6o The /hncrican Geologist. Januarj. i89t> 
Coal Measures, that no coal bed can be certainly identified 
beyond the area of its continuous outcrop, and hence must 
be given a local name for every isolated area, thus adding 
greatly to the burden of geological nomenclature, a fault of 
geologists everywhere, which has become so grievous that 
the International Congress has been invoked this summer 
. to consider a remedy for the matter. The confusion pro- 
duced by this useless giving of many names to the same 
thing is an evil for vx^hich a remedy must be speedily found, 
or it will soon bring all geological work into deserved con- 
tempt in the minds of laymen. 
The United States geological survey which is doing such 
splendid work along many lines ought to be a model in the 
matter referred to, but is now the chief ofTender. Let us 
hope and urge that a reform in the methods of work which 
lead to such undesirable results shall soon be inaugurated. 
The old and well established names of the New York, 
Pennsylvania and Virginia surveys, rendered classic by the 
labors of such men as Hall, Emmons, the Rogers brothers, 
Lesley, and many other faithful geologists, should not be 
lightly cast aside, and the work of these noble pioneers ig- 
nored, unless positive error can be proven. 
It is no argument in favor of the methods complained of, 
to say that the geologist is not reasonably certain of identity 
of horizon, for that is the fault of the observer and his 
methods in not wisely attacking the problems of stratigraphy. 
It will hardly do to admit that the imtutored miner and un- 
lettered petroleum driller are better geologists than men 
trained as experts in geology. What we need more than 
anything else is a closer and more minute study of the in- 
dividual beds, such as Mr. Gresley, for instance, has been 
making on the Pittsburg coal, and if this method of work 
were pursued the geologist would find but slight need of the 
introduction of new names for old and well-named things. 
It was with the hope of emphasizing the necessity and impor- 
tance of observing the smaller details of stratigraphy more 
closely, that I have dwelt at length upon the characteristic 
structure of a single coal bed. 
