290 FOSSIL GEOLOGY OF UNITED STATES. 
CHAPTER XXVIL 
FOSSIL GEOLOGY OF THE UNITED STATES. 
Definition.— Paleontology. — Buckland's Remarks on the Study 
of Fossil Geology. — Tournefort's Idea of Fossils. — John 
Locke's do. Petrifactions. — How Produced.— Illustrations. — 
Organic Remains.— How Coloured. — Fossil Mammaha of the 
United States.— Big Bone Lick.— Mastodon.— Megatherium, 
&c. — Period when these Remains were Deposited. — Most re- 
markable Forms of Fossil Organization. — Encrinitai or Cri- 
noideal Limestone. 
By ^fossil \s understood any body, or the traces 
of the existence of any body, whether animal or 
vegetable, which has been buried in the earth by 
natural causes. That department of geology which, 
treats of fossil zoology and fossil botany has lately 
received the appellation of Paleontology, from 
^'palaios,^^ ancient, and " ontology,'''' the science of be- 
ings. "The study of organic remains," says Buck- 
land, " forms the pecuhar feature and basis of mod- 
ern geology, and is the main cause of the progress 
this science has made since the commencement of 
the present century. We find certain families of or- 
ganic remains pervading strata of every age, under 
nearly the same generic forms which they present 
among existing organizations. Other families, both 
of animals and vegetables, are limited to particular 
formations, there being certain points where entire 
groups ceased to exist, and were replaced by others 
of a different character. The changes of genera 
and species are still more frequent; hence it has 
been well observed, that to attempt an investiga- 
tion of the structure and revolutions of the earth, 
without applying minute attention to the evidences 
afforded by organic remains, would be no less ab» 
