t o r y
a r t i c l e was a l s o produced f o r i n c l u s i o n i n t h e same i s s u e and was accompanied
by a r e q u e s t f o r o t h e r c u r a t o r s t o submit s i m i l a r examples from t h e i r own
c o l l e c t i o n s f o r use i n f u t u r e i s s u e s .
Ron Cleevely Dec. 1981.
REPORT OF MEETING:
VERTEBRATE PALAEONTOLOGY,
HISTORY OF COLLECTING & CURATION
8-10 September, 1982.
Organised by t h e GCG
and the P a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l Association.
Although o r i g i n a l l y planned a s a 2 day meeting a d d i t i o n a l o f f e r s of
papers j u s t i f i e d an extension t o t h r e e days; t h e f i r s t h e l d i n t h e
l e c t u r e t h e a t r e of t h e B r i t i s h Museum ( N a t u r a l H i s t o r y ) and t h e remainder
u s i n g t h e more comfortable f a c i l i t i e s of t h e Geological S o c i e t y a t
Burlington House.
Unfortunately, no attempt was made t o p r e s e n t a g e n e r a l view o u t l i n i n g t h e
developments w i t h i n t h e s u b j e c t of V e r t e b r a t e Palaeontology d u r i n g i t s
h i s t o r y w i t h a d i s c u s s i o n of the problems t h a t had occurred. The only h i n t
of such an o v e r a l l review was made i n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n t o the meeting
programme where t h e e a r l i e r a p p r a i s a l s of Romer (1959), Simpson (1968) and
Gregory [l9791 were mentioned. However, s e v e r a l speakers provided more
d e t a i l e d summaries w i t h i n p a r t i c u l a r f i e l d s of t h e s u b j e c t .
Opening, D r . Charles Waterston (Royal S c o t t i s h Museum) emphasized t h e
d i f f i c u l t i e s i n h e r e n t i n accumulating f o s s i l specimens of v e r t e b r a t e s and
then i n e n s u r i n g t h e conservation of both t h e m a t e r i a l and t h e i r s i t e s .
Robin Reid (Queens U n i v e r s i t y , B e l f a s t ) then provided a c o l o u r f u l argument
over some of t h e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s of t h e s t r u c t u r e s p r e s e n t i n v e r t e b r a t e
bone and t h e conclusions t h a t have been made over t h e y e a r s t o s u p p o r t
c e r t a i n t h e o r i e s of v e r t e b r a t e r e l a t i o n s h i p s and mode of l i f e .
Amongst s i g n i f i c a n t reviews p r e s e n t e d were t h o s e of P e t e r Whybrow, ( B r i t i s h
Museum Nat. H i s t . ) , who considered the methods adopted f o r c o l l e c t i n g and
p r e s e r v i n g v e r t e b r a t e s k e l e t o n s i n the f i e l d and t h e v a r i o u s p r o c e s s e s used
f o r developing such specimens back i n t h e l a b o r a t o r y ; t h e d e t a i l e d h i s t o r i c
account, given by h i s c o l l e a g u e Frank Howie, of t h e numerous a t t e m p t s t o
conserve and mount s k e l e t o n s of t h e more s p e c t a c u l a r f i n d s over t h e y e a r s
and the m i s t a k e s t h a t have been made; Theya Molleson ( B r i t i s h Museum, Nat.
H i s t . ) gave a summary of t h e use t h a t has been made of a n a l y t i c a l techniques
i n the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of f o s s i l m a t e r i a l , which ended with h e r announcement
of the r e s u l t s of c u r r e n t r e s e a r c h t h a t h a s confirmed the orang-utan source
of the Piltdown jaw, t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e of which was l o s t on t h e m a j o r i t y of
t h e audience; by r e q u e s t P r o f e s s o r B i l l S a r j e a n t ( U n i v e r s i t y of Sas gatchewan)
r e p e a t e d p a r t of h i s 1974 p u b l i s h e d comprehensive account of t h e study of
f o s s i l f o o t p r i n t s i n t h e B r i t i s h Isles, adding s e v e r a l amusing anecdotes and
a few i n s t a n c e s of h i s own involvement i n e n s u r i n g t h e c o n s e r v a t i o n of
important, b u t h i t h e r t o n e g l e c t e d specimens.
Other c o n t r i b u t o r s from, o r a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e B.M.(N.H.) were P e t e r Forey
and Brian Gardner , who each p r e s e n t e d some a s p e c t s of t h e problems a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h i n t e r p r e t i n g t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p s and i n c l a s s i f y i n g v e r t e b r a t e f o s s i l s
w i t h i n a c c e p t e d systems. I n e v i t a b l y , t h e i r c r i t i c i s m and cnmnent produced an
element of controversy. J i l l Cook and P e t e r Andrews produced a B r i t i s h guide
t o t h e taphonomy of f o s s i l bone based on t h e i r own s e r i e s of o b s e r v a t i o n s
over a lengthy p e r i o d a t p a r t i c u l a r s i t e s , t o augment t h e v a r i o u s papers
w r i t t e n by Anna Behrensmeyer and o t h e r s .
Various papers mentioned t h e problem a s t o the u n c e r t a i n t y of t h e
provenance of many of the e a r l i e r h i s t o r i c specimens. Martin P i c k f o r d
( N a i r o b i Museum) i n h i s examination of c a s e h i s t o r i e s from Kenya p o i n t e d
o u t t h a t the v e r i f i c a t i o n of t h e geographical and s t r a t i g r a p h i c a l p o s i t i o n
of specimens was an e s s e n t i a l p a r t of c u r a t i o n . He only had time t o
d i s c u s s t h e evidence demonstrating t h e confusion over t h e r e l a t i v e p o s i t i o n
of two i m p o r t a n t hominid specimens. I n t h e second of the duo-presentations
made by Judy Maguire and h e r colleagues of t h e i r work i n South A f r i c a ,
Friedemann Schrenk demonstrated t h e importance of e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e
s t r a t i g r a p h i c a l sequence o c c u r r i n g i n the Makapangsgat Caves. Most of t h e
f o s s i l s o b t a i n e d h i t h e r t o have cone from blocks of rock t h a t had been
e x t r a c t e d by e a r l i e r l i n e miners. The f o s s i l assemblage i s e s s e n t i a l l y
composed of t h e more r e s i s t a n t s k e l e t a l elements and such accumulations may
r e p r e s e n t a c o n s i d e r a b l e p e r i o d . Knowledge of the s t r a t i g r a p h y of t h e
sediments s t i l l preserved w i l l i n e v i t a b l y a s s i s t i n a more a c c u r a t e taphonomic
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of t h e assemblage and r e s o l v e t h e 'pseudotool' c o n t r o v e r s y
t h a t h a s occurred. S i m i l a r l y , David Norman, (Dept. Zoology, Oxford U n i v e r s i t y ) ,
i n h i s e l u c i d a t i o n of t h e discovery of t h e B e r n i s s a r t Iguanodons from t h e
s u r v i v i n g n o t e s r e l a t i n g t o t h e excavations, showed t h e need f o r e s t a b l i s h i n g
t h e p r e c i s e p o s i t i o n s of t h e f i n d s , i n o r d e r t o understand t h e i r s i g n i f i c a n c e .
Other h i s t o r i c a l l y o r i e n t a t e d accounts were those r e l a t i n g t o p a r t i c u l a r
i n d i v i d u a l s : P a t r i c k Boylan ( L e i c e s t e r Museum) p r o v i d i n g , t h e a u t h o r i t a t i v e
v i n d i c a t i o n f o r Buckland's fundamental r o l e i n e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e s c i e n t i f i c
approach t o VP i n B r i t a i n ; Michele AldrLch (American A s s o c i a t i o n f o r the
Advancement of Science) and Alan Leviton ( C a l i f o r n i a Academy of Science)
d i s c u s s i n g t h e i n f l u e n c e t h a t a v e r t e b r a t e discovery had on James H a l l ' s
c a r e e r and then p r e s e n t i n g E l l i s Yochelson's (U.S. Geol. Survey) paper on t h e
same theme r e l a t i n g t o an Ordovician f i n d of C.D. Walcott, another p a l a e o n t o l o g i s t a l s o n o t e d f o r h i s work on i n v e r t e b r a t e s ; Alan Charig, ( B r i t i s h Museum
Nat. H i s t . ) , b e f o r e d e p a r t i n g t o China i n an a t t e m p t t o l o c a t e a new BMMH
s p e c t a c u l a r (?), found time t o c o r r e c t t h e h i s t o r i c myths r e l a t i n g t o t h e
discovery of t h e Cuckfield Iguanodon and t o r e v e a l t h e probable s i t e s from
which t h e specimens came.
Apart from i n d i c a t i n g t h a t anyone a t t e n d i n g
t h e Geological S e c t i o n of t h e B r i t i s h A s s o c i a t i o n i n the p a s t , was v i r t u a l l y
compelled t o undertake a t o u r of noble houses and S c o t t i s h f i s h l o c a l i t i e s ,
Mahala Andrews (Royal S c o t t i s h Museum) provided evidence from s t r a t i g r a p h y
and correspondence t o s o r t o u t t h e muddle t h a t t h e more eminent p a l a e o n t o l o g i s t s
made i n t h e i r f i e l d c o l l e c t i n g and subsequent d e s c r i p t i o n s .
'Mac' Dickins from Canberra, was persuaded t o i n t e r r u p t h i s r e s e a r c h a t t h e
B.M. and p r o v i d e an a u t h e n t i c 'Down-under' v o i c e t o r e a d Sue T u r n e r ' s
(Queensland ~ u s e u m ) account of t h e d i s c o v e r i e s of f o s s i l v e r t e b r a t e remains
i n Queensland and t h e problems r e l a t i n g t o ensuring t h e specimens s t a y e d
t h e r e . The background and h i s t o r y of f o s s i l c o l l e c t i n g i n South A f r i c a , both
v e r t e b r a t e and hominid, was c o l o u r f u l l y , a n e c d o t a l l y , s u c c i n c t l y and a t t r a c t i v e l y explained by Judy Maguire and J a n e Dugard;
E r i c B u f f e t a u t ( L a b o r a t o i r e de P a l e o n t o l o g i e des Vertebres, P a r i s ) took t h e
o p p o r t u n i t y t o d e a l with t h e complete h i s t o r y of a s e r i e s of v e r t e b r a t e
f o s s i l c o l l e c t i o n s o b t a i n e d from the Mesozoic d e p o s i t s of Normandy, r e c o u n t i n g
t h e circumstances of t h e i r c o l l e c t i o n accumulation and use, ending w i t h
information on t h e i r subsequent d e s t r u c t i o n and attempts t o r e p l a c e such unique
m a t e r i a l . Having p r a c t i c a l l y e a r n t a p l a c e i n t h e Guiness book o f r e c o r d s by
i n g e n i o u s l y d i s c o v e r i n g a new method of g e t t i n g h i s f a r e p a i d and then
implementing i t w i t h i n a m a t t e r of days, Alec R i t c h i e ( A u s t r a l i a n Museum,
Sydney,) reached t h e U.K. t o g i v e s e v e r a l accounts of v e r t e b r a t e work i n
A u s t r a l i a . The v a r i o u s e x p l o r a t i o n s of t h e Wellington Caves provided a
framework f o r d e a l i n g w i t h t h e i n d i v i d u a l s concerned, t h e n a t u r e of t h e
f o s s i l s and the v a r i o u s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s of them, and, of course, t h e i r
d i s p e r s a l . P r o f . R. Savage, '(Geology Dept, B r i s t o l U n i v e r s i t y ) , showed
t h a t t h e s c i e n t i f i c pro nouncment of Richard Owen on a unique Eocene mwrmal
f r m Jamaica, although s e v e r e l y c r i t i c i s e d a t t h e time, h a s s i n c e been proved
t o be c l o s e t o t h e mark.
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e o f f i c i a l programme, both of t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s p r o v i d i n g
f a c i l i t i e s f o r t h e meeting, responded s i g n i f i c a n t l y by a r r a n g i n g a d d i t i o n a l
events. The Keeper of Palaeontology a t t h e B.N.(N.H.),
D r . H.W. B a l l
organised t o u r s of the palaeontology l a b o r a t o r y , and the c o l l e c t i o n s t o r a g e
a r e a s of h i s department. Through the good o f f i c e s of P a t r i c k Boylan and
Mahala Andrews, and then t h e L i b r a r i a n s and A r c h i v i s t a t the Geological
S o c i e t y , an e x h i b i t i o n of t h e unique f i s h i l l u s t r a t i o n s used f o r A g a s s i z ' s
work and o t h e r m a t e r i a l from the Geol. Soc. a r c h i v e s was made a v a i l a b l e a t
lunch-time on t h e Friday.
Another of t h e n o t a b l e events connected with t h e Symposium was Alan C h a r i g ' s
e n t e r t a i n i n g a f t e r dinner speech, when h e v i e d w i t h (and o u t d i d ) t h e famed
occasion of Gerald Hoffnung's Oxford Union e f f o r t , and proceeded t o r e a d a
couple of l e t t e r s h e had r e c e i v e d during the y e a r s which provided p h i l o s o p h i c a l
and p r a c t i c a l e x p l a n a t i o n s f o r t h e demise of t h e dinosaurs. A l a n ' s l a c o n i c
and i n t e r s p e r s e d comment
produced a succession of laughs t h a t
reading
became p r o g r e s s i v e l y more e r u p t i v e and cataclysmic.
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The only remaining doubt i s j u s t How? and where? t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n s w i l l be
published. It i s c e r t a i n l y worth producing and t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e review
p r e s e n t a t i o n s should p r w i d e a v a l u a b l e r e f e r e n c e t o o l . The c o n t e n t of t h e
meeting d i d convey and confirm t h e impression of a mere i n v e r t e b r a t e worker
t h a t t h e branch of palaeontology d e a l i n g w i t h f o s s i l v e r t e b r a t e s i s f r a u g h t
w i t h i t s own p e c u l i a r i t i e s , problems and methods.
You may f e e l t h a t t h i s account i s b i a s e d , b u t then I was t h e organiser!!
Ron Cleevely,
Department of Palaeontology,
B r i t i s h Museum ( N a t u r a l H i s t o r y ) ,
Cromwell Road,
London.
REPORT ON THE FIFTH MEETING OF
FENSCORE
FENSCORE Conrmittee met on 17th J u l y 1982 a t Manchester
University.
The Secretary reported t h a t information exchange was i n progress between the
FENSCORE database and the authors r e v i s i n g the BSBI volume on B r i t i s h
Herbaria.
A t the beginning of J u l y the c o l l e c t i o n Register database contained 5731
records, made up of contributions from Midlands CRU (668), North East CRU (84).
North West CRU (12471, South East CRU (266), South West CRU (1388), S c o t t i s h
CRU (91) and Yorks and Humberside CRU (1987)
about 2000 more records a r e
c u r r e n t l y being processed. Some records i n the database were considered t o
be too d e t a i l e d , and a degree of data compression i s to be e x e ~ c i s e don
these records. It was agreed the aim of the FENSCORE database is t o provide
only a signposting s e r v i c e which w i l l permit researchers to e s t a b l i s h the
location of aggregations of m a t e r i a l possibly of i n t e r e s t t o them, but
expecting them to contact the holding i n s t i t u t i o n ( s ) so i d e n t i f i e d f o r more
d e t a i l e d information. For economy of resources and e f f i c i e n c y i n use the
information about m a t e r i a l held by an i n s t i t u t i o n should be compressed i n t o
the minimum convenient number of records concomittant with the inclusion of
a l l the primary l e v e l information necessary t o permit r e t r i e v a l by any of the
primary routes, i.e. name of c o l l e c t o r , geographic o r i g i n , taxonomic
c l a s s i f i c a t i o n o r geological era.
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The r e p o r t s from each of the CRU's indicated a generally high l e v e l of
a c t i v i t y , The South West CRU a r e exploring the establishment of a d e t a i l e d
regional c o l l e c t i o n s database a t B r i s t o l Museum, from which the sunrmary
records would be s e n t t o Manchester. The Yorks and Humberside CRU have
almost completed the main input and a r e planning t o produce a Register of
Collections f o r t h e i r region i n 1983. The Council f o r Museums i n Scotland
had obtained a grant of £15,000 from the Wolfson Trust to a s s i s t the work of
the S c o t t i s h CRU f o r two years. The Midlands CRU have already recorded many
more ' l i v i n g ' p r i v a t e c o l l e c t o r s than any other CRU, and documents o u t l i n i n g
t h e i r approach have been d i s t r i b u t e d to the other CRU's.
The second r e p o r t of the FENSCORE working p a r t y on a Provisional Register of
Type and Figured Specimens present i n c o l l e c t i o n s i n the B r i t i s h I s l e s was
discussed and confirmed. The p i l o t study made by the North West CRU, covering
a t o t a l of 1358 specimens from e i g h t NW i n s t i t u t i o n s , has shown t h a t the
compilation of a Register i s f e a s i b l e . The data gathering w i l l be done on
the established CRU network, and the Working Party i s
a regional b a s i s
t o re-convene t o prepare a programme f o r implementing t h e i r proposals.
The n e x t m e e t i n g of FENSCORE w i l l be on 11th Nov. 1982 a t Manchester University.
Charles P e t t i t t .
Secretary.
GEOLOGICAL CONTROVERSY GREMLINS
OR HOW THE GCG STOKE MEETING
BECAME A FABLE
by D. I. Steward
The April meeting of G.C.G. held a t Stoke'Museum provided food $'or
thought f o r the f o r t y o r so d e r s that attended. The theme of the
discussion centred around geological exhlbitlons f o r the mid-80's and t o
t h i s end the speakers gave l i v e l y and i n t e r e s t i n g t a l k s on the finance,
design and organisation of t r a v e l l i n g and permanent geological displays.
P h i l i p Doughty opened the meeting with a h e a r t f e l t discourse on t h e lack
of funding t o 'Science', as opposed t o ' A r t s ' , i n museums i n general and
made many p e r t i n e n t points t h a t should, and hopefully w i l l , be brought t o
the a t t e n t i o n of our government policy-makers. Andrew Millward reviewed
the design problems of s e t t i n g up a t r a v e l l i n g exhibition t h a t i s l i v e l y ,
informative, e a s i l y transported and a t an educational l e v e l that can be
i n t e r e s t i n g t o a generally non-geologlcal public. He used Manchester
Museum's e x c e l l e n t t r a v e l l i n g exhibition "A Young Person's Guide t o
Geology", ( s t i l l available f o r h i r e ) as a working example t o give ideas
of costs and possible content. G i l e s Pelarde presented the
complexities of preparing t h e new f o s s i l gallpry a t the Geological
Museum and strongly made the point t h a t any p r a i s e f o r the f i n i s h e d
product i s due t o the harmonious r e l a t i o n s h i p between design and
c u r a t o r i a l s t a f f . Jocelyn Orchard f i n a l i s e d the prepared speeches by
revealing some of the considerations needed t 6 be taken by Area Services
who a c t as c e n t r a l i s e d organisers of t r a v e l l i n g exhibitions. She broached
the subject of organising exhibitions with m a t e r i a l from s e v e r a l museums
i n a region, but was s c e p t i c a l t h a t current f a c i l i t i e s were adequate f o r
Area Services t o a c t as p r o j e c t overlords.
This, very b r i e f l y , was what delegates had t o contemplate over lunch and
the afternoon session provided a l i v e l y discussion period led by
Rugh Torrens. I n h i s own inimitable way D r . Torrens steered the topics
from h i s own preference of a Sedgwick Museum type display, of many objects
portraying t h e wonderment of geology, through a not-all-together
harmonious debate on t h e r o l e of designers, t o an imaginative, and
p o t e n t i a l l y v i a b l e , assessment of using geological controversies of the
p a s t (and present
re. c l a d i s t i c s ) as a b a s i s f o r exhibitions t h a t a r e
both enlightening and i n t e r e s t i n g . On t h i s l a s t point i t was c o r r e c t l y
pointed out t h a t many people knew about, and were i n t e r e s t e d i n , such
i s s u e s as those created by the publishing of the Origin of the Species,
but l i t t l e was known about the equally vexing s i t u a t i o n t h a t arose
following t h e mapping work done by Sedgwick and Murchison i n Wales.
Other p o s s i b l e topics were a i r e d , including an attempt t o inform the
public (and b a f f l e d curators l i k e myself) why s c i e n t i f i c names keep
changing as more information about a species i s accumulated, but by the
time t h e discussion period had elapsed the fundamental questions of who
would c e n t r a l l y organise and finance such p r o j e c t s remained, i f not
s u r p r i s i n g l y , unanswered.
-
However a l l may not be l o s t . As sometimes happens a f t e r attending
gener'al discussion meetings a seemingly unrelated a c t i v i t y may suddenly
spark off a t r a i n of thought which could prove p r o f i t a b l e i n t h e
long-run.
For me t h i s a c t i v i t y happened'to be reading an old copy of
Aesop's Fables i n an attempt t o r e l a x a f t e r a gruelling day of
i d e n t i f y i n g b i t s of s l a g and Bunter Pebbles f o r members of t h e p u b l i c who
appeared t o have been b r i n g i n g t o t h e Museum t h e c o n t e n t s of t h e i r garden
s i e v e . Whilst f l i c k i n g through t h e pages of t h i s august j o u r n a l my eyes
a l i g h t e d on t h e following p r o s e (quoted i n f u l l b u t I w i l l l e a v e t h e
Editor with r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r copyright).
The Groming Mountain
Long ago, i n a far country, a big mountain l i f t e d i t s purple head high
over the v i l l a g e i n t h e v a l l e y . I t was a very magnificent mountain
indeed, w i t h pine-trees on the slopes, and great precipices beneath it.
For hundreds of years it had sent i t s long shadow duwn the v a l l e y i n
silence, and no sounds had been heard finom it b u t those made by t h e
screaming hawks, and the waterfalls, and t h e wild winds t h a t sometimes
blew through the t r e e s .
Then, one day, a most remarkable thing happened.
d i s t i n c t l y heard the mountain groan!
The people i n the v i l l a g e
I t was such an amazing sound t h a t everybody stopped what they were doing
and stood s t i l l t o l i s t e n . The maids and men ceased milking, the haymakers dropped t h e i r scythes, and the farmersr wives l e t t h e i r bread
b u m i n t h e ovens as they ran out i n t o the orchards t o see what was t h e
matter. However t h e sky and the f i e l d s and the d i s t a n t sea looked t h e
same as usual; and by and by folks began t o enquire from each other i f
they had n o t been mistaken. But even while they were asking t h e question,
the mountain gave a second groan, much louder than the f i r s t .
I t r e a l l y was a dreadful noise, and t h i s time t h e people who l i v e d q u i t e
a long way o f f heard it too. Presently they began t o arrive a t t h e
v i l l a g e i n l i t t l e groups, asking everybody they met what had happened.
Ilr06ody knev anything except t h a t t h e mountain had groaned, a s i f it were
i n dreadful pain and trouble. Some o f the men thought it was the
beginning o f an earthquake; but the women said they believed t h e
mountain was groaning because a g i m t t h a t was i n s i d e it was trying t o
get out.
They discussed the question anxiously, standing i n crowds round the foot
of the mountain. Those who believed i n the giant pointed t o t h e great
cracks i n t h e slopes, and said t h a t surely these must have been made by
giants breaking out of some hidden caves. Gradually the men who a t
f i r s t had believed i n the earthquake grew t o believe i n t h e giant.
Meanwhile t h e mountain groaned louder and louder, and more und more
frequently, and other people arrived from v i l l a g e s t h a t were miles and
nriles m a y , and joined i n the discussions about t h e earthquake and t h e
giant.
- which was n m giving about t h i r t y awful groans
a minute - l e t out a perfect y e l l . A t the same moment a reaZZy enormous
crack showed i n i t s side. The people held t h e i r breath, and some o f
them covered t h e i r eyes i n terror. Dead silence followed, and then what do you think happened?
A t l a s t t h e mountain
Down t h e path t h a t led t o t h e v i l l a g e from t h e enormous crack i n the
mountain slope, i t s t i n y f e e t making no sound on the stones, i t s long
t a i l waving, m d i t s bright eyes gZmcing timidZy from side t o side,
scampered a mouse.' When it s m t h e crowds it gave a l i t t l e squeak of
terror, and ran m a y i n t o the long grass!
The peopk stiZZ waited, but now the mountain was quite quiet again! Not
a single groan came out of the sides or the top. So everybody w e n t home,
Zaughing a t the mountain that had m& such a dreadfuZ to-do a22 the
morning, and then had nothing t o show fop the fuss but one teeny-weeny
mouse!
With a f e r t i l e imagination t h i s can be seen t o have everything t o make an
e x c i t i n g display on the disagreements associated with geological
phenomena. It s a t i s f i e s the h i s t o r i c a l geologist. My copy of t h e Penguin
Encyclopaedia r e l i a b l y informs me t h a t the e a r l i e s t f a b l e s a r e Greek and
had, by t h e mid 5th century B.C., becone associated with t h e semi-mythical
Aesop. This then must surely be one of the f i r s t documented accounts of a
geological event
i . e . possible volcanic tremors associated with
subduction zones i n the Mediterranean r e g i m - t o be recorded. It embodies
the powerful forces created i n the Earth anal demonstrates the strange
psychology of mankind i n being a t t r a c t e d t o a possible source of
anni h i l a t i o n . I t s u i t s the male chauvinists as it portrays women as
b e l i e v e r s of unfounded s u p e r s t i t i o n , w h i l s t s u i t i n g feminists as it shows
men t o be wishy-washy and n o t s t i c k i n g t o t h e i r principles.
-
A l l i n a l l i t has the p o t e n t i a l of r e l a t i n g geology t o the emotive l e v e l of
human experience. However, one of i t s main advantages i s a l s o a d i s t i n c t
disadvantage with regards t o Museum display; the only 3-D specimens
required (wiiich has the advantage of making it cheap) are a r e p l i c a of a
mountain with a loop tape of a volcanic rumble, and a mouse.
So, as with a l l f a b l e s , i t has a moral: before g e t t i n g too involved with a
theme think about i t s r e l a t i o n s h i p t o t h e Mnseum; t h i s s t o r y could be
i d e a l f o r a t e l e v i s i o n play, but the lack of objects would make i t a very
uninformative vehicle f o r geology i n a Museum environment.
The l a t t e r p a r t of t h i s discourse i s written t o be, and hopefully taken t o
be, lighthearted. It i s prompted by the t u r n of the discussion a t the
meeting which headed f o r displays with many captions and few specimens. I
think t h a t t h e r e is a useful place fox geological controversies and the
Sedgwick-Murchison example would be an i d e a l s t a r t . The arguments could
be displayed using f o s s i l and s t r a t i g r a p h i c a l specimens a s i n d i c a t o r s of
the view points of the two adversaries, and the human i n t e r e s t i s provided
i n t h e s t o r y of how p o s i t i o n and dogmatism can a f f e c t a once f r i e n d l y
relationship. An accomt of the controversy i s already well reviewed (see
Thackray, J . C . , 1976; and Rudwick, M. J. S.,1976; both i n Journ. Geol.
Soc. Lond. vol. 132). A l l t h a t i s needed now i s a Museum, group of
Museums, o r an Area Service t o provide the s t o r y l i n e , graphics and
specimens, and, of course, the money.
Don steward,
Assistant Keeper of Natural History,
City .Museum and A r t Gallery,
Stoke---Trent.
S 1 4xs
LETTER T O T H E E D I T O R
Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Queen Street Exeter EX4 3RX
Telephone 0392 56724
David Rodgers M.A.
Director of Museums
21st July, 1982
Your ref
Our ref
Dear S i r ,
In your issue of June 1982 David M. Bertie writes that the three local authority museums
i n Wolverhampton "Professed complete ignorance a s to the existence of any geological
collections in the Borough" . As the then Curator of MuseunSI have to say that this
i s simply not true. I knew the past history of the F r a s e r Collection and that it had been
transferred to the T:echnical College (now the Polytechnic). I therefore passed
M r Doughty's letter to the Polytechnic secretary and assumed that he would reply to the
enquiry.
At the r i s k of appearing unprofessional I should add that although an a r t historian by
training I was aware to some extent of the unfortunate state of the collection but a s I
was a governor of the Polytechnic a t the time I assumed that a n answer from the paid
officers of the Polytechnic was more appropriate than any criticism, based upon
inadequate knowledge, from me. Had I known that the Polytechnic ha& not had the
courtesy to reply to Mr Doughty I would have taken the matter further.
Yours faithfully,
Director
M r Tim Pettigrew,
Sunderland Museum,
Borough Road,
SUNDER L AND, S R I 1 P P
EXETER CITY COUNCIL
MUSEUMS SERVICE
Rougemont House Local History Museum
Guildhall
St. Nicholas Priory
Underground Passages
Topsham Museum
LETTER FROM AUSTRALIA
by Sue Turner
Rather than a look a t collections t h i s i s more of a warning from the other
s i d e of the world. Along with various American colleagues I t h h k i t ' s
time f o r a l l s c i e n t i s t s t o 'stand up and be counted'. Here, i n Queensland,
the b a t t l e for s c i e n t i f i c t r u t h i s beginning t o 'hot' up again. The issue
Creationism and Creation (so-called) 'Science' vs Evolution, and,
incidentally, the r i g h t t o be a sceptic. The American-based Moral Majority
has a s i s t e r group over here called tke Creation Science Foundation uhich
published a magazine Ex Nihilo (reminiscent of the old Plain Truth magazine's
f a l l a c i o u s 'anti-evolution' a r t i c l e s
well-sprinkled with c a p i t a l s ) . This
group i s based i n Queensland (where else!!), where c r e a t i o n i s t ideas are
allowed time i n schools' science courses, and fronted by a man c a l l e d John
Mackay B.Sc., an ex-teacher a t Brisbane Gramar School. A year o r so p a s t
he 'debated' the i s s u e with D r . Alex Ritchie, palaeontologist of the
Australian Museum, Sydney a t the Sydney Opera House, and, needless t o say,
n e i t h e r s i d e backed down.
-
-
Recent e d i t o r of 'Search', ANZAAS journal, Rpn Strahan, a Research Fellow
of the Australian Museum and authorleditor of a f i n e book on t h a t museum's
h i s t o r y ("Rare and Curious Specimens" (1979) The Australian Museum) recently
had remarks t o make about the insidiousness of these c r e a t i o n i s t f o l k when
he wrote an a r t i c l e e n t i t l e d 'Ex Nihilo ad absurdurn' (Strahan 1981a. a l s o
see 1981b). I n i t he t a l k s about the fundnmentalists' " f i r s t onslaught
against reason'' i . e . t h e i r concerted a t t a c k on a l l hypotheses of evolution.
Most recently t h e b a l l came i n t o the home court. I n the Education section
of the l o c a l Brisbane paper 'The Courier Mail' (Tues. 4th May 1982) there
was a piece c a l l e d 'The case f o r Creation' by K. Ham B.App.Sc., Dip.Ed.
and J. Mackay B.Sc. which purported t o show how a l l e a r t h h i s t o r y could be
explained i n terms of the B i b l i c a l Flood. ( s e e below). I t included e r r o r s
of f a c t and downright falsehoods a s well a s t h e i r own brand of i n t e r p r e t a t i o n
of geological data. This was a spur f o r Tony Thulborn (Dept. Zoology, Univ.
of Qld) to w r i t e a l e t t e r complaining about the inclusion of t h i s piece i n
the Education Section and pointing out that Creationism i s not Science. (see
Messrs Hackay, Ham, Snelling and Morris ( t h e
below). The c r e a t i o n i s t s
l a t t e r i n the Physiology Dept of the University!) sent Tony and the Mail a
l e t t e r which they headed 'The Anti-Creationists' i n which they say, amongst
other things, t h a t "science i s and always has been based on beliefs'' and
f i n i s h by saying "Either you believe i n the observations of a God who was
there a t the beginning o r you believe i n the speculations of men who were
not" ( I leave our members t o decide which a l t e r n a t i v e they favour). Tony
has j u s t r e p l i e d a t length t o t h i s l e t t e r , and no doubt, the correspondence
w i l l go on.
-
-
But from America comes news of a r a t h e r worrying s o r t
an attempt t o put a
b i l l through Congress t h a t would c u t funding t o the Smithsonian unless they
give equal space i n displays t o creationism 3 delete mention of evolution
(Lewin 1981). Our c l a d i s t friends a t BMNH have c e r t a i n l y helped f u e l t h i s
type of approach. I think i t i s time f o r curators i n a l l museums t o g i r d
t h e i r loins. No doubt some colleagues w i l l disagree o r be h e a r i l y s i c k
of the whole business but unless we do stand up and make our position
c l e a r , learning how t o put our view8 t o the media and- the public, then,
unless the trend i s reversed and r a t i o n a l i t y prevails, i n a few years we may
s e e t h e c u r a t o r s h i p of our museums a s w e l l as t h e education of our c h i l d r e n
i n t h e hands of t h e s e p s e u d o - s c i e n t i s t s .
although we would
Remember
n o t deny them t h e i r f a i t h o r b e l i e f s
they 5 seek t o s t o p people, i n c l u d i n g
s c i e n t i s t s , from t h i n k i n g and reasoning. The e t h i c of the C r e a t i o n i s t i s
e i t h e r y o u ' r e f o r u s o r a g a i n s t us - and i f y o u ' r e a g a i n s t us then you a r e
e v i l . So, whether you l i k e i t o r n o t you s h o u l d n ' t s t a n d on t h e s i d e l i n e s
because you w i l l be t a r r e d with t h e ' A n t i - C r e a t i o n i s t ' brush by d e f a u l t .
