“The Art Gallery at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum at Exeter was filled on Saturday night, when one of the series of free evening lectures was delivered by Mr F.G. Collins, F.G.S., the subject being 'Fossils: What they are and what they teach us.' [summary of lecture content follows].

Some exceptionally beautiful views of the Cathedral, which were introduced for the purpose of illustrating the stonework, were lent by Miss Clarke. The lantern was worked by Mr Rowley, the curator, who next week will deal with 'Microscopic life in ponds and rock pools.'”

“Business responsibilities have prevented me from attending the fortnightly Museum lectures, but I managed to hear Mr F.R.[sic] Collins, F.R.G.S.[sic], on Saturday night, tell us all about fossils. Let me say at once that it was most entertaining from start to finish, and that Mr Collins has an excellent style and enunciation. It was Sir Robert Ball, I think, who made scientific lectures popular by introducing some of his Hibernian humour. Mr Collins was also full of anecdote, several of his stories being of Sir Richard Owen, the eminent zoologist. [...]

Mr Colllins' pictures were especially interesting. One of them was unique -- it was a photograph of the roof of Exeter Cathedral, showing the unbroken line of 400 feet. This was taken by Miss Clarke whilst the scaffolding for the new West Window was in position -- an opportunity, of course, that will not recur in our generation, unless something very special should happen. And what point do you think the lecturer was enforcing? That the Purbeck marble of which those beautiful pillars are composed is nothing but a fossilised deposit of snails, and he described the conditions under which it was laid. [...]”