226 
Instructions to the 
fHtereilaitra* 
ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 
Extracts from the Report of the President and Council of the 
Royal Society on the Instructions for the Antarctic Expe¬ 
dition. 
Section II. GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 
1. Miscellaneous Suggestions. 
Hocks and Minerals .—It is now an admitted principle, that 
collectors should avoid rarities . A good geological collection 
ought to represent faithfully the tract whence it has been 
formed. The greater number of the specimens, therefore, should 
consist of substances of the most common occurrence. 
All local information bearing upon geology, though at the 
time it may appear unimportant, should be recorded. 
Specimens ought to be taken from different parts of rock 
masses. They should exhibit the varieties of niineralogical 
character, as of lustre, fracture, &c. 
Every rock specimen should exhibit one weathered surface. 
If a rock be composed of different substances, specimens of 
each should be taken. 
Specimens tinged with colours, green, blue, &c., should be 
taken, as indicating the presence of metals. 
Specimens of crystals are frequent in cavities : they should 
be sought for, and packed with care. 
Specimens should be dried, before packing finally. 
Every specimen should be numbered as soon as possible. 
Duplicate lists should be made, one of which should be 
placed in the box containing the specimens. 
For packing crystallized minerals, chip-boxes are advanta¬ 
geous. The specimens should be fixed in their boxes, as firmly 
as may be, without crushing. 
In some cases very large specimens only can fairly exhibit 
the appearances; as where the surface is polished, scored, or 
worn, or impressed with ripple-mark, &c. 
The sands of rivers and of coasts are frequently the deposit¬ 
aries of gold or other metals, platina, tin, &c.,—or of precious 
stones. They should be well examined, and sometimes washed; 
as should also the alluvial detritus found in valleys, or beneath 
the surface of level plains. 
Specimens of Fossils —should always be accompanied with 
part of the rock in which they occur, whether stone, clay, or 
sand, &c. 