-
-
-
A s an addendum f o r my female c o l l e a g u e s t h e c r e a t i o n i s t s (along w i t h t h e
Moral Majority) b e l i e v e i n t h e "suprenoacy of husbands over wives", and ( f o r
a l l p a r e n t s ) t h a t "physical punishment ( t h e rod) h a s a r e a l and God-ordained
p l a c e i n t h e upbringing of c h i l d r e n " (Strahan 1981a). I apologise i f t h i s l e
l e t t e r seems l i k e a p o l i t i c a l t r a c t b u t I think a l l t r u e s c i e n t i s t s , whether
C h r i s t i a n o r n o t , should combat t h i s C r e a t i o n i s t movement which would p u t
s c i e n c e back i n t o t h e Middle Ages, and advocates r e p l a c i n g i t with dogmatic
drivel.
Lewin, R. 1981
A Response t o Creationism Evolves.
Science 214,
6 Nov. 635-638.
S t r a h a n , R. 1981a.
Ex N i h i l o ad absurdum.
Search,2.l
Strahan, R. 1981b.
Creation anti-science.
Search
7 , 189
2,11,
373.
Sue Turner
new home address:89 Hebe S t r e e t ,
Bardon QLD 4065.
N.B.
4 t h May 1982) i s reproduced below
The a r t i c l e r e f e r r e d t o by Sue (Hame.J
t o g e t h e r with t h e r e p l y by Tony Thulburn.
The case for creation
The Creation Modd has a number of predictions including (a) A young age for the earth
and the univmc (approximately6-7W0years);
(h) Organisms exist in groups called kinds: (c)
Daign wll be evident in living things; (d) A
world-wide ITocd (called Noah's Flood) ocatmd some 4008y a n a g o involving the death
of millions of plants and animals, and produced
mmivesedimcntation and fass~lisation.
Considu some of the many evidences for
Authors:
K. Ham. 6.App.Sc.. Dip.Ed.
J. Mackay, B.%.
CIaation Science Foundation.
HOW did life begin? Same people h a v e
the bellef that all life Is related and de-
veloped from a common ancestor over
millions ot years.
People wbo have this belief (commonly called
'~olution'. of which there arc many versions).
consider that the facts from the fossii record and
Iikngorganisms canbe fitted totheir belief system. T h m are many other people (including
many scientists) who accept that all life was crcated by an intelligent designer. They claim that
fmils and living organisms fit their model of
origins called T h e Creation Model'. It is important to realise howevn. that most pcoplc do
not accept Evolution or Creation because of the
facts. M a t are unaware of what t h e really
are. The argument is not about the facts. but
about beliefs. This article shows some of the
startling midenca which can only k ekplained
within a Creationist framework.
t--h -e nr&aionw
r. --.
-..-..-.
(a) YOUtdC ACE FOP THE EARTH
In 1978 at theLouisiana State University. an
.immrtant conference washeld to tidv uu the detaih about how old tbc earth was. it was s u p
p d to be a fact thai'the earth is-billions of
y e m old, and this M one of the chief evidcncm
against Creation andfor Evolution.
,
Surprising% the d ~ l ~ l c&ei d 4 some
~ b fai t,-S
,oh. Edy, a leadingg
high altiwdc ~ r c astronomu
h
in
USA
the confaenOCwith,,,cdrimth
heNspaed,Nslnrslyrtuaw
at
billion '
y ohf,~we de wl bnrr;mu& ih tbb
S
.-
~Ofu~$d~iatmdc2(o~'
bishop Usher (Gmtima, September. 1978).
How del is the earth?
2 38
There is interesting evidence for a young age
for the earth from studies conducted on tbe
s&
of light by a South Australian astrono.
mcr. B ~ I G
setierfield. His work shows that
liehi has &n slowins down. and that it benan
prabout 6630 yeais ago (Ex h.ih?ti;
Vol. 4. No's 1 8 3 1981). A fascmating finding
from his work is that about MMO years a o,light
would have been travelling about 5x10 t l m a
faster than it does now.Th~reforeli~ht
fromthe
furthest star would have reached Earth in &ch
lasthan 6000 years. Barry Setrerficldkworkis
very important bceausc the rate of radioactive.
d&y ii governed by the value of the spced of
lighi If Kght travelid much fasta in &e pmt,
so radioactive decay happened mare rapidly.
The v a t a g a for the cartb. which p p l e claim
are proved by uranium and other such radioactive rocks. can now be ahortcned to only 6000
yean or lcsa
-
tube, it will show one thing that a pre-edst a t . intelligent designer made l i e in the begin.ningbecaw that is what was needed the sccoad
time.
h.
r'
z
V
V we study a Living at!,we note that each
part is not 'alive' although the cell itself U. In
other words. it needeach part to function as an
integratedunit. A good analogy is the aeropianc
which could bc defined as 1W percent of non&ing pm,yet as an assunbluf unit, it flies. A
single cell consists of 100 percent non-living
parts, yet the untt itself is 'alive'. Thus, the
structure of a IivingcelFpointsto its be~ngcrcatcdas a finished unlt -or it wouldn't work.
(dlNOAH'S FLOOD
Lstralia shows much cvidence of Soah's
Flood The Aboriginal people have a story of a
s c a t flood and of thc creation of woman after
&an. Mmt cultures have similar stories about a
meat flood sent for iudament. where human
&d
was
- - -saved
- ~- aloni w5h an&als in a larnc
bcar.All these s t o r i h e similar to the a-&
h the Bible of Noah's Flood. Thia wor!d-wide
&ca
of traditional s t o r k about the Flood,
pmvidu some evidence that the common ancestor of tdav's races was Noah.
The caai he& in Ausmnlia show
etridence
~~~
- of
~hving been formed rapidly in a flood.
At Swansca, near Newcastle, trees without
)mob mke 10m from the tops of the coal seams
,,kmthe sediments above. It should be obvious
that Since they have no rmts they did not grow
&ere. If they did not grow there, they were
washed there into that position and buried r a p
b l y before they could rot. Furthermore, if the
.irss did not grow therc. the coal did not originate from a swamo. Many ~eoloaistntell us that
h 1 formed slowiy in swamps over millions of
rs. The evidence u not consrrtcnt with that
Yalloum in Victoria. uowards of 1000
~~~~~~
(L) ORGANISMS EXIST I N GROUPS
CALLED KINDS
Ths inventor of thcpresent classification sys-
tem ysad in biology today. was a man named
~ ~ ( 1 7 8 7 - 1 7 7 8 ) . H c b c l i e v c d aouctlined'
in tba Bible, that aU life was created separately
a d i a i n a KINDS by Gal On this basn, he developed a classification system in which eack
group of plants or animals is given distinct labels. The organisms in the foss11r m r d arc alsa
classified according to this system. If plants and
anlmab had dowlv d e v e l o d from ancestors
over rmllions of y&rs, thin this classaficanon
system would not work as there should be a continuous seriu of transitional forms.
As the curator of rhc Field Museum of Vatur d History in Chicago stated: "Knowledge o i
thefassil record has bccn greatly expanded.. .
Imnieally; we h.dve even fewer examplu of evolutionary transition than we had in Darwin's
time." (Raup. Field Bulletin. January. 1979).
.-,--
Icl DESIGN
-
Someof the m m wnvindng evidmce for meation canes from a lmk at man himself. We all
pride ou19cives on having invented the computer. We stand back and sax "See that! It took a
n r ~ x i s t e n intelli~ent
t
dkiener to build that
kink It didn't happen by ac~dent.it was a deLiberate and painstaking neauon!" Can youscc
the inconsistency oflmking a t a computer and
s a d % "It was designed, but the mind that design& it is an accidint of nature?"
Imagine a research scientist saying io himself, "If only I can make life in a test tube, it will
prove that no intelligence was newsary in the
beginning." Again the inconsistency is obvious
because in the 60 yean or so in which man has
been trvine to make life in a test tube. we haven't siccd;ded. though we have used highly intelligsnt chemists, good equipment and a lot of
taxpayas' money. If we do create life in a test
~~
~
aman* other thhgs, pine logs a t all angles;
The interesting thing is that thesc pine trees
have b a n idcntifted as similv to ones growing
in Tasmania m a t .of which win nor tolerate
mmpy mnditi- The m L a tYaUourn sits on
a layer of white clay. There is no evidence of
soil,therefore it could not have been a swamp.
The evidence is consistent with its being the
product of a huge flood which depbsitcd the
clay. then dumped thousands of logs and other
plant material on top of that clay. Expriments
have shown coal doesn't require millions of
years to form. It can be made in a laboratory in
a day - all it tdcs is the right
plant material.
. .
pr,&vre and heat.
WHEBE DO PEOPLE GET THEIR IDEAS
ABOUT ORIGINS?
The basis of their beliefs d w not come from
science alone. Just as some start with a belief
called wolutiao, which has been devised by man
-others start with the &lief called criation
whfch has its basis in the Bible. It then bscomes
a question of which fits the facts but. Idear like
wolution which depend upon belief in Chance
.or Nature, are no l a r religious than ideas based
on a belief in a Creator Ood
-
~
~
-
~
~
IT M.4TIT.Q ANYWAY?
Pcoolc build their liva on their new of wherethey &me from.
If you believe that you owe your origin and
existence to the Creator God of the Bible, your
beharior must be directly related to what God
states is right and wrong. On the other hand. if
vou believe that vou ori~inatedand 'exist hv
chance evolution.'then. iT you are consisteni.
you can 'do your own ib~ng'.for nothing is m l l y
right or wrong.
What we believe about where we came from
is a serious mattw indeed, and something which
all parents and educatom'cannot afford to ignore or abuse.
~
Beliefs not
alternative
ALLOW me to reply to the artlcle
which appeared in The Courier-Mail
on May 4.
The article, "The case f a creation."
rrittrm by K. Ham .ad J. Mnclray. bc&
by
l
-
b y u c i n g .n" a w t " be.
t*&ptbcuwho.~!tcrtaintbroria.da&..bvolu&
and those who believe in
%L
6"-
m t h d l t d t w t b c a $-"h
r
eotaboot&m;baabontKlf g
Tbis % w e n t :
inmmct Evnlutioa
and creationa n not alternative beliefs.
M a n Ham and MacLay admit that
creationitr "start' with the beliei" and
then set .hart finding ?idto "fit"
the belief. Tbis is n o 0 d l f l h l t ,@Sk.
Every pieccof svidena they find in tbe
univwill recm to oupport their Mid
in -tion
bccaux they have n l d y
-mcd (hat the evidence was mated in
the fint vlaa.
~ r imponant
n
is tbc fact that i crrationit will never h d i piece Of ~
O
which d a s not fit his belief.
Tbii
mranr
that the bclidcan never
.-tested by Fnding new evidence; it c d n n ~
be falsified or tesred scicntihlly.
-
~
A belief which cannot be evaluated
scientifically (creation) is not in the
realm of science -it is something mm.
ckntific masquerading as 'bcima." Itis
what I pnfcr to call peudo-science.
Thcoria of a y n i c evolution a n not
beliefs. They i r e intcrpretltions attached
to bodia ofevidmce. S o d tbroria a
pmporcd by scientists as workin8 hypotbcres
which cm tbm bc trcstd
qainst new cvidurc.
Uche~evevidma"fii",tbenthetba
aryaiU++ated(
suchtimess
even wwa tsidaux is
p0 wamnt
mt&ic&.U (be new cvidencs d a s WC
"fit". then the tbcory will be falsifii
(and it will have to be replaced or modiW).
~biS~lad*~PrnC+erOf~&&:
Hg and (aflen) *kWk='
thcgroat&ormthcr
*sncgw*
ence.
This is the aux or the matter: A W f
(creation) cannot be tested scientificaljy
whereas a 1Iypotbesis (theo'y of wdntion) can. That McrsnHPrn and Mackny
should maintain bekr and hypothgis to
be logically v d d altnnrtive is mlleading.
Ik B*hrd A. I W b t m , a d r q
9
~
~
~
,
Q
t
d
.
u.i*asity.
C
-
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PRESERVATION
OF RESEARCH COLLECTIONS
P r e s e r v a t i o n and c u r a t i o n of r e s e a r c h c o l l e c t i o n s
Geological r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t s f r e q u e n t l y r e s u l t i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f
s c i . e n t i f i c a l l y important m a t e r i a l . Often, a f t e r completion o f t h e p r o j e c t ,
such m a t e r i a l i s d i s c a r d e d without i t s s c i e n t i f i c importance being
a p p r e c i a t e d . To t r y and remedy t h i s t h e Geological C u r a t o r s Group h a s
produced t h e following s e t of recommendations which a r e being c i r c u l a t e d
t o a l l r e l e v a n t i n s t i t u t i o n s involved i n g e o l o g i c a l teaching and r e s e a r c h .
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CURATION OF GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS
Introduction
Research c o l l e c t i o n s , both specimens and d a t a , a r e commonly a t r i s k following
t h e completion of p r o j e c t s . These m a t e r i a l s may be unique, c o l l e c t e d a t
c o n s i d e r a b l e expense and may have formed t h e b a s i s o f i n t e n s i v e s t u d i e s
perhaps r e s u l t i n g i n p u b l i c a t i o n s . Researchers, and t h e departments i n
which they work, have a r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o s c i e n c e now and i n t h e f u t u r e , t o
c u r a t e t h e s e m a t e r i a l s i n such a way a s t o prevent t h e i r l o s s and allow them
t o be k e p t i n museums where t h e i r f u t u r e c u r a t i o n and a v a i l a b i l i t y i s ensured,.
-
The f o l l o w i n g recommendations ai.m a t h e l p i n g t h e o r g a n i s a t i . c n of co!!ecti.ons
and a s s o c i a t e d d a t a , 5 0 t h a r m a t e r i a l s a r e i.n a s i ~ i t a h l t r. n n d i t i c n a + the
end of a r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t f o r renay accapta?ce b7 t h ~
f x , r l ~ r eh o s t rnsptlms.
I r should h e rememherpd t h a t :
L?
S p ~ c i m e n scol.l.ect?d may be u r f q u c c r d ; , f f i . c u l t o r i m p o s s i 5 l e t ? r e r o l l e c t
Their s c i e n t i f i c p o t e n t i a l , may n o t :?et have b ~ e nf . . ~ ? l yexpl.ci+ed.
2)
T t i s i r r e s p o ~ s i b l et o
ma!ce c o l ? e c t i n n s which i r e ill-documerted o r
which a r e i n a c c e s s i b l e t o o t h e r s .
Ye recommend t h e following when c o l ~ e c t i o n sa r e ro be made:
1)
A t t h e p r o j e c t planning s t a g e thought must be given t o t h e type and
q u a n t i t y of m a t e r i a l s t o be c o l l e c t e d , b e a r i n g i n mind p r i n c i p l e s of
conservation.
2)
E s p e c i a l l y i f l a r g e c o l l e c t i o n s a r e to be made, thought must be given
a s t o where t h e c o l l e c t i o n s w i l l u l t i m a t e l y be o f f e r e d f o r s a f e keeping.
T h i s r e p o s i t o r y w i l l u s u a l l y be a n a t i o n a l , r e g i o n a l o r u n i v e r s i t y
museum with a s s u r e d c u r a t o r i a l s t a f f i n t h e c o r r e c t s u b j e c t .
3)
The museum s e l e c t e d should be c o n t a c t e d a t an e a r l y s t a g e t o d i s c o v e r
a)
b)
C)
t h e i r willingness i n p r i n c i p l e t o accept the c o l l e c t i o n s ;
t h e i r w i l l i n g n e s s t o a s s i s t i n t h e c u r a t i o n of t h e specimens by,
f o r example, p r o v i d i n g l a b e l s , boxes o r r e f e r e n c e numbers f o r t h e
specimens ;
t h e museum s t a f f should be asked f o r a d v i c e on t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n
of t h e c o l l e c t i o n s t o s u i t both t h e r e s e a r c h t o p i c and u l t i m a t e
s t o r a g e system employed by t h e museun.
4)
Good c u r a t i o n s t a r t s i n t h e f i e l d where specimens a r e c o l l e c t e d ,
and a l l r e l e v a n t d e t a i l s must be recorded (e.g. i n a f i e l d notebook) and each specimen made c l e a r l y r e f e r a b l e t o i t s l o c a l i t y .
The d e t a i l s of how t h i s i s achieved d i f f e r with t h e m a t e r i a l s being
handled, b u t each specimen must r e l a t e unequivocally t o i t s s p e c i f i c
locality.
5)
I n t h e s t u d y o r l a b o r a t o r y a l l specimens should be marked permanently
i n such a way t h a t they r e l a t e t o a l l t h e c o l l e c t i n g d a t a and a l s o t o
p a r t s o f specimens which may be removed f o r s p e c i a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n s ,
e.g. chemical a n a l y s i s , microscope s l i d e , S.E.M. study, e t c .
6)
A r e g i s t e r of specimens w i t h information on t h e i r c o l l e c t i o n and
subvequent treatment should be prepared. The o r g a n i s a t i o n and
e x t e n t o f t h i s w i l l depend upon c o n s i d e r a t i o n s of 3 ( c ) , b u t t h e
primary grouping might be taxonomic o r by l o c a l i t y . An aim should
be t o a c h i e v e u s e f u l groupings o f common d a t a , i . e . groupings of
specimens having t h e same information.
7)
While b e i n g s t u d i e d , a s w e l l a s i n t h e i r u l t i m a t e s t o r a g e p l a c e ,
specimens must be maintained s a f e l y and be r e a d i l y i d e n t i f i a b l e by
adequate documentation. Time must be allowed towards t h e end of t h e
p r o j e c t f o r specimens and d a t a t o be o r g a n i s e d , s a f e l y boxed and
t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e museum which i s t o c a r e f o r them. Once t h e
c o l l e c t o r / r e s e a r c h worker h a s ' d i s a p p e a r e d ' , h i s specimens, however
f i n e i n q u a l i t y , may be u s e l e s s i f i n a d e q u a t e l y documented.
I n c o n c l u s i o n , we hope t h a t b e t t e r l i a i s o n between r e s e a r c h e r s and museums,
where c o l l e c t i o n s a r e a s s u r e d of being w e l l c u r a t e d , w i l l r e s u l t i n l e s s
l o s s of m a t e r i a l and an improvement i n t h e q u a l i t y of those c o l l e c t i o n s
which a r e preserved. We hope t h a t u n i v e r s i t y s t a f f conducting and s u p e r v i s i n g
r e s e a r c h w i l l t a k e a more r e s p o n s i b l e a t t i t u d e towards guiding t h e i r s t u d e n t s
i n t o a r e a l i z a t i o n t h a t t h e m a t e r i a l they handle i s i m p o r t a n t , forming p a r t
of o u r s c i e n t i f i c h e r i t a g e , and t h a t inadequate o r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e m a t e r i a l
may j e o p a r d i s e t h e s u c c e s s f u l outcome o f t h e i r s t u d i e s .
Geological m a t e r i a l i s n o t i n f i n i t e and we must be c a r i n g and r e s p o n s i b l e
i n i t s use, curation a d preservation.
Prepared by t h e Geological C u r a t o r s Group.
September, 1982.
HAZARDS
IN THE CURATION A N D DISPLAY
OF MINERAL & ROCK SPECIMENS
WITH ESPECIAL EMPHASIS ON RADIOACTIVITY
by
Paul Henderson
Introduction
The geological curator i s fortunate i n having r e l a t i v e l y few hazards with
which t o contend with the proviso t h a t he shouldmaintain a clean working
environment and avoid unnecessary r i s k s i n the handling of specimens (e.g.
specimens might be poisonous, sharp, o r radioactive so they should n o t be
licked). This a r t i c l e i s concerned with the handling, storage, and
display of radioactive specimens whether they be minerals, rocks, or
f o s s i l s . I t a l s o makes b r i e f reference t o two other problems: the handling
of asbestos minerals, and the use of u l t r a v i o l e t radiation. I t s main purpose
i s to give an introduction to the problems and to d i r e c t t h e curator t o the
relevant l i t e r a t u r e and advisory bodies. I t i s addressed mainly to the
curator working i n the U.K. (with respect to l e g i s l a t i o n ) , but workers i n
other countries should f i n d i t useful s i n c e s i m i l a r , r e g u l a t i o n s and advisory
services e x i s t i n many p a r t s of the world.
The presence of r a d i o a c t i v i t y can a l l too e a s i l y be ignored, y e t s a f e
handling of radioactive substances i s both straightforward and r e l a t i v e l y
inexpensive. Natural radioactive specimens can emit alpha, beta, and gamma
r a d i a t i o n s . A l l three types a r e hazardous to a person handling minerals,
expecially i f there i s the r i s k of inhalation o r ingestion, but the alpha
and beta emissions a r e not a problem i n storage because these p a r t i c l e s
t r a v e l only s h o r t distances through matter. G m a , r a y s a r e much more
penetrating, and so require s p e c i a l provision f o r a s a f e working environment.
Fortunately, gamma rays can be r e a d i l y detected using q u i t e simple r a d i a t i o n
detectors. The curator needs to be aware t h a t specimens can be radioactive,
and t h a t l e g i s l a t i o n and guidance e x i s t on t h e i r s a f e handling and storage.
The o b j e c t i v e of radiological protection i s to keep a l l doses as low a s
reasonably achievable; i t i s the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of every worker t o ensure
t h a t t h i s is done.
There a r e many naturally-occurring radioactive isotopes, but most of them
present an i n s i g n i f i c a n t hazard because they and t h e i r decay products have
long h a l f - l i v e s , low abundance, o r both. Only specimens containing appreciable
uranium o r thorium need concern us here. For example, the radioactive isotope
a long
of Potassium, % i s only 0.012% of naturally-occurring potassium:has
h a l f - l i f e 1 3x103 years), and daeays t o only two s t a b l e daughter products
( m ~ aand k r ) . Uranium and thorium, on the other hand, have long decay
s e r i e s involving many radioactive daughter products; some of which a r e gaseous
(e.g. radon) and some have r e l a t i v e l y s h o r t h a l f - l i v e s , although the h a l f l i v e s of the uranium and thorium isotepes themselves a r e very long.
There a r e s e v e r a l introductory and advanced t e x t s on r a d i a t i o n and radiological
protection but none have been w r i t t e n s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r the curator. A useful,
introductory booklet1 'Living with r a d i a t i o n ' has sections on 'Radiation of
n a t u r a l o r i g i n ' and 'Radiation e f f e c t s ' among others. Examples of more
advanced t e x t s 2r3 a r e those by Martin and Harbison and Shapiro, but they
contain more m a t e r i a l than i s l i k e l y to be required by a curator.
Legisiation and advisory bodies.
The p r i n c i p a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l body which i s concerned with the standard of
protection i s the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP).
I t makes recommendations on r a d i o l o g i c a l p r o t e c t i o n , which o f t e n form t h e
b a s i s of l e g i s l a t i o n . I n t h e United Kingdom, the c u r r e n t l e g i s l a t i o n
a f f e c t i n g t h e c u r a t o r i s summarised i n t h e p u b l i c a t i o n s 4.5 e n t i t l e d
'Guidance n o t e s f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n of persons exposed t o i o n i s i n g r a d i a t i o n s
i n r e s e a r c h and teaching' and 'Code of p r a c t i c e f o r t h e d i s p l a y of sources
of i o n i z i n g r a d i a t i o n s a t e x h i b i t i o n s ' . I n t h e n e a r f u t u r e (probably
w i t h i n t h e n e x t 12 months), however, t h e UK w i l l implement t h e European
Corrrmunity's D i r e c t i v e on Radiological P r o t e c t i o n . New r e g u l a t i o n s , approved
codes of p r a c t i c e , and n o t e s f o r guidance w i l l r e p l a c e e x i s t i n g r e g u l a t i o n s
and codes. For t h i s reason and a l s o because of t h e i n h e r e n t dangers i n
over-simplifying t h e Guidance Notes, no a t t e m p t i s made h e r e t o s t a t e the
r e g u l a t i o n s . The c u r a t o r who handles r a d i o a c t i v e specimens o r p l a c e s them
on d i s p l a y should c o n s u l t t h e s e documents. Limits of r a d i o a c t i v i t y , a s
l a i d down i n c u r r e n t r e g u l a t i o n s , a r e given below i n t h e s e c t i o n on
' h a n d l i n g ' , ' s t o r a g e ' and ' d i s p l a y ' , where these a r e f r e e from ambiguity.
Curators should a l s o be aware of t h e Exemption Order6 r e l a t i n g t o g e o l o g i c a l
specimens; t h i s allows exemption from r e g i s t r a t i o n of persons and premises
h o l d i n g r a d i o a c t i v e m i n e r a l s , provided t h a t t h e t o t a l weight of uranium and
thorium c o n t a i n e d i n a l l the specimens does n o t exceed 100kg. The forthcoming
r e g u l a t i o n s , however, w i l l almost c e r t a i n l y supersede t h i s o r d e r .
The p r i n c i p a l a d v i s o r y body i n the U.K. i s the ~ a t i o n a lR a d i o l o g i c a l
P r o t e c t i o n Board (NRPB). I t i s a p u b l i c a u t h o r i t y which i s a n a t i o n a l p o i n t
of a u t h o r i t a t i v e r e f e r e n c e i n r a d i o l o g i c a l p r o t e c t i o n . I t provides t e c h n i c a l
s e r v i c e s and t r a i n i n g i n r a d i o l o g i c a l p r o t e c t i o n . I t i s s u e s p u b l i c a t i o n s
i n c l u d i n g e v a l u a t i o n s of a v a i l a b l e r a d i a t i o n monitors and d e t e c t o r s . There
a r e t h r e e NRPB c e n t r e s i n t h e U.K. ( s e e Appendix 1 ) .
The Health and S a f e t y Executive can a l s o g i v e some advice on r a d i o l o g i c a l
protection.
Sources
Any o r e s o r rocks c o n t a i n i n g uranium o r thorium m i n e r a l s (e.g. p i t c h b l e n d e )
a r e l i k e l y t o b e s i g n i f i c a n t l y r a d i o a c t i v e and should be t r e a t e d accordingly.
Rock-forming m i n e r a l s which can c o n t a i n more than t r a c e l e v e l s of U and Th
i n c l u d e a l l a n i t e , monazite, xenotime, and zircon. G r a n i t e s and b l a c k s h a l e s
a r e o c c a s i o n a l l y r i c h i n t h e s e elemen.ts, a s can be some f o s s i l i s e d bones.
Handling
I t i s a s e n s i b l e p r e c a u t i o n t o check, u s i n g a r a d i a t i o n d e t e c t o r , whether o r
n o t any new a c q u i s i t i o n i s r a d i o a c t i v e . I t i s a l s o good p r a c t i c e t o wear a
l a b o r a t o r y c o a t and p l a s t i c , d i s p o s a b l e gloves when handling r a d i o a c t i v e
specimens. Handling times should be k e p t t o a minimum, p r e c a u t i o n s taken
a g a i n s t any r i s k of i n g e s t i o n (e.g. handling away from any food o r drink o r
c i g a r e t t e s ) , and working c o n d i t i o n s should be v e r y clean. Any d u s t o r small,
unwanted m i n e r a l fragments can b e c o l l e c t e d using a dampened t i s s u e , ( s e e
Disposal).
A shallow, p l a s t i c t r a y (about 1 metre X 0.5 metre) provides a good working
s u r f a c e and h e l p s prevent contamination.
I t i s recanonended t h a t specimens be c a r r i e d i n p l a s t i c bags. These can be
marked w i t h a small s t i c k e r showing t h e t r e f o i l r a d i a t i o n symbol ( a v a i l a b l e
from s u p p l i e r s of l a b o r a t o r y s i g n s ) . Washing the hands w i t h soap and water
i s u s u a l l y an adequate procedure a f t e r t h e handling of specimens, b u t any
possible contamination may be checked using a contamination monitor. I f
contamination remains on the hands a f t e r a second washing, the wearing of
rubber gloves f o r two hours, t o sweat o u t the contaminants, should be
t r i e d . Curators who frequently work with radioactive specimens might need
t o become 'designated' r a d i a t i o n workers ( s e e the Guidance Notes, ref. 4).
This could apply i f the worker i s exposed t o a dose i n excess of 7.5
micrograys per hour (fGy/h), see u n i t s i n Appendix 2.
Radioactive specimens a r e best stored away from general working a r e a s but
i t i s n o t necessary to s t o r e a l l of them i n one place. Indeed, i f t h i s i s
done the t o t a l r a d i a t i o n may become s u f f i c i e n t l y high to n e c e s s i t a t e s p e c i a l
p r o t e c t i v e measures and the assigning of a ' r a d i a t i o n a r e a ' ( i . e . an a r e a
where the r a d i a t i o n dose averaged over any one minute exceeds 7.5 microsievert
per hour (pSV/h); see Guidance Notes, r e f . 4).
Each specimen should be placed i n a container and the drawers o r cupboards
marked with t h e t r e f o i l r a d i a t i o n symbol. Uranium and thorim-bearing minerals
give off radon gas so i t i s important t h a t the storage u n i t s a r e vented to a
well-ventilated room ( o r t o the outside) t o prevent build up of t h i s gas and
i t s s o l i d daughter products, which a t t a c h themselves t o dust p a r t i c l e s i n the
a i r , with the attendant r i s k of inhalation.
Radioactive specimens may be displayed t o the general public under conditions
t h a t accord with the Code of p r a c t i c e f o r the display of sources of ionizing
r a d i a t i o n s a t exhibitions5. This code, however, w i l l be superseded by the
forthcoming l e g i s l a t i o n . Display cases should be vented t o prevent b u i l d
up of radon gas. Under the present code the dose r a t e t o members of the
public must n o t exceed 5/(( SV per hour; shielding o r e f f e c t i v e b a r r i e r s
shouxd be provided around the display t o achieve t h i s . One inexpensive way
t h i s can be done i s described i n the a r t i c l e by R.P. Hicks ( t h i s i s s u e p.297).
Disposal
Information on the s a f e disposal of radioactive waste i s given i n the Guidance
Notes. The exemption order allows f o r the disposal of small q u a n t i t i e s of
radioactive minerals, contaminated t i s s u e s and gloves, which should be
deposited d i r e c t l y i n the main r e f u s e bin, but not i n waste paper bins e t c .
Waste should be wrapped before disposal. Advice should be sought from the
NRPB on the s a f e disposal of s i g n i f i c a n t q u a n t i t i e s of r a d i o a c t i v e waste
specimens (e.g. where the weight of uranium and thorium contained i n a l l the
waste disposed of i n any one day on o r from the premises, i n the aggregate,
exceeds 100 g; s e e Exemption order%.
Asbestos
Asbestos i s the term applied to the fibrous forms of s e v e r a l minerals
including c h r y s o t i l e , r i e b e c k i t e ( t h e a s b e s t i f o m v a r i e t y is c a l l e d c r o c i d o l i t e
o r 'blue asbestos l ) , anthophyllite, grunerite, and tremolite. Amosite ( 'brown
asbestos') i s a commercial name f o r a v a r i e t y of asbestos t h a t i s mainly
grunerite. Asbestos f i b r e s a r e a hazard i n t h a t they can lead t o asbestosis,
mesothelima, and lung cancer.
The q u a n t i t i e s o f a s b e s t o s handled by
i t i s d e s i r a b l e t o keep handling t o a
of a s b e s t o s d u s t , e s p e c i a l l y i f i t i s
of a s b e s t o s should be avoided but, i f
crushed under water.
a c u r a t o r a r e l i k e l y t o be small but
nninimum, and t o prevent the g e n e r a t i o n
l i k e l y t o become airborne. Crushing
necessary, the m i n e r a l should be
Ultraviolet radiation
The worker who u s e s u l t r a v i o l e t (UV) l i g h t sources f o r mineral i d e n t i f i c a t i o n ,
d i s p l a y o r o t h e r purposes should be aware of t h e a s s o c i a t e d h a z a r d s , e x p e c i a l l y
w i t h UV o f s h o r t wavelength ( t h e exposure can cause erythema, s k i n s c a l i n g ,
k e r a t i t i t i s and c o n j u n c t i v i t i s ) . Two booklets 7 a 8 g i v e information on t h e s e
hazards and p r o t e c t i o n a g a i n s t them. Some ' d o ' s and d o n ' t s ' include:
DO
-
1. Keep exposure time t o a minimum
2. P r o t e c t eyes and s k i n
3. Contain t h e r a d i a t i o n , whenever p o s s i b l e , w i t h i n a s e a l e d
housing. (Observation p o r t s should be made of s u i t a b l y
absorbent m a t e r i a l s
such a s some a c r y l i c s , PVC, and window
glass).
-
DON'T
1. Use UV lamps i f t h e o u t e r p r o t e c t i v e envelope i s broken o r
2.
cracked.
Use s h o r t UV r a d i a t i o n i n poor v e n t i l a t i o n , ( s h o r t UV
r a d i a t i o n produces ozone from t h e oxygen i n t h e a i r . Ozone
h a s s i g n i f i c a n t t o x i c e f f e c t s a t c o n c e n t r a t i o n s a s low a s
0.1 p a r t s p e r m i l l i o n ) .
