e bones and
teeth of animals, fossil wood, and the impressions of vegetable stems,
roots, or leaves, etc., are of the greatest importance; affording
generally the most marked characters of the strata in which they occur.
These should, therefore, be particularly sought after, and their relative
abundance or rarity in different situations noticed. The petrified bodies
should, if possible, be kept united with portions of the rock or matrix
in which they are found; and where they are numerous, in sand, clay, or
any moist or friable matrix, it is in general better to retain a large
portion of the whole mass, to be examined afterwards, than to attempt
their separation at the time of collecting.

8. The loose materials which are found above the solid rocks, in the form
of gravel, silt, rolled pebbles, etc., should be carefully distinguished
from the solid strata upon which they repose. And the more ancient of
these loose materials, found on the sides or summits of hills, etc.,
should be distinguished from the recent mud, sand, and gravel, brought
down by land-floods, or rivers. The bones and teeth of animals are not
unfrequently found in gravel of the former description; and the
collection of these remains from distant quarters of the globe, is an
object of the greatest interest to geology.

9. Besides a note of the locality, there ought, if possible, to accompany
every specimen, a short notice of its geological circumstances; as:

Whether it be found in large shapeless masses, or in strata?

If in strata, what are the thickness, inclination to the horizon, and
direction with respect to the compass, of the beds? [If these cannot be
measured, an estimate should always be recorded, while the objects are in
view.] Are they uniform in dip and direction? curved, or contorted?
continuous, or interrupted by fissures or veins?

Is the whole cliff, or mass of strata in sight, of uniform composition?
or does it consist of different kinds of stone?

If the strata be different, what is the order in which they are placed
above each other successively?

10. A label, distinctly written, should accompany every specimen, stating
its native place, its relative situation, etc., etc. And these labels
should be connected with the specimens immediately, on the spot where
they are found. This injunction may appear to be superfluous; but so much
valuable information has been lost to geology from the neglect of it,
that every observer of experi