PREFACE 



Every year hundreds of people pick up fossils in Ohio and become interested in them. If 

 their interest is more than casual, they want a book that will tell them something about their 

 finds. Books about fossils are many, but most of them are written in disappointingly technical 

 language. That is why we have tried to write one that would be understood by the non -profes- 

 sional. We hope this book will provide an introduction to the subject and answer the many 

 questions usually asked about fossils. It is not meant to be a complete account of Ohio pale- 

 ontology; it deals only with the commoner species, the ones that anybody is likely to pick up 

 in Ohio. We hope it will at least open the door to the subject of paleontology, the study of 

 fossils, a fascinating hobby that can be enjoyed without extensive training or equipment. To 

 simplify searching, technical terms not usually found in dictionaries are explained in the text 

 and listed in the index. 



The "you" for whom this book is written and to whom it is addressed includes all 

 Ohioans interested in fossils. May you have as much fun reading and using it as we had writing 

 it. 



During the preparation of this bulletin we have had much help and encouragement which 

 it is a pleasure to acknowledge. Dr. J. E. Carman allowed us to draw on his thorough and 

 detailed knowledge of Ohio stratigraphy and paleontology; his kindly and searching criticism 

 of the manuscript is much appreciated. Mr. R. E. Lamborn and Miss Pauline Smyth of the 

 Ohio Division of Geological Survey read parts of the manuscript and contributed information 

 on topics with which they are particularly familiar. Mr. W. C. Brown, also of the Survey, 

 gave us much good advice on many points important to the non-geologist. Dr. J. M. Schopf, 

 of the United States Geological Survey, read the part of the text dealing with fossil plants and 

 his advice on that subject is gratefully acknowledged. Mr. R. S. Bowman gave us much 

 information on Silurian fossils. Dr. E. S. Thomas, Curator of Natural History at the Ohio 

 State Museum, gave us his impressions of the text from the standpoint of a naturalist. Our 

 colleagues in the department of geology at the Ohio State University, Drs. C. A. Lamey, 

 J. O. Fuller, R. P. Goldthwait, H. J. Pincus, M. P. Weiss, and.S. E. White, have read 

 the manuscript in its final stages and have contributed useful information on many points. 



Finally, we realize that in spite of much care and revision we may have made inadvertent 

 errors or failed to mention or emphasize pertinent topics. We shall be grateful to anyone who 

 will be good enough to call our attention to these faults and we shall endeavor to correct them 

 in later editions of this bulletin. 



