A common method of land description that identifies a property by specifying the shape and boundary dimensions of the parcel, using terminal points and angles. A metes-and-bounds description starts at a well-marked point of beginning and follows the boundaries of the land by courses and metes (measures, distances, compass direction) and bounds (landmarks, monuments) and returns to the true point of beginning. Generally, however, in verifying such a description, monuments prevail over courses and distances. A description that fails to enclose an area by returning to the point of beginning is defective. If there is any discrepancy in the distance between monuments and linear measurements, the actual measured distance between the monuments prevails.