Natural History - Historic 'Switzerland' Hematite on Actinolite Mineral Specimen

Diplomystus sp. fossil fish on a matrix slab showing good detail to the spine and ribs. 9.4 kg, 46 x 61.5 cm



From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection.

A pair of Charonosaurus sp. hadrosaur eggs on a matrix retaining evidence of the original leathery surface. 8.85 kg, 27.5 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: quartz from Lake District, England, collection number 539; colourless optical calcite, collection number 245; acicular aragonite from Frizington, Cumbria, England, collection number 262; a cut slice of twinned stalactite, collection number 330; micaceous sandstone from England, collection number 182; quartz from North Transvaal, South Africa, collection number 206; siltstone(?) with partial collection number 05; olivenite from Tsumeb, South West Africa, collection number 428; cerussite and pyromorphite from Leadhills, Strathclyde, Scotland, collection number 526, with an old Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd label. 394 grams total, 33-77 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.