Acknowledgements: I am g r a t e f u l t o many c o l l e a g u e s who c o n s t r u c t i v e l y
c r i t i c i s e d t h e d r a f t v e r s i o n of t h i s a r t i c l e .
References.
1. Living with r a d i a t i o n . National R a d i o l o g i c a l P r o t e c t i o n Board, 2nd
e d i t i o n , 1981. HMSO, London.
A. Martin and S.A. Harbison,
2.
An i n t r o d u c t i o n t o r a d i a t i o n p r o t e c t i o n .
1972. Chapman and H a l l , London. 214pp.
3.
Radiation p r o t e c t i o n . A guide f o r s c i e n t i s t s and p h y s i c i s t s . J. Shapiro,
1972. Harvard U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , Cambridge, Massachusetts. 339 pp.
4.
Guidance n o t e s f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n of persons a g a i n s t i o n i s i n g r a d i a t i o n s
i n r e s e a r c h and teaching, 2nd. e d i t i o n , 1968 ( 5 t h impression 1976). HMSO,
London.
5.
Code of p r a c t i c e f o r t h e d i s p l a y of s o u r c e s of i o n i z i n g r a d i a t i o n s a t
e x h i b i t i o n s , National R a d i o l o g i c a l P r o t e c t i o n Board. 1973. HMSO, London.
6.
The Radioactive Substances (Geological Specimens) Exemption Order 1962;
HMSO, London. England and Wales: S.I. 1962 No. 2712; Scotland S.I. 1962
No 2771 (S. 131); Northern I r e l a n d : S.R. and 0. 1962 No. 248.
7.
P r o t e c t i o n a g a i n s t u l t r a v i o l e t r a d i a t i o n i n t h e workplace.
R a d i o l o g i c a l P r o t e c t i o n Board, (undated). HMSO, London.
National
8.
Hazards o f o c c u p a t i o n a l exposure t o u l t r a v i o l e t r a d i a t i o n . D. Hughes
(1978). Occupational Hygiene Monograph No. 1, U n i v e r s i t y o f Leeds
I n d u s t r i a l S e r v i c e s Ltd.
Appendix 1.
National R a d i o l o g i c a l P r o t e c t i o n Board Centres:
Southern
Chilton, Near Didcot, Oxon O X 1 1 ORq
Tel: 0235 831600.
Northern
H o s p i t a l Lane, Cookridge, Leeds LS16 6RW
Tel: 0532 679041
Scottish
155, Hardgate Road, Glasgow G51 4LS
T e l : 0 4 1 4402201.
Appendix 2
Units
Quantity
S1 u n i t name
and symbol
I n other
S1 u n i t s
Old Unit
name and
symbol
Conversion
factor
Absorbed
dose
g r a y (GY)
J ~ ~ - I
rad (rad)
1Gy = l 0 0 r a d
Dose
equivalent
s i e v e r t (Sv)
~kg-l
rem (rem)
1Sv = l00 rem
Activity
b e c q u e r e l (Bq)
S
c u r i e (Ci)
1Bq
2.7
Paul Henderson,
Department of Mineralogy,
B r i t i s h Museum ( N a t u r a l H i s t o r y )
Cromwell Road,
London SW7 5BD.
-1
X
-llEi
10
THE PUBLIC EXHIBITION OF
URANIUM MINERALS: A NOVEL TECHNIQUE
by R. Paul Hicks
V i s i t o r s t o t h e Mineral g a l l e r y of t h e B r i t i s h Museum ( N a t u r a l H i s t o r y ) w i l l
have seen t h a t i n r e c e n t years many of the more a t t r a c t i v e , b r i g h t l y
coloured specimens have been removed, l e a v i n g n o t i c e a b l e gaps i n t h e
s y s t e m a t i c d i s p l a y . These were a l l uranium m i n e r a l s , and were removed i n
o r d e r t o comply with r e c e n t r a d i a t i o n s a f e t y requirements f o r p u b l i c
e x h i b i t s . l I t was found t h a t t o achieve the low l e v e l of r a d i a t i o n permitted
( n o t more than 5pSv/hornr = 0.5 millirem/hour), the s i z e and n m b e r ~ o f
specimens t h a t could be e x h i b i t e d i n the t a b l e c a s e s were s o reduced a s
n o t t o be worthwhile, and consequently a l l the oxides and phosphates (and
r e l a t e d s p e c i e s ) o r uranium were t r a n s f e r r e d t o s t o r a g e away from the g a l l e r y .
S t o r i n g s o many r a d i o a c t i v e specimens t o g e t h e r has i n c r e a s e d some of t h e
r a d i a t i o n hazards, but t h e s e problems a f f e c t only s t a f f and have been d e a l t
with s a t i s f a c t o r i l y .
Uranium m i n e r a l s emit alpha, b e t a , and gamma r a d i a t i o n , of which only gamma,
because of i t s p e n e t r a t i n g n a t u r e , i s of concern i n d i s p l a y s of t h e s e
m i n e r a l s i n c l o s e d g l a s s c a s e s . Radon i s a l s o produced, b u t because of t h e
good v e n t i l a t i o n of the g a l l e r y does n o t c o n s t i t u t e a hazard t o the public.
For a wider d i s c u s s i o n of t h e hazards involved i n c u r a t i n g g e o l o g i c a l
m a t e r i a l s , s e e t h e a r t i c l e by P. Henderson i n t h i s i s s u e . (p. 2 9 2 ) .
Measurements showed t h a t i n a i r t h e d i s t a n c e needed t o reduce r a d i a t i o n t o
t h e p e r m i t t e d l e v e l v a r i e d from 100nmm. f o r a t y p i c a l small 'secondary'
m i n e r a l , through 450 m. f o r a moderate s i z e d specimen, up t o 900 mm. f o r
a l a r g e p i e c e of u r a n i n i t e , which i s g e n e r a l l y s o r a d i o a c t i v e because of
t h e p r o p o r t i o n of u r a n i m and r a d i o a c t i v e decay products i t c o n t a i n s . From
t h e s e t e s t s i t w a s obvious t h a t t h e t a b l e c a s e s with an i n s i d e depth of
only 100 t o 250 m. were u n s u i t a b l e f o r any b u t t h e most r e s t r i c t e d of
uranium m i n e r a l d i s p l a y s : f o r a comprehensive d i s p l a y , the wide s a f e t y zone
r e q u i r e d would cause viewing problems.
I n view of t h e s e d i f f i c u l t i e s , t h e use of s p e c i a l r a d i a t i o n - a b s o r b i n g g l a s s
was i n v e s t i g a t e d , with d i s a p p o i n t i n g r e s u l t s . Glass t h a t was n o t too t h i c k
t o d i s t o r t t h e colour o r image of t h e specimens d i d n o t absorb enough gamma
r a d i a t i o n f o r t h e intended purpose, a l s o , t h e amount r e q u i r e d would have
been p r o h i b i t i v e l y expensive.
F i n a l l y , a d i s p l a y was devised u s i n g l e a d t o absorb t h e r a d i a t i o n , and
m i r r o r s t o view t h e specimens; i t s design w i l l be c l a r i f i e d by r e f e r e n c e
t o t h e accompanying diagrams.
The d i s p l a y is housed i n an u p r i g h t , g l a s s - f r o n t e d c a s e , f i x e d a g a i n s t a
t h i c k masonry wall. I n t h i s p o s i t i o n a l l t h e r a d i a t i o n i s absorbed
harmlessly, i n i n a c c e s s i b l e a i r spaces o r t h e b u i l d i n g f a b r i c , or by t h e
lead shielding.
This s h i e l d i s made from 4.5mm t h i c k , 300 mm. wide l e a d s h e e t i n g , s t a n d i n g
on edge t o form a w a l l a c r o s s t h e d i s p l a y . The design allows f o r up t o
8 t h i c k n e s s e s t o be used; laminating t h e s h i e l d i n t h i s way u s e s t h e l e a d
more e f f e c t i v e l y and makes t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n more manageable. As t h e
specimens a r e arranged i n a row, a moment's c o n s i d e r a t i o n w i l l show t h a t
t h e r a d i a t i o n f i e l d around t h m i s i n t h e form of a c y l i n d e r w i t h a
diameter t h a t v a r i e s along t h e length. The h e i g h t of t h e s h i e l d i s
f i x e d , s o t h a t t o i n t e r s e c t and absorb t h e r e q u i r e d ' s e c t o r ' of r a d i a t i o n
2 98
Digram showing radiation abswp-
Schematic cross-section through tie
t i n in air and lead.
uranium mineral display.
/
-
-contour of
permitted level of
radiation
shaped supplementary shield
W
the specimens a r e o f f s e t , with the more radioactive ones c l o s e r t o the
s h i e l d , which i s appropriately laminated t o absorb the r a d i a t i o n propagated
perpendicularly t o i t s thickness. With t h i s done, r a d i a t i o n propagating
a t an angle t o the s h i e l d i s absorbed t o a proportionately g r e a t e r extent
according t o the 'oblique thickness' e f f e c t . Where with the more s u b s t a n t i a l
uraninite-bearing specimens, additional lead may be incorporated i n p l i n t h s
and i n p a r t i a l covers over the specimens. Adjustments t o the arrangement
a r e made and checked by c a r e f u l r a d i a t i o n measurements.
Experiment showed t h a t by exploiting t h i s 'oblique thickness' e f f e c t , using
t h i n sheets of lead, i t would be possible to graduate the absorption of a
s h i e l d t o match the transmitted r a d i o a c t i v i t y precisely t o the permitted
level. However, such a method, though using the l e a s t amount of lead, i s
over-complicated and not i n keeping with the p r i n c i p l e of r a d i o l o g i c a l
protection
t h a t a l l r a d i a t i o n doses should be kept a s low as is reasonably
possible.
-
The display graphics a r e c a r r i e d on panels, which a r e fixed i n s i d e the g l a s s
doors of the case t o conceal the display f a b r i c a t i o n and fluorescent lighting.
The fluorescent tubes are fixed t o the doors i n order t o f a c i l i t a t e t h e i r
replacement away from the unshielded upper p a r t of the display. The mirrors
and other components of the display a r e arranged t o give v i s i t o r s of d i f f e r e n t
height a s a t i s f a c t o r y view of the specimens.
Although i n p r a c t i c e a v i s i t o r cannot view the specimens from l e s s than
about 600 m. t h i s is s u f f i c i e n t to see even small d e t a i l s , and i n addition,
the exhibition of specimens i s not r e s t r i c t e d by t h e i r r a d i o a c t i v i t y .
References.
1 Code of p r a c t i c e f o r the display of sources of ionising r a d i a t i o n s a t
exhibitions (1968): HMSO, London.
R.P. Hicks,
Department of Mineralogy,
B r i t i s h Museum (Natural History),
Cromwell Road,
London SW7 5BD.
(The 5th impression, 1976).
FROM MATCHBOX TO COMPUTER OR
THE COMPUTERIZATION OF
THE PHlLlP CAMBRIDGE COLLECTION
AT THE SEDGWICK MUSEUM
by Stephanie H. Etchells
Butler
-
Introduction.
Seventy-eight y e a r s ago, t h e Sedgwick Museum Cambridge was opened by King
Edward V11 and Queen Alexandra on March 1st 1904. Previously, t h e
p a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l c o l l e c t i o n s had been housed i n the A r t s School, Sedgwick's
rooms a t T r i n i t y College and e v e n t u a l l y the Old Schools, which w a s t h e
o r i g i n a l Woodwardian Museum a s i t was then c a l l e d . During t h e p e r i o d of
Sedgwick's p r o f e s s o r s h i p (1819-1873) and subsequently, the s i z e o f t h e
c o l l e c t i o n s i n c r e a s e d enormously. Sedgwick and h i s successors, T. Mc.l(.Hughes
and J . E . Marr, d i r e c t e d the p o l i c y of t h e museum i n c l u d i n g the a c q u i s i t i o n
of major c o l l e c t i o n s . Up t o 1931, members of t h e academic s t a f f c o l l e c t e d ,
i d e n t i f i e d , mounted, l a b e l l e d and o f t e n catalogued specimens each i n h i s own
f i e l d . A s s i s t a n t s t a f f were s e n t on c o l l e c t i n g e x p e d i t i o n s ; Henry Keeping
(Sedgwick's c u r a t o r from 1864) was e s p e c i a l l y important a s a c o l l e c t o r ,
working i n most a r e a s of B r i t a i n and i n s t r a t a of a l l ages from Cambrian t o Recent; Charles Gray was l a r g e l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r c o l l e c t i n g , p r e p a r i n g and
mounting the mammalian bones from t h e g r a v e l of t h e River Cam a t Barrington.
Henry Woods, L e c t u r e r and l a t e r Reader i n Palaeozoology, was author of t h e
Catalogue of Type F o s s i l s published i n 1891. More r e c e n t workers have
included E.A.N. Arber who made a complete catalogue of t h e f o s s i l p l a n t s up
t o 1927 and Miss G.L. E l l e s who catalogued t h e g r a p t o l i t e c o l l e c t i o n s .
The f i r s t f u l l - t i m e Curator was A.G. Brighton, appointed i n October 1931.
He came t o a Museum with an e s t i m a t e d h a l f - m i l l i o n specimens and no comprehensive c a t a l o g u e nor even a c a t a l o g u i n g system. With Henry Brand a s
a s s i s t a n t i n h i s e a r l y y e a r s and from 1954 with C.L. Forbes a s ~ s s i s t a n t
Curator, Brighton n o t only i n i t i a t e d a system, b u t by t h e time h e r e t i r e d
i n 1968 had catalogued about 4M),000 specimens.
The Manual Cataloguing System.
The main r e s o u r c e s provided by t h e Brightonian c a t a l o g u i n g system a r e the
c a r d index and s h e l f catalogue. The c a r d index i s arranged taxonomically
w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e major i n v e r t e b r a t e and v e r t e b r a t e groups. Within each
major group, t h e taxonomic names a r e arranged i n a l p h a b e t i c a l o r d e r , f i r s t
by r e f e r r i n g t o t h e g e n e r i c name and then t o t h e s p e c i f i c name o f the
specimen. The information included on each c a r d i s b r i e f , b u t i n c l u d e s a l l
t h e Sedgwick Museum (SM)
one needs t o know f o r a p r e l i m i n a r y i n v e s t i g a t i o n : number, taxonomic name, b a s i c s t r a t i g r a p h i c and l o c a l i t y information, p l u s
t h e s t o r a g e information. Type and f i g u r e d specimens a r e d i s t i n g u i s h e d by
having t h e i r information placed on b l u e and pink c a r d s r e s p e c t i v e l y .
The Museum i t s e l f i s arranged s t r a t i g r a p h i c a l l y from Cambrian t o P l e i s t o c e n e ,
and w i t h i n each bay t h e c o l l e c t i o n s a r e then arranged a s i n t h e c a r d index,
according t o t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e taxonomic groupings. Thus e n t r y t o t h e
c o l l e c t i o n s i s e q u a l l y easy f o r e i t h e r p a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l o r s t r a t i g r a p h i c a l
enquiries.
Each specimen i s a l l o t t e d an SM number when i t i s catalogued. The number i s
preceded by a l e t t e r , which i n t u r n r e f e r s t o the g e o l o g i c a l p e r i o d from
which t h e specimen o r i g i n a t e d . v i z .
A = Lower Palaeozoic
B = B r i t i s h Cretaceous
C = Tertiary
D = Post-Tertiary
E = Carboniferous
F = Foreign Mesozoic
G = Permo-Triassic
H = Devonian
J = British Jurassic
K
L
M = Plants
N
I f there a r e s e v e r a l p a r t s to the same specimen, as i s the case with many
of the v e r t e b r a t e specimens, the catalogue number i s always the same, but
t h i s w i l l be followed by consecutive l e t t e r s , each r e f e r r i n g to a portion
of the complete specimen. I n the cataloguing of the e a r l y A-section,
Brighton's systematic method of giving one specimen one number was not
employed a t f i r s t . This i s i l l u s t r a t e d by t h e f a c t t h a t i n many cases,
four o r f i v e examples of the same species, sharing the same information
r e f e r r i n g to s t r a t i g r a p h y and l o c a l i t y , have a l l been attached to one t a b l e t ,
and the t a b l e t has been given one SM number. Today, each of the f i v e
specimens would be given i t s own catalogue number; complication of the o l d
catalogue occurs when r e - i d e n t i f i c a t i o n divides several specimens a l l with
one number, among two o r more species. Recataloguing the m a t e r i a l i n the
e a r l y A (Lower Palaeozoic) section of the catalogue, w i l l be an important
undertaking i n the near future.
The second and more'informative resource a v a i l a b l e i n the Museum i s the s h e l f
catalogue, which i s i n order by SM numbers. Information i s typed on loose
leaves held i n l a r g e quarto-binders.
Up t o now, a l l the information known
about each specimen has been added t o these records. New information
concerning catalogued m a t e r i a l being added t o the relevant record, f a c i l i t a t e d
by the loose-leaf nature of the binders and the spaces l e f t between e n t r i e s .
Why W p u t e r i z e ?
The Brightonian system i s a most e f f i c i e n t manual cataloguing System. The
need t o computerize a r i s e s when large numbers of records a r e involved, a s
w i l l be the case with P h i l i p Cambridge's material. It i s expected t h a t i n
time Cambridge's Collection w i l l amount to some 20,000 specimens. A t t h e
present time about h a l f a m i l l i o n specimens o u t of a t o t a l of approximately
800,000 have been f u l l y catalogued, l a b e l l e d and entered on cards and i n
the s h e l f catalogue. Although a specimen can be located q u i t e e a s i l y within
l+e Museum from palaeontological o r s t r a t i g r a p h i c a l data i n a matter of a
few minutes;
i n trying t o l o c a t e a c o l l e c t i o n such a s P h i l i p Cambridge's
o r f o r more complex enquiries such a s
t o l o c a t e a l l the Museum's Carboniferous Brachiopods, o r a long l i s t of a l l the m a t e r i a l say, of a l l f o s s i l s from
t h e B r i t i s h Bathonian,
then a system has to be used whereby a l a r g e number
of specimens can be located together with a l l t h e i r relevant data, within a
very s h o r t period of time. Without the advantages of a computerized s y s t m ,
such a search would involve s e v e r a l hours and possibly a p r o h i b i t i v e amount
of work.
-
-
-
The Sedgwick Computer Proiect.
Following research, commenced i n the mid-1960s by J.L. C u t b i l l , the input of
data from the s h e l f catalogue began i n the e a r l y 1970s with a p i l o t p r o j e c t ,
which r e s u l t e d i n a v a r i e t y of indexes being produced f o r the Museum's
Devonian material. The aim of the p r o j e c t was t o r e c r e a t e the e x i s t i n g s h e l f
catalogue without any l o s s of information whatsoever, but with v a s t l y
C A T A I O G U E SHEET SEDG1
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SPECIMEN
SEDGWICK M U S E U M . C A M B R l D Q E
F i g . 1.
1I
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Connnuarion
Store
Ownership
history
Status
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i n c r e a s e d indexing p o s s i b i l i t i e s . A l l t h e information p e r t a i n i n g t o a
p a r t i c u l a r specimen o b t a i n e d through l e t t e r , manuscript, l a b e l o r j o u r n a l
was t o be i n p u t o n t o t h e computer.
The program packagewas o r i g i n a l l y used was t h e Cambridge Geological
Data System (CGDS) developed by Dr.J.L. C u t b i l l . This was l a t e r r e p l a c e d
by COS (nonacronymic) which i s i n use today, developed by D r . M.F. P o r t e r
1976-78 a f t e r C u t b i l l , and w r i t t e n i n BCPL (Basic Cambridge Programming
Language.) GOS i s a program package f o r handling c a t a l o g u e s , and w i l l n o t
o n l y be u s e f u l f o r handling museum information, b u t could be implemented
i n a l l s o r t s of ways, where l a r g e s c a l e information s o r t i n g and r e t r i e v a l m a y
be necessary. The package i s v e r y f l e x i b l e i n t h a t i t can be run on machines
o t h e r than t h e IBM 360 range of computers. No a t t e m p t w i l l b e made h e r e t o
e x p l a i n COS i n any d e t a i l , and t h e information below i s given a t a v e r y b a s i c
level,
i n o r d e r t o d e s c r i b e b r i e f l y how museum r e c o r d s a r e i n p u t o n t o a
computer i n machine r e a d a b l e form, and how t h e package is a b l e t o manipulate
t h e data t o g i v e t h e r e q u i r e d r e s u l t .
-
The d a t a d e s c r i b i n g t h e specimens must be p u t i n t o machine r e a d a b l e form
which GOS can u t i l i z e . During t h e l a s t p r o j e c t , t y p i x t s copied t h e information
d i r e c t l y from t h e c a t a l o g u e r e c o r d s onto paper tape, which was l a t e r fed i n t o
t h e computer. Before d i r e c t typing onto paper tape could t a k e p l a c e , t h e
t y p i s t s had t o f a m i l i a r i z e themselves with t h e i n p u t method. The Sedg 1
(SM1) and Sedg 2 (SM2) preformatted forms (SM1 i s i l l u s t r a t e d i n Fig. 1) were
developed, s o t h a t a l l t h e information concerning each i n d i v i d u a l specimen
could be a c c u r a t e l y placed i n i t s a p p r o p r i a t e f i e l d . By r e f e r e n c e t o one of
P h i l i p Cambridge's specimens i n Fig. 1 i t can be seen how m a t e r i a l which
comes i n t o t h e Museum i s documented. A l l t h e information i s placed i n t h e
r e l e v a n t keyword o r d e t a i l f i e l d s . A keyword such a s "Cambridge, P-" w i l l
be used f o r producing a v a r i e t y of indexes. A l l d a t a i s s t r u c t u r e d , f o r
example "Mr. P h i l i p Cambridge" can be s p l i t up i n t o t h r e e main "elements":Cambridge,
Philip,
Mr.
Cambridge i s t h e main element, followed by two subelements i n t h e s t r u c t u r e d
f i l e - P h i l i p and M r . I n o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t indexes a r e e v e n t u a l l y produced,
i t i s e s s e n t i a l t h a t every p i e c e of information concerning a specimen, r i g h t
down t o the j o u r n a l page and f i g u r e number, i s placed i n i t s a p p r o p r i a t e f i e l d .
I n o r d e r t o e x p l a i n more f u l l y how information r e l e v a n t t o a specimen i s
catalogued and f i n a l l y computerized a t t h e Sedgwick, i t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t o r e f e r
t o t h e l a r g e number of specimens r e c e n t l y donated t o t h e Museum, and c o l l e c t e d
over a l i f e t i m e by M r . Cambridge.
The Computerization of the Cambridge C o l l e c t i o n .
By r e f e r r i n g t o t h e flow diagram i n Fig. 2 i t can be seen how t h e computerized
c a t a l o g u i n g system h a s developed a l o n g s i d e t h e Brightonian manual system.
P h i l i p Cambridge, now hased i n E a s t Anglia, h a s been c o l l e c t i n g both i n v e r t e b r a t e
and v e r t e b r a t e f o s s i l s f o r almost f i f t y y e a r s ,
from every g e o l o g i c a l system
and from every c o n t i n e n t . Locations have been a s d i v e r s e 'as, a World War II
bomb c r a t e r , t o "from the r a i l w a y s t a t i o n , . Chattanooga Formation, Chattanooga,
The enthusiasm Mr. Cambridge h a s f o r palaeontology i s e x h i b i t e d by
U.S.A."
t h e c a r e with which each specimen i s m e t i c u l o u s l y wrapped i n c o t t o n wool
-
Specimens
incorporated
i n t h e Museum.
St o r a g e
info' is
p l a c e d on
c a r d index.
1
concerning
s ~ e c i m e ni s
ikclude; i n
c a r d index.
1
A r r i v a l , and
unpacking of
t h e new
Production o f
c a t a l o g u e indexes.
1 magnetic
tapes.l
specimens i n
appropriate
trays, plus
relevant info'.
Preliminary
st r a t i g r a p h i c
Sorting.
L,
l
F
Input f i l e s
displayed.
ves
-I
O.K.
no+Furthcr
edits.
P r i n t o u t s proofread.
labels
produced,
Taxonomic s o r t i n g .
t o t h e IBM/370,
and p r i n t o u t s
obtained.
SM no. a l l o t t e d
t o each specimen.
attached t o
specimen.
Specimens taken
t o microcomputer.
Data typed i n t o
t h e system.
Fig. 2.
The c a t a l o g u i n g of t h e P h i l i p Cambridge C o l l e c t i o n .
A. The manual system.
B. The computerized system.
and p l a c e d i n i t s individual; matchbox. (Many of t h e s e matchboxes and
o t h e r c o n t a i n e r s d a t e from b e f o r e t h e war, and may prove t o be worth
c o l l e c t i n g themselves.) The specimens a r e v i v i d l y remembered:"The l a r g e p i e c e o f Upper Cretaceous f o s s i l wood h a s a s p e c i a l memory f o r
me. I was walking along a small beach a l o n g s i d e t h e South Saskatchewan
River and I saw a p i e c e of driftwood and kicked i t o u t i n t o t h e r i v e r . A t
l e a s t t h a t was t h e i n t e n t i o n . The chunk of "wood" turned o u t t o be
s i l i c i f i e d and moved only a couple of f e e t ; my t o e s were s o r e f o r a few
days. A t almost t h e same s p o t , j u s t o u t s i d e Medicine Hat, I l e a r n e d n o t
t o s l i d e down a n i c e i c y chute on t h e banks i n t o a t h i c k snowdrift below.
The snow concealed a h e a l t h y growth o f Opuntia ( P r i c k l y Pear Cactus) and I
s p e n t some time having t h e s p i n e s removed b e f o r e I could s i t down comfortably.
T r a v e l i s v e r y informative."
(From Cambridge's Museum Correspondence.)
The p a r c e l s which a r r i v e from Norwich c o n t a i n n o t o n l y t h e matchboxed specimens,
b u t a l s o Cambridge's own handwritten index c a r d s , which c o n t a i n a l l t h e
information known about aach specimen, i . e . t h e taxonomic name, age, rock
formation, l o c a l i t y , t h e c o l l e c t o r ' s name and t h e name of t h e a u t h o r i t y who
i d e n t i f i e d t h e specimen. Cambridge's own p e r s o n a l i s e d i d e n t i t y number i s
recorded on each o f t h e specimen c a r d s , and t h i s too i n t u r n i s e v e n t u a l l y
recorded on t h e computer a s ownership number. On unpacking t h e specimens,
they, ( t o g e t h e r w i t h any o t h e r i n f o n n a t i o n i n t h e matchbox, such a s an o l d
l a b e l , ) a r e p l a c e d i n t h e a p p r o p r i a t e l y s i z e d specimen t r a y s and from t h e r e
t o t h e Gtandard museum t r a y s t o await f u r t h e r s o r t i n g . The n e x t s t a g e i n t h i s
c a t a l o g u i n g p r o c e s s i s t o p l a c e each of Cambridge's small index c a r d s w i t h i t s
a p p r o p r i a t e specimen o r specimens. A s t h e index c a r d s a r e i n no p a r t i c u l a r
o r d e r , t h e most e f f i c i e n t way o f f i n d i n g c a r d and specimen i s t o s o r t t h e
c a r d s i n t o t h e i r v a r i o u s taxonomic groupings:- Brachiopods, Ammonites, R e p t i l e s
o r whatever, and from h e r e c a r d and specimen a r e e a s i l y matched up w i t h i n a
few minutes.
When a l a r g e q u a n t i t y of m a t e r i a l h a s undergone t h i s p r e l i m i n a r y s o r t i n g , a
more d e t a i l e d c a t a l o g u i n g p r o c e s s can g e t underway. The specimens w i t h i n a
l a r g e batch of m a t e r i a l may range i n age from t h e Cambrian o f North America
t o t h e Cretaceous of B r i t a i n , t h e r e f o r e with r e f e r e n c e t o t h e flow diagram,
t h e n e x t s t a g e i s t o s o r t t h e specimens i n t o t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e g e o l o g i c a l age
groups. The specimens a r e f u r t h e r subdivided w i t h i n t h e i r age u n i t s i n t o
t h e i r taxonomic groups, on t h e l i n e s of t h e Brightonian c a r d index system, from Foraminifera t o Mammalia,
and again i n t o a l p h a b e t i c a l o r d e r w i t h i n
t h a t taxonomic group. I t i s a t t h i s p o i n t t h a t a SM c a t a l o g u e number i s
given t o each specimen, and t h i s i d e n t i t y number i s a t t a c h e d t o t h e f o s s i l
i t s e l f . (This a c c e s s i o n number i s a l s o noted down on Cambridge's i n d e x
c a r d s , a s t h e s e w i l l e v e n t u a l l y be r e t u r n e d t o him f o r h i s own r e f e r e n c e . )
We have now reached t h e s t a g e where t h e i n i t i a l computer i n p u t can t a k e
place.
-
The f i r s t batch o f Cambridge's m a t e r i a l t o be computerized i n c l u d e d specimens
from t h e Devonian o f North America and t h e B r i t i s h J u r a s s i c . The i n f o n n a t i o n
from Cambridge's l a b e l s was e n t e r e d i n i t i a l l y o n t o t h e SM1 p r e f o r m a t t e d s h e e t ,
each p i e e e of i n f o r m a t i o n being p l a c e d i n i t s r e l e v a n t f i e l d . However t h i s
s t a g e h a s now been withdrawn, a s , with experience i s i s now p o s s i b l e t o type
t h e information d i r e c t l y i n t o t h e system i n machine r e a d a b l e form, from
Cambridge's l a b e l s . The information i s typed i n i t i a l l y i n t o a micro-computer
based i n t h e Museum i t s e l f and s t o r e d on two double s i d e d , double d e n s i t y ,
5%" floppy d i s c s ,
t h e i n f o r m a t i o n e n t e r i n g t h e system being s c r e e n e d on a
v i s u a l d i s p l a y u n i t . The m a t e r i a l i s a l s o e d i t e d i n t e r a c t i v e l y u s i n g an
-
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The b a s i c i n p u t f i l e , i . e . the o r i g i n a l information i n machine
readable form.
drPB952=P9P4Q
Cambr I d g e e ' 0 . Co1L.u
1 9 8 1 1 V337.
C o l l e c t e d . Channonr P.
Middle Liasr Jurassic; Battledown
B r i c k p i t. C h e l t e n h a m .
I d e n t l f l e d . C o x ( D r a ) . a s Amhsrleya
(daOpblgny)e
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C a m b r l d g e r P. Co1L.r
1 9 8 1 . V1001.
U D D L~i a~s . J u r a s s l c ; G @ s n t h a n r
4*PPQf;i
Cambr d y e . P. C o l & . .
1 9 R l 1 V2400.
Lower L l a s , J u r a s s i a : Honeybourne B a t t l e
Head Q u a r t e r s . W o r c e s t e r s h i r e .
ldentifled.
Cox ( D r . ) ,
as E r e ~ a i b l l d l g
n l n a ~ ~ r L r n n( Yl ~a ~ t l n ) -
J+6_96+4.=k5!624
Cambr d g e . P . CoL1.s
1 9 8 1 . V2401.
Lower L l a s . J u r a s s i c ; Honeybourne R a t t l e
Head Q u a r t e r s , W o r c e s t e r s h i r e .
I d e n t i f i e d . Cox ( D r . ) .
a s ErQ!pthladj=
i m u l r n r i e i s ( Por.tLock )
JsP9815=k9PB2
C a m b r i d g e . P. ColL..
1981. V 9 6 9 .
Upper L l a s . Jurassic: L i n c o l n .
ErnmnihLlsile r r i s b l i H u d L e s t o n .
lB.
The same i n f o r m a t i o n , t h i s t i m e seen as d i s p l a y e d r e c o r d s .
i n t e g r a l word processor. Therefore errors a r e a l t e r e d e a s i l y , r e s u l t i n g
i n an i n i t i a l input of a high standard, thereby reducing the work load i n
the l a t e r stages. Six drawers of the B r i t i s h Lias were typed onto floppy
disc by t h i s method. The blose proximity and a v a i l a b i l i t y of the Cambridge
IBM/370 computer enabled easy transferrance of information from microcomputer, to personal filespace i n the Cambridge computer system. Once the
Liassic material was transferred t o the '3701, printouts were obtained of
the various sections, these were proof read
corrections being made t o the
respective f i l e s using ZED, the i n t e r a c t i v e text-editor.
-
These basic input f i l e s are then, through smaller 'sub-programs' within
GOS i t s e l f , rearranged to give what i s known a s a "displayed" record
( i l l u s t r a t e d i n Fig. 3). This record includes a l l the information which
was o r i g i n a l l y typed i n t o the system, but i n i t s displayed format i t closely
adheres t o the s t r u c t u r e of the records i n the manual shelf catalogue. Once
the displayed f i l e has been obtained t h i s , together with the f i l e , containing
the o r i g i n a l input material, i s dumped securely t o two magnetic tapes. The
displayed f i l e i s used, i n the case of the Cambridge material, t o give computer
produced labels. I n the Brightonian manual system the labels were meticulously
written out by hand, together with the updating of the card index, - a tedious
and time consuming task. However, the displayed f i l e can be printed out i n
label format a s i n Fig. 4. This i s the r e s u l t a f t e r the reduction of the
o r i g i n a l A 3 format on a Xerox reducing machine. These l a b e l s a r e then
guillotined and placed i n the appropriate specimen trays. The procedure of
p r i n t i n g out a batch of displayed labels, having them reduced, g u i l l o t i n e d
and a l l o t t e d t o t h e i r respective specimens, greatly a l l e v i a t e s the burden of
painstakingly writing the l a b e l s by hand, which f o r a thousand specimens ( t h e
approximate number i n the s i x i n i t i a l drawers of the Liassic m a t e r i a l ) , would
have been several days work.
