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  nate 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  fossil 
  in 
  natural 
  exposures, 
  or 
  their 
  constant 
  devel- 
  

   opment 
  from 
  the 
  increased 
  number 
  of 
  quarries 
  and 
  excavations 
  from 
  

   public 
  improvements. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  those 
  species 
  originally 
  figured 
  in 
  

   an 
  imperfect 
  condition 
  may 
  be 
  represented 
  in 
  their 
  perfect 
  state; 
  and 
  

   the 
  difficulty 
  and 
  annoyance 
  avoided 
  that 
  may 
  arise, 
  and 
  has 
  often 
  arisen, 
  

   from 
  describing 
  as 
  two 
  species 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  animal. 
  

  

  Moreover, 
  undescribed 
  species, 
  can 
  be 
  of 
  little 
  use 
  to 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  

   an 
  amateur; 
  and 
  however 
  many 
  he 
  may 
  have 
  thus 
  circumstanced, 
  he 
  

   cannot 
  use 
  them 
  to 
  advantage 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  mode 
  of 
  exchange 
  for 
  

   others, 
  since 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  designated 
  by 
  name. 
  A 
  fossil 
  to 
  be 
  valuable 
  in 
  

   the 
  eyes 
  of 
  a 
  geologist 
  or 
  palaeontologist, 
  must 
  have 
  a 
  name 
  and 
  the 
  true 
  

   geological 
  position 
  given, 
  or 
  it 
  sinks 
  in 
  his 
  estimation 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  a 
  mere 
  

   object 
  of 
  curiosity 
  ; 
  while 
  otherwise, 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  place 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  its 
  zoologi- 
  

   cal 
  relations, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  its 
  succession, 
  or 
  time, 
  doubly 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  to 
  the 
  naturalist. 
  

  

  Since 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  impossible, 
  with 
  the 
  limited 
  means 
  possessed 
  by 
  the 
  

   palaeontologist, 
  to 
  collect 
  and 
  describe 
  every 
  species, 
  and 
  since 
  it 
  must 
  

   be 
  expected 
  that 
  new 
  species 
  will 
  be 
  obtained 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  half 
  century, 
  

   from 
  the 
  rocks 
  already 
  examined, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  every 
  year 
  will 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  something 
  to 
  be 
  done, 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  subject 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  know- 
  

   ledge 
  we 
  possess. 
  It 
  is 
  equally 
  true 
  that 
  whatever 
  means 
  are 
  adopt- 
  

   ed, 
  much 
  must 
  still 
  remain 
  to 
  be 
  discovered. 
  Excavations 
  for 
  railroads, 
  

   canals, 
  and 
  the 
  improvement 
  of 
  highways, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  increased 
  

   number 
  of 
  quarries 
  opened 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  wants 
  of 
  an 
  increasing 
  popula- 
  

   tion, 
  will 
  constantly 
  bring 
  to 
  light 
  new 
  fossils, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  other 
  objects 
  

   of 
  natural 
  science. 
  If 
  every 
  student 
  or 
  collector 
  finding 
  fossils 
  unde- 
  

   scribed 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  work 
  on 
  Palaeontology, 
  would 
  forward 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  

   curator 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Rooms 
  at 
  Albany, 
  the 
  annual 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  

   Regents 
  offer 
  an 
  opportunity 
  for 
  having 
  them 
  properly 
  described 
  and 
  

   figured 
  ; 
  thus 
  permanently 
  preserving 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  collection, 
  the 
  origi- 
  

   nals 
  of 
  these 
  fossils, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  adding 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   ject, 
  and 
  enhancing 
  the 
  interest 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  his 
  collection. 
  Many 
  

   collectors, 
  residing 
  upon 
  the 
  ground, 
  have 
  it 
  in 
  their 
  power 
  to 
  furnish 
  

   better 
  specimens 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  collection, 
  than 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  power 
  

   of 
  the 
  Palaeontologist 
  to 
  do, 
  from 
  his 
  limited 
  time 
  for 
  examining 
  indi- 
  

   vidual 
  localities. 
  Such 
  specimens 
  greatly 
  enhance 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  collection, 
  and 
  furnish 
  facilities 
  for 
  further 
  elucidation 
  of 
  

   the 
  subject. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  necessary 
  for 
  me 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  same 
  appeal 
  

   for 
  all 
  the 
  departments. 
  

  

  For 
  Palaeontology, 
  however, 
  I 
  will 
  make 
  another 
  observation. 
  Spe- 
  

   cies 
  have 
  heretofore 
  been 
  described 
  chiefly 
  from 
  exterior 
  characters, 
  

  

  