708 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXl. No. 801 



contain a closely reasoned philosophical argu- 

 ment, but naively assumes that there can be 

 only one logical explanation of the facts pre- 

 sented, and consequently the case becomes 

 stronger in proportion to the data accumu- 

 lated. This is of course the attitude of the 

 modern evolutionist, only his explanation is 

 not quite the same. The wonders of adapta- 

 tion, the community of general structure in 

 series of animals, the facts of paleontology, 

 all are brought forward as evidence of intelli- 

 gent design. If two pictures or statues show 

 points of resemblance we do not say that 

 they are derived one from the other, 

 but we may suspect that they were created 

 by the same hand. Just so Dr. Petti- 

 grew, and having got thus far, the very 

 difficulties in the way of the creation hypoth- 

 esis appear to lend it support. For example, 

 take any remarkable case of adaptation; the 

 naturalist may show that a particular species 

 is able to flourish at a particular time and 

 place, because of a multitude of circum- 

 stances, all of which are more or less essential 

 to its prosperity. It would not be sufficient 

 merely to create the animal, it must be ex- 

 actly so, at exactly such a place, with all the 

 other characters in the play doing their proper 

 parts. Quite impossible! you say. On the 

 contrary, it is such a marvelous thing that it 

 proves the action not merely of intelligence, 

 but of the highest conceivable kind! The 

 trouble is, that it not only requires the highest 

 conceivable intelligence, but a still higher and 

 wholly inconceivable sort. It transcends 

 physics and metaphysics, and lands us in the 

 field of metapsychics. In other words, the 

 " explanation " is no explanation at all, and 

 serves merely to shelve the question of origin 

 and sequence. The author, at the end of each 

 discussion, turns around to his audience and 

 asks, like the conjurer, who can explain the 

 trick except in his way; but also like the con- 

 jurer, he refrains from telling us precisely 

 what that way is. There is no reason to sup- 

 pose that this ardent supporter of " creation " 

 had or pretended to have the least idea of the 

 nature of the process. 



Although our criticism is adverse, we must 



confess to a certain sympathy with the author. 

 Evolution is not a key to unlock every door 

 of mystery. We who are concerned daily with 

 the mechanics of life need to be reminded 

 from time to time that there are more dimen- 

 sions of reality than those in which we 

 quarry. It is not for us to claim that we 

 really understand, in any complete sense, how 

 this world of ours came to be what it is. As 

 scientific men, however, we are bound to re- 

 ject mere dummy explanations of things, mere 

 words which embody no rational thought; and 

 by the same token, we must hold fast to those 

 facts and theories which seem to be best veri- 

 fied by experience. The theory of organic evo- 

 lution, full of difficulties as it is, has some sub- 

 stance, some genuine pragmatic ability ; that of 

 creation, as held by Dr. Pettigrew, is but a 

 shadow of a shadow. To our posterity five 

 hundred years hence it will doubtless seem that 

 we were groping in the dark; but let it be at 

 least said of us, that we groped to the best of 

 our ability. T. D. A. Cockerbll 



Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural 



History, Vol. XXVI. 



This volume of contributions from the sci- 

 entific staff of the American Museum of Nat- 

 ural History appears less interesting than its 

 predecessor, though it attains a generous size 

 of 430 pages, and contains twenty-nine articles 

 from the pens of seventeen contributors. The 

 articles of discussional and narrative value 

 are fewer in number, and the volume is more 

 confined to systematic studies. 



Perhaps, from the point of view of general 

 utility and interest, Mr. A. Hermann's dem- 

 onstration of " Modern Laboratory Methods 

 in Vertebrate Paleontology " most quickly at- 

 tracts attention. The article can not be im- 

 pugned on the score of paucity of detail. It 

 makes indeed an excellent manual of direction 

 for all museums of vertebrate fossils, and 

 commands deference from the place its au- 

 thor holds among preparators. It is also in a 

 measure, and quite frankly, a history of 

 progress. 



The papers on fossil vertebrates open with 

 an article on the genus Ancodon by Dr. Mat- 