The placement of computer produced l a b e l s within the specimen t r a y s i s the
penultimate s t e p i n the cataloguing process. The f o s s i l s a r e f i n a l l y incorporated
i n the Museum when they take t h e i r f i n a l placements i n t h e i r respective areas.
A t t h i s point, the storage information (comprising of bay and drawer number)
i s added t o the card index i n the manual system. This i s noted down i n pencil,
f a c i l i t a t i n g easy a l t e r a t i o n should i t be necessary t o r e a l l o c a t e specimens.
The storage information i s also input onto the computer but as a separate f i l e
again for easy updating purposes. Should the
from the main records f i l e ,
n y d a r i s e to display the storage information with the o r i g i n a l input, t h i s
may be done by GOS, which enables the user to merge f i l e s together, thus
incorporating material frpm separate sources. More generally, a v a r i e t y of
records from various sources can be combined t o form a s i n g l e structured f i l e
from which various indexes can be produced.
-
Conclusion.
Currently, almost a l l the 500,000 catalogued specimens have been input i n t o
the Cambridge computer s y s t a , i n machine readable form. A r e l a t i v e l y small
backlog of recently accessioned material, including the Cambridge Collection,
together with recent published material c i t i n g SM specimens, has a l s o been
input i n t o the system. Printouts of these records have been produced and they
a r e now i n the process of being checked. Once the f i l e s have been sorted out
i n t o t h e i r f i n a l format,
i t is hoped t h a t i n the immediate future, catalogue
indexes of F e d p i c k material w i l l be produced.
-
5.69478
.
Cambridge. P. Coll.. 1981. V443.B.1.
Lower L i a s J u r a s s i c ; Fenny Camptan,
Warwick ( 1 2 m i l e s S.E.)
H o n t l i v a l t i a rugosa Duncan and W r i g h t .
.
5.69479-69481
Cambridge. P. C o l l . , 1981. V443.3.
Lower L i a s . J u r a s s i c ; Dom H a t h e r l e y .
Cheltenham. G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e .
H o n t l i v a l t i a rugosa Duncan and Wright
.
5.69490
Cambridge. P. C o l l . , 1981. V2077.
i b e x Zone. Lower L i a s , J u r a s s i c ;
Battledown B r i c k p i t , Cheltenham.
I d e n t i f i e d . Howarth (Mr.). a s B e r e n i c e a
a r c h i a e i (Haime).
5.69491-69495
Cambridge. P. C o l l . . 1981, V2015.A.5.
Lower L i a s , J u r a s s i c ; Battledown
B r i c k p i t , Cheltenham.
I d e n t i f i e d . Ager. D.V. ( D r . ) , a s
L o b o t h y r i s p u n c t a t a ( J . Sowerby) v a r .
5.69482-69483
Cambridge. P. C o l l . . 1981. V1398.
Lower ~ i a s J u r a s s i c ; Warwick.
H o n t l i v a l t i a mucronata hrncan ( s e e
Oppelismilia)
5.69496-69498
Cambridge. P. C o l l . . 1981.
V2015.4.
~.
~ a r l s t o i e .Middle L i a s . ~ u r a s s i c ;
Leiston. Lincolnshire.
L o b o t h y r i s p u n c t a t a ( J . Sowerby).
5.69484
Cambridge. P. C o l l . . 1981. V1810.
Lower L i a s . J u r a s s i c ; Rhoose C l i f f s .
Glamorganshire Wales ( s o u t h ) .
I d e n t i f i e d . Dighton-Thomas ( D r . ) . a s
Hontlivaltia (Oppelismilia) sp.
5.69499
5.69485-69489
Cambridge. P. C o l l . , 1981. V1042.
a n g u l a t u s Zone, Lower L i a s J u r a s s i c ;
Marton, Gainsborough ( n e a r ) ,
Lincolnshire.
M.P.S.. p.36 p1.x figs.15-18.
H o n t l i v a l t i a p a p i l l a t a Duncan.
5.69500-69502
Cambridae. P. C o l l . . 1981. V743.
Lower ~ i a i ~
, u r a s s i c ;~0n;ybou;ne
B r i c k p i t , Worcestershire.
Discina holdeni Tate.
.
.
.
.
F i g 4.
Cambridge. P. C o l l . . 1981. V2541.
Upper L i a s . J u r a s s i c ; Vigo B r i c k p i t ,
Northamptonshire.
D i s c i n a r e f l e x a J.de C. Sawerby.
--
--
R
'@
I d i s p l a y e d f i l e p r i n t e d o u t i n l a b e l format, p r i o r t o
guillotining.
The card index i s s t i l l a very important resource within the Museum and
w i l l continue to operate alongside the computerized system, a s a valuable
source of information. The shelf catalogue i n i t s present form w i l l remain,
the r e s u l t s of computerization giving way i n e f f e c t t o a miniaturized
shelf catalogue, on microfiche, whereby rapid large s c a l e information r e t r i e v a l
w i l l be available. It i s hoped t h a t the success of the present computerization
p r o j e c t w i l l be a major contribution to museum documentation.
-
Acknowledgements.
I thank D r . C.L. Forbes, D r . M.F. Porter, M.G. Dorling, R. Long and
p a r t i c u l a r l y , Philip Cmbridge, f o r many helpful comments and provision of
information.
References.
Orna, E.,
and Pettitt;C.
1980.
"Information Handling i n Museums" (Clive
Bingley Ltd. )
Porter, M.F., Light, R.B., and Roberts, D.A. 1977. "A Unified Approach t q
the Computerization of Museum Catalogues."
Report No. 5338 HC ( B r i t i s h Library.)
"How t o use GOS." (Museum Documentation
Porter, M.F. 1980.
Association.)
Price, D. 1979
"The Sedgwick Museum" (Sedgwidc Museum).
(see also G.C.G.Newsletter. Vol.3.No.l
April 1981. pp.28-35.)
Rickards, R.B. 1979
"The Physical Basis of Palaeontological Curating"
(reprinted from "Curation of Palaeontological
Collections", Special Papers i n Palaeontology
"*
Stephanie H. Etchells-Butler,
Sedgwick Museum,
Cambridge.
.
LOST AND FOUND
compiled b y Hugh S. Torrens
I n t h e previous two i s s u e s we r e p o r t e d t h e l o s s and subsequent f i n d i n g o f
t h e L o s t and Found columns d e s t i n e d f o r i s s u e v o l . 3 no 213. Since the.
t a l e of what happened t o t h e m i s s i n g p o s t a l package-is an i n s t r u c t i v e one
and a l s o demonstrates some of t h e s k i l l s needed t o uncover l o s t g e o l o g i c a l
c o l l e c t i o n s we t e l l i t h e r e .
The package was d e p o s i t e d with t h e s e c r e t a r i e s of t h e Keele U n i v e r s i t y ,
Geology Department i n l a t e August 1981 and i t was assumed t h a t i t s subsequent
l o s s was t h e f a u l t of t h e P o s t O f f i c e who were roundly blamed (GCG 3 213 p.
68). Then on 1 9 t h March, 1982 Tim P e t t i g r e w r e c e i v e d i t q u i t e o u t o f t h e
b l u e a f t e r i t had been lest 6% months! It had been postmarked o n l y two days
e a r l i e r 1 7 t h March 1982, s o i t seemed d i f f i c u l t t o blame t h e P o s t O f f i c e . I t
was then found t o c a r r y one of t h e postage stamps i s s u e d by t h e P o s t O f f i c e
t o c e l e b r a t e t h e centenary o f t h e d e a t h of Cbarles Darwin! S i n c e Darwin
d i e d on 1 9 t h A p r i l 1882 and t h e cnmnemorative stamps were o n l y i s s u e d on
1 0 t h February, 1982, t h e package most then have been posted a f t e r t h i s d a t e .
The o n l y p o s s i b l e e x p l a n a t i o n i s t h a t t h e package l a y a t Keele unposted from
l a t e August t o mid March. We must a p o l o g i s e t o t h e P o s t O f f i c e , and hope
f o r some s e c r e t a r i a l improvement.
1. Items & information SOUGHT
ERRATUM
No. 129 i n t h e l a s t i s s u e should have r e a d 128.
129.
COLENUTT, George W i l l i a m (c.1862-1944)
Together w i t h M r . W.J. Quayle ( s e e no. 11.8) from Southampton, I have j u s t
f i n i s h e d w r i t i n g a manuscript of f o s s i l f i s h e s and p r a m s from t h e
"Chapelcorner F i s h Bed" (Osborne s e r i e s ) o f t h e I s l e of Wight. However,
we have s t i l l an important problem t o s o l v e a s I have found
figured
specimen ( c o t y p e ) o f t h e new s p e c i e s Clupea v e c t e n s i s d e s c r i b e d by E.T.
NEWTON (1889). Q.J. Geol. Soc. London, Vol. 45: 112-117, p l . I V and
reproduced here. A) The same i s almost t r u e f o r t h e f o s s i l prawn's
d e s c r i b e d by H. WOODWARD (1903), Geol. Mag., N,S., (IV), v o l . X , p.97-99
p1.V and again reproduced h e r e . B) These prawns have been d e s c r i b e d a s
Propalaemon o s b o r n i e n s i s and P. mi~nor. S i x o f t h e seven f i g u r e d specimens
a r e s t i l l m i s s i n g as t h e o r i g i n a l specimen of PI. V, f i g 2 i s t h e o n l y one
t o have been found again by M r . QUAYLE. A l l t h i s m a t e r i a l ( f i s h e s and
prawns) was i n i t i a l l y i n G.W..COLEMITT'~ c o l l e c t i o n .
'
So, I would be deeply g r a t e f u l t o you i f you c o u l d p l a c e a n o t e under
" C ~ l l e c t i o n sand Information Lost and Found", i n che n e x t i s s u e of t h e
Geological Curator. I n f a c t , a s Ithe paper i s t o be p u b l i s h e d on t h e f i r s t
semester of 1983 i n t h e Bull. B.M. (N.H.), I have t o decide r a p i d l y i f i t
i s n e c e s s a r y t o choose a neotype f o r Clupea v e c t e n s i s .
D r . Jean Gaudant,
U n i v e r s i t y P a r i s VII
17 r u e du Docteur Magnan,
75013 PARIS,
France.
See a l s o FOUND SECTION no. 129.
iJ.uar.~. J.nir.~i,Jri,'i. 5cc.Vol.X!.V. PI. I?,
EXPLANATION O F PLATE
IV.
Ch~pcnt,ccfnr.+s, now slmcios from tho Osborne B d s of the Isle of IVight,
in the possession of Mr. Q. W. Oolenutt, of itglle.
Fig. l. Spooimen fiwm Rydo IIause.
1a. O ~ ~ e r c ~ I ~ ~ r nof~88111e
p ~ "npeoimen.
~tus
op.. o ~ ~ ~ . D
; sxb
u I v.,
I ~BU~.
operculum ; i.p., interoperculum ;p.op., ~ P ~ O ~ ~ E;Icl.,
T OU~ IVU~ E~;I O
b..,branchioakg.81 ray.
l b. E,Inndible from left side of same specimen.
I c. l'll>ac nb<lon~initl
a ,inns imd platua.
9. Spccii~la~,
fr1111, ~ t y L
~OUBO.
2 n. l l n r i l l ~ ~ br yl ~ ~ of
~ c sa, ~ l r > ospwimon.
3. Sl~ot:iuiunfronl Xi11 'B Qtmy
4. Titii of n apoci~non&olu ~ i & ' sQtmny, howing soaloa.
6. S~!~nll
specimcn fmm Ryde ilooso.
G. S~aidlR ~ C C ~ I fmnl
I ~ ~ >l(in$a Quay.
7. Uunoe of tllo tail of n spaoitnon from lngde Douse.
Decade N.Vo1.X.PI.V.
Geol.Mag1903.
GMWoadwnrd del.etlith.
6
Wer1,Newmannnp
F1gs.l-7. Fossil Prawns &c.,OsborneBeds, I.of Wighi.;.
Fig. 8. Palaemon affiais, M.Edw. (recent +.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE V.
Fros. I-4.-Propabnmr O8banienaia, H. Woodw. Osbom Be&: Inle of Wight.
Oaborne Beds: Isle of Wi ht
Flos. 5-7.-Pvopalernon minor, H. W&.
Pio. 8.-l'akman &ir, M. E h . Becant: Part Jnckeon, Sydney, 86; 8011th
\V*I-.
130.
-
Maltese T e r r a S i ~ i l l a t a
-
Maempel i s p r e p a r i n g a monograph on Terra S i ~ i l D r . G . Zanmit
M e l i t e n s i s and i t s S e a l s . Information i s e a r n e s t l y requested from Curators
who have n o t a l r e a d y been c o n t a c t e d o r who have n o t a s y e t r e t u r n e d t h e
q u e s t i o n n a i r e , about:
1.
Maltese s e a l e d e a r t h m a t e r i a l i n t h e i r c a r e s t a t i n g N a t u r e / F o m a v a i l a b l e
Reg.
( b l o c k s , bowls/jugs, b a l l s , l o a v e s , medals, models, d i c e s e t c . )
No.
Colour--Seal on obverse and reverse--Size/weight--Past h i s t o r y /
H i s t o r y of a c q u i s i t i o n (purchase/donation,date,etc.)--any o t h e r information
Photographic documentation h i g h l y a p p r e c i a t e d .
---
--
2.
P r e s e n t whereabouts of s e a l e d e a r t h m a t e r i a l c o l l e c t e d by: F r a n c i s c u s
Erasmus--- M.B. V a l e n t i n i ---J .C. Kundmann.
3.
A v a i l a b i l i t y of o t h e r Terra S i g i l l a t a (form and o r i g i n f s e a l )
.
T.S.materia1 was a common item i n a n c i e n t c a b i n e t s of N a t u r a l H i s t o r y . I t
i s now encountered mostly i n Departments o f Geology/Mineralogy (mostly
unrecognised) and i n Museums of Medicinefpharmacy. Very o f t e n C u r a t o r s of
Nat. H i s t . CabinetsIDept. Mineralogy a r e completely unaware of t h e
s i g n i f i c a n c e o f such items b u t i f they w r i t e informing him what they have
(medals/Cups/small o r l a r g e b a l l s / l o a f s / d i c e s o r o t h e r items b e a r i n g s p e c i a l
s e a l s u s u a l l y i n c o r p o r a t i n g a Maltese Cross o r S t . P a u l ) , he c o u l d v i s i t t h e
c o l l e c t i o n p e r s o n a l l y o r correspond with t h e C u r a t o r s concerned f o r f u r t h e r
details.
D r . G. Zanrmit-Maempel,
53 Main S t r e e t ,
Birkirkara,
Malta,
(Ass.Curator, N a t i o n a l Museum of N a t u r a l H i s t o r y , Malta).
LOST & FOUND
2. Items & i n f o r m a t i o n FOUND
40.
MURRAY, P e t e r M.D.
(1782-1864)
I n GCG 1 (10) p.492 and 2 ( 2 ) p.83 we gave d e t a i l s of some of h i s
c o l l e c t ~ o nwhich had fouzd t h e i r way i n p a r t t o A u s t r a l i a and same s p a r s e
b i o g r a p h i c a l information about t h i s Scarborough c o l l e c t o r of f o s s i l s . It
now emerges t h a t P e t e r Murray i s r a t h e r b e t t e r known than we claimed s i n c e
h i s biography was published on h i s death i n 1864 by Rev. R. Balgarnie
whose t i t l e page w e reproduce below:-
" THE BET,OVIED PHYSICIAN :"
PETER X U R R B Y , M.D.,
BY THE REV. R. B A L G A R N I E ,
J l i n M ~of rllr Bar ChumA.
-CDl.OSLUXS Iv. 14.
LO?iDON :-
SI)IPElS, Y.\XSII.\LL,S Co., ST,\TIOSEIL3' 1IALL COURT.
SC.I1~UQROG(ill:S. K. TIII~:AKSTOS, Sr. SICIIOIAS STILEET.
1861.
This 146 page biography s a y s a l i t t l e about h i s g e o l o g i c a l a c t i v i t i e s .
Born i n Jamaica h e came t o England i n 1786 and s t a r t e d a t t e n d i n g S t . Andrews
U n i v e r s i t y a t t h e age of 12. I n 1799 h e e n r o l l e d a s a medical s t u d e n t a t
Edinburgh U n i v e r s i t y and then " e s p e c i a l l y a p p l i e d himself t o chemistry,
He s t a r t e d i n medical p r a c t i c e f i r s t a t Knaresborough
botany and mineralogy".
i n 1803 where h e remained u n t i l 1826, when h e moved t o Scarborough. He was
e l e c t e d c u r a t o r of t h e Scarborough P h i l o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y i n November. 1829
and although h e p u b l i s h e d l i t t l e he b u i l t up an important c o l l e c t i o n of
f o s s i l s e s p e c i a l l y of t h e l o c a l f o s s i l p l a n t s s o comon i n t h e Scarborough
area. Two new s p e c i e s of t h e s e were named a f t e r him by Lindley, and Hutton
and by Brongniart. He d i e d on 27th February, 1864 aged 8 1 l e a v i n g many
f r i e n d s and a g e o l o g i c a l c o l l e c t i o n of some importance b u t of whose d i s p e r s a l
we know a l l t o o l i t t l e .
90.
LAVIN'S MUSEUM, Peniance.
(GCG
2
67,
3,
23)
Owen Baker of 7 Canterbury Road, Exwick, E x e t e r , EX4 2E9, h a s v e r y k i n d l y
s e n t us a f i l e o f information on t h e Lavins o f Penzance, t h e i r Museum and
Mineral C o l l e c t i o n s f o r which we a r e v e r y g r a t e f u l . It can be d i v i d e d
thus :
1)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.
hm.,JOHN. cf. Bibi. Cornub 1104. Stationer, and
Mineralogist and Oeolugist; Built the Egyptian hnll,
Chapel st. Penzance; dunrl. nt 5 Feb. 16.22 at Lilagau,
Fri~ncenRoberts of Pnnl.. She d Chapel st. Panzaoe L9
Nch. 1864 aged 61.-.Issue i Edsard Lssin, formerly
minem.lo@st and printer. Chapel st. Penz~uee;Re sold
the whale of his colleotion of rninernls to Uiss Enrdett
Coutts (UOV Baro11ess Bardatt Coutts) who g;rw the
collection to the Oxford Uuiversity Dluseum.; Propdatar
of Mount's h y hoose hotel, The osplaoarls, Peoznuce,
dend. His widov (formerly hIisv I-Iernaman) keeps the
hotel 1853. A dno. b Peneauoe 2:k NOV. 1858.-.ii John
Lsvin, biscuit bskeker d North parade, Port Adalnida,
Saotl; Australia 2 M a y 1881. .
Source.
G.C. Boase.
1890.
COLLECTANW CORNUBIENSIA p. 478.
b)
About 1839, M r . Edward ( r e c t e John) Lavin e r e c t e d i n Chapel S t r e e t , o p p o s i t e
t h e "Union" h o t e l , a new house, planned and b u i l t i n imitati.on of t h e
Egyptian H a l l , P i c c a d i l l y , London. Few had, a t t h i s a n t e r a i l w a y p e r i o d
been i n London; and t h e house, from i t s p e c u l i a r ornamentation, e x c i t e d
c o n s i d e r a b l e i n t e r e s t . I t was probably much more s a t i s f a c t o r y t o M r . Lavin
than i t was t o h i s neighbours, a s i t c u t o f f a view of Penzance p i e r which
they had formerly possessed, and, perhaps s t i l l worse, caused a l l t h e i r
c!imneys
t o smoke. I n one p o r t i o n of t h e Egyptian H a l l M r . Lavin f o r man.y
y e a r s k e p t h i s c a s e s of m i n e r a l s , and was t h e r e v i s i t e d by a l l c o l l e c t o r s
who d e s i r e d t o make purchases of r a r e specimens. The f a t e of t h i s wellknown c o l l e c t i o n may be b r i e f l y s t a t e d . M r . Edward Lavin, t h e son, about
1865 s o l d i t f o r £3,000 t o t h e Baroness B u r d e t t Coutts, who p r e s e n t e d i t
t o t h e U n i v e r s i t y Museum, Oxford, where i t i s now preserved.
Source.
G . C . Boase.
1883-4 r e p r i n t e d 1976
REMINISCENCES OF PENZANCE
2)
ARCHITECTURAL
m e most remarkable b u i l d i n g i n t h i s s t r e e t i s Nos. 6-7 Egyptian House. Fror
an examination o f the Deeds of t h e p r o p e r t y i t i s c l e a r t h a t an o l d e r b u i l d i n g
on t h e s i t e , v a r i o u s l y i n t h e ownership of Richard Hichens of Madron i n 1800,
and a f t e r w a r d s of John Fleming, Perukemaker, was p u t up f o r a u c t i o n by James
Tregarthen, Master Mariner, of S t . Mary's i n S c i l l y . The s a l e took p l a c e
a t t h e Three Tuns Hotel i n Penzance on 3 A p r i l 1835, when t h e p r o p e r t y was
purchased by John Lavin, m i n e r a l o g i s t , of Penzance. G.C. Boase s t a t e s t h a t
t h e "Egyptian H a l l " i n Chapel S t r e e t was b u i l t by John Lavin, and a Deed of
1850 r e f e r s t o h i s occupation of t h e Dwelling House.Shop and Premises a t
6-7 Chapel S t r e e t "some time s i n c e e r e c t e d and b u i l t by him". Furthermore
t h e Royal Arms high up on t h e s t r e e t facade a r e those adopted by George
I11 i n 1814 and used by h i s sons George I V and William I V , b u t n o t by
Queen V i c t o r i a .
With a f a i r degree of accuracy t h e r e f o r e , t h e b u i l d i n g can be d a t e d 1835-36,
and t h e a r c h i t e c t may w e l l have been John Foulston (1772-18421. p u p i l o f
Thomas Hardwick, who p r a c t i s e d i n Plymouth from 1811 t o 1842. I n 1823 he
demonstrated h i s a b i l i t y t o b u i l d i n t h e Egyptian manner i n h i s design f o r
t h e C l a s s i c a l and Mathematical School i n Ker S t r e e t , Devonport. This, i n
f a c t , became t h e Civic and M i l i t a r y L i b r a r y , c o n t a i n i n g an impressive
m i n e r a l c o l l e c t i o n p r e s e n t e d by S i r John S t . Aubyn Bart. It c l o s e l y resembles
t h e Egyptian House i n Penzance and i s s t i l l e x t a n t . ( s e e i l l u s t r a t i o n )
During a p e r i o d of popular i n t e r e s t i n Egyptology, P e t e r Robinson (1776-1858),
a Midlands a r c h i t e c t and p u p i l of Henry Holland, had designed and b u i l t a
museum f o r a s i t e i n P i c c a d i l l y , London, i n 1811-12. h i s too had an o r n a t e
facade i n t h e Egyptian s t y l e . About 1824-25, Robinson r e b u i l t t h e g r e a t
house " T r e l i s s i c k " a t Feock f o r Thomas D a n i e l l , and t h i s h a s given r i s e t o
t h e theory t h a t he designed Penzance's Egyptian b u i l d i n g . The o f t - r e p e a t e d
a s s e r t i o n t h a t t h e Penzance b u i l d i n g i s an e x a c t copy o f t h e one i n London
i s n o t c o r r e c t , and i f one compares Penzance w i t h Devonport, i t i s c e r t a i n l y
p o s s i b l e t h a t Foulston designed both a s s t a t e d i n t h e Sunday Times i n March
1972. L a v i n ' s b u i l d i n g a l s o housed h i s own impressive c o l l e c t i o n of m i n e r a l s
which were l a t e r s o l d by h i s son Edward, a l s o a m i n e r a l o g i s t , t o the Baroness
B u r d e t t C o u t t s , who p r e s e n t e d them t o t h e Oxford U n i v e r s i t y Museum.
Up t o about 1960, t h i s b u i l d i n g was d i r t y and s c a r c e l y ever n o t i c e d . Then i t
changed hands; M r . Norman Shipton had i t p a i n t e d i n b r i g h t c o l o u r s t o t h e
astonishment o f v e r y many people. I n t h e summer of 1973 s c a f f o l d i n g , t h a t
had been e r e c t e d a g a i n s t t h e main facade f o r s e v e r a l y e a r s , was removed, t o
r e v e a l a r e f u r b i s h e d b u i l d i n g , with new p a i n t predominantly i n browns and
creams. The a r c h i t e c t r e s p o n s i b l e , M r . Paul Pearn, A.R.I.B.A.
of Plymouth,
s t r i p p e d l a y e r s of p a i n t from t h e e l a b o r a t e mouldings, many i n Coade s t o n e ,
and came t o t h e conclusion t h a t t h e c o l o u r s now v i s i b l e a r e t h e same a s t h e
o r i g i n a l . Over t h e y e a r s , t h e v e r y o r n a t e g l a z i n g b a r s of t h e ground f l o o r
windows had been removed, a s w e l l a s those of t h e doors. A l l have been
f a i t h f u l l y r e s t o r e d under t h e new ownership of t h e Landmark T r u s t , and once
more t h i s q l e n d i d b u i l d i n g , wholly r e c o n d i t i o n e d , t a k e s p r i d e of p l a c e i n
Penzance.
Source
P.A.S. WOL.
1974.
The h i s t o r y o f the town and borough of Penzance. pp. 186-188
own
Devonport
H a l l a n d C o l u m n - 1829
George IV granted authority for Plymouth Dock t o become the Borough of Devonport i n 1823. This unusual group of
buildings designed by John Foulston is an expression of the town's civic pride at this time. Foulston experimented here
with a variety of architectural styles-the Classical t o w n hall and column, Oriental Mount Zion chapel and Egyptian
Civil and Militarv Librarv(later the Odd Fellows Hall).
The C i v i l and M i l i t a r y L i b r a r y housed t h e S t . Arbyn Mineral C o l l e c t i o n which
was donated t o t h e Borough of Devonport i n 1824 ( n o t 1834 a s s t a t e d i n GCG
v01 1 no. 3 p.133 where t h e c o l l e c t i o n i s d e s c r i b e d ) . I t provides y e t
ano'ther mineralogical l i n k w i t h an Egyptian s t y l e b u i l d i n g which, a s a t
Penzance, s t i l l s t a n d s .
102.
MITCHEU, John (1848?-1928)
My a t t e n t i o n h a s been drawn t o 'Information sought' item 102 i n i s s u e 2
(9-10), concerning John M i t c h e l l and Mike T a y l o r ' s query on h i s t r i l o b i t e s
i n t h e P e r t h Museum. I can provide the following ( p a r t l y from h i s o b i t u a r y
i n t h e Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. f o r 1928) :
Born about 1848 i n B a l l i e s t o n near Glasgow, M i t c h e l l came with h i s p a r e n t s
t o Newcastle, N.S.W., i n t h a t year. I n 1873 he e n t e r e d t h e N.S.W. teaching
s e r v i c e , and a f t e r t r a i n i n g taught f o r 9 years a t Balranald b e f o r e being
t r a n s f e r r e d t o Bowning on the western edge of the Yass Syncline. He
became i n t e r e s t e d i n palaeontology t h e r e , and made e x t e n s i v e c o l l e c t i o n s from
t h e Yass S i l u r i a n ( r e p u t e d l y even using g e l i g n i t e i n some cases!), and l a t e r
from around Narellan where he taught from 1890 t o 1896. A f t e r becoming
P r i n c i p a l of t h e Newcastle Technical Co'llege and School of Mines i n 1898
( a p o s i t i o n h e r e t a i n e d u n t i l r e t i r e m e n t 16 y e a r s l a t e r ) , he published a number
of papers on t h e Yass brachiopods and t r i l o b i t e s , mostly w i t h Robert Etheridge
J r . , and a l l i n the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of N.S.W.
Mitchell
d i e d i n 1928, aged 79.
The bulk of M i t c h e l l ' s c o l l e c t i o n s was purchased by t h e A u s t r a l i a n Museum,
although he had p r e v i o u s l y s e n t specimens t o F o e r s t e , t o t h e National Museum
of V i c t o r i a , and ( i t now seems) t o the Museum i n P e r t h , Scotland. F o e r s t e ' s
m a t e r i a l i s now i n t h e B r i t i s h Museum ( N a t u r a l H i s t o r y ) , i n c l u d i n g the
holotype of Encrinurus m i t c h e l l i , which I have r e c e n t l y r e d e s c r i b e d (Palaeontographica A , 168). The specimen i n P e r t h l a b e l l e d Bronteus j u s k e n s i i i s
presumably g. j e n k i n s i -- r e d e s c r i b e d and placed i n Kosovopeltis by Chatterton
& Campbell, 1980 (Palaeontographica A, 167)
D.L. S t r u s z .
Bureau of Mineral Resources,
Canberra, A u s t r a l i a .
108.
.
ABSALOM Robert G. Dr.. (1902
- 1975)
I am w r i t i n g i n connection w i t h your appeal i n t h e l a t e s t i s s u e of t h e
Geological C u r a t o r s ' Group Newsletter (Vol. 3, No. 1 ) f o r information
concerning Absalom ' S " c o a l - b a l l " s l i d e s from H a l t w h i s t l e .
A s ' p o i n t e d o u t i n " C o l l e c t i o n s Found No. 108", Absalom was t h e Curator of
N a t u r a l H i s t o r y h e r e a t Glasgow from B931 t o 1946 and we have a l a r g e
c o l l e c t i o n of h i s specimens. However I am a f r a i d t h a t we do n o t have t h e
m a t e r i a l f o r which you a r e looking.
I n c a s e i t is. of i n t e r e s t I i n c l u d e d e t a i l s of Absalom's m a t e r i a l which
we do have i n our c o l l e c t i o n s . The bulk of the c o l l e c t i o n i s made up of
hand specimens of S c o t t i s h Carboniferous p l a n t s b u t i t a l s o i n c l u d e s 1 3
s l i d e s . These a r e of P i t y s a n t i q u a , P i t y s p r i m a e v a , P i t y s SE. and
Dadoxylon' b r a n d l i n g i i . The 9 specimens a r e from Lennel Braes and a r e
marked Witham s o I assume they a r e t h e specimens mentioned i n h i s paper
"On a specimen of Calamopitys ( ~ r itophyton)
s
b e i n e r t i a n a (Goeppert)
c o n t a i n i n g annual r i n g s " i n , I t h i n k , t h e North West N a t u r a l i s t . The
~adox~lon-brandlingii-slide-is
from Newbiggen-on-sea and i s marked ".I.
MacKay 1861" who I assume was t h e c o l l e c t o r .
I n a d d i t i o n t h e r e a r e typed manuscript c o p i e s of 4 of Absalom's papers
t o g e t h e r w i t h a typed copy of a l e t t e r from D.H. S c o t t . I n t h i s h e answers
q u e r i e s p u t t o him by Absalom i n c l u d i n g t h a t quoted i n t h e above mentioned
paper concerning Calarnopitys ( E r i s t o p h y t o n ) b e i n e r t i a n a .
A l a s t a i r H. Gunning,
A s s i s t a n t Keeper,
Department of Natural History.
A r t Gallery and Museum,
Kelvingrove,
Glasgow, G3 8AG.
Reply by Chris C l e a l
Dear M r . Gunning,
I was n o t aware t h a t Absolom had w r i t t e n any papers o t h e r than t h e
H a l t w i s t l e one i n t h e 1929 Proc. Univ. Durham P h i l . Soc. Do you have a
l i s t of t h e s e o t h e r p u b l i c a t i o n s , which I could borrow? We a r e p r e s e n t l y
p r e p a r i n g a complete bibliography of B r i t i s h palaeobotany, t o which
Absalom's papers should obviously be added. A s f a r a s I am aware, nobody
e l s e has r e f e r r e d t o them, which seems a l i t t l e puzzling.
Do you know where Absalom went a f t e r P946? Did he r e t i r e o r d i d h e move
t o another museum? I f t h e l a t t e r , perhaps h i s H a l t w i s t l e specimens a r e
there.
C.J. Cleal,
Geological Conservation Review Unit,
Nature Conservancy Council,
Geological Conservation Review Unit.
P e a r l House,
Bar tholomew S t r e e t ,
Newbury,
Berkshire RG14 5LS.
Dear D r C l e a l ,
I am p l e a s e d t h a t t h e information proved of some use. I am a f r a i d t h a t I
do n o t have f u l l r e f e r e n c e s a t p r e s e n t of t h e papers I mentioned i n my
l e t t e r b u t i n v o i c e s f o r r e p r i n t s which a r e a t t a c h e d t o the t y p e s c r i p t
c o p i e s i n d i c a t e t h a t they were published i n t h e North Western N a t u r a l i s t
i n t h e e a r l y 1930's. I have n o t had a chance t o s e e t h i s j o u r n a l as y e t
b u t a s I want a n o t e of t h e s e r e f e r e n c e s myself f o r our f i l e s h e r e i n the
museum I w i l l send you a l i s t when I t r a c k down the f u l l information.
