567 45 
Vv 
The Taxonomic Position of the Pteraspidae, 
Cephalaspidae, and Asterolepidae* 
N his notice of the life and work of the late Professor Cope, 
published in the June number of Natwral Science, Mr Arthur 
Smith Woodward writes :—“It is mainly due to his initiative that 
we now regard the strange Pteraspidae, Cephalaspidae, and Astero- 
lepidae (Ostracodermi or Ostracophori as Cope termed them) of the 
Upper Silurian and Devonian rocks as the armoured extinct allies. 
of the modern lampreys (Marsipobranchii).” 
No one, I am convinced, entertains a more sincere admiration 
for the paleontological work of Professor Cope than I do, His. 
extraordinary insight (one might almost say ‘ instinct’) in dealing 
with many problems of vertebrate morphology placed him in a very 
high position amongst modern comparative anatomists. But his 
genius was all the more astonishing owing to the fact that it was 
accompanied by equally extraordinary mental deficiencies—namely, 
a frequent failure of the power of correct conscious reasoning and 
a love of what Mr Smith Woodward calls “ wild guesses” and other 
persons might term “ baseless conclusions.” 
Mr Smith Woodward, in the passage quoted, cites with approval 
one of Cope’s most empty taxonomic vagaries concerning the class 
of fishes; he solemnly states that it is due to Cope’s “ initiative ” 
that “ we” now regard the Ostracodermi as Marsipobranchii. Zoo- 
logists are of course aware of the fact that Mr Smith Woodward 
has given the weight of his reputation as an ichthyologist to this. 
remarkable proposition. It seems to be a proper occasion, now 
that he tells us that there are others besides himself who have 
been impelled by Cope’s initiative into so astonishing a point of 
view, to ask Mr Smith Woodward to state the reasons which 
induce him deliberately to assert that Pteraspis and Cephalaspis 
are armoured Marsipobranchii. 
I think it will be generally admitted that it is not a sufficient 
justification for upholding such a taxonomic novelty as the one in 
question to point out that no one has shown any other position to 
* For a general illustrated account of these extinct organisms see Natural Science, 
vol. i. (1892), pp. 596-602. 
