167 



c'ns: upon the shoulders of one man the work of half a dozen, the Ameri- 

 can Survey has this subject so arranged that to one person is entrusted 

 the division of the vertebrates as distinct from the invertebrates, the latter 

 also being divided into the Paleozoic or ancient and C'enozoic or recent 

 divisions, while in the case of fossil plants, fishes and insects, these are 

 for the most ]:)art assigned to specialists in each of these branches, and 

 in this way the very highest results are attained in each subject. 



The division of geography or topographic work is one of the most 

 important of the whole. Finding, as in Canada, the exceeding diffi- 

 culty of doing accurate geological work without a good ground plan or 

 map on which the observations made can be systematically recorded 

 this division has been organized to meet the required want. This work 

 employs nearly one hun Ired perso.is alone in the scientific work rela- 

 ting to the making and arrangement of the surveys, including ten 

 draughtsmen, but the very great utihty derived from having good and 

 reliable maps of the country ready to hand for the work of the geologi- 

 cal staff pr()j)i.r is such that whatever extra expense is incurred in their 

 construction is amply repaid Of course, in the comparison of countiies 

 like the United States and Canada, the condition-- of which are alike 

 principally as regards area, while the one has already an enormous 

 development of wealth and ])opulaiion and the other an immense terri- 

 tory and a scattered population, such comparison appears to place 

 Canada in a very unfavourable aspect unless the diverse conditions are 

 thoroughly comprehended. 



Although the work of the Geological Survey of Canada has been 

 going steadily lorward for almost half a century, it is surjjrising how 

 few persons ri ally understand what is the legitimate scope of the labours 

 undertaken by its staff or in what direction the field work should 

 actually extend. Thus many persons apparently have the impression 

 that one part ot least of its duties should be the examination of every 

 locality where minerals may be fancied to exist by any person who 

 may indulge the often foolish notion that there should be unlimited 

 wealth in the rocks which may constitute a large part of his real estate. 

 Such persons entertain the idea that not only should surface indications 

 be carefully ex|)lored for their own particular benefit, bat that even 

 excavations, shafts or bore holes should be put down, and in fact that 



