University of Virginia Library

CORCORAN SCHOOL OF NATURAL HISTORY AND GEOLOGY.

Professor Fontaine.

Required for Admission to the Work of the School: The General
Entrance Examination. In this School two subjects are taught,
Geology and Descriptive Mineralogy. There are two courses, as
follows:

Primarily for Undergraduates.

Course 1B: Three lectures a week will be given throughout the
session. The design of the course is to enable the student to obtain
such a knowledge of the science of Geology as should be possessed
by a well-educated man. As full an exposition of the fundamental
principles will be given as the time will allow.

Text-Books.—Le Conte's Elements of Geology, and Notes of the Professor's
lectures.

For Undergraduates and Graduates.

Course 2C: Course 1B prerequisite.—This course consists of two
divisions, one in Mineralogy, the other in Geology.

Mineralogy.—The course in Mineralogy closes in February.
Three lectures a week are given in it. In this course attention is
paid to crystallography, and especially to the physical properties of
minerals. In Descriptive Mineralogy the relations, geological occurrence,
and history of the individual species are made prominent.

Text-Books.—Dana's Manual of Mineralogy and Petrology. The instruction
will be in part by lectures.

Geology.—This division of the course begins after the completion
of Mineralogy in February. The more general and complicated
problems in all the branches of Geology will be dealt with in this
course. As thorough a treatment as possible will be given of Stratigraphy,
Lithology, and Paleontology. More stress will be laid on the

methods of field-work and the application of geological principles.
The aim will be to give such a knowledge of the subject as may be
useful to the student in bread-winning pursuits, or may serve as a
basis for the more specialized course required for the attainment
of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Text-Book.—Chamberlin and Salisbury's Geology in part. For reference: Geikie's
Text-Book of Geology. The instruction will be in part by lectures.

For Graduates Only.

The advanced course in this School is intended to give the student
as large a stock of useful information as possible, to teach him
methods of investigation, and to train him in habits of observation.
Original research will be insisted on, and opportunity will be given
for the student to concentrate his efforts in some line of special study.

Topics for study will be taken from both of the subjects taught
in this School. The abundant material in the Lewis Brooks Museum,
mentioned below, gives unusual facilities for the pursuit of graduate
work.

Course 3D: Descriptive Mineralogy.—The course of Mineralogy
is so selected as to give the student a good knowledge of as wide a
range of the principles as possible, and at the same time to cause
him to acquire a practical knowledge of the various mineral species.
In the practical study, the more common minerals, and those of more
importance from an economic and geologic point of view, will have
preference. A practical knowledge of the crystal forms and of the
characteristic groupings and massive forms of minerals, will be required.
Special attention will be paid to the relations of minerals,
their association in nature, and their geological occurrence. The
student will be trained to determine minerals, as far as possible, by
their obvious characteristics, without the help of tests, and practical
examinations will be held, from time to time, to test his skill. One
or more theses will be required.

Dana's Text-Book of Mineralogy, and Weisbach's Mineral Tables will be used;
and topics from various authors will be assigned for study in special cases.

Course 4D: Geology.—In Geology the aim will be to fit the student
for independent and original research. He will study as thoroughly
as possible the broader problems of the science, involving
the knowledge of stratigraphical principles. Special attention will be
given to imparting a practical knowledge of the various rocks, and of
the animal and plant fossils of the different eras, with the view of
using them in determining unknown formations. Stress will be laid
upon field work, and the methods of determining and describing the
geology of new regions. To impart such knowledge, the student will

be required to work up some particular region or formation, and report
his results. Topics involving a knowledge of the literature and
growth of opinion in relation to particular questions may be assigned
to form the subject of theses.

The Lewis Brooks Museum contains collections illustrating the
main subdivisions of Natural History. Each of the collections is arranged
so as to exemplify the principles of the science, and at the
same time offers a large variety of subjects for advanced study. In
Geology the specimens show all the different kinds of rocks, classified
according to mineral character and the formation in which they
occur; the collection of fossils, plaster casts, maps, etc., is exceptionally
fine, and fully illustrates Historical Geology. In Mineralogy the
principles of the science are made plain by well-chosen suits of specimens,
models of crystals, etc. The general collection of minerals
contains all the important minerals, and many of the rarer ones, in
good specimens. Zoölogy is well illustrated by a fine and large
collection of mounted skeletons, stuffed animals, dried specimens,
plaster casts, etc. In Botany the collections contain charts, papiermaché
models of flowers and fruits, sections of wood, etc.: the bulk
of the collection is in the form of an herbarium, selected from the
most important and interesting botanical regions of the world. In
addition to the above, a beginning has been made of a collection to
illustrate the geology and mineralogy of the State of Virginia, and
this will be increased as rapidly as possible.

These large and carefully selected collections of geological and
mineralogical objects afford unsurpassed facilities for the full illustration
of the principles taught. As free access to these collections
is allowed the student, he can find in their study an opportunity,
rarely obtained, for gaining a practical acquaintance with natural
objects acquired from various parts of the world, and chosen for
their typical character. These collections are especially useful to
students pursuing advanced work in Geology and Mineralogy.