870 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 413. 



acese, Schizaeaceae, Ceratopteridacese, etc.) 

 form with it a related group which we denomi- 

 nate Order Filicales. If Professor Camp- 

 bell wishes to make a class to include the or- 

 der Filicales and other related orders, no one 

 could have the slightest objection, but in ac- 

 cordance with the recognized principles of 

 modern systematic botany Professor Camp- 

 bell is not at liberty to name his classes with 

 the termination -ales for that is reserved for 

 orders and for orders alone. 



The usage of ' Our Native Ferns ' (sixth 

 edition), to which reference is made, is strictly 

 in accord with the above in the two cases 

 quoted from the systematic portion of the 

 work. On page 63 where the term Order 

 Equisetacece is used, there is clearly an error, 

 resulting from an oversight in correcting the 

 electros, which at that point have escaped re- 

 vision since their first printing in an earlier 

 edition when order was still used as a synonym 

 of family. 



The orders of pteridophytes which we would 

 recognize at the present time are: (1) Ophio- 

 glossales, (2) Marattiales, (3) Filicales, (4) 

 Salviniales, (5) Equisetales, (6) Lycopodiales, 

 (7) Isoetales. I believe this disposition of 

 the last group, which contains a single genus, 

 is much more logical than the plan followed 

 by Professor Campbell in his ' University 

 Text-book ' of leaving these humble aquatics 

 dangling between two classes with no secure 

 resting place whatever. They have certainly 

 become differentiated from other pteridophytes 

 to this extent, as Professor Campbell him- 

 self clearly states. 



L. M. IJnderwood. 



Columbia University, 

 November 4, 1902. 



A POINT IN NOMENCLATURE. 



Eeferrino to Professor Cockerell's note in 

 Science, November 7, permit me to say: 



Under the name of Monacanthus ohlongus, 

 Schlegel included two species, one large in 

 size (since called modesius), the other small 

 and more strikingly formed (since called 

 hroehii). I have retained Schlegel's name 

 for the smaller species, because his figure rep- 

 resents it, his description is chiefly based on 



it and his references to the larger species are 

 casual and comparative. The larger species 

 Schlegel regarded as ' Individus adultes ' in 

 which the specific characters of caudal fila- 

 ments and dorsal serrations had been lost. 

 As Schlegel's ' type specimen,' in the modern 

 sense, was clearly one of the smaller species, 

 I retain his name of ohlongus for it, although 

 he regarded the larger species (modestus) as 

 the adult of the same species. Wherever pos- 

 sible, the question of type of genus or species 

 should be decided on data in the original work, 

 without reference to subsequent literature. 

 David Starr Jordan. 



new york archeology. 



To THE Editor of Science: Dr. Merrill, 

 of the New York State Museum, suggests that 

 a brief account of archeological collections of 

 interest be added to the bulletins now being 

 issued, as a convenience for students of our 

 local antiquities. This might be inserted in 

 one of the bulletins yet to appear, or, if the 

 amount of material warrants it, form a sub- 

 ject by itself. I know fairly well the more 

 important collections, but there are many 

 which have escaped my personal attention, 

 and some inconspicuous ones contain valuable 

 articles. With a view to carrying out this 

 plan I would be glad to receive notes of any 

 and all collections, public or private, which 

 serve to illustrate the aboriginal history of 

 New York. Photographs of articles or cases 

 will be of great assistance, and correspondents 

 may well give brief accounts of any local col- 

 lections known to them. 



I can not definitely say what the published 

 results will be, for these will depend on the 

 importance of the matter sent in. Ample re- 

 ports are very desirable and will be placed on 

 permanent record, but may necessarily be 

 much reduced for publication. The idea is 

 to make such a report as will enable students 

 easily to find what they want in the way of 

 illustration and information. At the same 

 time an idea may be gathered of the abund- 

 ance and character of local relics. For pre- 

 liminary use the number of specimens may 

 be given, character, material, locality, with 

 fuller accounts of special forms. The intelli- 



