WORK OF THE NATURALIST IK THE WORLD. 6,- 



nal memoirs, handbooks, text-books, and bibliographies. Now in 

 the three latter good workmanship is indispensable, for their util- 

 ity depends on their arrangement, the right proportion of parts, 

 and the skillful use of language ; but the value of original memoirs 

 depends upon the discoveries which they report and the sufficien- 

 cy of the evidence presented to support the discoveries claimed ; 

 hence the form in which the matter is presented appears less im- 

 portant than in a handbook or text-book. Moreover, our original 

 memoirs, saving a very few which mark epochs of progress in 

 natural science, are, as we all perfectly know, destined to oblivion. 

 In time our new discoveries will become old-established facts, the 

 original authorities for which will be forgotten. Who of us 

 would search, save as a student of the history of science, for the 

 original authority on the muscles of the human arm, or for the 

 proof that fossils are not lusus naturcB but genuine remains, or 

 that some rocks are of sedimentary origin ? When we have 

 attained certainty in our discoveries, they gradually become so 

 verified that the memoirs, which originally brought the proofs, 

 lose their value. Original memoirs are like digestive organs; 

 they are filled with raw facts, which they prepare for assimila- 

 tion, but to build the body of science these same facts must be 

 absorbed and transmuted. 



We are, of course, convinced that our original memoirs are for 

 temporary service, though their recorded facts are to be perma- 

 nently added to knowledge. To the influence of this conviction 

 we may ascribe that carelessness of style, verbosity, and frequent 

 padding which mar scientific writings too commonly, because the 

 necessary care does not appear worth while for a temporary es- 

 say. But the time has now come when the burden of reading the 

 thousands of pages of memoirs which are published annually 

 even in a single field of research is overwhelming, and it is evi- 

 dent that for the advantage of science every legitimate means to 

 lessen this heavy burden should be adopted. The habit of con- 

 ciseness and clearness should be sedulously cultivated. 



With a view of estimating what might be done in this direc- 

 tion, I have gone over a number of articles upon embryology 

 which have been published in the four accepted languages of 

 science German, English, French, and Italian during the last 

 two years. I am compelled to admit that the majority of these 

 articles could be easily shortened by a half, and many of them 

 shortened by much more than that, and still offer a thorough, or, 

 better, said an exhaustive account of the matter presented. I have 

 been astonished at the amount of perfectly irrelevant matter and 

 of personal details which appears. The author informs us that 

 he could not leave home until Tuesday ; that it rained on Friday ; 

 that he had to carry the eggs eleven kilometres on Saturday ; 



