Natural History - Calcite and Hematite on Pyrite Crystal Specimen

A large Charonosaurus sp. hadrosaur egg retaining evidence of the original leathery surface. 3.4 kg, 16 cm



Acquired 1983-1990. Private collection, Hove, UK.

Hadrosaurs were large dinosaurs, growing up to 10 metres in length, belonging to the ‘Duck-Billed’ group of dinosaurs. They are considered the ‘herd animal’ of the Cretaceous, having been found buried together in their thousands. Dinosaur egg fossils are known from approximately two-hundred sites around the word, particularly in Asia. This nest comes from the Xixia Formation, Henan region of China, which produces some of the best preserved eggs in the world. These eggs can yield entire embryos within them, making them an essential tool for understanding the biology of these creatures.

Comprising: a cut and polished agate slice from Brazil, repaired, collection number 352; cobalto-smithsonite from Tsumeb, Namibia, South West Africa, collection number 562; malachite with quartz from Mexico, collection number 59; actinolite from Canada, collection number 16; wollastonite from Devon, England, collection number 159; antimony, collection number 584; fluorite from Cumbria, England, collection number 9; hematite from Cumbria, collection number 7; calcite from England, collection number 102. 94 grams total, 14-50 mm



Acquired on the UK mineral and fossil market, since 1970. From the historic mineral collection of Richard Valentine Cain, London, UK, thence by descent. Seven specimens accompanied by an original historic index file card.

Comprising two teeth with partial root; one repaired. 31 grams total, 57-59 mm



From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection.