OCTOBEB 17, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



607 



eouutry. In these regions we find, (1) 

 that the scientific men are extremely few, 

 (2) the means for their support are still 

 fewer, (3) and that there is a superabun- 

 dance of opportunities for study. In New 

 Mexico I am the only zoologist, so far as 

 I laiow (unless the paleontologists Springer 

 and St. John ai'e regarded as zoologists*). 

 There is no support of pure science any- 

 where in the territory. Yet the opportuni- 

 ties for research are innumerable. (Of 

 course they are so anywhere, but there are 

 so many almost or quite virgin fields in New 

 Mexico ; so many whole groups of animals 

 unstudied, whole mountain ranges unex- 

 plored by the biologist.) 



My ideal is to have the means to invite 

 a dozen or more young men (or women) 

 out here to take up some of the lines of 

 work I see open in every direction. I try 

 to do what I can, but the things I can't do 

 are never out of my mind. 



I think your remarks on the subject of 

 publication are very wise. This is a sub- 

 ject of the first importance. In zoology 

 and botany great good could be done by 

 publishing catalogues, bibliographies, etc. 

 For example, I understood that Mr. S. 

 Henshaw, of the Mus. of Comp. Zool., has 

 in MSS. a work giving references to the 

 whole of the literature on North American 

 Coleoptera, with localities. I understand 

 that he cannot find any one to publish it. 

 It would be simply invaluable to the stu- 

 dent of geographical distribution and to 

 the coleopterist. 



Paunal works also deserve support. I 

 believe Dr. J. B. Smith, of New Jersey, 

 stands ready to publish a work on the 

 noetuid moths of North America, if any 

 one will relieve him of the cost of print- 

 ing. 



I hope, however, that the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution will give us most of its publications 



* C. L. Herrick has formerly published on 

 zoology, but is not now working on this branch. 



at reasonable prices and with as little paper 

 as may be needful for good printing. The 

 bulky quartos so often published are quite 

 too costly and too heavy to carry about. 



These remarks are of course only meant 

 to cover a small amount of ground, in 

 which I happen to be interested. I have 

 no disposition at present to discuss the Car- 

 negie Institution as a whole. 



Theo. D. a. Cockerell. 



The problem before the trustees of the 

 Carnegie Institution is not simply that of 

 the profitable administration of the fund 

 in the promotion of research— this would 

 be easy enough; but it is to secure the 

 greatest possible enlargement of the bounds 

 of human knowledge from an income, 

 which, large though it seems, is but small 

 in comparison with the amount being spent 

 upon research the world over. Now there 

 is but one well-spring of new knowledge, 

 and that lies in certain rare individual 

 minds with an inborn aptitude, needing to 

 be supplemented by a special training and 

 a favorable environment, for scientific re- 

 search. Knowledge is advanced in depth, 

 if not in breadth, far more by the single 

 occasional genius than by many lesser 

 minds. To find out, and especially to give 

 full play, to these few rare minds, seems 

 to me the true ideal of the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution, and the object to which the greater 

 part of its fund may most profitably be 

 devoted. There are two ways, practically, 

 along which to work towards this end. 

 First, wherever there is known to be a man 

 who had proven a marked capacity for re- 

 search, but who has been forced by circum- 

 stances into an unfavorable environment, 

 he should be offered a stipend, not lavish, 

 but ample for the support of himself and 

 family in ordinary comfort, to enable him to 

 remove for a year or two to any center of 

 research he may choose; if then his work 

 goes well, he should be granted a second 