Meanwhile t h e t i t l e s of t h e f o u r papers a r e a s follows:-
1. On a specimen of C a l m o p i t y s (Eristophyton B e i n e r t i a n a (Goeppert)
c o n t a i n i n g Annual Rings.
2.
A New P l a n t S t r u c t u r e from C o a l b a l l s .
3.
S p i r o p t e r i s sp. from the Coal Measures of Westbury, Yorkshire. (Absalom
s t a t e s t h a t t h i s specimen was i n Liverpool Museum and was c o l l e c t e d by
a M r . Moore who was Curator of t h e Derby N a t u r a l H i s t o r y S e c t i o n a t
Liverpool).
4.
Two Unpublished L e t t e r s of Hugh M i l l e r .
A f t e r Absalom l e f t Glasgow he became Director of Newport Museum and Art
Gallery where he remained u n t i l he r e t i r e d i n 1967. The present address
of t h i s museum i s John Frost Square, Newport, Gwent NPT IPA.
I t may a l s o be worth contacting the National Museum o f Wales. When
l e f t Glasgow a note about him was included i n our Annual Report f o r
This mentions that i n 1927 he gained a s p e c i a l appointment for work
plants i n the National Museum of Wales before, i n the same year, he
Keeper of Geology a t ~ i v e r ~ o o
Museum.
l
Absalom
1945-46.
on f o s s i l
became
The enclosed obituary of Absalom i s from the Museums B u l l e t i n , v o l . 14,
No. 12 for March, 1975.
A l a s t a i r H . Gunning,
A s s i s t a n t Keeper,
Department of Natural History,
Art Gallery & Museum,
Kelvingrove,
Glasgow, G3 8AG.
Dr R. G. Absalom, MSc, FMA
Showing splendid indifference to the delicate question as to
blcmbers of the museum profession. particularly those of an
c:lrlier generation, will learn wit11 regret of ihe death of Dr wllether Monmouthshire (now Gwent) was in England or
Kc>bert Gregory Ahsalom at his h n ~ n ein Newport, Gwent. Waits, Robbie Absaloni determined that his museum at least
silould enjoy the benefits, if any, dcriving from both siges of
nii 8th January at the age of 72.
4 Tynesider by birth, Rohbie (in [lie north, Bob in the the Bristol Channel and, whilst maintaining the close relationt.~<,~i~h)
Absalom studied geology at Armstrong College, s h ~ pwith the National Museum of Wales and its Affiliation
Sewcastle upon Tyne, then a constituent colltge of Durham Scheme, he became involved in the activities of the SouthI!iiiversity. He was awarded h ~ PliD
s
degree in 1927 and in \vestern Federation of Museums and, later, played an im1978 took up the post of assistant in thc Department of portant role in the formation of [he country's first Area
tir:ology in Liverpool Museums and was shortly afterwards Council. in the South-West. He also became involved, a few
i>rr>niotedto Keeper. Two years Ialer Ilo tlcprived Liverpool ).cars later, in founding a similas Council for Wales, where
of hoth his own services and those of the 13irector's secretary, his experience and advice were invaluable: to him any organib y moving to Glasgow to beconie Curator of Natural zation which furthered the cause of museums in general was
Ilistory, and h? marrying the 1:idy. Miss Ethcl E:heridge. In worthy of support, regardless of location.
The last few years of his service in Newport were marred
I Y z l h he accepted. the post of 1)ircc:or i ~ Ne\vport
f
Museum
; i i ~ i l Art Gallery in South \Vales, tl~cnit con1par;ltivcly sni:il! by a serious illness which resulted in the loss of both legs, and
: r ~ c . m a naffair. He saw the job ;is :I challerijie and an oppor- 11 was a matter of great distress to liiln that he was unable to
iu!iity of extending his interests. and Newport was fortunate participate fully in the planning and designing of a new
in obtaining the services of a man c:f long and varied experi- museum building for Newport. By nature a shy man, Robbie
Ahsaloni through this critical period of pain and torment
7n;e and sound academic background.
Soon after his arrival in Newport Absalo~iibecarnc active revealed unsuspected resources of courage and determinai n liiuseum affairs at national level. l i e was i~ mcrnber of the tion, and actually returned to duty l'ur a few months before l ~ e
(.~ouncilof the Museums Association and of its Education retired, at the end of 1967. Remarkably, he continued with
Cvmrnittee at a time wlien important re\,isions were being his university extra-mural lectures and was chairman of the
made to the Diploma regulations with a view to raising county Naturalists' Trust in which capacity he attended
brandards and professional status, and coinciding with the meetings and conferences and even conducted field excurintroduction of the Associateship and Fellowship. Fie felt. sions, driving himself around in speciaily adapted motor.
hourever, that whilst acquisition of the Diploma, and with it
car. Severely incapacitated, he refused to become an invalid.
tile AMA, gave satisfaction and status within the profession,
The passing of Robbit Absalom represents the end of a
it lhad little, practical value in terms of conditions of ernploytransitional era in the history of museums in Britain. He and
merit and salaries until its status was recognized by
others of his generation, all scholarly and dedicated people,
and
employers
.
. of museum staffs, notably local govern~nent did much to sweep away the dusty image of
:!uthor~t~es.
A firm believer in the principles of collective bara new element of professionalisln and academic
caining. and an active Nalgo member -he was president of and technical proficiency,
his local branch - he maintained that negotiations on behalf
C.B.
of museum staffs in local government museums could be conducted only through Nalgo. Hi: was therefore appointed the
Association's representative to that body and was responsible
for the initial spade-work in obtaining recognition of the
Diploma as a profesqional qualification.
109.
Pleistocene
- Holocene Avifauna
from B r i t a i n .
I n o t i c e d i n t h e l a t e s t i s s u e of t h e Geological C u r a t o r s ' Groq Newsletter
t h a t you a r e looking f o r information on Late P l e i s t o c e n e / E a r l y Holocene
b i r d m a t e r i a l from B r i t i s h s i t e s . I m a f r a i d we only have one such specimen
i n our c o l l e c t i o n b u t i t may be of i n t e r e s t .
The specimen i s t h e proximal end of t h e l e f t humerus of a swan, probably
t h e mute swan, 9 g n u s o l o r . I t s museum r e g i s t r a t i o n number i s 61981-112.
A l a b e l s t a t e s t h a t i t was c o l l e c t e d i n 1877 f o u r t e e n f e e t below t h e s u r f a c e
d u r i n g t h e excavation f o r t h e P a i s l e y Gas Tank, P a i s l e y (Map r e f e r e n c e
NS 473643) and belonged t o a M r . Coulthurst. I have no information a s t o
t h e i d e n t i t y of t h i s gentleman.
I t i s probably Late-Devensian i n age. However, although Late-Devensian
marine c l a y s were exposed during t h e excavation, David Robertson i n h i s
paper on t h e l o c a l i t y (See T r a n s a c t i o n s of t h e Geological S o c i e t y o f
Glasgow 1882, v o l . 6, pp. 53-57) r a i s e d some doubt a s t o t h e age of t h e
h i g h e r sediments and u n f o r t u n a t e l y t h e r e i s no r e c o r d t o s a y from which
beds t h e Swan humerus c m e . Robertson (See Trans. Geol. Soc. Glasgow 1882,
v o l . 6, p. 128) e x h i b i t e d t h e specimen along with o t h e r s from t h e l o c a l i t y
a t a meeting of t h e Geological S o c i e t y of Glasgow t o i l l u s t r a t e t h e reading
of t h e above paper.
Other b i r d m a t e r i a l h a s been found i n t h e s e sediments i n the P a i s l e y a r e a
(Crosskey & Robertson, 1868 Trans. Geol. Soc. Glasgow., vol. 3, p.338) b u t
t h i s i s n o t i n o u r c o l l e c t i o n s . However Robertson seems t o have given some
of t h e P a i s l e y m a t e r i a l t o P a i s l e y Museum and as D e l a i r (Geological C u r a t o r s '
Group Newsletter 1975, No. 4, p.184) l i s t s P a i s l e y a s holding' B r i t i s h f o s s i l
b i r d m a t e r i a l i t may be worthwhile c o n t a c t i n g t h i s museum.
A.H. Gunning,
N a t u r a l H i s t o r y Dept.
A r t G a l l e r y &Museum,
Kelvingrove,
Glasgow, G3 8AG.
122.
Chequerbent F o s s i l Tree
The n o t e s reproduced below were given a t a meeting of t h e Manchester
Geological and Mining S o c i e t y on 9 t h February, 1909 and p r i n t e d i n t h e
T r a n s a c t i o n s of t h e I n s t i t u t i o n of Mining Engineers vol. 37. pp. 174-5 i n
1909. They show t h e t r e e was found i n 1908.
FOSSIL YREE'IK Till!: .LRLl?Y hIIX\'E iiT CkIEQTTlCItT3EXlT
COLTJIICIEP.
Nr. ALFREDJ. TONGE(Hulton collieries) eshibited a portioil
of the impression of n fossil tree, \rl~iclihad h e n found in t l ~ e
Adey Mine nt Chequerbent colliery, at a depth of nbout 750
feet from tlie su~fnce. It vas, lle s:d, rcmn~knblefrom tlic
fact that the tree bad been traccd for p leiigtl~of 115 feet.
I t was a. Lepidodeadvon ne~clentiair, found lying in the bnssy
shales, abont 3 feet above tlle Arlcy scnm, nnd was of a flnttcncd
ovabe form. Tllc underside of it only could be seen. The
measurement tnlcen at a distance of l 4 feet from the root gave
a width across at that point of 2 feet 10 iiiches, or, measttred
along the ciro~unfc~encc
of the bark, a little over 3 feet. As
this apparently was about one-hnlf tlie circumference, the tree
would appear to have been about 2 feet in dianieter i t that
point. At the thin end of the tree, +nc1 at tho point wllcre
Le (Mr. Tonge) ceased to trace it, owing to the broken nntnro
of the roof, :the horizontal measurement was 1 foot 11 inches.
The estimated diameter of the tree a t this point nould be about
9 inclles. Tllc tree was in one stmight linc, nud did llot appear
to tifurcate, or to branch ant in any \ray along the part tbnt
II:III been mcasnrcd. i l t the largclr cud of tlie tree, ilrere were
two distinct pot-holes in the roof, alld A'tiy~~znvin
roots nrere found
:~(ljacentto tlle tree at the root, bnt tlluse might or lnigllt not
111lresome conllesiol~+it11 the tree referred to.
The CIIAIRXAX( > h . TVilliam Jrntts!, in proposing a vote of
Illanbs to 11s. Tonge for his short but valnnble colum~uricat.iou,
~.e~~larl<cd
that the specilnen v:r.s lunirinc on account of its length
311d slendenless. The mensnreluei~ts given by 3Ir. Tonge
in[licated that it ~vnsa. rery slender tree for its length. He
Iiad fonnd similar specinlens i u the llillstone Grit, .but tile
i~l~l)ressions
in tlrc hard grits vere seldonl rery good, xrliercos
l l l ~ s cfoul111i l l t l ~ cSII:IICSI\.CPC i11~1,ii;l~ly
p c r f ~ c t . TIICspc(.i111cn
csllibited did not slio~vthe impressions clcaily.
Jlr. GEORGEB. H.tanrsol; (H.31. Inspector of JIines, %in(on) seconded the motion, \rllicll as adopted.
The CII.~IRXASsaid that he tl~ouglttit xx-il~srery chnraclcristic
~ , f this 1;in~l of fossil for the barl;. to be 1)rescrx-ccl. H e hat1
often fl~nudit parsent in n c o ~ ~ ~ p r e s fso~r cml, on(1 tllc iliterior
111: arooclg part ~ Y I T I ~allogctl~cr.
~ ' L ~ I ~ I I ~ I I~I IJ( s> I I I ~ I C I , S > V I ) I I I ~
rc~i~clnbcr
i!lnt ollc of t l ~ ctirsi : ~ i l . - L r ~ i ~ t l:tLi ~ ~ gI I I : fI oI Ll ~I ,~ l1~3.
d
Sir Cl~arlcsLyell, \LW discorcrcd inside n tree of this lrind.
It appeared ns if t l ~ eilninlnl had tnl;e~l slleltcr inside the tree,
i ~ l s fou11rI
;rl~clI1a1l rcln;linc~l thcrc until its fossil r c ~ ~ ~ nxrcrc
l 1 1 1 111, prcsrullcil tillat t l ~ cspccimrn no\v sntmittccl ~ n s
fo~intlin n horizontal position.
127.
BURGON Family.
The complex membership of t h e Burgon group of f o s s i l c o l l e c t o r s was
d i s c u s s e d i n our l a s t i s s u e (3 no. 4. pp. 248-9).
I t can now be i n c r e a s e d
.by t h e a d d i t i o n of "new" c o l l e c t o r John A l f r e d Burgon FGS whose c o l l e c t i n g
was n o t e d by James M i t c h e l l i n "Remarks on c e r t a i n Beds i n t h e neighbourhood
of London c o n t a i n i n g p e c u l i a r f l i n t s i n Mag. Nat. H i s t (New S e r i e s ) 2 1838
p. 220. " F o s s i l remains a r e seldom discovered i n . t h e Blackheath f l i n t s ,
M r . John A l f r e d Burgon FGS has found two Echins and a Pecten i n
f l i n t on Blackheath" J.A. Burgon, of 35 Bucklersbury, London, appears i n
Geological S o c i e t y l i s t s a t Zeasf between 1837 and 1852 b u t h i s r e l a t i o n s
with o t h e r members of t h e Burgon family a r e unknown.
.;....
129.
COLENUTP, George W i l l i a m (c.1862
-
1944)
GCGA 4 p. 1 7 4 r e c o r d s t h a t M e s s r s . Crane and G e t t y were i n 1975 p r e p a r i n g
an a c c o u n t o f t h e work o f t h i s amateur g e o l o g i s t . I n hope t h a t t h e y o r
o t h e r c u r a t o r s c a n h e l p l o c a t e t h e s e t y p e specimens we r e p r o d u c e below t h e
o b i t u a r y n o t i c e of C o l e n u t t which a p p e a r e d i n t h e P r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e
G e o l o g i s t s A s s o c i a t i o n v o l . 5 6 p. 49, 1945.
GEORGE
WILLIAMCOLENUTI.
died suddenly on June 18th, 1944,
at the age of 82. He is best known for his discovery in 1888 of
vertebrate remains in the Osborne Beds between Ryde and King's
Quay (Geol. Mug. 1888, p. 358). His discoveries were rewarded
by valuable memoirs by H. Woodward on Fossil Prawns from the
Osborne Beds (Geol. Mug. 1903, p. 97) and E. T. Newton on " The
Remains of Amia," etc. (Q.J.G.S., vol. lv., 1899). In these beds,
Colenutt found a shoal of small fish, Diplomysfur (Clupea) vectensis
(Newton), specimens of which he neatly trimmed up from slabs of
shale and distributed to continental museums and any student
who came his way. He was always interested to find the famous
insect bed in the Bembridge Marls and for years practised a rqutine
of carrying away, in a wheelbarrow if necessary, small outcrops as
they presented themselves from time to time at low tide and
examined them at home. The writer well remembers the outbuildings and stables heh here these and kindred operations were
performed. It was not uotd 1929 that his labours were rewarded
in finding a rich exposure at Gurnard Point quite near to the original
site discovered by E. J. A'Court Smith seventy years previously.
Thus Colenutt was able to present choice material to the Hope
Museum, Oxford, an undescribed aquatic Potamogeton to the
British Museum (Nat. Hist.) and a fine representative collection
of insect remains to the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology. His
last contribution to the Geology of the Osborne Beds appeared in
Geol. Mug. 1903. He was very successful in his experiments and
apparatus for extracting small fossils from Eocene and Oligocene
Clays ; his last paper was on the subject and appeared in our Proceedings (1941, vol. lii).
The writer made his first acquaintance with the Oligocene of
the Isle of Wight under the auidance of Colenutt. His aowerful
physique and commanding appearance impressed one im&ediately
and within half an hour of his comcanv one learned that he was an
art connoisseur, critic and collector, &n authority on Prehistory,
and a good all-round archreologist and naturalist. His interests
were wide, for in his correspondence wit11 the writer such subjects
as coast erosion, well borings,' lignite mining and the manufacture
of Vandyke brown from lignite are discussed.
Colenutt was a well-known solicitor and had practised at
Ryde and Cowes since 1885. He took great interest in local
societies and directed the excursions of the Hants Field Club to
the Island on more than ffifty occasions. He was a joint director
on the occasions of the Association meetings of 1919 and 1931,
was the first President of the Isle oy Wight Natural History Society
(1919) and a Vice-President until his death. His geological and
archreological finds, for he only kept a small rcrerence collection,
were ever at the disposal of science and the student. Colenutt joined
the Association in 1895 and in his passing it loses a veteran and a
great amateur.
[A.G.&v; es
1
Another obituary was published i n the Proceedings of the Lsle of Wight
Natural History and Archaeological Society, Vol. 3 part 7 , p . 399-400, f o r
'^','!
(published i n 1945).
GEORGE WILLIAM COLENUTT. F.G S
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('01~~nnt.tdisaovrrrtl a rich exposure of t h r fsri~oua
111svctb~.d111 t11r Bvlubridg~nlarls, on t,hi f o r r ~ h o rw~ ~ of~ ( :tu r n a d
i
t ;\t ! i t v cost of rotls~d<.rnr,blabour Mr (lolrnutt transl>ortvrl a
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of t l l ~lirnrst,onr blocks tn Ilia rra~dencra t Ryde, wherr III.
tlc.\.ot~~I
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s~.,.on.rin lionibvr of tinrdy pr*,st:rvrd lnsrcta and varlons plant rcnlalna
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Oxford, B I P ~an un(l+~slir~hcd
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w;~sIiingS : L I , I ~ ~ I v~ ~f St l i v KO, V , I , > g~nd0Iigoct.ne clay? and mart* (W. h!.
I;~rt11;111vr~n Proc i;r,r,l e s o r virl 111, 1441. Pr 3, p 194).
Mr. ( o l m n t t n wldl, rallgv of intrrrst- rmhraond que.stions of local
a
t l
I n 1 l
l
I ~ l s t o r ~.LI,<I
. 11rr.history. a n d h p was a
I;vc>nrollrvtor of jltrtllrw ;lnd n n t i ~ ~ u ~Flir
. collrct~orrof st,one irnplr.
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Idand. 'I'be rcmarkablc and e o i g ~ ~ ~ aflillt
tic
tribrnch,' f u u ~ ~atd
Vrritnur about !lO yr,arr ago, which 11c purchased a t a sal? in K!.tl<.
;~l,out 1909, was 1,rt.scntcd t o the ('itrishr(~ok(.('astle \IUSVIIIII X O ~ I I V
yvars b<.fore hir deatli.
"
.Mr. ('olanut,t acted as tlirector of the \,isits of the Hants Firld Club
to tlrc l a l a ~ ~ond over 50 accituions, and also of excursio~isof the OeolugirL5' hs~ociatioll; the last hzing in 1901. .ilthouyh llot \.?r!. fond ul
It!cturi~rg. Alr. Colenuit fr~!qurntly actell as guide at field inrt,tings uf
tht: 1.W. Natural History and Arcl~aologicalSociety iuitil fiiling Ilr.;lltl~
~ : o ~ o l , ~ l lBit11
e d tu forgo g(,ological excursions.
liiw cut~ltniindingappearanre and powerful p l ~ y s i q u ~
and
, t l ~ cforthright illanavr ill which, shod 111 pon<ierous" geolupical " boots, he w;ls
wor~tt o nlarah over rocks and mud dirert.to his objrctivc, aroused
iei:lings of envy and deal~airamong the weaki.r brethren. His oar?
a:uurtcs,v, breezy ~ o o dhulnour, and' never-failin:: store uf local anera lutes rendered him n very popular guide a t excursions, and in 11ii
I U Y Y ~ Ithe
I ~ Society has lost a leader who will not easily be nq~laccil.
THE FIRST S T A T E & S T A T U S
REPORT?
The following e x t r a c t i s taken from Museums and A r t G a l l e r i e s by Thornas
Greenwood p u b l i s h e d i n 1888 by Simkin Marshall & Co. London.
-
Greenwood (1851
1908) was a pioneer of p u b l i c l i b r a r i e s and museums i n
t h e U.K.
I am g r a t e f u l t o Hugh Torrens f o r drawing my a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s
most i n t e r e s t i n g book. The s t a t i s t i c s a r e v e r y reminiscent of t h e r e c e n t
GCG S t a t e and S t a t u s r e p o r t and, l i k e t h e l a t t e r , they were based on a
q u e s t i o n n a i r e o r ' c i r c u l a r ' s e n t o u t t o museums by Greenwood. The prominence
o f geology i n n e a r l y a l l t h e museums l i s t e d i s most s t r i k i n g .
Statistics
T h i s h a s been a somewhat d i f f i c u l t s e c t i o n f o r which t o g a t h e r m a t e r i a l .
Many C u r a t o r s r e p l i e d i m e d i a t e l y t o my c i r c u l a r with words of encouragement.
O t h e r s r e p l i e d more r e l u c t a n t l y , and some r e q u i r e d a second and t h i r d
a p p l i c a t i o n , w h i l e from some t h e r e has n o t been any r e p l y a t a l l . This
e s p e c i a l l y a p p l i e d t o Museums supported by s u b s c r i p t i o n s and f e e s . I t w i l l
be n o t i c e d t h a t t h e p l a n of t h e Cormnittee appointed by t h e B r i t i s h A s s o c i a t i o n
h a s n o t been followed.
The following were t h e q u e s t i o n s asked:- 1. Town? 2. Name and a d d r e s s of
Museum? 3. When e s t a b l i s h e d ? 4. How supported? 5. Terms of admission?
6. What governing body c o n t r o l s i t ? 7. Average number of v i s i t o r s p e r week?
8. S p e c i a l f e a t u r e s of Museum? 9. Does i t form p a r t of F r e e L i b r a r y work o r
o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n ? 10. Have you Lectures i n connection with the Museum?
11. I s your work extending? 12. I s t h e Museum a s s o c i a t e d w i t h Board o r o t h e r
schools? 13. Approximate v a l u e of g i f t s s i n c e e s t a b l i s h e d ? 14. Aggregate
annual expenses? 1 5 . ' ~ u r a t o r ' s name and address? 16. Have you e v e r had any
loan e x h i b i t s from South Kensington o r elsewhere? 17. What a r e t h e s p e c i a l
l o c a l f e a t u r e s of your Museum? 18. Have you any s p e c i a l methods of
c l a s s i f i c a t i o n ? 19. What do you c o n s i d e r t h e b e s t means of extending t h e
work of Museums g e n e r a l l y and of i n c r e a s i n g t h e i r i n d i v i d u a l u t i l i t y ?
RATE-SUPPORTED KUSEUNS.
Tndm. Art. Ptrllsn
tirrrpo,
....
WdPD-....
Dr. W. Y.Vaitch
-
-
W. S. Wheddon
D*.A T. Brett
G. Beooe
S O O T I ; ~ .
FosaUa of old Rnd -d.
stone, &c
M N e . t . HiBt.
..
N
WALES
Petar Williama
John Storrie
M a d a l s fnaa ; one pcnw other dsya
M?JSEUMS
FEES, ETC.
SUPPORTED BY SUBSCRT PION
d$
a$
;E
4
P
- S
E:
C
$3,
g5
U
0
C
nn'tyls
-
t3010, h t i q o i - Wm. cwtb
ties
MY
no
110
&M no
53 no
- m no
-
-
no
-
S p z of W for. A W. Smith
msti"4Bolaantiq.
None
Bobert Qibbs.
F.6.A
H. Mitchell
Herbari-
Bid. M&'
egga. John Swtt
%.llnh
F. E.Tatt
Birda, RC.won ant&,.
nod HY.Prigg
Miner.I..od&Fm&Edrd. Wilson,
WatolGh&.Boea F.Q.8.
L. S. Mltchell
-
%
I
no
W l l o m a n P n l i q . , F L S. Yergnson.
W L
F.6.A
180
yea
Net. Hiet.
I
-80 no800
local antiq.
G.
Geology
I. Severs
hm~anca
Bullen
Pno.?kett
~l&nS,~'amrnalb,Harl Gorator
Birds
G. a e . b d
Antiq.Elo&F&una W. Wnre
L. F. Hicks
b e o . Zoo. Bot.
1=1
no
E. Nenatesd
-
"".
Le-flmbtm
I I Ivimmd
okt&
MO..
%E
h
h
lib-
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9P3e Barnan remaim
lno
Ye no Yes
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"-3tlon
the m p a - W. H O v ~ .
W
.
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i~&~z%!!~
minatcr Abbeg
W.,
m,,
Liotany
V u l q John
H.Hmxhrm
IEd lam
- WI..*ow,
-
-lzDyq-
BoPoY
am., a o . , B&.,
yea e a 8 h s l l a , & m m
Bvolly
Illax. Wood
.
SCOTLAND-
I i itrit,.l
.. lammialoseurn
ttRI
St. Anamwva.1788 umrer
-
-
I
( --/¶eslreil no /
I
-
-
1
.
I
no /Lizl M&~ineFenna
Tbornar lblacr
. ,.-.---V
IRmLAND.
I
Council I - ysaehing collection
Q ~ ~ l ~ .1 ~ ~ P
1 - 1 1 -1 no1
ISLE OF WIGHT.
1 - l /no (no I
Uyde Sch. of1
..
- I
I
l-I
Galway
819Govemm
(ilant
,
ye3
no
Sei&dAr&lY
no
J
I yw /ae.~we.yntineral+Iaxi.
eol Axh. Flora. Benj Barnes
1 m 1 yes krn:tholohexl
I
I
Andrews.
IW
'
Camdt(ea
PRIVATE MUSEUMS.
MUSEUMS SUPPORTED BY GOVERNMENT AID.
I
!
Hilt.. Tsh. no no . y e no
no10gg
BWO NRt
Edwrtion
& 1 4 W
~
Godsty of
free
-
. o f smthd
'i
no y e a . ho
~
----
.m
-
l%mO yeaGm10w
-
-
:1
Col. Sir E.Mu*
dceh smith
or And-,
L
Dr. W. W.
bnst..N~t.Wlg,
o f H itsl
&.
m no ~llginesofwar fi.m .
~ e c 3 i a t e m mtaryapplianca no no yes no
for war.
I
ZdOEY, Pmf. V. W
C o r n of seas Natoml gLt. aod
y ~ a O n ~ t h i r d dem0 yea Ieah
G w ~ & c .
I
entire ool.
macation
I Fins&
- -
-
The s t a t i s t i c s s e c t i o n i s followed by t h e two small s e c t i o n s reproduced
below which provide a marvellous i n s i g h t i n t o how t h e V i c t o r i a n s viewed t h e
r q l e of t h e museums they s e t up.
Useful Rules t o Keep i n Mind on V i s i t i n g a Museum.
1. Avoid attempting t o s e e too much.
2.
Remember t h a t one specimen o r one a r t i c l e w e l l seen i s b e t t e r than a
s c o r e of specimens c a s u a l l y inspected.
3.
Before e n t e r i n g a Museum ask y o u r s e l f what i t i s you wish p a r t i c u l a r b y
t o s e e , and c o n f i n e your a t t e n t i o n l a r g e l y t o those specimens. Consult
t h e a t t e n d a n t a s t o what i s s p e c i a l l y i n t e r e s t i n g i n each room.
4.
Ranember t h a t t h e main o b j e c t of t h e specimen? i s t o i n s t r u c t .
5.
Have a note-book with you and r e c o r d your impressions, s o t h a t on a
succeeding v i s i t you may p i c k up your information where you l e f t o f f
on the previous v i s i t .
6.
I n t r o d u c e i n conversation your impressions of what you s e e i n Museums'.
7.
Consult f r e q u e n t l y t h e t e c h n i c a l l i t e r a t u r e on t h e s p e c i a l s u b j e c t
i n which you a r e i n t e r e s t e d .
8.
V i s i t t h e n e a r e s t Museum p e r i o d i c a l l y , and l e t i t be t o you an
advanced school f o r s e l f - i n s t r u c t i o n .
9.
Remember t h e r e i s something new t o s e e every time you go.
10.
Make a p r i v a t e c o l l e c t i o n of something.
postage stamps has many uses.
Remember t h a t a c o l l e c t i o n of
11. Follow up some s p e c i a l s u b j e c t of Museum study.
12.
See slowly, observe c l o s e l y , and think much upon what you see.
Why Should EveryTown have a Museum?
1.
Because a Museum and F r e e L i b r a r y a r e a s necessary f o r the mental and
moral h e a l t h of t h e c i t i z e n s a s good s a n i t a r y arrangements, water supply
and s t r e e t l i g h t i n g a r e f o r t h e i r p h y s i c a l h e a l t h and comfort.
2.
Because the r a t e f o r t h e i r s u p p o r t i s v e r y small a s compared w i t h o t h e r
r a t e s , t h e utmost amount which can ever be charged being one penny i n
t h e pound p e r y e a r on t h e r a t e a b l e value.
3.
Because a r a t e - s u p p o r t e d Museum i s t h e town's p r o p e r t y , i n t o which any
person can e n t e r during t h e recognised hours without l e t o r hindrance.
4.
Because t h e r e i s no r a t e f o r which t h e r e i s a more immediate and t a n g i b l e
b e n e f i t than t h e penny r a t e f o r t h e s u p p o r t of a F r e e L i b r a r y and Museum.
5.
Because i n no town where they have been e s t a b l i s h e d i s t h e r a t e f e l t a s
a burden, and i s , i n f a c t , o f t e n t h e most c h e e r f u l l y p a i d i t e m i n t h e
ratepaper.
6.
Because where t h e s e i n s t i t u t i o n s have been e s t a b l i s h e d i n Birmingham,
L i v e r p o o l , Leeds, Manchester, Derby, and o t h e r p l a c e s they a r e thoroughly
a p p r e c i a t e d by t h e i n h a b i t a n t s .
7.
Because Museums and A r t G a l l e r i e s n o t o n l y g i v e widespread p l e a s u r e , b u t
a r e , w i t h F r e e L i b r a r i e s , t h e U n i v e r s i t i e s of t h e working c l a s s e s .
8.
Because they a r e open t o a l l c l a s s e s , r i c h and poor, and where they
e x i s t and a r e f r e e t o a l l , they a r e a c t u a l l y used by a l l c l a s s e s , from
t h e p r o f e s s i o n a l man t o t h e humblest a r t i s a n .
9.
Because they a r e e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s f o r young and o l d , and
e d u c a t i o n deepens t h e s e n s e of t h e d u t i e s and p r i v i l e g e s o f c i t i z e n s h i p .
10.
Because t h e e x i s t e n c e o r absence of a Museum and F r e e L i b r a r y i n a town
i s a s t a n d a r d o f t h e i n t e l l i g e n c e and p u b l i c s p i r i t m a n i f e s t e d i n that
tom.
11.
Because f o r young people of both s e x e s they a f f o r d a p l a c e f o r r e c r e a t i o n
t o which they can go, i n s t e a d of l o i t e r i n g a i m l e s s l y about t h e p u b l i c
streets.
12.
Because t h e y b r i n g under one roof p r i c e l e s s g i f t s which c o u l d n o t be
seen by t h e p u b l i c i n any o t h e r way.
13.
Because t h e y provide p l a c e s of r e f e r e n c e f o r specimens of l o c a l
geology, botany e t c . , t o which t h e c i t i z e n s i n every town should
have easy means of access.
14.
Because they c u l t i v a t e h a b i t s o f thought and c o n v e r s a t i o n , which s t i m u l a t e
r e a d i n g and b r i g h t e n l i f e , and make t h e home more c h e e r f u l and a t t r a c t i v e .
15.
Because Museum and Free L i b r a r y b u i l d i n g s always improve t h e a d j o i n i n g
p r o p e r t y . Some tradesmen a d v e r t i s e t h e i r b u s i n e s s as b e i n g w i t h i n s o
many m i n u t e s ' walk of t h e Free L i b r a r y .
16.
Because we do n o t want Old England t o be behind o t h e r c o u n t r i e s , and
America, France, Germany, and t h e A u s t r a l i a n Colonies a r e s e t t i n g us an
example worthy o f i m i t a t i o n .
17.
Because i t i s s a i d t h a t t h e workmen of some o t h e r c o u n t r i e s a r e b e t t e r
educated than o u r s , and Englishmen a r e determined t h a t t h i s s h a l l n o t
be s o i n time t o come, b u t t h a t our c h i l d r e n a f t e r u s s h a l l be a b l e t o
h o l d t h e i r own i n t h e van of p e a c e f u l p r o g r e s s .
The e d i t o r i s g r a t e f u l t o J . B . D e l a i r who s e n t i n t h i s a r t i c l e by C. Bird.
Again i t h i g h l i g h t s t h e aims and t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s encountered by t h e
V i c t o r i a n s i n e s t a b l i s h i n g localmuseums. I t i s a s a d f a c t t h a t over 100
y e a r s l a t e r many of t h e same d i f f i c u l t i e s s t i l l p r e v a i l i n the funding
and support of our p r o v i n c i a l museums.
