620 



SCIENCE 



[N. 8. Vol. XXXVII. No. 956 



contains in the way of natural features 

 and the influence of these features upon 

 one another, and we have, it seems to me, 

 the best kind of a natural history survey to 

 which the state could devote its efforts. 



One good report of this kind, made for a 

 judiciously chosen quadrangle, or frac- 

 tional quadrangle, would put a powerful 

 weapon into the hands of those who are 

 fighting for the establishment or the con- 

 tinuance of natural history surveys. If 

 the report was successfully written so that 

 it could be used by the school teachers and 

 the schools, the advocates of a survey bill 

 before the legislature would have a propo- 

 sition just as definite in its promise as any 

 geologist could offer for his work. If state 

 academies of science, or other bodies who 

 are working for the establishment of sur- 

 veys, could, by their own efforts, produce 

 one such report as a sample, it seems to me 

 they would be able to present the strongest 

 possible argument for the state to continue 

 the good work, and they would find plenty 

 of support on the part of the schoolmen 

 and schoolwomen. Let me cite an illustra- 

 tion from my own state : Michigan is among 

 the most backward in appropriating money 

 for cooperation with the federal govern- 

 ment in the making of the topographic sur- 

 vey. "While some states have nearly all of 

 their area mapped, and many states have 

 more than a half mapped, Michigan has 

 only fifteen to twenty quadrangles mapped. 

 New maps have been added slowly and 

 those interested in the survey have had to 

 fight for every appropriation. But the 

 people of the unmapped areas have at last 

 discovered what these maps mean, and 

 from various parts of the state calls for 

 maps will be sent to the legislature just 

 convening. So certain are the members 

 and friends of the Geological Survey that 

 the request for funds for topographic 

 work will for the future take care of itself, 



that for the first time they will make no ef- 

 fort in its behalf. 



So, it would seem, may it be with the 

 natural history survey. We have tried to 

 use the argument of financial benefit, and 

 it has not worked. We have tried the argu- 

 ment of the benefit to science, and it has 

 not worked. The trouble with the first 

 argument seems to be that we have not and 

 we can not clearly define the work we 

 would do so as to be reasonably sure of pe- 

 cuniary returns. The weakness of the sec- 

 ond argument is that relatively so few citi- 

 zens would be benefited. The argument 

 for educational benefit has met with little 

 better success than the others, but this is 

 probably owing to lack of definite plan. 

 There is herewith proposed a definite plan 

 ■which is believed would find supporters 

 numerous enough to be infiuential. This 

 method of doing the work, even in state 

 surveys, has been practised by Adams, 

 Ruthven and others in this country. I am 

 urging the adaptation of the plan for the 

 benefit of the schools of the state, believing 

 that it can be made the strongest possible 

 argument for the state survey. 



Suppose such a biogeographic regional 

 survey to be in operation, and suppose the 

 reports to be so written up and the maps 

 to be so made that the schools could use the 

 reports for guides in the study of the geol- 

 ogy, geography and natural history of the 

 region, such a treatment of the survey 

 would also furnish guides for all that in- 

 creasing number of citizens who like to 

 study nature. The benefits to these classes 

 of our population, the young people in the 

 schools, and the citizens who like the out- 

 doors, would justify the survey. But there 

 are other benefits that would follow: The 

 survey could be planned so as to furnish 

 data for instruction in agriculture and 

 forestry and other applied sciences. 



This biogeographic regional survey 



