304 TAYLOR : ON THE VARIATION OF MOLLUSCA. 



In this respect, Germany, by the most advanced section of 

 their biologists set us a good example by their exact and pains- 

 taking determinations of the specimens they study. 



I could wish many of the biologists of our own country to 

 take note of the words of M. Paul Fischer, an eminent French 

 malacological anatomist who says: — ''It is palpable that pre- 

 vious to describing the minute structure of an animal, it is neces- 

 sary to determine its name exactly. This determination is often 

 more fastidious and difficult than the examination of the cellules 

 of its integument, the dissection of its viscera, or the interpreta- 

 tion of its organs, but it must nevertheless be the aim of our 

 work, or we should see synonymic chaos inevitably increase." 



Many biologists thus paying small heed to specific differ- 

 ences necessarily think lightly of the collector and the systematist, 

 and attach little or no value to the result of their labours, and 

 would seem often to consider industry misplaced, if not em- 

 ployed in biological or embryological work. Would it not be better 

 that we should all regard with pleasure and satisfaction sound 

 and honest work undertaken in any branch of our mutual study, 

 whether it be morphological, embryological, or physiological, 

 specific and varietal differentiation, study of the habits or habitat, 

 geographical distribution or even mere collecting, or as it may be 

 more properly termed, accumulation of material for others. 



We cannot all be successful and skilful biologists and 

 anatomists, so I would wish each to labour in the branch for 

 which he is best adapted, and for which he feels most interest, 

 and we shall thus, and only thus, in process of time hope to gain 

 a complete knowledge of every organism, a result which could 

 never be accomplished by the assiduous following of any one 

 branch of research, even though it be so important a one as 

 biology. 



J.C, v., April, i£ 



