﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  285 
  

  

  is 
  " 
  long, 
  slender, 
  about 
  sixty-four 
  inches 
  long, 
  attenuated 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  very 
  

   much 
  attenuated 
  and 
  elongated 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  end." 
  " 
  Mr. 
  Carter 
  " 
  examined 
  

   both 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  referred 
  to, 
  microscopically, 
  and 
  " 
  finds 
  them 
  " 
  to 
  " 
  present 
  

   the 
  same 
  horny 
  structure," 
  etc. 
  An 
  examination 
  with 
  acid 
  was 
  made, 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  

   would 
  be 
  rather 
  difficult 
  to 
  comprehend 
  in 
  what 
  way 
  generic 
  or 
  specific 
  deter- 
  

   minations 
  within 
  any 
  related 
  groups 
  could 
  be 
  determined 
  by 
  acid, 
  this 
  test 
  may 
  

   be 
  allowed 
  to 
  pass. 
  

  

  The 
  reference 
  of 
  Verrillia 
  to 
  Osteocella 
  as 
  a 
  synonyme, 
  or 
  otherwise, 
  must 
  rest 
  

   on 
  this 
  microscopic 
  test, 
  as 
  the 
  soft 
  investing 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  animal, 
  the 
  perfect 
  

   or 
  complete 
  polyp 
  or 
  polypidom 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  form, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  bone, 
  if 
  

   the 
  axis 
  of 
  an 
  alcyonoid, 
  belongs, 
  and 
  upon 
  which 
  Dr. 
  Gray 
  made 
  his 
  genus 
  Os- 
  

   teocdla, 
  has 
  not, 
  as 
  yet, 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  him, 
  or 
  brought 
  under 
  scientific 
  observa- 
  

   tion. 
  He 
  cannot 
  aver, 
  because 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  know, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  species 
  

   which 
  belongs 
  to 
  some 
  genus 
  already 
  described, 
  or 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  properly 
  fall 
  ia 
  

   as 
  a 
  sub-genus 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  of 
  Alcyonoids 
  previously 
  known 
  ; 
  he 
  does 
  

   not 
  know 
  but 
  what 
  its 
  relationship 
  may 
  be 
  nearer 
  to 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  groups 
  

   than 
  to 
  Pavonaria. 
  No 
  description 
  sufficiently 
  accurate 
  to 
  be 
  worthy 
  of 
  con- 
  

   sideration 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  axial 
  rods 
  or 
  bones 
  alone, 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  ani- 
  

   mal 
  forms, 
  nor 
  can 
  species 
  be 
  satisfactorily 
  determined 
  without 
  the 
  fleshy 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  ; 
  nor, 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge, 
  can 
  the 
  microscope 
  determine 
  

   these 
  points. 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  genus 
  Osteocella, 
  which, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind, 
  rests 
  solely 
  on 
  the 
  

   naked 
  Australian 
  bone 
  or 
  axis, 
  which 
  he 
  says 
  is 
  " 
  thick," 
  " 
  eleven 
  inches 
  long," 
  

   as 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  Pennatulida, 
  no 
  information 
  

   is 
  furnished 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  soft 
  investing 
  portion, 
  for 
  the 
  very 
  good 
  reason 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  

   not 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  him 
  ; 
  yet 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  Nature 
  last 
  quoted, 
  he 
  speaks 
  of 
  

   " 
  the 
  complete 
  polyp-mass," 
  thus 
  clothing 
  his 
  west 
  Australian 
  Osteocella 
  with 
  

   the 
  fleshy 
  covering 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  North- 
  American 
  Verrillia. 
  So 
  much 
  for 
  his 
  

   generic 
  synonymy. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  species, 
  the 
  North- 
  American 
  form, 
  as 
  referred 
  to 
  

   by 
  him, 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  definitely 
  placed, 
  by 
  anything 
  written 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Gray 
  prior 
  

   to 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  my 
  description. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  matter, 
  not 
  of 
  personal 
  pride, 
  but 
  of 
  scientific 
  accuracy 
  ; 
  and 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  naturalists 
  should 
  not 
  lose 
  sight 
  of, 
  or 
  be 
  diverted 
  from, 
  this 
  sine 
  qua 
  non, 
  

   or 
  palliate 
  individual 
  idiosyncracies 
  which 
  involve 
  integrity, 
  and 
  which 
  should 
  

   not 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  pass 
  without 
  challenge 
  or 
  comment. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  paper 
  was 
  presented 
  by 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Cooper 
  ; 
  

  

  The 
  Influence 
  of 
  Climate 
  and 
  Topography 
  on 
  our 
  Trees. 
  

  

  BY 
  J. 
  G. 
  COOPER, 
  M. 
  D. 
  

  

  While 
  making 
  geological 
  explorations 
  through 
  the 
  region 
  embraced 
  on 
  the 
  

   Bay 
  Map, 
  during 
  some 
  months 
  past, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  completing 
  the 
  geologi- 
  

   cal 
  map, 
  under 
  direction 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Whitney, 
  I 
  had 
  unusual 
  opportunities 
  for 
  

  

  