Werner 07i Fossil Organic Remains. 79 



sea plants were of more ancient origin than land plants. A 

 careful study of the genera and species of petrifactions, disclo- 

 sed to him another important fact, viz, that the petrifactions 

 contained in the oldest rocks are very different from any of the 

 species of the present time ; that the newer the formation, the 

 more do the remains approach in form to the organic beings of 

 the present creation ; and that, in the very newest formations, 

 fossil remains of the presently existing species occur. He also 

 ascertained, that the petrifactions in the oldest rocks are much 

 more mineralized than those in the newer rocks, and that in the 

 newest rocks they are merely bleached or calcined. He found 

 that some species of petrifactions were confined to particular 

 beds, others were distributed throughout the whole formations, 

 and others seem to occur in several different formations ; the 

 original species found in these formations appearing to have 

 been so constituted, as to live through a variety of changes, 

 which has destroyed hundreds of other species, which we find 

 confined to particular beds. 



3. Werner's Advice to Students of Geology. 



The following observations, addressed to students of geology 

 by Werner, as given by Daubuisson in his excellent System of 

 Geology, will be read with interest. 



I would, in the first place, he says, remind them, that there 

 are various branches of physical science with which they must 

 be acquainted. 



In the first rank we would place Mineralogy {Oryctognosy), 

 the department of natural history which makes us acquainted 

 with simple minerals, and enables us to distinguish them from 

 each other. All the observations of the geologist who is unac- 

 quainted with it are imperfect, and generally of but little value. 

 When he would ascertain the constitution of a formation {ter- 

 rain), and such is almost always his object, he must first indi- 

 cate the mineral substances which enter into its constitution, 

 and then describe the manner in which they are disposed. 

 Mineralogy can alone enable him to execute the first ; and it is 

 only when it has been accomplished that he can properly pass 

 to the second. How many estimable naturalists have unprofit- 

 ably wasted their time and their labour, from having engaged 