T O W N MUSEUMS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE
TO ROCHESTER &
CHATHAM
b y C. Bird
Reprinted from t h e Chatham and Rochester Observer
The E d i t o r of t h e Observer has i n v i t e d me t o c o n t r i b u t e a s h o r t a r t i c l e on
t h e above s u b j e c t , presumably a s an expansion of and supplement t o a few
remarks which I made a s h o r t time ago t o t h e members and f r i e n d s of t h e
Rochester N a t u r a l i s t s ' Club, and I am v e r y p l e a s e d t o comply w i t h t h e
r e q u e s t , s i n c e , t a k i n g i t f o r g r a n t e d t h a t an e d i t o r knows what k i n d of
m a t t e r w i l l b e a c c e p t a b l e t o h i s r e a d e r s , I consider i t as evidence t h a t
t h e r e i s some l i t t l e i n t e r e s t manifested i n t h i s museum q u e s t i o n a t the
p r e s e n t time. I t h e r e f o r e propose t o s e t f o r t h very b r i e f l y what I
conceive t o b e t h e proper f u n c t i o n of a p r o v i n c i a l museum, how i t may be
brought i n t o e x i s t e n c e , and how, when founded, i t may be supported.
The popular n o t i o n of a museum v a r i e s somewhat, b u t i s g e n e r a l l y erroneous.
I t i s u s u a l l y regarded a s a r e c e p t a c l e f o r " c u r i o s i t i e s , " e i t h e r dug up o r
brought from f o r e i g n c o u n t r i e s , a s o r t of p l a c e t o which u s e l e s s lumber,
whose o n l y m e r i t i s age o r u g l i n e s s , may be s e n t o u t of t h e way, and upon
which t h e c a s u a l and i n f r e q u e n t v i s i t o r gazes w i t h t h a t awe and v e n e r a t i o n
which d i s t a n t o r i g i n , age, o r extreme r u s t i n e s s g e n e r a l l y e x c i t e i n t h e
uneducated mind. Here, cheek by jowl, may be seen, when t h e dim l i g h t
p e r m i t s , t h e f o o t of an Egyptian mummy, a damaged Roman p o t , and t h e p o r t r a i t
of a female c a n n i b a l who a s s i s t e d i n t h e e a t i n g of a missionary, with perhaps
a few p e r s o n a l e f f e c t s which once belonged t o t h e l a t t e r . But the p r o g r e s s
of s c i e n c e and e d u c a t i o n a l reform i s now changing a l l t h i s , and w e a r e
g r a d u a l l y o b t a i n i n g c l e a r views a s t o what a museum should r e a l l y be. Now,
a museum may, and indeed should, have a two-fold o b j e c t . F i r s t l y , i t should
be l o c a l , t h a t i s i t should s e r v e a s a c e n t r e t o which o b j e c t s of l o c a l
i n t e r e s t a r e brought, and where they a r e c a r f u l l y preserved. Few people
have probably any i d e a of t h e l a r g e number of t h i n g s of t h i s k i n d which a r e
c o n t i n u a l l y coming t o l i g h t and again d i s a p p e a r i n g , o f t e n never t o be seen
o r h e a r d of any more. To t a k e an example o r two. There a r e a t p r e s e n t on
view i n Rochester a s p e a r head and sword of bronze, probably of t h e Roman
p e r i o d , and a c o i n of t h e Fmperor T r a j a n , a l l dredged up i n t h e Medway near
Rochester Bridge a few days ago, and only l a s t week I was shown a v e r y p e r f e c t
specimen of p o t t e r y which from i t s rude form and want of f i n i s h was probably
o f pre-Roman age. T h i s l a t t e r was l a t e l y discovered a t Upnor i n a r i v e r
d e p o s i t f i v e o r s i x f e e t from t h e s u r f a c e , and h i g h up above t h e p r e s e n t r i v e r .
A t t h e same t i m e I was t o l d of a b o t t l e w i t h a d a t e on i t , now destroyed,
which, t o g e t h e r w i t h an o l d English c o i n , were found i n digging mud f o r cement
making. How i n t e r e s t i n g i t would be t o many i f such t h i n g s c o u l d be preserved
i n a p u b l i c i n s t i t u t i o n w i t h a c a r e f u l r e c o r d of t h e circumstances under which
they were found. They a r e i n s t r u c t i v e both h i s t o r i c a l l y and g e o g r a p h i c a l l y ,
and o f much more v a l u e i n t h e town n e a r which they a r e found than they
would be anywhere e l s e . Then again t h e r e a r e always p o i n t s of i n t e r e s t
connected w i t h t h e n a t u r a l h i s t o r y and geology of a neighbourhood, and t h e i r
connection w i t h and b e a r i n g on l o c a l i n d u s t r i e s which can be s e t f o r t h i n a
museum. But t h e r e i s q u i t e another view of t h e museum q u e s t i o n which as time
goes on w i l l come more a n d m o r e i n t o prominence, v i z . , t h e e d u c a t i o n a l a s p e c t .
I t i s gradually coming .to pass, very slowly, and i n s p i t e of a good deal of
apathy, and some d i r e c t opposition, i t i s t r u e , but s t i l l s u r e l y , t h a t a l l our
l a r g e towns a r e g e t t i n g provided with schools of the modern type, schools i n
which the impossibility of teaching everything i s recognised, and which
d e l i b e r a t e l y give up the attempt to impart a c l a s s i c a l education, so u s e l e s s
t o many who g e t i t , and which with modern languages and mathematics combine
a considerable amount of s c i e n t i f i c i n s t r u c t i o n both i n the experimental
sciences and i n n a t u r a l h i s t o r y . These a r e c e r t a i n l y the schools which
a r e destined t o play a g r e a t p a r t i n the future, and i t i s i n them t h a t
t h e g r e a t bulk, both male and female, of what a r e generally c a l l e d the
middle c l a s s e s of our towns w i l l be educated, and a t these schools they w i l l
acquire an i n t e r e s t i n , and a t a s t e f o r , n a t u r a l h i s t o r y matters, and w i l l , a s
they grow up, look to t h e i r town museum f o r the opportunity of f u r t h e r study.
To s a t i s f y t h i s demand, complete s u i t e s of zoological, botanical, and
geological specimens, properly mounted and c l a s s i f i e d , w i l l be needed, and
a r e indeed already provided i n many of our l a r g e towns, although i n most
cases t h e i r arrangement leaves much t o be desired.
There i s i n many places a tendency t o l o c a t e the museum, i f one i s possessed
o r contemplated, i n some ancient and h i s t o r i c building, e i t h e r public o r
p r i v a t e , i f i t can be secured f o r the purpose. This i s so a t Maidstone and
a t Rochester, I believe, Eastgate Bouse was a s h o r t time ago mentioned i n a
similar connection. This i s , however, I am q u i t e convinced, a g r e a t mistake,
especially i f there i s any d e s i r e to make the museum popular and useful. The
awkward s t a i r c a s e s , bad l i g h t i n g and v e n t i l a t i o n and extreme dustiness of
o l d houses make them bad enough to l i v e i n , and q u i t e u n f i t them f o r museum
purposes i n every way, A p e r f e c t museum should c o n s i s t of four rooms, l a r g e
regular i n shape, well l i g h t e d from the upper p a r t , preferably, perhaps, the
roof, thus leaving a l l the wall space c l e a r . These four rooms should be
devoted to geology, botany, zoology, and a n t i q u i t i e s respectively. I t i s a
moot p o i n t how and to what extent the l o c a l should be incorporated with the
general c o l l e c t i o n , but probably the most p e r f e c t arrangement on the whole
would be, with c e r t a i n modifications, to place the general and t y p i c a l
c o l l e c t i o n round the walls i n t a l l , p l a t e - g l a s s fronted cases, and t o place
the l o c a l c o l l e c t i o n i n cases i n the c e n t r e of each room. The zoological
c o l l e c t i o n i s perhaps the most a t t r a c t i v e t o the general public, and may be
made much more so, and a t the same time much more i n s t r u c t i v e , i f the o b j e c t s
a r e arranged, not on formal wooden stands and perches, but i n t h e i r more o r
l e s s n a t u r a l p o s i t i o n s and surroundings, with d e s c r i p t i v e c h a r t s and t a b l e s
outside the cases so as n o t t o damage the p i c t o r i a l e f f e c t . Most n a t u r a l
h i s t o r y c o l l e c t i o n s a r e almost u s e l e s s from t h e manner i n which the objects
a r e huddled together on separate wooden stands. I n addition t o the c h a r t s ,
cheap guide books should be obtainable, there should be a reference l i b r a r y
of standard n a t u r a l h i s t o r y works, and i f courses of popular l e c t u r e s can be
given on the c o l l e c t i o n , so much the b e t t e r . Throughout the whole arrangement
the main o b j e c t s of a museum should be constantly kept i n view, v i z , t o i n t e r e s t
and i n s t r u c t t h e public mind, and t o be of s e r v i c e t o students. The formation,
arrangement, and preservation of such a c o l l e c t i o n a s sketched above
n e c e s s i t a t e s , of course, the employment of a competent n a t u r a l i s t , and a t the
same time a man of t a s t e and ingenuity, a s curator and l e c t u r e r , and although
i t i s very d e s i r a b l e t h a t a museum should be open f r e e , y e t possibly courses
of n a t u r a l h i s t o r y l e c t u r e s might be made t o a s s i s t i n paying expenses.
I have spoken only of n a t u r a l h i s t o r y and a n t i q u i t i e s , but t h e r e a r e other
branches of knowledge which may be advantageously i l l u s t r a t e d by public
c o l l e c t i o n s , v i z , Technology and A r t . m e former i s the application of
s c i e n t i f i c knowledge to the various a r t s of l i f e . I t should be i l l u s t r a t e d
by exarnples of machinery and the m a t e r i a l operated on, i n various stages of
manufacture, with i l l u s t r a t i o n s of the uses t o which d i f f e r e n t m a t e r i a l s
can be put. Here l o c a l requirements should, of course, be kept c l e a r l y i n
view. For A r t purposes a g a l l e r y of p i c t u r e s and sculpture i s required,
preferably copies o r engravings of celebrated p i c t u r e s and c a s t s of sculpture,
r a t h e r than cheap o r i g i n a l s .
We now approach the c o n s i d e r a t i o n of how a museum i s t o be s t a r t e d and
maintained. Many of our museums have o r i g i n a t e d i n the bequest of some
l o c a l c o l l e c t o r , a s f o r i n s t a n c e those of Maidstone and S a l i s b u r y . A
p r i v a t e c o l l e c t o r , however, g e n e r a l l y has a s p e c i a l p r e f e r e n c e f o r some
one branch of s t u d y , and, i f r i c h , spends much money i n making a c o l l e c t i o n
t o i l l u s t r a t e i t , and a c o l l e c t i o n of t h a t s o r t , bequeathed t o t h e p u b l i c ,
g e n e r a l l y r e q u i r e s c o n s i d e r a b l e a d d i t i o n s t o be made t o i t t o r e n d e r i t a s
complete i n a l l branches as a p u b l i c c o l l e c t i o n ought t o be. Moreover i t
i s t o be remembered t h a t t h e bequest of a c o l l e c t i o n does n o t s e t t l e t h e
q u e s t i o n of a museum u n l e s s some body, p u b l i c o r p r i v a t e , i s prepared t o
undertake t h e expense of keeping i t i n order. The town of S i t t i n g b o u r n e
h a s j u s t seen f i t t o d e c l i n e an o f f e r of t h i s kind, n o t probably through
unwillingness t o a c c e p t t h e g i f t , b u t on account of t h e unwillingness of
t h e r a t e p a y e r s t o undertake t h e expense of housing and t a k i n g c a r e of i t .
Other museums o r i g i n a t e i n t h e l a b o u r s of l o c a l s c i e n t i f i c o r a n t i q u a r i a n
s o c i e t i e s , who e i t h e r keep t h e c o l l e c t i o n i n t h e i r own hands, and make a
small charge t o t h e p u b l i c f o r admission, o r hand them over t o t h e
Corporation i f they a r e w i l l i n g t o undertake t h e charge. The former i s
t h e c a s e a t Leeds, where one of t h e b e s t p r o v i n c i a l c o l l e c t i o n s i n
England, t h a t of t h e Leeds L i t e r a r y and P h i l o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y , i s l o c a t e d
i n an e x c e l l e n t b u i l d i n g and w e l l desplayed and taken c a r e o f , and shown
t o t h e p u b l i c a t a charge of one penny. Since t h e p a s s i n g of t h e P u b l i c
L i b r a r i e s Act, i n 1855, however, many l o c a l s o c i e t i e s , such a s those of
Bradford and L e i c e s t e r , have handed over t h e i r c o l l e c t i o n s b o d i l y t o t h e
Corporations, and t h u s secured t h e i r proper d i s p l a y and e x h i b i t i o n t o t h e
p u b l i c a t no c o s t t o themselves. By t h e above named Act, and i t s amendments
and e x t e n s i o n s i n 1871, Corporations, Local Boards, and V e s t r i e s a r e t o
convene a p u b l i c meeting when r e q u e s t e d , and i f two-thirds of t h e r a t e p a y e r s
t h e r e p r e s e n t a g r e e they a r e empowered t o t a k e s t e p s t o e s t a b l i s h a F r e e
L i b r a r y and Museum and t o s u p p o r t t h e same by a sum d e r i v e d from t h e r a t e s
n o t exceeding one penny i n t h e f p e r annum, and f u r t h e r on t h e s e c u r i t y of
t h e r a t e s a loan may be r a i s e d f o r t h e necessary p r e l i m i n a r y expenses. I t
i s through t h e o p e r a t i o n of t h i s Act t h a t we may hope i n time t o s e e our
towns s u p p l i e d with l i b r a r i e s and museums, b u t b e f o r e i t can come t o p a s s
t h e r a t e p a y e r s have t o be educated up t o an a p p r e c i a t i o n of t h e advantages
of such i n s t i t u t i o n s . The misfortune i n England a t p r e s e n t is t h a t t h e
g r e a t bulk of people c a r e n o t h i n g about t h e s e t h i n g s , and a s l e g i s l a t i o n i s
permissive i n t h e m a t t e r they w i l l make no move. Undoubted advantages a r e
d e r i v e d from o u r system of l o c a l government, b u t a s f a r a s e d u c a t i o n a l work
i s concerned I cannot b u t r e g a r d i t a s an almost unmitigated e v i l . Even as
r e g a r d s elementary education, t h e work i s o f t e n hindered and thwarted by
t h e presence on School Boards n o t o n l y o f persons pledged t o spend a s l i t t l e
money as they p o s s i b l y can, b u t by a s t i l l worse s e t who a r e a c t u a l l y p r e s e n t
on t h e Board t o oppose i t s work, and a r e s e n t t h e r e f o r t h a t v e r y purpose by
t h e r a t e p a y e r s . I n t h e f a c e of a s t a t e of t h i n g s l i k e t h i s , and i n view of
t h e u t t e r want of i n t e r e s t among most of the middle and upper c l a s s e s i n
anything connected w i t h h i g h e r education, we can h a r d l y hope to s e e many
town museums s t a r t e d j u s t y e t on t h e i n i t i a t i v e o f t h e r a t e p a y e r s . This i s
one of t h e t h i n g s they manage b e t t e r abroad. I n France and Gemany, t o go
no f u r t h e r , education, from bottom t o top, i s i n t h e c a r e of t h e S t a t e ; and
s c h o o l s , museums, and a r t g a l l e r i e s a r e p l a c e d wherever t h e r e i s need of
them. I n t h e second r e p o r t of t h e Royal Commissioners on Technical
I n s t r u c t i o n , which i s j u s t i s s u e d , they recommend ( v o l . I . , page 538), among
other things, t h a t ratepayers may be allowed t o expend more than a t present
allowed under the Free Libraries' Act. A few towns w i l l undoubtedly do so
i f the recommendation takes e f f e c t , but i n the case of the great majority,
unless they a r e , not permitted, but compelled, t o expend a t l e a s t a penny
i n the E, things w i l l remain as they a r e f o r some time longer, t h a t i s t o
say till o u slowly developing higher modern schools have done t h e i r work.
TO anyone i n t e r e s t e d i n these matters there i s nothing so humiliating a s
t o see, the way i n which a German t o w n is supplied with a l l the machinery
of higher education, and then t o come back and compare i t with o u small
performances a t home. Compulsion on these matters i s only wanted f o r one
generation. The next generation, being b e t t e r educated and appreciating
these thing@, would never l e t them d i e out again. I n i l l u s t r a t i o n of t h i s
we have the exauple of Zurich, i n Switzerland, a town supplied i n the most
lavish manner with a l l kinds of educational i n s t i t u t i o n s almost e n t i r e l y paid
f o r out of the r a t e s and taxes, and y e t although these press heavily on the
people, no candidate dare attempt to recommend himself t o h i s constituents
by hinting a t a reduction of educational expenditure.
The Technical Commissioners, demoralized by t h e i r foreign t r a v e l s , make
another recommendation respecting museums, which i s worth notice, viz.,
t h a t they s h a l l be open on Sundays. I f they a r e supported by the public
funds, i t seems somewhat d i f f i c u l t t o grasp the exact condition of mind of
those who object t o this. Surely i t w i l l be time t o cry out when there i s
any attempt to pass a law compelling people t o go t o museums on Sundays.
A r present i t is merely proposed t o open them t o those who wish t o go. The
idea t h a t such a s t e p w i l l draw people from the public-houses, however, i s
probably q u i t e a s mistaken a s the idea t h a t i t w i l l a f f e c t the attendance a t
churches and chapels.
To return t o more purely l o c a l considerations, we may hope t h a t eventually
the nucleus of a museum may spring from the labours of the n a t u r a l i s t s and
antiquarians of the neighbourhood, who would be competent t o g e t together
and arrange the l o c a l collection i f they could be induced t o do so. I can
speak f o r the n a t u r a l i s t s , a s represented by the Rochester N a t u r a l i s t ' s Club,
who would be glad t o do a l l i n t h e i r power f o r the geology, botany, and
zoology. Some of the t r u s t e e s of the Rochester and Chatham Charities, which
seem t o be rapidly increasing i n value, might, I venture to hope, a t some
future time, with the consent and approval of the Charity Commissioners, f e e l
themselves j u s t i f i e d i n providing land and a s u i t a b l e building, i n which the
l o c a l collection might be placed. Supposing t h a t point t o be reached, i s i t
possible t h a t the ratepayers of Chatham and Rochester, who could, I think,
unite i n the matter, would agree t o devote a penny r a t e to the extension and
support of the i n s t i t u t i o n ? I cordially i n v i t e them t o think over the question
seriously.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN MUSEUMS
WITHOUT REALLY TRYING?
Hugh Torrens c o n t r i b u t e d t h i s item by T. Shepherd which was o r i g i n a l l y
publiahed i n 1916 i n a p u b l i c a t i o n e n t i t l e d Y o r k s h i r e ' s C o n t r i b u t i o n t o
Science.
Those who a r e f o r t u n a t e enough t o be combined Chief L i b r a r i a n s , Museums
C u r a t o r s , and Pooh-Bah's g e n e r a l l y , w i l l a g r e e t h a t museum c u r a t o r s , pure
and simple ( i f such words can be used i n d e s c r i p t i o n o f museum c u r a t o r s )
r e q u i r e something t o do t o occupy t h e i r s p a r e time.
Golf, l i z e r a r y work, and o t h e r r e c r e a t i o n s h e l p CO p a s s t h e h o u r s of many.
I n my own c a s e , however, t h e hobby t h a t h e l p s t o w h i l e away t h e weary hours
i s t h a t of producing museum hand-books. These a r e e i t h e r w r i t t e n by myself,
w r i t t e n by o t h e r s under t h e i r own name, o r w r i t t e n by o t h e r s under my name.
The main p o i n t , however, i s t h a t they a r e w r i t t e n , p r i n t e d and published.
Our handbooks v a r y i n t h i c k n e s s from s a y 20 o r 30 pages t o 160 pages, and
with two e x c e p t i o n s s o l d a t a penny each. Over one hundred have been
p u b l i s h e d d u r i n g t h e p a s t t e n o r twelve y e a r s . They a r e i l l u s t r a t e d , some
c o n t a i n i n g o v e r 100 blocks. Many hawe run i n t o t h r e e o r f o u r e d i t i o n s ; a
few a r e o u t of p r i n t , b u t w i l l be r e p r i n t e d a s o p p o r t u n i t y o f f e r s .
A s i s u s u a l I b e l i e v e with p r a c t i c a l l y every p l a c e i n t h e country, t h e
people i n H u l l do n o t ( i n my o p i n i o n ) g i v e t h e i r museums s u f f i c i e n t f i n a n c i a l
s u p p o r t , and ' s h o r t n e s s of funds' h a s been a c h r o n i c complaint w i t h us ewer
s i n c e I went t o t h e museum.
For t h i s reason our p u b l i c a t i o n s have t o appear a t a minimum of c o s t t o t h e
Corporation. To p r i n t 1,000 c o ~ i e sof a pamphlet of s a y 32 pages, and prith
say 100, 50, o r a dozen ill..:strati.nos, w i l l ?robably i n c m en expense of
n i g h + t c r t!:elve
povnd3, acd t o s e l l t h w a t a per,ny each, ever assvminz they
a!! - r e s'??d, m' r o t s e n t o u t ' v d t h c m p l i - i e n t s , ' r e a n s t h a t a l n s s Ls bound
tc o r - u r .
Yet such t h i r ~ sn u s t n o t and canzot be, in . C o r ? o r a t i o n s where
?.cco7mt a n t s , a s s i s t a n t a c c o u n t a n t s , t r e a s u r e r s , a s s i s t a n t t r e a s i l r e r s , a u d i t o r s ,
and a s s i s t e n t a u d i t o r s do conzregate. And i t i s t o evade t h e a f f e c t i o n a t e
a t t e n t i o n s of t h e s e gentlemen t h a t t h e ' p u r e and s i m p l e ' c u r a t o r must have
synre t h e .
Frobably i n t h e v i c i n i t y of each museum i n England t h e r e a r e s c i e n t i f i c or
o t h e r s o c i e t i e s . I n Yorkshire they a r e l e g i o n . N a t u r a l i s t s ' F i e l d Clubs,
S c i e n t i f i c S o c i e t i e s , G e o l o g T c a l , S o c i e t i e s , A n t i q u a r i a n S o c i e t i e s , and
Nunismatic S o c i e t i e s abound.
Your poor c u r a t o r must j o i n a l l these. Of course t h e s u b s c r i p t i o n s r e q u i r e
paying, and a t p r e s e n t he has n o t found a way of evading them, e x c e p t i n
some c a s e s by being e l e c t e d an honorary member, which u s u a l l y means h i s
.
membership c o s t s h i m more! Then h e must t a k e an a c t i v e p a r t i n t h e indoor
and outdoor meetines of t h e v a r i o u s s o c i e t i e s , and i n t u r n a c t i n t h e
c a p a c i t y of cornittee-man, s e c r e t a r y , p r e s i d e n t , o r whatever t u r n s up. I n
time an o p p o r t u n i t y may a r i s e of e d i t i n g one o r o t h e r of t h e s e s o c i e t i e s '
p u b l i c a t i o n s . This o p p o r t u n i t y should be taken. C o r r e c t i n g MSS. and proofr e a d i n g a r e most amusing, and r i v a l g o l f i n drawing f o r t h those s h o r t sharp
~ i o r d swhich have such f o r c e 'and veaning.
A t t h e v a r i o u s meetings and excursions i t i s necessary, i n a s t a c t f u l a
way a s i s p o s s i b l e , t o g i v e t h e members t h e impression t h a t h e i s f a i r l y
f a m i l i a r with any and every branch of s c i e n c e : - geology, botany, o r n i t h o l o g y ,
entomology, archaeology, e t c . , e t c . This w i l l r e s u l t i n h i s b e i n g
f r e q u e n t l y c a l l e d upon t o a t t e n d meetings o r conduct e x c u r s i o n s ; a t which
he w i l l be asked t o d e s c r i b e t h e a n t i q u i t i e s , p h y s i c a l f e a t u r e s , t h e f l o r a
o r fauna of t h e d i s t r i c t ; o r , a t t h e indoor meetings, t o r e a d p a p e r s on t h e
B r i t o n s , Romans, Saxons, Danes, The Gunpowder P l o t , Evolution, The
Flood, The S h e l l s of t h e Shore, Grasshoppers, The Evolution of t h e Threes t r i n g e d Lyre, Tobacco, Peru, Money, The I c e Age, and i n f a c t any s u b j e c t
under t h e sun. These papers and a d d r e s s e s a r e r e p o r t e d i n t h e l o c a l p r e s s ,
and i f t h e r e s p e c t i v e s o c i e t i e s p u b l i s h t r a n s a c t i o n s , a r e c o r d s h o u l d
appear t h e r e . T h i s i s where t h e c u r a t o r comes i n , e s p e c i a l l y i f h e happens
t o be t h e e d i t o r o f t h e p a r t i c u l a r p u b l i c a t i o n ! By t h e time h i s manuscript
f i n d s i t s way t o t h e p r i n t e r , i t h a s probably developed i n t o a c a t a l o g u e o f
t h e tobacco p i p e s , tokens, Roman c o i n s , s p i d e r s , o r what n o t , i n t h e museum!
The s o c i e t y pays f o r t h e p r i n t i n g and i l l u s t r a t i o n s . Then t h e c u r a t o r
o b t a i n s t h e e d i t o r ' s permission t o s t r i k e o f f t h e n e c e s s a r y number o f
r e p r i n t s a s a "Museum P u b l i c a t i o n , " t h e c o s t t o t h e museum being merely t h e
paper, machining, and s t i t c h i n g . I n t h i s way, a s time goes on; t h e v a r i o u s
o b j e c t s i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n can be catalogued, d e s c r i b e d and i l l u s t r a t e d i n a
f a r , f a r b e t t e r way than by t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f a massive and expensive
g e n e r a l guide, which i s i n v a ~ c i a b l yo u t o f date.
With r e g a r d t o c u r r e n t a c q u i s i t i o n s : I have found t h e p l a n of i s s u i n g an
i l l u s t r a t e d ' Q u a r t e r l y Record of A d d i t i o n s ' t o be a p r o f i t a b l e one, and I
have s i n c e been awarded t h e ' s i n c e r e s t form o f f l a t t e r y ' by o t h e r museums.
I a r r a n g e with t h e l o c a l p a p e r s t o i n s e r t a r t i c l e s on such s u b j e c t s a s
'Important l o c a l d i s c o v e r i e s , ' 'Recent i n t e r e s t i n g f i n d s , ' e t c . , e t c . ,
w r i t t e n i n language t h a t can b e understood by our o l d f r i e n d 'the man i n t h e
street.'
These n o t e s a r e i l l u s t r a t e d by photographs o r s k e t c h e s . The
newspapers keep up t h e type, and a t t h e end of each q u a r t e r t h i s i s g a t h e r e d
t o g e t h e r , d i v i d e d i n t o pages, c o r r e c t e d , and t h e ' Q u a r t e r l y Record' appears.
Of course i t does n o t f o l l o w t h a t t h e c u r a t o r must do a l l t h e work h i m s e l f ,
b u t s o long a s t h e work i s done i t i s i u i n a t e r i a l who does i t . P e r s o n a l l y , a
c h r o n i c d i s i n c l i n a t i o n f o r work e n a b l e s me t o s a y t h a t I p r e f e r o t h e r people
t o do i t i f t h e y w i l l , and I f i n d t h a t a l i t t l e p e r s u a s i o n , w i t h a g l a s s of
lemonade and a bun, o f t e n r e s u l t s i n people undertaking t o c a t a l o g u e and
d e s c r i b e c e r t a i n of o u r specimens f o r us, provided we p r i n t t h e l i s t when
ready. I n t h i s way s a n e o f o u r Roman c o i n s , tokelis, g e o l o g i c a l specimens,
s p i d e r s , p i c t u r e s and moths have been catalogued. I n each c a s e t h e person
who undertook t h e work s p e n t much time upon i t ; t h e c a t a l o g u e o f l e p i d o p t e r a
( o u r o n l y s h i l l i n g guide) alone occupied i t s a u t h o r two summers.
The o n l y o t h e r c a t a l o g u e n o t s o l d a t one penny i s t h e l i s t o f b i r d s . T h i s
has 122 pages and numerous p l a t e s , and under no circumstances whatever could
t h e p r i c e be brought down t o . a n y t h i n g l i k e a penny, o r i t c e r t a i n l y would
have been done, a s i n my opinion t h e cheaper t h e handbook t h e more t h e museum
benefits.
Now w i t h r e g a r d t o t h e v a l u e of t h e s e penny pamphlets. I n t h e f i r s t p l a c e
they p r e v e n t a c e r t a i n gentleman f i n d i n g mischief f o r i d l e hands, by keeping
t h e c u r a t o r occupied. Secondly, they form a running d e s c r i p t i v e c a t a l o g u e o f
t h e e x h i b i t s , which w i l l be a boon and a b l e s s i n g t o follorving c u r a t o r s and
committees; f o r we must remember t h a t o u r museums a r e t o l a s t f o r a l l time.
T h i r d l y , they enable those i n t e r e s t e d i n any p a r t i c u l a r s u b j e c t t o have every
i n f o r m a t i o n thereon a t a minimum of c o s t . Fourthly, a s ' s p r a t s ' !
NOTES & NEWS
compiled
by
THE CHARMOUTH INQUIRY
Tony
Cross
- LATEST INFORMATION
A byelaw t o p r o h i b i t f o s s i l , mineral and rock c o l l e c t i n g from the Lias and
Albian of Charmouth, Black Ven and p a r t of Stonebarrow H i l l , unless under
licence has been proposed by West Dorset D i s t r i c t Council. This measure
was debated a t a Public Inquiry a t Bridport on the 27th and 28th A p r i l
1982. Not opposing the Council and providing d e t a i l s of a h i e r a r c h a l
l i c e n s i n g scheme t h a t should allow c o l l e c t i n g by permit were the Nature
Conservancy Council and the Geological, Society of London, both represented
by D r . Pieith Ruff.
Amongst those speaking i n opposition t o the proposed byelaw and arguing
f o r continuation of the present freedom CO c b l l e c t was Paul Ensom
(representing the Dorset County Museum and Dorset Natural History and
Archaeological Society), M r J . Fowles (Lyme Regis Museum), M r . ArcherThomson (Dorset N a t u r a l i s t s ' T r u s t ) , M r . David Sole ( p r i v a t e c o l l e c t o r )
and D r . I a n West (representing the Geology Department, Southampton University)
Miss Muriel Arber, former president of the Geologists' Association provided
valuable l o c a l information. I t w i l l be some time before the outcome of the
inquiry i s known.
A f t e r the Inquiry, informal discussion between geologists and l o c a l i n h a b i t a n t s
revealed t h a t much f u t u r e trouble could be avoided i f c o l l e c t o r s and geologists
could keep c l e a r of j u s t a s h o r t s t r e t c h of c l i f f s with houses above (only a
small p a r t of the coast discussed a t the Inquiry). The s t r e t c h i s the 350
metres from the s e a f r o n t c a r park a t Charmouth westwards t o j u s t beyond the
f i r s t mudflow (Raffeys Ledge - Higher Sea Lane mudflow), map reference 361931.
The inudflow i s a t a marked r e e n t r a n t i n the c l i f f . Collectors and p a r t y
leaders please help by s t r i c t l y avoiding t h i s and thereby improving r e l a t i o n s
with the l o c a l people.
Ian West
4th May, 1982
Note t h a t i n e a r l i e r p r i v a t e l y c i r c u l a t e d versions of the above l e t t e r i t was
erroneously s t a t e d t h a t the NCC and Geological Society were 'supporting' the
D i s t r i c t Council whereas i n f a c t they were'not opposing' the Council ( a s above).
Recently the r e p o r t of the inspector was published and the conclusions a r e
reproduced below.
10.
CONCLUSIONS
10.1 Bearing i n mind t h e f a c t s I am of the opinion t h a t i n s u f f i c i e n t evidence
was adduced a t t h e inquiry t o persuade me t h a t the a c t i v i t i e s of the f o s s i l
hunters have such a m a t e r i a l e f f e c t on erosion t o j u s t i f y the making of the Order.
A l l p a r t i e s a r e agreed t h a t the p r i n c i p a l cause of erosion i s through the action
of ground water a t the c l i f f top and by the sea a t its foot. The evidence of
t h e Council's Chief Engineer ( h i s w r i t t e n proof covered l e s s than a sheet of
foolscap) was t h a t the e f f e c t of the a c t i v i t i e s of f o s s i l hunters on the c l i f f
f a c e was unquantifiable.
10.2 On the o t h e r hand, D r . West who had c a r r i e d o u t a g r e a t deal of research
and preparation attempted t o quantify the problem and concluded t h a t the t o t a l
material'removed per annum by f o s s i l c o l l e c t o r s does not exceed 2 cu m,
excluding commercial c o l l e c t i n g . He was of t h e opinion t h a t t h e system of
l i c e n s i n g proposed by t h e Council was unnecessary and unenforceable.
I
found h i s evidence a u t h o r i t a t i v e and convincing.
10.3 A s t o commercial c o l l e c t o r s I am n o t s a t i s f i e d t h a t they o p e r a t e
on any c o n s i d e r a b l e s c a l e and t h e Council s a y t h a t t h e Order i s n o t
s p e c i f i c a l l y aimed a t them. The evidence of M r . D. S o l e was impressive.
He claims t h a t t h e a l l e g a t i o n s t h a t pneumatic d r i l l s and e x p l o s i v e s had
been used by c o l l e c t o r s were w i l d l y exaggerated and c e r t a i n l y I found no
evidence t o t h e c o n t r a r y .
