The work is divided into four parts: the first is an _Introduction to the Study of Organic Remains_; the second treats of _Fossil Botany_; the third embraces _Fossil Zoology_; and the fourth, under the head of _Geological Excursions_, illustrates the principles enunciated in the course of the work, by practical observations on a few instructive British localities. PART I. 1. On the British Strata and their Fossils. 2. Arrangement and Characters of the British Formations. 3. On the Nature of Fossils or Organic Remains. 4. On Mineralized Vegetable Remains, and the mode of conducting their investigation. 5. On Peat, Lignite, and Coal. PART II. FOSSIL BOTANY. Classification of Fossil Vegetables. 1. On the Fossil Remains of Cryptogamiæ. 2. " " Diatomaceæ. 3. " " Ferns. 4. " " Sigillariæ. 5. " " Lepidodendra. 6. " " Cycadaceæ. 7. " " Coniferæ. 8. " " Palms. 9. " " Angiosperms. Retrospect. British Localities of Fossil Plants. PART III. FOSSIL ZOOLOGY. On the Fossil Remains of the Animal Kingdom. 1. Zoophytes; Amorphozoa. 2. " Polypifera. 3. Echinoderms; comprising the a. Crinoidea, or Lily-shaped animals. b. Asteriada, or Star-Fishes. c. Echinida, or Sea-Urchins. 4. Foraminifera. 5. Shell-bearing Mollusca. 6. Articulated animals; comprising a. Crustaceans. b. Insects. 7. Fishes. 8. Reptiles. 9. Birds. 10. Mammalia. 11. Man. Retrospect. PART IV. I. Geological Excursions in various parts of England, illustrative of the method of observing geological phenomena, and of collecting Fossil Remains. II. Miscellaneous. On the prices of Fossils; lists of Dealers, &c. II. Appendix. PART I. ⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼◆⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼ CHAPTER I. ON THE NATURE AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE BRITISH STRATA, AND THEIR FOSSILS. "To discover order and intelligence in scenes of apparent wildness and confusion is the pleasing task of the geological inquirer."--Dr. Paris. The solid materials of which the earth is composed, from the surface to the greatest depths within the reach of human observation, consist of minerals and fossils. Minerals are inorganic substances formed by natural operations, and are the product of chemical or electro-chemical action. Fossils are the durable remains of animals and vegetables which have been imbedded in the strata by natural causes in remote periods, and subsequently more or less altered in structure and composition by mechanical and chemical agencies.