EDITORIAL 291 



management of the great excursion. It is proper that a scrutiny 

 of the lists of applicants should be undertaken for the purpose 

 of limiting the numbers to those who are actually geological 

 workers or teachers of the science, and who will derive the most 

 benefit from the instruction which will be given by the geolo- 

 gists acting as leaders of the several excursions. It would be 

 unfortunate if, by the presence of many untrained excursionists, 

 the object of the expeditions should be defeated. It is reason- 

 able, then, that the committee in charge at St. Petersburg should 

 propose to test the geological knowledge of all those wishing to 

 join the excursions, when their attainments in the science of 

 geology is not alread}- known. We understand that those not 

 known to the committee to be geologists will be required to pass 

 an examination in various branches of geology before being 

 permitted to take part in the excursions. 



A RECENT circular from St. Petersburg calls attention to the 

 fact that there was established at the London congress a per- 

 manent committee that should have charge of the selection and 

 elaboration of questions to be submitted to each subsequent ses- 

 sion, as well as of the preparation of reports relating to such 

 questions. After citing the report of the committee relative to 

 the unification of stratigraphical nomenclature, and after noting 

 the fact that the matter received no attention at the Washington 

 and Zurich meetings, the committee of organization at St. 

 Petersburg suggests that the question of the general principles 

 involved in any stratigraphical classification be discussed, first, 

 as to whether it be artificial, based solely on historical data, or 

 /latitral, based as well on general physiographic changes as on 

 faunal data ; second, as to laws that should govern the introduc- 

 tion of new terms into stratigraphical nomenclature. It is also 

 suggested that the principles that should govern petrographical 

 nomenclature ought also to be considered. 



The confusion in these nomenclatures which is constantly 

 increasing owing to rapid accession of new facts and to lack of 



