>S4 



NA TURE 



[July i8, 1895 



of science upon museums, the force of h hich is ap|»rent h hen it 

 is remembered thai the material |)ertaining to it therein stored 

 constitutes the vital evidence of the value of all contributions to 

 its advancement, and that without such evidence this branch of 

 science would be reduced to a mass of fwrsonal testimony. 



In view of the great scientific value of fossil remains the 

 following remarks are offered concerning the precautions which 

 are necessary- in their preser\-ation. It is true that most, if not 

 all. these precautions are observed in a large part of the principal 

 scientific museums of the worlil, but it is also true that much 

 remissness in this respect h.as occurred in others. Besides the 

 propriety of referring to the latter f.ict, these remarks are neces- 

 sar)- to complete my statement of the claims of science which 

 constitute the subject of this essay. 



Three general classes of specimens of fossil remains should be 

 recc^nised in museum collections, namely, typical, authenticated, 

 and unauthenticated. Under the head of typical or type speci- 

 mens are included not only those which have been described and 

 figured in any publication, whether original or otherwise, but 

 those which have in any public manner been so used or referred 

 to. While all such s|K-cimens as these should at all times be 

 accessible to any com|ietent investigator, the risk of loss or 

 injury is so great that they should in no c.ise be allowed to be 

 taken from the museum building in which they are installed. 

 Such s|jecimens arc in a |ieculiar sense unique, and there can be 

 no substitution and no equivalent in value. Their loss greatly 

 reduces the value of every publication any (Kirt of w hich is based 

 upon them, and to that extent retards the .advancement of science. 

 It is not enough that other, and even better, specimens of pre- 

 sumably the same S|^cies may be discovered ; the former con- 

 stitute the original, the latter only suppositious evidence. Besides 

 the risk of loss or injury to type specimens by removal from the 

 place of their instalment, their absence is a disadvantage to science. 

 That is, no one investigator should be allowed their use to the 

 exclusion of any other. 



The term "authenticated specimens" is here applied to such 

 as have l>een studied and annotated by competent investigators 

 anfl pro|>erly installed. .Such material constitutes the bulk of 

 every im|Mirtant museum collection, and next to the type speci- 

 mens already mentioned, they are most valuable. Their increased 

 \3.\wQ is due to the scientific lalxjur that has l)een Iwstowed u|X)n 

 them, anil it needs only the additional labour of ])ublicati<m to 

 constitute them type specimens and to m.ike them of like value. 

 .Xuthenticated specimens when installed are ready aids to all 

 investigators of such value, that even the temporary removal of 

 any of them from a public museum is, to say the le.ast, of iloubtfid 

 expediency. 



Unauthenticated specimens are, of course, those which have 



not been studied and installed, and they constitute the great m.ass 



of material from which .authenticated and lypes|x-cimensaredrawn. 



Among them are those which constitute the luatcrial evidcnceupon 



which original observations in biological geology are liaseil. If 



these are accom|Kinied by the records and descriptive notes which 



are essential to their value, they constitute proper material for 



acceptance by museum authorities ; but if not, their instalment 



should be refused, whatever their character may be. That is, l(. 



apply a statement made in another connection, no specimen of 



fossil remains should be .admitted to permanent installation in 



any public museum which is not .accomp.inied by such a record 



..i' ill., locality and stratum from which it w.as obtained, as will 



any investigator to revisit the same. In ever)- ca.se of 



lent such records should be so connected with every 



icn as lo be readily accessible, and so arranged that the 



r of loss or <lisconnection shall be reduced to a minimum. 



i he foregoing discussion of Iheclaiius of science upon nniseums 



i^ intended to enibr.ace reference only to those which are devoted 



to the preservation of materi.al pertaining to biological geology. 



but they are of more or less general applicability. These (Kirtial 



1 1. it..- .il.iie demonstrate the important relation that nniseums 



' nee and to civilisation as centres of learning and 



^ of the evidence concerning acquired knowledge. 



I not only l>e made safe treasure-houses of 



-hould lie what their name implies — temples of 



n to all investigators. 



i e upon geological organisations cannot 



I I here, but liecausc the ratio of |K)wer 



for ll. ...Ill or rctardalicm of science possessed by 



such ' - is «) much greater than that of individuals 



working 111. |._|.'-iidenlly, it is desirable lo make this brief refer- 

 ence lo them. That |)owcr increases also with the ratio of the 



NO. 1342, VOL. 52] 



extent of the organisation, and it is largely centred in thi- 

 director. His res|X)nsibilily, esiwcially if his organisation is a 

 large one, is peculiar, and, lo himself, of an unfortunate character. 