10.4 D r . Duff, f o r t h e Nature Conservancy Council and t h e Geological
S o c i e t y of London was i n favour of t h e Order p r i n c i p a l l y on t h e grounds
t h a t g e o l o g i s t s ought n o t t o go onto p r i v a t e land i n s e a r c h o f f o s s i l s
without permission. I f i n d t h a t argument commendable b u t i n s g f f i c i e n t t o
j u s t i f y t h e making of an Order.
10.5 On s a f e t y grounds t h e i s s u e of l i c e n c e s on demand, a s proposed i s
u n l i k e l y t o reduce the numbers s c a l i n g t h e c l i f f s . F i n a l l y I must d e a l with
t h e f e a r s of t h e P a r i s h Council and t h e r e s i d e n t s of Higher Sea Lane. I
found m e r i t i n t h e argument of M r . Rine who suggested t h a t t h e e x p e r t
w i t n e s s e s might be wrong i n t h e i r assessment of t h e e f f e c t ' o f f o s s i l h u n t e r s
and i n any event t h e cumulative e f f e c t , however s m a l l , must c o n t r i b u t e t o
t h e e r a s i o n caused by n a t u r a l f o r c e s . I a c c e p t t h a t t h e r a t e of e r o s i o n
i n t h e v i c i n i t y of Higher Sea Lane must be a r e a l cause of concern t o t h e
r e s i d e n t s . I t would, i n my vi.ew, be a s e n s i b l e precaution f o r t h e Council
t o c o n s i d e r making an Order under S e c t i o n l 8 of t h e Act covering only a very
l i m i t e d a r e a south of Higher Sea Lane on which t h e r e would be a cornplete ban.
It was my impression a t t h e i n q u i r y t h a t such a l i m i t e d measure would n o t be
g e n e r a l l y opposed.
11.
RECOMMENDATION
11.1 I recommend t h a t t h e Order be not confirmed.
I have t h e honour t o be
Sir
Your obedient S e r v a n t
W.B. KIRBY
The p o s i t i o n o f t h e Geological S o c i e t y was c l e a r l y expressed i n t h e i r
Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 5, September, 1982
JOURNAL EXCHANGE
Bolton Museum h a s f o r exchange o r s a l e a q u a n t i t y of d u p l i c a t e Geological
S o c i e t y J o u r n a l s . Complete volumes on o f f e r form two runs: Vol. 103
118 (1947-1962) and Vol. 129 - 138 (1973-1981) i n c l u s i v e . There a r e a l s o
a few odd p a r t s . An exchange would be p r e f e r r e d t o make up t h e gap i n t h e
museum s e t , s u b s t a n t i a l l y f o r t h e y e a r s 1912-1945, though Bolton does have
odd p a r t s and volumes from t h i s period.
--
- --
Bolton a l s o has f o r d i s p o s a l a d u p l i c a t e s e t of t h e B.M.(N.H.) f o s s i l
c a t a l o g u e s i s s u e d i n t h e e a r l y y e a r s of t h i s century. O f f e r s concerning
t h e s e items t o Alan Howell (0204) 22311 ext.361.
Bolton Museum
Le Mans C r e s c e n t ,
Bolton.
ANTIPODES ACTIVITIES
-
SHOCK, HORROR, PROBE!
The following a d v e r t was s p o t t e d by our A u s t r a l i a n correspondent Sue Turner.
MINERAL SALE
gold, gemstones and fosslls from
Plus mysteriws items from
AUSTRALIAN JUBILEE
The A s s o c i a t i o n o f A u s t r a l a s i a n P a l a e o n t o l o g i s t s h a s j u s t c e l e b r a t e d t h e
happy event o f Dorothy H i l l ' s 75th b i r t h d a y with a two day J u b i l e e meeting
a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Queensland. About 60 of P r o f e s s o r H i l l ' s s t u d e n t s
and f r i e n d s came t o l i s t e n t o ten key p a p e r s and t o s e e e x h i b i t s of a l l
a s p e c t s of palaeontology. Much o f t h e work w i l l be gathered i n t o a s p e c i a l
i s s u e of Alcheringg. S o c i a l e v e n t s i n c l u d e d a v e r y p l e a s a n t 'wine and
c h e e s e ' i n t h e departmental museum (new c u r a t o r
Sarah Dowling from Western
A u s t r a l i a ) , ,and t h e J u b i l e e Luncheon which took up most o f F r i d a y afternoon.
Here Dorothys many f r i e n d s wished h e r happy b i r t h d a y and t h e r e were q u i t e a
few reminiscences and some n o s t a l g i a f o r p a s t s t u d e n t days. Dorothy H i l l
thanked a l l and s a i d she thought t h e p l e a s u r e s o f t h e meeting would l a s t a t
l e a s t f o r t h e n e x t f i v e years!
-
P r o f e s s o r H i l l i s one of A u s t r a l i a ' s most d i s t i n g u i s h e d g e o l o g i s t s , with a
s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t i n palaeontology.
She was t h e f i r s t woman t o become a f u l l p r o f e s s o r a t an A u s t r a l i a n
u n i v e r s i t y , and t h e f i r s t t o become p r e s i d e n t o f a u n i v e r s i t y p r o f e s s o r i a l
board, both p o s i t i o n s h e l d a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Queensland.
P r o f e s s o r H i l l has published, e i t h e r a s s o l e o r s e n i o r a u t h o r , more than
100 s c i e n t i f i c works.
These i n c l u d e around 70 p a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l papers predominantly on f o s s i l c o r a l s .
A f t e r g r a d u a t i n g from t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Queensland with f i r s t c l a s s honours i n
geology and mineralogy i n 1928, she took f u r t h e r degrees and r e c e i v e d high
honours w i t h i n A u s t r a l i a and overseas.
P r o f e s s o r H i l l was t h e f i r s t woman e l e c t e d t o t h e A u s t r a l i a n Academy of
Science, and o n l y t h e second Queenslander e l e c t e d a Fellow of t h e Royal S o c i e t y
o f London.
Two ponreirs of Profassor Oororhy Hill
.
SCOTTISH FORAY
L a s t Summer w h i l e s t a y i n g a t T a r r a d a l e House, t h e home of t h e l a t e S i r
Roderick Impey Murchison I had t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o v i s i t 3 l o c a l museums.
CROMARTY Hugh M i l l e r ' s Cottage under t h e a u s p i c e s of t h e National T r u s t
o f S c o t l a n d h a s a good b u t s m a l l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e c o l l e c t i o n of Hugh M i l l e r ' s
m a t e r i a l from Edinburgh.
ULIAPOOL I n t h e back of t h e book shop t h e r e i s a museum room, h a l f of which
i s given o v e r t o g e o l o g i c a l m a t e r i a l . I f ones o n l y experience o f t h e piperock and t h e f u c o i d beds i s when c l i n g i n g t o Knocken C l i f f i n pouring r a i n
and a f o r c e 8 g a l e , go t o Ullapool Museum
-
F i n a l l y the d i s a s t e r s t o r y
THURSO Ever s i n c e t h e Thurso S c i e n t i f i c S o c i e t y r e c e i v e d t h e remains of
Robert D i c k ' s C o l l e c t i o n a f t e r h i s d e a t h i n 1866, t h e r e have been s p o r a d i c
a t t e m p t s t o p r o v i d e Thurso w i t h a worthy museum. I n t h e summer of 1981
what had been t h e N a t u r a l H i s t o r y Museum i n t h e L i b r a r y was c l o s e d t o t h e
p u b l i c and t h e Superb J a c k Saxon c o l l e c t i o n o f m a t e r i a l from t h e O.R.S. o f
N.E. S c o t l a n d r e t u r n e d t o p r i v a t e ownership. A l l t h i s had come about
s i n c e 1966, when t h e p r e v i o u s l y n e g l e c t e d Robert Dick C o l l e c t i o n had been r e o r g a n i s e d by tremendous v o l u n t a r y e f f o r t and e x h i b i t e d .
The cause o f t h e p r e s e n t s t a t e of a f f a i r s i s t h e t o t a l l y i n d i f f e r e n t hand
of beauocracy. The Town Council/County Council/Regional Council have a l l had
a hand i n , and o p p o r t u n i t y t o change m a t t e r s , I n t h e summer o f 1983 t h e r e
may be a t h r i v i n g t o u r i s t and p a l a e o n t o l o g i s t a t t r a c t i n g museum o r t h e o l d
o l d s t o r y of cardboard boxes and packing c a s e s i n t h e main r e p e a t e d once
more.
I r e n e King (Mrs.)
Etymological Research,
(Palaeontology U n i t ) ,
1 Laines Head,
Chippenham,
Wilts.
SN15 1PH.
The following l e t t e r and a r t i c l e was s e n t t o BrianPage (former e d i t o r o f t h e
Geological C u r a t o r ) and r e l a t e s t o Dean Hannotte and h i s remarkable C o l l e c t i o n
of 'Vernacular palaeontography. '
Dear Fellow Dinosaurian,
I n March o f t h i s y e a r , Tom Hanley, a r e p o r t e r from C o l l e c t i b l e s I l l u s t r a t e d ,
v i s i t e d me and took l o t s of c o l o u r photos o f my c o l l e c t i o n o f what Don B a i r d
c a l l s "vernacular paleontography",
Enclosed i s a copy of t h e a r t i c l e t h a t
j u s t appeared. The e n t i r e i s s u e can be had f o r $1.95 from C o l l e c t i b l e s
I l l u s t r a t e d , C i r c u l a t i o n O f f i c e , Depot Square, Peterborough NH 03458.
I should c o r r e c t two misunderstandings i n t h e a r t i c l e : 1 ) The P a n i n i c a r d
s e t i s t h e l a r g e s t i n number, n o t i n s i z e . 2) Knight s c u l p t u r e s a r e a v i d l y
sought by c o l l e c t o r s , b u t t h e average a n t i q u e d e a l e r d o e s n ' t know how t o
f i n d us. One Terrytown d e a l e r was s o p a l e o n t o g r a p h i c a l l y dim t h a t he gave
away a two-foot long glass-eyed p l a s t e r Knight T r i c e r a t o p s ( a l b e i t covered
with lawn p a i n t and with a busted horn) t o Simon Deitch on t h e c o n d i t i o n
t h a t Simon r e p a i r t h e hand o f a p l a s t e r baby J e s u s . (Simon found t h e d e a l
inspirational. )
Other News: H o l l i s t e r Jameson i s developing i d e a s f o r a major new e x h i b i t
on e a r l y dinosaur d i s c o v e r i e s , emphasizing t h e a s s i m i l a t i o n o f p a l e o n t o l o g i c a l
t h e o r i e s by newspapers, f i l m s and even d i n o s a u r a b i l i a . She'd l i k e t o h e a r
from anyone with i d e a s on t h i s s u b j e c t ( e s p e c i a l l y those with i n f o r m a t i o n on
t h e l i f e and times of P h i l a d e l p h i a ' s famous Hadrosaurus Foulki and i t s
progeny i n o t h e r museums). H o l l i s t e r can be reached a t t h e Academy of N a t u r a l
Sciences, 1 9 t h S t r e e t and t h e Parkway, P h i l a d e l p h i a PA 19103. (215) 299-1061.
I ' v e j u s t l e a r n e d t h a t t h e f i r s t s e q u e l t o R a i d e r s of t h e Lost Ark w i l l be a
lost-world dinosaur s s g a c a l l e d R a i d e r s of t h e Forbidden C i t y . The f i l m w i l l
be s h o t i n Peking, with s a u r i a n s c o u r t e s y of I n d u s t r i a l L i g h t and Magic.
I f anyone would l i k e a guided tour of what Sirnon c a l l s my Museum o f Mesozoic
Memorabilia, j u s t c a l l (212)674-5848 o r drop me a p o s t c a r d t o l e t me know
when y o u ' r e coming. And i f you'd l i k e more of my new c a l l i n g c a r d s (sample
enclosed) t o g i v e t o your p a l e o f r i e n d s o r tack up on b u l l e t i n boards, j u s t
l e t me know.
S i c Semper Tyrannosaurus,
Dean Hannotte.
ket, while Barbie changed from a p o n p
tail to flip hairstyle when the first bendable doli was isiued. Barbie wigs were
added to the line early on and a "sleepyeyed"'Barbie was produced for one year
in 1964. "The first black doll, Francie,
was marketed in 1967 and is today very
difficult to find. It, too, was issued forjust
one year," said Ruth.
Recent issues of Barbieinclude "Super
Star" Barbie and "Pink and Pretty" Barhie, which have thicker, shinier hair than
the models that preceded them. There
are new black and Hispanic Barbies, as
well as India Barbie and Eskimo Barbie,
which are among the most beautifully
crafted yet.
Today, Cronk's entire house reflects
Barbie's presence. There is storage space
Ior Barhie's paraphernalia in the attic
and cellar, with Barbie displays to be
found in the hallway, living room and
dining room. Her husband, daughter
and two sons have accepted, with goodnatured humor, Barbie's invasion of
rvery nook and cranny of their cornfortable home.
From her self-styled office, Ruth initiated the International Barbie Doll Collrctors Cli~bin 1978 with 29 members
and began editing and publishing the
~nonthlyInlernalio~iaiBiirb~eDoll Colleclori
Gorell~, with the help of two fellow
members. Fay Jordaens and Heler~
Gayarill. The G a r ~ f l eprovi'des news
items about club members and their
dolls, hints on Barbie's makeup and hair
a r e . as well as information on dull restoration, clorlies patterns and suggestions
for exhibiting Barbie collections. The
club, which now counts 700 women,
men and youngsters among its ranks,
he'ld its first convention in October,
1980, at Kennedy International Airport's
Travrlodge to celebrate Barbie's 21st
birthday A 60-page book published for
tllc rvcnt is now part of the Barbie collection in [he Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, D.C.
Ruth Cronk's enthusiasm for her hobI)y has hcen co~~tagious,particnlarly
.nnong tier own family members. "You
know," she said, "1 I-ealizedhow much.a
)>artof our Cl~nilyBarbie had become
the nigllt I carne inro the housr after a
~ricetir~g
and overheard ~ e o r g esayins
to sornrone on rile phone. '\\'ell, it may
not be a number one Barbie if it doesn't
have holes in the feet.' "
+
America's Top Dinosaur Hunter
by Tom Hanley
Remember all those science fiction
films where dinosaur-like monsters
trampled Japanese cities; the comic book
heroes who fought dinosaurs in timewarp battles, and the children's stories
you used to read about the "friendly di.
nosaur?" Dean Hamotte remembers.
Dinosaurs have played a big part in
Hamotte's life e v e i ' h c e he received his
first set of plastic prehistoric creatures as
a gift a t the age of ten. "I remember
haunting the American Museum of Natural History a s a kid, staring at the huge
dinosaur skeletons for hours," the 34.
year-old collector recalled. "I read all the
books on paleontology I could find and
sent i n a mountain of cereal boxtops to
receive dinosaur-related dveaways."
Ten years ago Hannotte, an affable
bachelor, decided to pick up where he
had left off as a boy, "Dinosaurabilia"
became his passion as he embarked on
a n odyssey through used book stores
and flea markets in search of prehistoric
creatures. "I'm more intrigued by man's
fascination with the idea of prehistoric
monsters than the actual creatures
themselves," Hannotte explained. The
results of that fascination fill his New
York City apartment - which is literally
crammed from floor to ceiling with dinosaur memorabilia. Included among the
assemblage are more rhan 1000 books.
as well as films, records, newspaper stories, postcards, puzzles and games, aU
with dinosaur themes. Over 300 dinosaur toys of all shapes and sizes can also
b e found in the collection, i~~cluding
a
large red plastic tyrannosaurus with
m e n a c i n ~teeth, produced by the Auro-
ra model company. Hannotte purchased
it froin the back of a candy box in 1974
for $7.50.
Motion picnlres have often turned to
dinosaur subjects in their quest to attract
niuvie-koers. The first commercially successful animated feature was "Gertie the
Dinosaur" (19091, a film short by cartoonist Winsor McCay. Among the dinosaurs' great moments on the silver
screen, Hannotte feels, was the 1925
film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle's novel, Lost World, and the 1931
classic "King'~oni."Dinosaur battles in
Loth films were produced under the
guidance of legendary special-effects
wizard Wilis O'Brien. "The technical
work behind the dinosaurs in these films
remains far superior to anything else
ever attempted. All the animals look like
lhey stepped right out of paleontology
books."
Hannotte explained that dinosaurs
first captured the American public's
imagination iiithe 1880s and '90s, when
fossil discoveries in the West touched off
what Hannotte called "a bone rush."
Newspaper headlines proclaiming new
discoveries almost daily whipped fossil
fever to a frenzy "Even the American
Museum of Natural History got into the
act when it auctioned oHa dinosaur egg
for 85000 during the height of the
craze," Hamotte said. The eee .was
found in the Cobi Desert, and w&n the
Chinese government got word of the
sale, it closed the desert to further explorarion. keeoine it off limits to archaeologists until the 1940s.
Despite the dinosaur's place in American history and folklore, Hannotte
stands virtually alone as a collector of
diiiosaurabilia. "I've yet to meet anyone
else who collects the su.uff on this scale,"
he stared. He is wor!&lg to correct that.
It is typical ofhim to send a visitor horrle
with a shopping bag filled with duplicate
dinosaur books, Tust to start off their
collec~ion."
In fact, books - comic books, pulps,
magazines and hardcover volumes make up the largest portion of the Hannotte dinosaur collection. Over the collector's bed, a tyrannosaurus crushes an
arrnored tank on the cover of a oulo
maqazine of World War I1 vintaee w'hich
reads: "Blitzkrieg in the Past." "I don't
think there's any book on dinosaurs in
the last SO vears
I don't have." Han, that~~~~~~-~~
notte ventured to sav. He has achieved
2
this by regularly minbing used. book
stores around Manhattan and keeping
up correspondence with 300 hook dealers around the cotmtsy
Turning to specific titles on his shelves,
he noted, "Here's the rarest book in my
collection, a 1902 dinosaur takeoff on
Alice i n Wonderland called Wonders in
i~ionrterland." Other eye-catching titles
stand out, such as I Married a Dinoraui
and Bring Them Back PetrqFed, borh by
L i i a n Brown, wife of the late Bamum
Brown, a noted paleontologist who
made extensive expeditions in search of
fossils.
Comic books have long been fertile
terrain for dinosaurs and Ilannotte has
accumulated boxes oflchem, i n d u d i g
the popular "Turok, Son of Stone" series
and DC Comics' "Star Spangled War
Stories," in which dinosaurs battled with
airplanes. "Even Mickey Mouse and
Goofy went back on occasion to the prehistoric era," Hamotte said.
One of the biggest producers of dinosaur items was the now defunct Sinclair
Oil Company, which used a dinosaLr for
its corporate symbol. The friendly Sinclair brontosaun,~appeared in advertisements as well as company literature,
many ofwhich have found their way into
Hannotte's collection. "The company
U
~~
~.
~
1
1
.
OUT
had
'lth
well
enemy soldiers i n
.. .
Blitzkrieg in the Past.
.
gave away dinosaur banks, jigsaw puzzles, stamp albums and inflatahle toys,"
the collector said. Ironically, like the dinosaur, Sinclair w.iu doomed to eventual
extinction. The company logo disappeared U? 1969 as a result or a merger
with Atlantic Richfield.
Dinosaurs have hppeared on aU sorrs
of media over the years. Unlike baseball
cards, America never went in big for dinosaur trading cards. "The few available
are quite expensive today, going for as
much as $2 apiece," he said. One such
series, consisting of 60 cards, was issued
by Nu-cards Sales of Seaford, New York,
in the early 1960s. "They're quite dimcult to find," Hannotte explained. Foreign companies, on the other hand, have
a history of producing dinosaur trading
cards. Perhaps the most lavish set ever
produced was issued by an Italian lirm,
Panini, in1970. "The set contains 360
cards and are the largest I've ever seen,"
Hannotte remarked.
"Precious" is the word the dinosaur
collector uses when asked to assess the
value of his collection. Hannotte figures
he's spent at least $10,000 during the
past decade acquiring his treasures. "But
I really can't say what the value is," he
admitted, explair~ingfurther rhat tiierc,
is no one qualified to a1,praise sucli a
collection. "Dinosaur mcmorali~liahas
not established its own inai-ker, sirnj,lv
..
because here's nor enough peoplr collecting the stuff For examplt,, dinosaur
figurines done by Charles Knight, the
oremiere ~aleontoloeistartist in the
country back in 1892, are in one sense
very valuable, as they are hard to find.
But on the other hand, it would be equally hard to find people who would want
them in the first place."
Hannotte has reached the poinr
where his greatest pleasure comes in
simply enjoying the items he has acquired. "I don't make quite as many extended forays to New Jersey book sale5
as I once did." H e still maintains llope of
someday finding others who share his
appreciation for dinosaurabilia.
"It's difficult to explain," Hannotrc
said. "All 1 know is that, for me, thr
hours spent combing racks on a bookstore ladder and eettinq crooked knees,
( just ro have the t h k l of finding an elusive
gem like The Book Prehtitor~c
written in 1935 by Raymond
ofthe B~~~~ zoo, are
3
I
1
worti~while."
COLLECTI~LES
ILLUSTRATED + JULYIAUGUST
1982
69
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
C h a r l e s Darwin "A man o f e n l a r g e d c u r i o s i t y " , P e t e r Brent. (336pp),
p u b l i s h e d by Heinemann i n October 1981 p r i c e £12.50.
A p r i l 1982 was the c e n t e n a r y of Darwin's death and t h i s book was t h e f i r s t
o f s e v e r a l t o 'cash i n ' on t h a t f a c t . Production of t h e book i s u n i n s p i r e i n g
i n appearance and of poor q u a l i t y , with end papers s o f u s s y a s t o make t h e
r o u t e of t h e 'Beagle' i n d i s t i n c t , end a t i g h t binding which s p l i t h a l f way
through r e a d i n g t h e book. However, while P e t e r Brent i s n o t a s c i e n t i s t
he g e n e r a l l y p r o v i d e s good d e s c r i p t i o n s o f Darwin's f i n d i n g s , thoughts and
p u b l i s h e d works, b u t o n l y very b r i e f l y does he d i s c u s s t h e s e with a modern
c o n t e x t , a t t h e end of t h e book.
The a u t h o r had done h i s home-work and i s a b l e t o w r i t e i n t o h i s biography
q u o t a t i o n s from many s o u r c e s , i n c l u d i n g Darwin's own f a s c i n a t i n g notebooks
and from l e t t e r s . He i s a t h i s b e s t i n d e s c r i b i n g t h e family and s o c i a l
s c e n e , both b e f o r e and a f t e r t h e Beagle voyage, when working from r e l i a b l e
m a t e r i a l s . He does, however, allow himself some f l i g h t s of fancy when
w r i t i n g s p e c u l a t i v e l y about C h a r l e s Darwin a s a boy, o r about h i s supposed
love a f f a i r w i t h Fanny Owen, whose l e t t e r s , however, Darwin d i d keep.
The r e v e r e d , w e l l - o f f and, f o r i t s day, broad-minded family i n which
Darwin was n u r t u r e d i s w e l l d e s c r i b e d and convincing. We r e a d of h i s
n o r m a l i t y a s a s t u d e n t , and y e t he was a l r e a d y making f r i e n d s h i p s with
eminent o l d e r men who, had they n o t recognised something s p e c i a l about t h e
young Darwin, would n o t have bothered t o b e f r i e n d him and m a i n t a i n t h e i r
contacts
.
Darwin's i n t e r e s t i n geology can be t r a c e d from h i s d i s l i k e of P r o f e s s o r
Jameson's l e c t u r e s i n Edinburgh i n 1827 ( a s an 18 y e a r o l d s t u d e n t ) t o
t h e i n f l u e n c e of Charles L y e l l and Adam Sedgwick, with whome he had j u s t
completed a f i e l d t r i p i n North Wales when t h e f a t e f u l l e t t e r from h i s
Cambridge mentor, P r o f e s s o r John M. Henslow, a r r i v e d i n v i t i n g him t o j o i n
Captain Fitz-Roy and t h e Beagle as n a t u r a l i s t . I t was i n a l e t t e r of support
f o r t h i s p r o j e c t t o C h a r l e s ' f a t h e r , D r . Robert Darwin, t h a t t h e i n f l u e n t i a l
and l i b e r a l J o s i a h Wedgwood d e s c r i b e d t h e 23 y e a r o l d Darwin a s "a man of
e n l a r g e d c u r i o s i t y " . This c h a r a c t e r i s t i c , h i s t o t a l honesty, a b i l i t y t o
work h a r d d e s p i t e i l l n e s s , and powers of s y n t h e s i s l e d t o Darwin's g r e a t n e s s .
There was a l s o a n important element o f h u m i l i t y , f o r a s a l a r g e l y u n t r a i n e d
n a t u r a l i s t launching on h i s c a r e e r he d i d n o t always know t h e c o n c l u s i o n s
a t which h e was supposed t o a r r i v e , and s o viewed e v e r y t h i n g f r e s h l y .
The l a r g e r p a r t o f t h e book covers Darwin's l i f e a f t e r t h e voyage, h i s marriage
t o Emma Wedgwood of Maer i n 1838, when he n o t e d i n h i s d i a r y simply "The day
o f days". A f a s c i n a t i n g s e c t i o n of t h e book s t r e s s e s t h e importance of
Darwin's Transmutation Notebooks and we r e a d of h i s e a r l y i d e a s on e v o l u t i o n ,
a t r e e of l i f e , and of t h e 'world d i v i d e d i n t o z o o l o g i c a l p r o v i n c e s , u n i t e d
and now d i v i d e d a g a i n ' .
...
Brent makes t h e p o i n t t h a t i n h i s day Darwin d i d n o t have t h e language of
today with which t o d e s c r i b e h i s i d e a s and consequently some may seem clumsily
expressed. He t r e a t s Darwin's i l l n e s s , and concern over i t , f u l l y and
s e n s i b l y , making t h e p o i n t t h a t d e s p i t e a l l t h e time l o s t through i l l - h e a l t h .
Darwin achieved a remarkable o u t p u t , e s p e c i a l l y d u r i n g t h e l a s t decade of h i s
life.
There a r e a few minor q u i b b l e r of c o n t e n t , l a r g e l y r e s u l t i n g from a l a c k
of z o o l o g i c a l knowledge, l i k e t h e ' e x p e r t
on t h e genus Brachiopods.'
c a l l e d by Brent T.W.St.C. Davidson, presumably Thomas (no o t h e r name)
Davidson. The book a c h i e v e s i t s aim of p l a c i n g C h a r l e s Darwin w i t h i n t h e
c o n t e x t and c l i m a t e of h i s time and of r e v e a l i n g more of t h e man himself
than we can r e a d from any o t h e r s i n g l e book. S t i l l , a t t h e end of i t a l l
we do n o t g e t c l o s e t o t h e man, and t h i s i s n o t B r e n t ' s f a u l t b u t p a r t o f
Darwin's withdrawn c h a r a c t e r .
...
I f you would be p l e a s e d t o r e a d something about Darwin devoid of d e b a t e
on e v o l u t i o n , c r e a t i o n , c l a d i s t i c s , gradualism o r punctuated e q u i l i b r i u m ,
then t h i s may be your book. P a r t s a r e somewhat r e p e t e t i v e , o t h e r s t u r g i d
and a few q u i t e s p e c u l a t i v e , b u t on t h e whole i t i s an i n f o r m a t i v e and good
read.
Review by D r . C.H.C.
Brunton.
THE CAVE HUNTERS. Biographical s k e t c h e s of t h e l i v e s of S i r N i l l i a m Boyd
Dawkins ( 1837-1929) and D r . J. W i l f r i d Jackson ( 1880-1978).
E d i t e d by M . J . BISHOP. Published by t h e Derbyshire Museum S e r v i c e , 1982:
4 8 ~ ~
The i n t r o d u c t i o n opens w i t h t h e e x p l a n a t i o n :
"This b o o k l e t was produced i n t h e f i r s t i n s t a n c e t o accompany t h e e x h i b i t i o n
on t h e l i f e and work of S i r William Boyd Dawkins and D r . J . W i l f r i d Jackson
h e l d a t Buxton Museum i n 1982''.
Without having seen t h a t d i s p l a y , I m unable t o judge i t s m e r i t s a s an
accompaniment, o r a s a souvenir of items seen. However, I can a s s e s s i t a s
a s i g n i f i c a n t b i o g r a p h i c a l r e f e r e n c e of t h e s e two eminent p r e h i s t o r i a n s .
The b i o g r a p h i c a l account of Boyd Dawkins was w r i t t e n by D r . Jackson and has
p r e v i o u s l y appeared i n t h e j o u r n a l Cave Science (Vol. 5 , 1966) and has been
up-dated with r e f e r e n c e s and augmented by photographs s e l e c t e d by t h e e d i t o r .
Mike Bishop a l s o admits t h a t h i s own account of W i l f r i d Jackson had been p u t
t o g e t h e r i n a m a t t e r of months from t h e enormous a r c h i v e t h a t e x i s t s i n t h e
Buxton Museum and from reminiscences provided by Miss A.S. Jackson. He s e e s
both accounts a s p r e l i m i n a r i e s t o f u l l e r s t u d i e s t h a t could be produced from
t h e same source and which might c o n s i d e r t h e r o l e of t h e s e two ' c a v e h u n t e r s '
i n t h e development of p r e h i s t o r y and geology between 1860 and 1960.
The two s k e t c h e s provide a l l t h e e s s e n t i a l d e t a i l s concerning t h e l i v e s of
t h e two men and convey t h e i r b r e a d t h of i n t e r e s t , a u t h o r i t y and involvement
with t h e s i g n i f i c a n t excavations made i n t h e i r l i f e t i m e s . An example of t h i s
i s t h e u t i l i s a t i o n by Jackson i n h i s l a t e r y e a r s of h i s e a r l i e r s p e c i a l i s a t i o n
i n conchology when r e p o r t i n g on animal remiins found i n cave i n v e s t i g a t i o n s .
S i m i l a r l y h i s i n t e r e s t i n r o d e n t remains, t h a t a r o s e from r e s e a r c h when
appointed Asst. Keeper a t Manchester Museum i n 1907, a l s o c o n t r i b u t e d t o
Jackson being regarded a s B r i t a i n ' s l e a d i n g cave p r e - h i s t o r i a n fror.1 t h e 1?20's
u n t i l t h e 1960's. The study of such remains h a s s i n c , e becone one o f t h e
dominant f e a t u r e s of m a m a l i a n polneovtology and c r v e i n v e s t i p . t i o n s .
I t i s a l s o p o s s i b l e t o glean a l i t t l e of t h e problems t h a t both men had with
t h e i r contemporaries and a d m i n i s t r a t o r s . A t one t i n e , because o f such
d i f f i c ' i 1 t i . e ~ snd h i s w i f e ' s d e s i r e t o j o i n r e l a t i v e s i n A u s t r a l i a , Jackson
end~a~ro-.redt o o b t a i n a museum, o r survey p o s t i n t h a t continenc. R e l u c t a n t
t o endure such d r a s t i c uzheaval without some s u r e t y of a secure p o s t , he
sought t h e recommendation of v a r i o u s o f f i c e r s a t t h e B.M.(N.H.) e.g. Bather,
M e l v i l l and Smith Woodward. Reference i s a l s o made t o J a c k s o n ' s concern a s a
c u r a t o r f o r g a t h e r i n g information t o g e t h e r , t h i s r e s u l t e d i n h i s c a t a l o g u e of
t h e type and f i g u r e d specimens i n t h e Geology Dept. of t h e Manchester Museum
(1952) and h i s s i g n i f i c a n t enduring c o n t r i b u t i o n t o B r i t i s h Caving l i t e r a t u r e ,
l i s t i n g knowledge of every bone cave i n B r i t a i n (1953, 1 9 6 2 ) . T h i s i n t e r e s t i n
c o l l e c t i o n s e x i s t e d from h i s conchological days and i n a l e t t e r t o L.R. Cox
( J a n . 1944) he wrote:
"I have been h u n t i n g o l d Captain Brown's types f o r y e a r s , and have been
a b l e t o f i n d one o r two. There was no i n d i c a t i o n on t h e specimens and
t h i s makes i t d i f f i c u l t . I am a f r a i d many a r e l o s t a s t h e c o l l e c t i o n s
have passed through many v i c i s s i t u d e s " .
Equally, J a c k s o n ' s e f f i c i e n c y i n producing t h e many r e p o r t s mentioned and
l i s t e d i n t h e b o o k l e t , might a l s o be explained by t h e a n x i e t y expressed i n
a l e t t e r t o Dorothy Bate r e f e r r i n g t o High Wheeldon:
..
"I want t o make the Rpt. a s complete a s p o s s i b l e
I t i s always t h e
way w i t h t h e s e c a v e s , everyone wants a f i n g e r i n t h e p i e and goes
s c r a t c h i n g h e r e and t h e r e f o r bones
.."
Although I have dwelt on t h e Jackson s e c t i o n , t h e b o o k l e t i s e q u a l l y
comprehensive and rewarding on t h e events i n t h e l i f e of Boyd Dawkins,
whose bequest h a s ensured t h a t t h i s r i c h c o l l e c t i o n of m a t e r i a l i s i n t h e
Buxton Museum and w i t h i n t h e Peak D i s t r i c t beloved of both men.
