58 The Scottish Naturalist. 



Finhaven, of the great early British fort at Catterthun, and of the 

 sculptured stones of Craig and Dunnichen. Nor would it be incon- 

 sistent with our constitution should any of us be disposed to follow 

 in the footsteps of Jervise in the domain of civil history. 



Apart from all other reasons for the existence of a Society such 

 as ours, relaxation from our daily toil is one of no mean import- 

 ance. Mental rest cannot be gained by vacuity, but by an intel- 

 ligent occupation in a new direction. It is the constant unvarying 

 strain in one direction that wears out the elasticity of the mind, 

 and though Pope tells you that " a little knowledge is a dangerous 

 thing," depend upon it that it is the littleness and not the know- 

 ledge wherein the danger lies, and that a little knowledge, if it is 

 accurate, is much less dangerous than none. In conclusion, I 

 would remind you that besides having material to work on, and 

 willing heads and hands to work with, you need a workshop. You 

 want a meeting room, a library, and, above all, a museum, at once 

 educational and illustrative of the civil and natural history of the 

 district. The affiliation of this Society, with the Natural History 

 and Antiquarian Society, seems the natural and simplest mode 

 of attaining this desirable object; and I would earnestly urge on 

 you to appeal for the wherewithal to provide these desiderata in 

 connection with the Museum buildings to those townsmen, neigh- 

 bours, and friends who have alike the means and the intelligence to 

 discern the benefit that it is in their power to confer on the youth 

 of Montrose in all time coming. 



THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION. 

 By Rev. WILLIAM L. DAVIDSON. 



TERMINOLOGY— (continued.) 



IT is different when we turn to Zoology. All the completeness 

 that botany can claim in the matter of scientific naming finds 

 its counterpart here, whilst there is little corresponding to the 

 defects that I have just alluded to. 



In Zoology, there is no lack of names for different (though 

 allied) things, either when these things are obvious or striking, or 

 when they are minute or inconspicuous. Thus, take the words 



