This section is from "The American Cyclopaedia", by George Ripley And Charles A. Dana. Also available from Amazon: The New American Cyclopędia. 16 volumes complete..
Fossil (Lat. fossilis, dug up), a term formerly applied to all mineral substances, but now used to designate only the remains of organic bodies found in geological formations. The general subject will be treated under the title Palaeontology, and the more important fossil animals under their respective names.
 
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