8o + THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



wore little figures of saints on their necks. It will be very hard to 

 take the fetich-faith entirely away from the negroes. It is too deeply 

 lodged in their natures. Translated for the Popular Science Month- 

 ly from Das Ausland. 







WHAT AMERICAN ZOOLOGISTS HA YE DONE FOR 



EVOLUTION.* 



Bv Frofessok EDWAED S. MOESE. 



ELEVEN years ago I had the honor of reading before this Associa- 

 tion an address in which an attempt was made to show what 

 American zoologists had done for evolution. (See "Popular Science 

 Monthly," Vol. X, pages 1 and 181.) My reasons for selecting this sub- 

 ject were, first, that no general review of this nature had been made ; 

 and, second, that many of the oft-repeated examples in support of the 

 derivative theory were from European sources and did not carry the 

 weight of equally important facts, the records of which were concealed 

 in our own scientific journals. Darwin was pleased to write to me 

 that most of the facts I had mentioned were familiar to him ; but, to 

 use his own words, he was amazed at their number and importance 

 when brought together in this manner. The encouragement of his 

 recognition has led me to select a continuation of this theme as a sub- 

 ject for the customary presidential address, a task which is at best a 

 thankless if not a profitless one. Had I faintly realized, however, the 

 increasing number and importance of the contributions made by our 

 students on this subject, I should certainly have chosen a different 

 theme. 



Incomplete as is this record of ten years' work, I am compelled to 

 present it. In the Buffalo address two marked periods in the work of 

 the zoologists in this country are recognized : the one period embrac- 

 ing the work of the topographers, the field-surveyors in the science ; 

 the other period elating from the advent of Agassiz, with the wonder- 

 ful impulse he imparted to the study by his enthusiasm and devotion. 

 A third period in American zoological science, and by far the most 

 important awakening, dates from the publication of Darwin's " Origin 

 of Species." Its effect on zoological literature was striking. The 

 papers were first tinged with the new doctrine, then saturated, and 

 now, without reference to the theory, derivation is taken for granted. 



As zoologists we are indebted to Darwin for the wide-spread public 

 interest in our work. Before Darwin the importance of our special 

 studies was far outweighed by the practical value placed upon science, 

 in the application of which an immediate material gain was assured. 

 Chemistry, physics, geology were important to the public only because 



* Address of the retiring President of the American Association for the Advancement 

 of Science, delivered at the New York meeting, August 10, 1887. 



