AMERICAN ZOOLO GIS TS AND EVOL UTION. 3 



indeed has been the argument to render as coadjutors the very men 

 who so thoroughly opposed Darwin at the outset. It seems unneces- 

 sary to point out the mode of work adopted by the class above de- 

 scribed. Their honor involved as soon as their name had been at- 

 tached to a supposed new species, and any deviation from the type 

 oftentimes persistently overlooked, what wonder, when every local 

 variety received a new name and that name stamped upon a supposed 

 valid creation what wonder, I repeat, that whole groups of animals 

 have been so thoroughly scourged by such work that few have the 

 courage to engage in the task of revision ? 



Emerson's reflections on the science of England in 1847 would 

 apply with far more propriety to our country even at a much later 

 date, where in his words " one hermit finds this fact and another finds 

 that, and lives and dies ignorant of its value." With the noble ex- 

 amples of Dana, Wyman, Leidy, and Burnett, before them, they did 

 not profit. In fact, the labors of these honored men, and early in the 

 century Lesueur and others, gave the country its largest claim to 

 recognition abroad. The second period dates from the advent of 

 Agassiz in this country. With his presence a gradual but entire 

 change took place. He rendered the study a dignity rather than a 

 pastime, No longer were the triflers to fling their loose work before 

 the academies unrebuked. The protests he uttered in this Association 

 were the means of elevating the tone of the communications. In 

 fact, nothing indicates the poverty of our attainments in zoology more 

 than an examination of the volumes preceding Agassiz's presence and 

 the succeeding volumes. With his honest repudiation of all that was 

 bad, he frightened away the lighter chaff, and there was but little 

 solid work left to take its place. Agassiz made men, and his example, 

 and the methods of work taught by him, spread to other parts of 

 the country. He brought the American student into intimate ac- 

 quaintance with the classical work of European naturalists. In his 

 public lectures the names of Cuvier, Von Baer, Leuckart, and others, 

 became familiar. The public caught the enthusiasm of this great 

 teacher, and money was lavishly given by the citizens and the State 

 in aid of his scientific undertakings. Agassiz's earnest protest against 

 evolution checked the too hasty acceptance of this theory among 

 American students. But even the weight of his powerful opposition 

 could not long retard the gradual spread of Darwin's views ; and 

 now his own students,- last to yield, have, with hardly an exception, 

 adopted the general view of derivation as opposed to that of special 

 creation. The results of his protest have been beneficial in one 

 sense. They have prompted the seeking of proofs in this country, 

 and now our students are prepared to show the results of their work 

 in evidence of the laws of progressive development, and it is mainly 

 this work that I wish to review. So much is claimed for birthplace 

 that, in the way of history, it may not be amiss to call attention to 