As a r e f e r e n c e t o o l t h e two d e t a i l e d b i b l i o g r a p h i e s impart a v a l u a b l e
q u a l i t y . T h i s i s f u r t h e r enhanced by t h e admirable, unique f e a t u r e of a
s h o r t - l i s t t h a t summarises t h e h o l d i n g s of U.K. museums which once belonged
t o Boyd Dawkins and, o r Jackson. I f o n l y a l l biographers would produce
such a u s e f u l condensation, o r were even aware t h a t such information i s
d e s i r a b l e ! Mike Bishop c l o s e s h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n by making a comparison of
t h e two men s u g g e s t i n g t h a t a t t h e end of t h e day a s c i e n t i s t ' s worth l i e s
i n h i s powers of a c c u r a t e l y r e c o r d i n g d a t a . Ending my a p p r a i s a l , I can only
s u g g e s t t h a t by p r o v i d i n g a wealth of r e l i a b l e information i n t h e s e two
b i o g r a p h i e s , t h e E d i t o r h a s e s t a b l i s h e d t h e worth of t h i s b o o k l e t . A t
to-day's v a l u e s t h e p r i c e o f £1.50 ( p l u s postage) i s a bargain.
R . J . Cleevely,
Dept. of Palaeontology,
B r i t i s h Museum ( N a t u r a l H i s t o r y )
Cromwell Road,
London, SW7.
Copies can be o b t a i n e d from: D r . M.J.
Bishop of Buxton Museum.
The Derbyshire Country House
The l a r g e r Country Houses, o r i g i n a l l y supported by land o r an e s t a t e and
designed f o r more than a f u n c t i o n a l purpose, have a t t r a c t e d p u b l i c i n t e r e s t
f o r many y e a r s ; n o t s o t h e s m a l l e r r e s i d e n c e s , many now farmhouses, which
a r e tucked away from t h e main t o u r i s t r o u t e s .
This book r e c o r d s 155 both l a r g e and s m a l l
and d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s ,
s t a t u s , h i s t o r y and ownership. The houses
s e c t i o n of n e a r l y seven hundred i d e n t i f i e d
and l i s t e d i n t h e g a z e t t e e r .
houses, each with an i l l u s t r a t i o n
a r c h i t e c t u r e , p r e s e n t f u n c t i o n and
d e s c r i b e d provide a wide c r o s s within t h e County of Derbyshire
The book a l s o a t t e m p t s t o g i v e equal prominence t o each house, whether
s t a n d i n g o r demolished, g r e a t o r small and s o provide t h e r e a d e r w i t h a
h i s t o r y of domestic b u i l d i n g , b u i l d e r s and owners over a p e r i o d of e i g h t
hundred y e a r s .
The Derbyshire Country House p r e s e n t s a b r i e f b u t c o n c i s e account of t h e
geology, h i s t o r y , a r c h i t e c t u r e and b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s of the County and
i l l u s t r a t e s many houses f o r t h e f i r s t time and o t h e r s b e t t e r known from
a d i f f e r e n t view p o i n t . I t a l s o , again f o r t h e f i r s t time on a county
b a s i s i n t h i s c o u n t r y , d e s c r i b e s t h e b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s i n some d e t a i l .
I n producing t h i s book, t h e Derbyshire Museum S e r v i c e have k e p t t h e c o s t t o
t h e customer down t o a p r i c e more u s u a l f o r a booklet with few i l l u s t r a t i o n s .
h hard back v e r s i o n was contemplated b u t r e j e c t e d i n favour of s o f t c,.
-7ers
t o maintain t h e low p r i c e .
Authors
Haxwell. Craven
A r t Gallery.
Michael S t a n l e y
Service.
- Keeper
-
of A n t i q u i t i e s , Derby C i t y Museum and
Deputy Museums O f f i c e r , Derbyshire Museum
Foreword
Her Grace The Duchess o f Devonshire.
Promoters
Derbyshire Museum S e r v i c e and Derbyshire Building S o c i e t y .
Printers
Barnes and Humby Ltd., C a r l t o n Road, Nottingham.
Publishers
Derbyshire Museums S e r v i c e .
Cost
-
£2.50 f o r c o l o u r cover and back
i l l u s t r a t i o n s of D u f f i e l d H a l l ,
99 pages with 177 i l l u s t r a t i o n s , maps and 2 t e x t f i g u r e s .
Note
-
-
This p u b l i c a t i o n w i l l be reviewed i n a subsequent i s s u e of t h e
Geological Curator.
The Dorset N a t u r a l H i s t o r y and Archaeological S o c i e t y announce t h e
p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e following o f f p r i n t s from r e c e n t volumes of t h e
Proceedings o f t h e Dorset N a t u r a l H i s t o r y and Archaeology S o c i e t y .
Vol 102 1980
' M u l t i p l e Dinosaur Trackways from The I s l e o f Purbeck' J . B .
PP A4
55p.
'Naleds i n a Wessex Downland V a l l e y '
PP A4
Delair,
J . A . C a t t , M. Green & N . J .
85p.
'Observations o f Short-term P r o f i l e Changes on C h e s i l Beach'
PP A4
70p.
Arnold.
P h i l l i p Gibbs,
Vol 103 1981
'An H i s t o r i c a l Survey of t h e Landslips of t h e Axmouth Lyme Regis U n d e r c l i f f '
3 . P i t t s 6pp A4
65p.
P r i c e s i n c l u s i v e p6p. A v a i l a b l e from Dorset County Museum, High West S t r e e t ,
DORCHESTER, DT1 1XA. Cheques payable t o DNHAS.
A NEW PEXIODICAL
FOSSILS QUARTERLY i s devoted t o a r t i c l e s , news and reviews of i n t e r e s t t o t h e
f o s s i l - c o l l e c t o r , s t u d e n t and museum c u r a t o r . I t i s i s s u e d q u a r t e r l y and
t h e s u b s c r i p t i o n i s 9.00 d o l l a r s p e r year. I t i s published by Geotech
Archives Ltd, 3616 Garden Club Lane, C h a r l o t t e , N o r t h C a r o l i n a 28210, United
S t a t e s . I t i s e d i t e d by Richard L. Casanova ( a d d r e s s n o t given)
The f i r s t e d i t i o n (Volume 1 no. 1 . ) was p u b l i s h e d e a r l i e r t h i s y e a r . It
i s an a t t r a c t i v e l y produced ' g l o s s y ' magazine i l l u s t r a t e d with black and
w h i t e photographs, (format 228mm. X 1 5 3 m . ) This f i r s t i s s u e has 32pp.
and c o n t a i n s t h e following a r t i c l e s .
Famous P a l a e o n t o l o g i s t s and C o l l e c t o r s
Gideon Algernon Mantell by Dennis
R. Dean.
T r i l o b i t e s of t h e Ordovic i a n Martinsbury Formation a t Swatara Gap, Pennsylvania
by Richard M. Busch.
An Amateur C o l l e c t i o n of F o s s i l F l o r a from t h e Clarno Formation o f Oregon by
Thomas 3. Bones.
P a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l Displays o f t h e Cleveland Museum of Natural H i s t o r y , by
D r . Michael E. Williams.
F o s s i l Book News.
F o s s i l Finds i n t h e Media 1980-81.
I n t h e e d i t o r i a l M r . Casanova s t a t e s t h a t t h e p e r i o d i c a l i s aimed a t c a t e r i n g
t o t h e i n t e r e s t o f t h e f o s s i l c o l l e c t o r , o f f e r i n g t h e v e r y b e s t i n a l l phases
o f p a l a e o n t o l o g i c a l s t u d i e s , techniques, l o c a l i t y d a t a , and t h e h i s t o r i c a l
a s p e c t s o f C o l l e c t i n g and C o l l e c t o r s .
P o s t e r Offer!
The N a t i o n a l Museum of Wales h a s ~ u b l i s h e da c o l o u r ~ r i n ot f Henrv De La
Beche's water c o l o u r Durior A n t i q u i o r o r Ancient D o r s e t s h i r e . The p r i n t ,
which i s accompanied by an e x p l a n a t o r y l e a f l e t , i s a v a i l a b l e from t h e
Bookshop, N a t i o n a l Museum of wales, C a r d i f f , CFI 3NP, p r i c e £1.50 i n c l u d i n g
p o s t a g e and packing.
GEOLOGICAL DEALERS
LISTED IN 'MEDALS OF CREATION'
The f o l l o w i n g L i s t s of D e a l e r s i n F o s s i l s and M i n e r a l s were p u b l i s h e d i n
G.A. M a n t e l l ' s book The Medals o f C r e a t i o n L F i r s c Lessons i n Geology a n d
t h e s t u d y of O r g a n i c Remains. v o l . 2 .
The f i r s t l i s t was p u b l i s h e d i n t h e 1st e d i t i o n o f 1844 ( p p . 986-990).
The second l i s t appeared i n t h e 2nd e d i t i o n o f 1854 (pp. 9')s-908).
The e d i t o r i s g r a t e f u l t o Hugh T o r r e n s f o r b r i n g i n g t h e s e l i s t s t o his
notice.
DEALERS IN FOSSILS.
List of Deoleis in Fossils, Minarals, &C,
LOXDO?I.
CUTTLLI, XI.,
53, NEWCompton-street, Lapidary. Prepares fossil teeth, S o . far tllo microscope.
DARKER, Mr., Lapidary, 9. Paradise-street, LamSeth.
Fossil and recent objects for the microscope. Specimens of
the iIIfus0rial earths ; teeth of fishes and reptiles, marbles, &c.
EDWARDS,
40, High-street, Camden Town. =or boards
for cabinets, to affix fossils, shells, &o. instead of trays.
BICLELLAN,
107, Great Russell-street,Bloomsbury.Manufactnres the trays for the British Museum. Wooden trays
with black sides, 2 inches hy 2, ta 6 inches by 2, price 7s.
per dozen. This price is much too high, except for public
collections. Common card or pasteboard trays answer every
purpose.
SOWERBY,
111. G. B. (the eminent naturalist), 50, Great
Russell-street, Bloomsbnry. All kinds of fossil and recent
shells.
S ~ a ~ c n n uMr.,
n ~ ,47, Thcabald's-road. Fossils, minerals,
and objects of natural llistory in general, at very moderate
prices. Scries of specimens of fossils and minerals, illustrative of any pnrtioulnr department of the science, are made
987
up, arranged, and tioketed. 1\11,S. also attends and arranges
private collections; and gives instruction in mineralogy,
geolosy, conehalog, &C.; sciences in which he is eminently
skilled.
~ x N A N T ,Mr. J., Professor of Mineralogy to Kings College, 140, Strand. This establishment is too veU knovn to
reduire oomment. Every purohasable species of fossil,
mineral, or shell, may here be obtained; as well as the
various microscopic fossils, infuraria1 earths, slioes of teeth,
and wood, marble, &c. The collections fdrmed b y Mr. Tennant for the student in Geology, Pala?ontolom, and Nineralogy, are admirably calculated to afford that acquaintance
with specimens, so indispensable to the acquisition of a
knovledge of Geolom. A series may be obtained, illustrative of the system of instruction suggcrted in these
volumes, and arranged in 3 sequence corresponding to the
order in which the fossils are dcrcribed. The price of 3
mahogany cabinet vith five tnys, containing 200 spccimens,
illustrative of the elementary ~ o r k ron Geology, is f i ~ e
guinea : cabinets with fexrcr and less valuable specimens
fmm two to three guineas. The following is an outline of
the contents of the f i ~ eguinea cabinetare either the components of Rocks, or
1 \ f m s a ~ which
s
ooeasionally imbeddcd in them:-Quartz, Agate, Chalcedonr, Jasper, Garnet, Zeolite, Hornblende, Augite, ASbestus,Felspar, Ilioa, Talc, Tourmaline, Calcareous Spar,
Fluor, Selenite,Baryta, Strootia, Salt, Sulphur, Plumbago,
Bitumen, So. &c.
NATIVEJIETUS,
or ~IETALLIFERODS
& ~ N E ;~these
S
are
found in masses or beds, in veins, andoccnrionaiiy in the
beds af rivers. Specimens of the follaaing hletallio Ores
are put in the Cabinet:-Iran, IIanganese, Lead, Tin,
Zinc, Copper, Antimony, Silver, Gold, Platina, &c.
Rocss; Granite, Gneiss, hliea-slate, Clay-date, P a r p h ~ q .
Serpentine, Sandstones,Limeitones, Basalt, LlraS, &c.
SILURIAN
FOSSILS
from the Llandeilo, Wenlock, and Lud10- Rocks.
988
DEALERS IN FOSSILS.
DEALEES IN FOSSILS.
Secondary Fossils from the Devonian, Carboniferous, Lias.
Oalite, Wealden, and Cretaceous Groups.
Tertiary Fossils from the Plastic Clar, London Clay,
Crag, &c.
Jlr. Tennant has also models of many unique and rare
fossils ; as for example, of the horn, claiu-banes, &c. of the
Iguanodon; lily encrinite; small models of the upright coaltrees, near Bolton; lb. Sopwith's models of rtratifieatian, &c.
To~~rrrc,Mr.,l,York-pl~e,Pent011~il~;
supplies boards
and eases, and every kind of fossil infuroria, &C.: . .
eolished
slices of fossii wood and teeth; and all kinds of mieroseopical
objeots, admirably prepared, and at moderate prices.
(sec p. 101.) may
Ibe obtained: inquire for "prtri/ied
T a n m m n , Mu,T e s t Cliff, King's-road, has often very
choice chalk fossils, admirably cleared, and at fair prices.
hlost of the pebbles cut and set in brooehcs, and sold by the
lapidaries and jewellers in this town, 33 Bdghton produotions, are common German moss-agates. The green
brooches, called Brighton aqua nilirincs! arc rolled fragments
of winc-battles. OccasionaUy good sections of the Ciio:r,8ilrs
990
sea-
anemones."
DOVER
MOSES.Snargate.street; h a genernlly a large oollection of
Chnlk and hlarl fossils; his pricer are high.
HASTINGS.
BISSEYDEN,
THO~IAS,
Test-street; OLIVER. ELIZABETA.
7, Parade: of whom Vealden fossils from the neighbouring
cliffs =may often he obtained.
LE-ES,
Nrcnosco~~s.-A microscope is now almost an indispensable instnunent far the ealleotor of fossil remains; and,
in fact, for the cultivator of any natnral science. A microscope su5cient far every useful purpose may be obtained,
at the price of from seven to twenty guineas, of
POWLI,Mr., 14, Clarendon-street, Clarendon-square.
P R I T C E A ~ ,hIr. Andrew, Sleet-street; the author of
various useful works an microreopical subjects. Nr.Pritchard's %ioroscape, of from seven to ten guineas, has been
purchased by several of my geolagieal friends, and admirably
answers the purpose of investigation,
Ross, Mr., 21, Featherstone-builIlicgs, Halhorn.
989
SUSSEX.
MARTI~,
J.,Mason, Fisher-street: the usual Chalk fossils
from the neighbouring quarries; and polished slabs of Sussex
marble. and of Brncklesham Septaria with shells (p. 373.).
Fossil wooA from Portland. Aov colleetar or Institution
having large specimens imbedded in .;tone to develope, may
safe17 eotrust them to Xr. Uartin ; he was the only
Derson
. .
that assisted me in dissecting the Tilgate fossils now in the
British hluseum, and has become an expert and cautions
workman.
Srn,roxs, T., a well-knam dealer; has nsually a large
collection of the ICentish Green Sand and Chnk forsils.
SBEERSESS.
&YES, Pn~nrcir,Sheppey-street, Blue Town. The usual
Sheppey fossils. According to his orrn list, he has for
sale,-pctrified wl~elk.sheils,coeklcr, clams, scrers, Sautilus.
Fruits, various: as beans, coffee, figs, nuts. Crabs, lobsten,
turtles. Fishes' heads, teeth, and spine-bones. His chnge
for perfect specimens is l l i ~ h a; Xautilur, cut in half and
DEALERS I N F O S S I I . ~ .
polished, presenting t a o perfect sections, 15s.; if imperftct,
Is. or 1s. A fish's head, or lobster, 10s. to 15s.; imperfect
examples, Gel. to 2s.;sec p. 898.
>YARIIINSTER.
BAKER, Mr.; dealer i n fossils. The Vnrminstcr green.
sand, and Chalk fossils.
&LLVERILS_-A ~omplcteseries of the minerals of Cumberland, comprising specimens of great beauty and interest, can
he obtained of Jom C O W P E A
~ ,l s t o ~ Cumberlaod.
,
This
collector formed one of the finest series I hare erer seen,
for the Rev. Charles Pritchard, F.R.S.; he may be relied
upon for his knowledge and attention, and his prices are very
modcrate.
5L
Bn1nsE NATURAL
R I s ~ o n SOCIETY,
r
for the distriblition of Fossils
and Reoent Shells, Londan Agent for the, 30, Tavistack.atieet.
Covent Garden.
blr,, a t the Geological Saoiety'a qartmenta, Samecset
CH~RLTOS,
House. For boards and t ~ b l e t sfor fossils;. .prepared
and backed
.
paper for diagrams; cabinets for specimens, &a. An excellent and
intelligent workman, and moderate in his charges.
Yr., 62, New Compton-street, Lapidaq. Prepares fossil
CUTTELL,
teeth, (Cr. for the rnicroeoope.
DaasEn. Nr., Lapidarg, 9, Paradise-street, Lambeth. Fossil and
recent objects for the miorosoope. Specimens of the infusorial
earths, teeth of fishes and reptiles, marbles, &c.
Eovmos, 40, High-street, CamdenTown. Forboards for odinets,
to affix fossil$, shells, &c. instead of tmys.
~ICLELLAN,
101, Great Russell-street, Bloamsbury. Nnnviactures
the trays for the British Iluseum. 'IYooden trays with black sides,
2 inches by 2, to 6 inches by 2, price 'is. per dozen. This prise is
muoh too high, except far public oollections. Common card or pasteboard t,rays nnswer every pwpose.
S ~ m o s s ,31r., 6, Frauois-street, liesingtan Butts. Collector of
fosrila; especially of choice Chalk fossile and fossil Eor&minifera
SOWERBY,
IIr. G. B. (the eminent nsturalist), 50, Great Russellatreet, ~ l o o m s b d . A l l kinds of minerals, fossils, and recent shells.
TEsslNr, >Cr. J. Professor of Mineralogy and Geoloa to King's
College, 119, Strand. Ereiy purchasable species of fossil, mineral,
or shell may be obtained; as well as the various mioroscapio fossils,
infnsorial earths, slices of teeth, wood, marble, Sc. The oollcotions formed by Mr. Teanant for the student in Geology, I'alnontology, and Mineralogy are admirnbly enlculat.ted to sfYord that
practicni acquaintance with specimens, so indispensable to the acqui.
sitian of a knowledce of Geolozv. A series mnv be abtGned, illus.
trntivc of the system of invtructioll ~"ggestcdin these ralomes, and
arranged in s sequence oorresponding to the order iu which the
W"
DClLERS IN FOSSILS.
m7
POULTOX,
>I?. C., \Voobum, near Nnrlow, Biicks; bea~~tiful
pre.
parations of minute fossil animal and vegetable strncturcs for the
microscope at 1s. 3d. per slide. Infusorinl enrtlls arl~ninblypre.
pnred. Specimens of farnminifera, recent and foasil. Grignon sand
with fom%minifer;i.&C.
P O V E LMr.,
~ 24, Clnondon-street, Clarenaon-square.
PILITCHARD,
Nr. Andrew, Fleebetreet; the author of various useful
works on mieroeeopical aubjeots. Mr. Pritchnrd's mierosoope, of
from seven to ten guineas, has been purchased by several of my geologics\ friends, and admirably answers the purpose of investigation.
Ross, Mr. 21, Featherstone.building~, Holborn; justly celebrated
for the perfection of his iustruments.
6, Colemm-atreet, City.
Sxmn and B ~ o Ilersrs.
g
BRIGHTON.
ILr. 52, Frederick-street, near the railway station,
NI~KTINGALE,
Brighton. A large acso~tmentd Sussex ohalk and other fossils.
Dlr. Nightingale ia s first.rate artist i n clearing chalk fishes and
crustaceans.
THATCHER,
Ur., West Cliff, King2s.road, has often very choice
chalk fossils, admirably cleared, and at fair prices.
hlost of the pebbles cut and set in brooches, and sold by the
lapidaries and jewellers in this town, as Brighton praductiona, are
common Ge7rns.n moss.agates. The green brooches, called Brigi~ton
aq'uc marines1 are rolled fragments of battle.glass. Occasionally good
sectiod of the Choanites (see p. 234) may be obtained: inquire for
'. petr$ed sea-anemones:'
CHEPEXRdlI, TILTS.
Byr, W ~ l . r l ~ x!or; Oxfor2 C:$!. fsr:::i of t h e y e l - e s t T ~ < c
83:I ?
in
Ll;kcr: pzrlee-.icn. Eqeeial!y ce!ebnteS f3r his ;i:ec\.?r;
aJ-nin':lz dere!opr:r.nr
of the sofc y2r.e oi B?:errxc.,:ii3:s.
DOVER
GlurFIms, Paradise-street.
NOSES,Stroud-street; has generally a large oolleotian of Chnlk
and Galt fossils.
DOG
DEALERS IX FOSSILS.
fossils are described. The price of a mnhognn1 cabinet a i t h fire
t n y s , contailling 200 specimens, illitatrative of thc elementary r ~ a r k ~
on Geology, is five guinens : cabinet3 with fexrer and less mlualiie
specimens from t!?o to three guineas. The following is nn outline of
t h e contents of the five guinea cabinetE i f ~ s ~ n ~vhich
b s are either the components of Rocks, or ocea.
sionally imbedded in them:-Quartz,Age.te, Chalcedony, Jnsper,
Garnet, Zeolite, Hornblende, Augite, Asbestus, Felapar, Xieq
Tale, Tourmaline, Calcareous Spar, Fluor, Selenite, Barrtr,
Strontia, Salt, Sulphur, Plumbago, Bitumen, &c.
h ' a n v z N w a ~ s ,or YETALLIFER~US
NIXERAL~;
these w e found in
masses or beds, in veins, and oocasionnlly in the beds of rireri.
Specimens of thefollowing NebllicOres &reputin the Cabinet:
-Iron, Nnnganese, Lead, Tin, Ziuc, Copper, Antimonr, Silvei;
Gold, Platins, ko.
Rooxs; Granite, Gneiss, Iiilio~slote, Ciay-alnte, Porphyq, Str.
pentine, Sandstones, Limestones, Basalt, Lavas, &c.
S n u n ~ a sFOSSILS
from the Llandeilo, Wenlook, and Ludlow
Rooks.
SEooaDdnY Foss1t.s from the Devonian, Carboniferous, Perminn,
Triassio, Liss, Oolite, Pu~beok,Wealden, and Cretaceoris Grolips.
TEnTLlnY FOSSILS
from the Thnnet Sands, Woolwich and Rearling
beds, Bracklesham, Carton, and London Clays, Isle of 'IVigllt
frechwnter series, Crag, &c.
Mr. Tennant has also models of mong unique m d rare foesilr ; n i
for ex?mple, teetFt, horn, claw-boner &c. of the Iguanodon; lily
encrinite; small models of the upright canl-trees, near Bolton; of
the magnificent Plesiosaurua of 31r. Hnlvkins's oolleetion, now in the
British Nuseum (prioe 41. 4s.); Nr. Sopwith's models of stratification, &c.
TOPPISU,
&Sr. 1, York-place, Pentonville-hill; supplies boards and
oases, and every kind of fossil infusoria, &C.; poli$ed slices of fossil
woad and teeth h; and all kinda of microscopicd objects, adminblr
prepared, and at moderate prices.
BPJTISII MUSLU~I.-Nodelsof some o f tile most remsrkntle foarila
in theSntionaJCollection (a list of whiehis puiilirhod in the "Sgnopii
of the British ALnseum") may be purchaeed of the Forinato~.e.
>f~cnosco~~s.--A
microscope is now an indispensable instrument
for the collector of fossil ren~nins:
. and.. in fact. for the cultirator 0:
an? natural science. A niicroscape sufficient for every urilful purj'o:+
u y be ohtairrrd, nt the ji!.ice of from seven to tmanty guinczs, of-
90s
DElLEnS I S FOSSILS
nmE, ILLE ox T I G ~ T .
Fownsros% Air, 4, X-ivtariz i r e a d e .
BnEE"Sr53.
RATES,
P ~ ~ n r cSL-cppeprtreei,
x,
Clar Town. The usud SheppeT
fossils. According to his a m liir, h? Ilnl fior sale,-petrified xhellr.
shells, cockle^, clams, sereic.s, Sautilus. Ernits, rarious; as beans,
coffer, figs, nuts. Crabs, lobsters. tnl.tles. Firhe%'heads, tceth, and
spinr-boner. His chzrge for perfeet rpcimeiir is high; aSautiliis,
cut in hnlf and polished, presenting two perfcct sections, 25s.; if im.
perfset, is. or 92. A fish's head, or lobster, 10s. to 1.58. ; imperfect
examgles, 6d. to 2s.; Bee p. 810.
VESTNOR. ISLE O F TICIIT.
WEEELER,CIIIRLES, Aolder's Seeside Cuttnge. An excellent
guide to the most intarostingloc~litiesnlong the routhem shore of
the island. Collects and sells speoimens.
WIRXINSTER.
BAKER, Xr.; dealer in fossils. The Wnrmiuster Green.smd, and
Chalk fossils.
PiET1100TE
D A ~ I O >fr.
N , ROBER?,dealer in forails; hns alm:~yson sale a lmge
and excellent collection of tlie organic remains from the neigllbourhood uf 'Weymoath, the Isle of Portland, aud Lyme Ilegis, Se. A
series of recent British shells, from 200 to 400 species, correotly
named.
Tons.
BRIrIsR ~~ATURAL-HISTOBY
S~CII<IIY,
for the distribution #r Fossils
and recent Shells; conductor, Sc. Blr. Chnrles\~orth,Curator of the
York Museum.
NOT= ON THE PRICES0 1 FOS~ILE.-A short communication bg
the Anthor to Ch&rleaworth'r London Geolagieal Journd, So. I.
p. 13, contains a list of the pricoe of serornl interesting foarile and
oollections of fossils.
HASTINGS.
BrrrEhn5:s, T~hinrs,'iVest.street; OGIVER,ELIZ,IBET~,
7, Pnrode;
of whom mealden fossils from the neighbouring cliffa mny often be
obhined.
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POETS CORNER
The f o l l o w i n g t w o poems were s p o t t e d by Susan Lewis ( H u l l U n i v e r s i t y ) and
a r e from A C e n t u r y o f Humorous Verse e d i t e d by Roger Lancelyn Green a n d
p u b l i s h e d by Deut (1968).
THE LAY OF THE TRIMBITE
A mountain's giddy h e i g h t I sought,
Because I c o u l d n o t f i n d
S u f f i c i e n t vague and mighty t h o u g h t
To f i l l my mighty mind;
And a s I wandered i l l , a t e a s e ,
There chanced upon my s i g h t
A n a t i v e of S i l u r i a n s e a s ,
An a n c i e n t T r i l o b i t e .
So calm, s o p e a c e f u l l y h e l a y ,
I watched him even w i t h t e a r s :
I t h o u g h t o f Monads f a r away
I n the forgotten years.
How wonderful i t seemed and r i g h t ,
The p r o v i d e n t i a l p l a n ,
That h e should be a T r i l o b i t e ,
And I s h o u l d b e a Man!
And t h e n , q u i t e n a t u r a l and f r e e
Out o f h i s rocky bed,
T h a t T r i l o b i t e h e spoke t o m e ,
And t h i s i s what h e s a i d :
'I d o n ' t know how t h e t h i n g was done,
Although I c a n n o t doubt i t ;
But Huxley
h e i f any one
Cam t e l l you a 1 1 a b o u t i t ;
'How a l l your f a i t h s a r e g h o s t s and dreams,
How i n t h e s i l e n t s e a
Your a n c e s t o r s were M o n o t r m e s
Whatever t h e s e may be;
How you e v o l v e d your s h i n i n g l i g h t s
O f wisdom and p e r f e c t i o n
From J e l l y - f i s h and T r i l o b i t e s
By n a t u r a l s e l e c t i o n .
-
-
You've Kant to mike your b r a i n s go round, 'You've ?!?!itice t o n a k e you f i g h t
Aegel you have t o c l e a r them,
A s i f you were poa*;essed;
You've cannon and y o u ' v e dynami-re
You've M r Browning t o confound,
And Mr Punch t o c h e e r them!
To g i v e t h e n a t i o n s r e s t :
The s i d e t h a t makes t h e l o u d e s t d i n
Th,e n a t i v e of an a l i e n l a n d
You c a l l a man and b r o t h e r ,
I s s u r e s t t o be r i . g h t ,
And g r e e t w i t h hymn-book i n one hand, And o h , a p r e r r p f i x y r u ' r n i n : '
knd p i s t o l i n t h e o t h e r !
Rezarked t h e T r i l . o i . ~ i t e ,
' R u t g e n t l . s , str.lpi+,, Eree f r o n
WO P
7 l i v e 8 ,amon:, my n a t i o n ,
T didn't care
I d i d n ' t know
T h a t I was 3 C r : . ~ s t a c e a n .
J d i d n ' t zrnrnble, d i d n ' t s t e a l ,
'I l e v e r took t o rhyme:
S a l t w a t e r was my frtiga! meal.,
And c a r b o n n t ~o f li,me. '
-
ReLuctantZy I t u r n e d nv?y,
No o e b e r word h e s a i d ;
An a r c i e n t T r i l o b j t e be l a y
l<!< t h i n h i s r o c k y bed,
T d i d n o t answer him, f o r t h a t
idould have annoyed my p r i d e :
X rnereiy bowed, and r a i , r e d my h a t ,
But i n my h e a r t I c r i e d :
' T wish o u r b r a i n s were n o t s o good,
I wish o:lr s k ~ ! l . l swere t h i c k e r ,
I wish t h a t EvoLt~tion cou1.d
ltave s t o p p e d a L i t t l e q u i c k e r ;
For o h , i t was a happy p l i g h t ,
Of l j b e r r y a n d e a s e ,
To be a s i m p l e T r i l o b i t e
Tn t h e S i l u r i a n s e a s . '
May :<endall (1861-2943).
The p o m d a t e s from 1885.
THE MISSING LINK
Beside t h e r a i l , d e s p i t e t h e g a l e ,
Old Noah took each t i c k e t ,
And r e g i s t e r e d each b e a s t and b i r d
That passed i n s i d e t h e wicket.
And when a t l a s t they had made f a s t
A s much a s they could stow away.
He c r i e d 'Let go! c u t loose: yo ho!
H o i s t gang! avast! heave ho
away!'
With heave and yank, up came the plank,
A - s t r a i n i n g and a-creaking,
When, r i s i n g o ' e r the wind and r o a r ,
They heard two v o i c e s s h r i e k i n g -
'Take us aboard! You c a n ' t a f f o r d
So c r u e l l y t o f l o u t us!
We a r e a p a i r extremely r a r e ;
No a r k ' s complete without us.'
Down went t h e gang, and up t h e r e sprang
Before them, through the c u r t a i n
Of b l i n d i n g r a i n , t h e oddest twain,
Of genus most u n c e r t a i n .
They'd human shape, y e t l i k e t h e ape
Were c a u d a l l y appended;
And, s t r a n g e t o t e l l , t h e i r f e e t a s w e l l ,
Like a p e s ' , i n f i n g e r s ended.
-
-
say?
Quoth Noah: 'Pray, who a r e you
Human, o r a n t h r o p o i d a l ? '
'You t a k e s your c h o i c e ! ' a s w i t h o n e v o i c e
They c r i e d , which s o annoyed a l l
The apes on board w i t h one accord
They screamed f o r i n d i g n a t i o n ;
'Twas v e r y c l e a r the)! would n o t h e a r
Of any such r e l a t i o n .
Said Noah: 'Though y o u ' r e r a r e , I know
You're n o t f o r my c o l l e c t i o n ;
And though n o t v a i n , I must r e f r a i n
From claiming t h e connection.'
With small r e g r e t t h e p a i r h e s e t
On s h o r e mid c h e e r s and h i s s i n g ,
And t h a t ' s t h e way i t comes today
The MISSING LINK i s missing.
O l i v e r Herford (1863-1935)
The poem d a t e s from 1906.
Mineral Impwh
31 Stanley Road Teddington Middlesex
Telephone 0
19432307
Ron Berlin BSc FGA
Importers and wholesalers of crystals and
minerals from classic localities throughout
An inexpensive range of attractive
geological specimens ideal for
resale as educational souvenirs.
Including Calcite Azurite
*Tourmaline Topaz Selenite
*Sulphur 0 Chalcopyrite Garnet
Fluorite Beryl * Pyrite
THE PERlOSONlC
BRINGS DRAMATIC
IMPROVEMENT TO
ULTRASONIC CLEANING
Originally desjgned for the dental
wrofesson, where its advanced features
-
~
--
. .....
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Extensive use of micro- circuit^
....---
pcs Io? zne-nal c 1301r ^ 3 ~ , 3lor
rz-nanaj ope'ar o r ol Ip ' u ~ ocr ~a r a
spra, p z j r .e .-a:e.c.t-oi' ;ira
BENBENT