[19] COLLECTING AND PREPARING FOSSILS SCHUCHERT. 



FIELD LABELS AND NOTES. 



It is not necessary to place a field label with every fossil unless the 

 specimens are large and packed in different boxes, or when there is 

 some important geologic fact connected with a specimen. The usual 

 way is to pack one or two field labels together with the fossils of one 

 locality and geologic horizon in each package or box. 



In the note-book the geographic position of the locality and the hori- 

 zon of the fossils should be carefully noted. Also draw a profile or 

 "section" of the rocks as seen, giving the thickness of the beds. JSTote 

 also the dip of the rocks when determinable, and the strike, which is 

 at right angles to the prevailing dip of the strata. Each locality can 

 be given a number and the beds of each section letters. If this is 





FIELD LABEL. 





Notebook 



Date: 





Page 









o 



Locality : 



m 

 o 



H 





w 



D 





H 



H 





fe 



H 







a 





CO 



M 





tzl 



S; 





>■ 



<i 





g 









^ 





O 



o 





a 



<» 





> 



« 





V 



fH 







S 







ZO 



Remarks : 







d 







g 



Collector : 



Fig. 4.— Museum field label. 



done, it will simplify the writing ^f field labels, since the number of 

 the locality and the letter of the zone from which the fossils came is all 

 that is required. Another way is to write out this detailed informa- 

 tion on the field label. The number of the book, aud the page on which 

 the information relating to the fossil in question is given, should be on 

 the field label, also the date when collected and the name of the col- 

 lector. A copy of the field label in use by the National Museum is 

 given above. 



PART IV. — PREPARATION OF FOSSILS FOR STUDY. 



SEPARATING FOSSILS. 



Having received the boxes in the laboratory, they are to be unpacked 

 and distributed into drawers or trays, each lot of fossils being kept 

 separate with its proper field label. The fossils are next to be washed 

 thoroughly with a stiff brush and water to rid them of all loose mud. 

 This, however, can not be done with a great number of fossils, because 



