Obituary — Professor Karl A. von Zittel. 91 



some of tlie following biographical details, a passage is quoted 

 from an address delivered by Professor von Zittel before the Inter- 

 national Congress of Geologists in 1894, illustrating his attitude 

 towards certain modern tendencies in the treatment of biology. 

 In this he says: "The domination of the Linnsean and Ciivierian 

 Ijrinciples threatened systematic biology with soulless paralysis : 

 the unbridled subjectivity of recent times may easily lead to 

 anarchy." It is regrettable to have to add that in some depart- 

 ments of palgeontology this prophecy seems already to have become 

 fully realized. 



Professor von Zittel distrusted voluminous and hastily produced 

 work ; to one so painstaking as himself, unsoundness owing to 

 lack of care was sufficiently abhorrent. Yet he was a lenient 

 and generous critic of work which, though imperfect, had been^ 

 conscientiously achieved, and he looked with the greatest disfavour 

 upon the kind of criticism which, betraying a needless spirit of 

 antagonism, is couched in terms that might prove olBfensive or 

 injurious. It is delightful to I'ecall the kindly encouragement with, 

 which this gifted man assisted the circle of students at work in th© 

 palseontological laboi-atory at Munich and in the field, and to note that, 

 however busily occupied with his own researches, he was at all times- 

 willing to lay his work aside in order to answer a question or to discuss- 

 some point with even the humblest of his students. This ready 

 accessibility, coupled with his modest bearing and the deferential 

 manner in which he expressed his own opinions or offered criticism 

 in discussion, served to endear Professor von Zittel to the many 

 who, attracted by his fame, journeyed from almost every quarter 

 of the globe in order to pursue their studies under his direction. 

 The confident and independent attitude which he directly encouraged 

 by making his pupils feel that he discussed subjects with them as 

 equals, would have been fostered in less degi'ee by the adoption of 

 a more purely didactic tone, and must be I'eckoned among the most 

 valuable results of the training he imparted. It may be remarked 

 that he entertained very liberal views on the subject of education, 

 and warmly advocated the admission of women to the full privileges 

 of the university courses in Germany. 



Karl Alfred Zittel was born at Bahlingen, in Baden, on Sept. 25th, 

 1839, and was the youngest son of Dean Zittel, a well-known 

 Protestant divine. In the latter end of 1857 he entered the 

 University of Heidelberg, where he studied under Bronn and 

 Leonhard, afterwards devoting a year to complete his academic 

 studies in Paris under Hebert. While still there, during 1861, 

 he published, in collaboration with E. Goubert, his first pala^onto- 

 logical paper, a short pamphlet dealing with the description of 

 fossils from the Corallian rocks of Glos. After leaving Paris, 

 Zittel joined the Geological Survey of Austria as a voluntary 

 assistant, and commenced active work in Dalmatia. In 1863 he 

 qualified himself as a ' Privatdozent ' in the University of Vienna, 

 and, refusing the offer of a professorship in Lemberg, accepted 

 a post as assistant in the Mineralogical Museum in Vienna (now tlie 

 Eoyal Natural History Museum). In the same year Zittel left 