 That is, while all, or nearly all, the advancement of science that 

 may be accomplished by the org.uiisation is the work of his sub- 

 ordinates, retardation, if it shouUl occur, is mainly due to his 

 failure to require that each branch of investigation should be 

 prosecuted in accord with all others, and the case would be little 

 less than disastrous should he himself favour ex parti methods, 

 or fail to require a symmetrical development of the work in his 

 charge. The claims of science uimn geological organisations are 

 therefore really claims u|>on their directors, and they are more 

 responsible than any other class of persons for the preservation of 

 the integrity of geological science. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



.\t a meeting of the Council of University College, Dundee, 

 last week, it was announced that the trustees of the late Miss 

 Margaret Harris had allocated a number of securities, valued at 

 nearly jf 14,000, to establish a chair of Physics in the College, as 

 rectimmended by tlie University Commissioners. The Council 

 resolved to institute immediately a chair of Natural Philosophy ; 

 and an appointment will be made before the beginning of next 

 session. Hitherto the classes of Mathematics and Physics have 

 been combined. The salary will be .^400 with share of the fees. 



Till.; invaluable Record of technical and .secondary education 

 continues, in the quarterly number just issued, the review of the 

 work done by the Technical Education Committees of the 

 English County Councils, commenced in the jireccding issue. .\ 

 summar)' is also given of the work of the .Scotch Cou!:ly Councils, 

 from which it appears that, out of a total of thirty-three County 

 Councils, twenty-four are devoting the whole, and seven a part, 

 of their grants to educational ]iurposes, while two counties are 



j applying the whole of the fund to the relief of the rates. Out 

 of a t<ital sum of .^25,157 distributed among the County 

 Councils of Scotland, ;{,"22,49i w;is devoted to education in the 

 year 1893-94. Mr. P.J. Hartog contributes to the Kciord sa\ 



i illustrated description of the Owens College, Manchester. 



] Thk Town Trustees of Shellield have (says the Alhciiu'iim) 

 voted a sum of ^10,000 towards the endownienl of I'irth Col- 

 lege, with a view to enabling the authorities to affiliate it to 

 \'icloria University. The actual endowment of the College is 

 ;^23,ooo, in addition to its income of ;f 1200 from the .Slate and 

 ;^8oo from the Corporation. It is understood that a t<ital of 

 .^50,000 would be sullicient, but no more than sufficient, for the 

 purpose of affiliation. \ further sum of £y>Xi has been con- 

 ditionally promised by Sir Henry Stephenson, and a public 

 appeal is contemplated for the remaining .^12.000. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. 



The Qtiarlcrly Journal of Miirostofnal Sdeiue for March 

 1895 contains: On the variation of the tenlaculocysts of ./«<v//(i 

 aiirita, by Edward T. Browne. (Plate 25.) Of 359 Ephync 

 collected in 1S93, 226 per cent, were abnormal in possessing 

 more or less than eight lent.iculocysts ; and of 1 156 collected in 

 1804, nearly the same percentage, 20'9 was obtained. Of 383 

 adult .\urelia collected in 1894, 22'S per cent, were abnormal. — 

 On the structure of ]',riiiiiii/iis ptiosus, by E. S. Cioodrich, 

 gives a detailed .tccount of this interesting Oligoch^vte, found 

 near Weymouth in 1S92. (Plates 26-28.)— On the mouth jiarts 

 of the Cypris stage of Balanus, by Theo. T. Oroom. (Plate 29.) 

 " It may be regar<led as tolerably certain that : (l) The antennae 

 of the Naupllus become definitely lost with the moult resulting 

 in the production of the Cypris stage. (2) The biramous 

 mandibles of the Naupliiis become reduced at the same time to 

 the small mandibles, llie ramus being probably preserved in the 

 form of the small palp. (3) The first pair of maxili.e arise 

 l>ehind the mandibles, and at a later date, as a small pair of 

 f<iliaceous appendages. (4) The second pair of maxili.e arise 

 still Inter, just in front of the first pair of thoracic legs (cirri)." — 

 A study of Coccidia met with in mice, by J. Jackson Clarke. 

 (Plnlc 30. )— Observations on various Sporo/.oa, by the same. 

 (Plates 31-33.)— Revision of the genera and species of the 



