Septembee 14, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



325 



like. Systematic collections kept exposed 

 under glass are luxuries. All the world 

 agrees that the museum side is admirably 

 done at South Kensington, and most people 

 attribute this success to the systematic ele- 

 anent which is paramount behind the scenes. 

 But, as we have seen, this is a fallacy, and 

 the 'museum argument' for keeping the 

 herbarium at South Kensington may be 

 ignored. 



By the fusion of the herbaria at Kew 

 one would look for increased economy and 

 efficiency, more time for original work as 

 distinguished from routine duties, and a 

 more complete specialization. 



We now approach another aspect of the 

 question. Much has been said on the value 

 of anatomical characters in classification, 

 and it is pretty generally conceded that 

 they ought to be taken into consideration, 

 though, like other characters, they are beset 

 with their own special difficulties. As Dr. 

 Scott — who has always urged their im- 

 portance — says :^ 



Our knowledge of the comparative anatomy of 

 plants, from this point of view, is still very back- 

 ward, and it is quite possible that the introduc- 

 tion of such characters into the ordinary work of 

 the herbarium may be premature; certainly it 

 must be conducted with the greatest judgment and 

 caution. We have not yet got our data, but 

 every encouragement should be given to the col- 

 lection of such data, so that our classification in 

 the future may rest on the broad foundation of a 

 comparison of the entire structure of plants. 



This passage was written ten years ago and 

 we are still awaiting its realization. 



It is perfectly true that in the case of a 

 recent proposal to found a new natural 

 order of flowering plants anatomical char- 

 acters find due consideration; still, on the 

 whole, we are content to rely on the tradi- 

 tional methods that have been transmitted 

 from Linnffius and the old taxonomists. 



^ D. H. Scott, presidential address, Section K, 

 British Association for the Advancement of Sci- 

 ence (1896). 



So much material is always passing under 

 the hands of our systematists that they can 

 not devote the time for the elaboration of 

 a fresh method. In particular there are 

 the new things which require docketing 

 and provisional description. Circum- 

 stances, as ever, place obstacles in our way 

 and tend to make us unprogressive. 



Now it seems to be of the first impor- 

 tance that reform should come from with- 

 in; that these problems, which are system- 

 atists' problems, should be solved by taxon- 

 omic specialists. 



I am sanguine enough to believe that 

 much might be done by a redistribution of 

 duties, especially if this were accompanied 

 by the fusion of the great herbaria, to 

 which reference has already been made. 

 But the greatest hope, I think, must lie in 

 the possibility of some form of alliance or 

 understanding between the authorities re- 

 sponsible for the administration of the her- 

 baria on the one hand and the local univer- 

 sity on the other. For directly you give the 

 keepers or assistants in the former a status 

 in the latter, you place at the disposal of 

 the systematists a considerable supply of 

 recruits in the form of advanced students 

 possessing the requisite training to carry 

 out investigations under direction. And 

 if this be true of the herbaria, it holds 

 equally in all the branches of knowledge 

 represented in the National Museum. 

 Really I fancy our museum is rather an- 

 omalous in its isolation, I am confident 

 that any understanding or arrangement 

 that might be reached would be attended 

 with great reciprocal advantage. Nor am 

 I speaking without some data before me. 

 The movement towards a closer relation 

 between the museum and the university 

 has already entered the experimental stage. 

 For on several occasions during the last 

 few years members of the museum stat¥, 

 from more than one department, have 



