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6. Volcanic products, Lavas and tuffs.
7. Eruptive action. Older rocks.
8. Ancient eruptive rocks and
crystalline shales (meta-morphism).
9. Eocks of mechanical origin.
The museum is celebrated for its palaeontological collections,and is of course richest in those from Swiss horizons. The collec-tion of fossils from the Geissberg shales is the best known; audindeed the whole collection from the Aargovian jura (curator, DrMcesch), is amongst the largest yet brought together. There areexcellent collections from the Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks(curator, Professor Mayer), and of these, those from the Miocene occupy the greatest space. Oeningen , “ the richest fossil localityin Europe, ” is well represented, especially by its plants (curator,Professor Heer). There are also good series of Glarus fishes,Muschelkalk invertebrates, and of Liassic fossils from the classicSchambelen. The geologist or palaeontologist who wishes tostudy the rocks and fossils of Switzerland can advantageouslypursue his studies here, and if he is fresh from the reading ofProfessor Heer ’s book, he can have under his eye much of theactual material from which it was written. In addition to thepalaiontological department, there are departments of mineralogy(curator, Professor Kenngott), and general and alpine geology.
On the whole there is not much to find fault with as regardsthe arrangement of the specimens. There is some want oflabelling, probably due to the necessity of economising space.The fossils are loose in trays; but the work of putting them ontablets has apparently begun. Much trouble is taken with theregister numbers; where possible they are varnished over topreserve them. The floor is of unpolished pine, a pleasantexception to most of the slippery public places of the conti-nent.
Professor Mayer took a good deal of pains to explain thearrangements of the museum, and seemed anxious to give hisvisitor every possible assistance.
Lausanne .—The museum at Lausanne contains a good seriesof Miocene plants and of fossils from the Carboniferous rocksof the Ehone Valley and the neighbourhood of Mont Blanc.These latter rocks are of special interest to the visitor from thisnorthern part of Britain . For a long time their geological positionwas in doubt. Owing to the manner in which the strata arecontorted and folded, they were referred to a latter geologicalepoch than that to which they really belong ; but by a carefuldetermination of the fossil flora it was found that the occurrenceof characteristic Carboniferous plants clearly established the age