INTRODUCTION. 75 
of this procedure must arise from the reflection, that 
an ill-established species cannot stand, that sooner or 
later the error must be discovered, and that a false 
judgment in this respect will be held to betray inac- 
curacy, or insuflicient powers of discrimination. He 
should furthermore be encouraged to keep back his 
discoveries until he is fully satisfied of then* accuracy, 
by the assurance that, in the final opinion which is to 
fix his reputation, a single species well established, 
with its place and relations ascertained, will redound 
more to his honor than a thousand erroneous ones. 
These remarks are intended only for the ingenuous 
and well-meaning naturalist, but it is greatly to be 
feared that there have been others who, for the sake of 
a little temporary reputation, have thrust themselves 
without qualification among the laborers of Natural 
History, and have deluded themselves with the idea, 
that because they could write nobis after false species, 
others would be blind to their demerits. The career 
of such persons must always be short ; they are the 
false coin of science, and will sooner or later be 
stamped as uncurrent. The other of the causes alluded 
to is, the hypothesis, held by some persons, that the ani- 
mals of the respective continents, however near their 
affinities may be, are in every case specifically distinct 
from each other ; and hence, as there are animals of cer- 
tain families on both continents which cannot be dis- 
tinguished from each other by any well-marked char- 
acters, it has resulted, that species possessing apparent 
