The beginning collector is usually content to know if his specimen is a clam or a snail or a fern or a palm leaf. But as the collection grows, it becomes increasingly desirable to know the scientific name of each When he starts to identify fossils it may be helpful to show them to a geology teacher if a college or university is nearby. Most teachers are glad to be of help and will probably have similar specimens in their own collections. As all colleges do not have geology departments, a list of institutions with geologists on their faculties is included at the end of this section of the handbook ( Museums are also good places from which to get help. If the museum has a geological collection, it will be most helpful to compare specimens with the fossils in their collections and to ask the museum personnel for advice. In addition to the above sources of information, local professional geologists are usually familiar with the geology of the local area and the paleontological literature of the region. Possibly local librarians can recommend books, encyclopedias, or other publications that will be of help. Members of a local After books or journals describing the fossils of the area have been located, the collected specimens should be closely compared with any illustrations that are shown. Each The illustrations and descriptive material in this publication will also be of considerable help in identification. Many illustrations of the more common invertebrate fossils have been included, but the publication was not designed primarily for use in |