The strange case of the Dudley Bug

摘要

Or, how the 'Dudley Bug' escapes from a town Museum in the English Midlands and tries to find its way back on to Dudley's Coat of Arms... On 10 March 2005, two of the finest specimens of the 'Dudley Bug' or 'Dudley Locust' (the Much Wenlock Limestone Formation trilobite Calymene blumenbachii) were stolen from displays at Dudley Museum in the English Midlands. This happened during a very busy period when the museum was heaving with schools and casual visitor*. The specimens in question (Figs 1 & 2) were behind a bulletproof laminate cover immediately beneath a security camera located in the illustrated timeline section of the brand new 'Dudley UnEarthed' geological gallery (Fig, 3), which opened in December 2004, This shocked the museum staff, who believed the security measures to be very good. It resulted in a heartfelt public outcry which ultimately saw the return of the fossils.