HL UaWKEVE ORNITHOLOGIST AND G.OI.OCIST. 



now standing was deposited, and 

 these shells as they died, were buried 

 in this sediment, being first filled 

 with sand. 



The shells which lived in that aged 

 ocean, of which we have been speak- 

 ing, died and were buried in the 

 sediment brought down by the Silu- 

 rian rivers, which drained the con- 

 tinent, the same as our river systems 

 drain our continental bodies now. 

 This continent, though, extended far 

 to the north. The pressure of the 

 ocean, about 9,000 pounds per cubic 

 foot, together with internal heat, 

 hardened this sediment, making rock 

 of it. Since then it has been raised 

 from the ocean's bed, and beautified 

 for the advent of man. 



Fossils is the name given to all 

 such petrified remains of vegetable 

 and animal life, and 'twas by study- 

 the fossils of our country that the 

 geologist has been able to trace the 

 history of animal life, even from that 

 remote sea where all was so dark and 

 gloomy, the Azoic sea. Prom the 

 first appearance of life in the Eozoic 

 seas, he has been able to trace the 

 different forms of animal life, which 

 increased in species and order, but 

 decreased in number, until the order 

 next lower to man was reached. 

 Then man was created, not by evolu- 

 tion, but as a separate, holy creation: 

 and the last touch was thus added to 

 this beautiful earth. 



This is what the geologist has ac- 

 complished by his persistent studv; 

 and his work has been practical as 

 well. Our coal mines are valuable, and 

 it is beautiful to think of these grand 

 treasures stored away for centuries 

 by a kind and benevolent God, that 

 we might use them for our own bene- 

 fit and comfort. But God has done 

 more than this: He not only stored 

 away the coal for us, but also sent us 

 the geologist, that is. gave us minds 



that can be developed by studying 

 the works of God through nature. 



If we were to dig for coal and other 

 valuable minerals where they do not 

 exist, much labor would be wasted. 

 The science of geology, though still 

 in its youth, enables us to locate the 

 presence of valuable minerals, if they 

 are to be found; and, if geology tells 

 us that no coal exists in a certain 

 region, 'twould be foolish for us to 

 search for it. 



"The geologist may be mistaken," 

 you say. You would hardly wish to 

 iuvest your money in such vague 

 speculations as this. The geologist 

 has studied this subject well; he 

 ought to know, and the outcome wul 

 be a loss of the money that you in- 

 vest in digging for coal in such re- 

 gions. 



There is no coal in the north east- 

 ern part of Iowa. The coal regions 

 are to the south west of us, along the 

 Des Moines river; therefore it would 

 be useless to dig for coal here. My 

 space is too limited to give the reasons 

 in full why coal is not found in 

 strata below the carboniferous; 

 but in the near future I in- 

 tend to write an article giving 

 these reasons in detail. In closing, 

 let. us bear this in mind, there is 

 nothing that improves the intellect 

 like a study of che Natural Sciences. 

 Observe and investigate, no matter 

 where you are. Even the roughest 

 stones can teach you a valuable les- 

 son. There is history in Nature. 

 You can read it if you try. Go, then, 

 and do your best. Use all your spare 

 moments in studying these wonder- 

 ful works of God. 



Lieutenant Greely believes that 

 there is an ocean 1500 miles in diame- 

 ter round about the pole, that never 

 freezes, and conjectures that the pole 

 itself is the center of an ice-capped 

 land, covered with ice from 1000 to 

 4000 feet thick. 



