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VI.] 



GEOLOGY 





ideas on the cliniate of the world during the late tertiary 

 periods. Any shells embedded in '' till " (though, unfortu- 

 nately, of very rare occurrence) would decide this point, and 

 it might probably be closely iudged of, if till or boulders 

 ^vere found resting on, or covered by, shell deposits. 



As geology includes 



n 



a oj 



Be 



the history of the organic inhabitants, as well as of the in- 

 organic materials, of the world, facts on distribution come 

 under its scope. Earth has been observed on icebergs in 

 the open ocean ; portions of such earth ought to be col- 



lected, washed with fresh-water, filtered, gently dried, 



wrapped up in brown })ciper, and sent home by the first 



opportunity to be tried, with due precautions 



whether 



any seeds still alive are included in it. Again, the roots 

 of any tree cast up on an island in the open ocean should 

 be split open, to see if any earth or stones are included 

 (as often happens), and this earth ought to be treated like 

 that from icebergs : it is truly surprising how many seeds 

 are often contained in extremely small portions of earth. 



Any 



have the contents of its intestines dried for the same 



with a towing-net, fish-3 for 



raminivorous bird, caught far out at sea, ouglit to 



The zoologist who 



object. 



floating unnute animals, ought to observe whether seeds 



■^^, insect 



are thus taken. These experiments, though troublesome, 

 undoubtedly, would be well worth trying. All facts or 

 traditional statements by the inhabitants of any island or 

 coral-reef, on the first arrival of any bird, reptile 

 or remarkable plant, ought to be collected. In those 

 rare cases in which showers of fish, reptiles, shells, earth, 

 seeds, confcrvae, &c., have fallen from the sky, every fact 

 should be recorded, and specimens collected. 



Volcanic Phenomena. — The voyager will probably have 



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