Biography of Baron Leopold von Buck. 9 



spect by those of regal Saxony and Austria, have, from a 

 sense of its great utility and importance, taken into their 

 hands the geognostic delineation of their respective terri- 

 tories. The impulse and pattern proceeded from the labours 

 of Buch. 



In my chronological dates of Buch's labours hitherto, I 

 have chiefly followed the account given by the late Fr. Hoff- 

 mann, in his " Geschichte der Geognosie," 1838. In many 

 respects, my own very limited opinion was able essentially 

 to coincide with it ; and for a great deal that I cannot compre- 

 hend in this sketch, I would refer those who may be desirous 

 of learning more about Buch's works, to the excellent publi- 

 cation of Hoffmann. But even in it we find nothing like a 

 perfect catalogue of his numerous monographs and papers. 

 His works of this sort, included in the Transactions of the 

 Berlin Academy alone, would fill several thick volumes, not 

 to speak of what have appeared in various other periodicals, 

 in the shape of articles or correspondence. But in all these 

 prevails the same comprehensive and combining spirit, inter- 

 rogating nature, giving happy interpretations to her answers, 

 and exhibiting all the precision required by the exact sci- 

 ences. 



The study and progress of palaeontology, by means of 

 which modern geology has made such considerable progress, 

 was at once comprehended by Buch, in all those relations by 

 which alone it could preserve its real value. It was not 

 merely the form and anatomy of the plants and animals of a 

 former world which he endeavoured to determine by distinct 

 and immutable characters ; but he was deeply sensible how 

 important it was to apprehend the continuous metamorphoses 

 of these formations, through all the periods of the earth's 

 development, to determine the limits relative to time and 

 space, and especially to the successive deposits [Uebereinan- 

 derlagerungen] in the earth's crust, for the different forms 

 of genus and species. The notion and term of " Pilot shells'' 

 (Leitmuscheln), which, as being easy to be recognised and 

 determined, everywhere facilitate geognostic inquiry, were 

 introduced by him, and found of very great advantage to 

 science. So early as 1806 he had, almost prophetically, in a 



