346 
specific creations of Palzeontologists are of necessity artificial, 
as they are formed upon trivial characters which, on fuller 
knowledge regarding fruit and other essentials, may to a large 
extent prove to be individual variation rather than distinctly 
specific. Professor W. C. Williamson, in his opening address 
to the Geological Section of the British Association at South- 
port, in 1883, has strongly commented upon dangers to true 
and natural classification from this source. In his remarks, 
under the section F'Erns, he states (see p. 524, “‘ Nature,” Sept., 
1883) “The older taxonomic of Paleozoic Fern-life is with 
few exceptions, of little scientific value. Hooker and others 
have uttered in vain wise protests against the system that 
has been pursued. Small fragments have had generic and 
specific names assigned to them with supreme indifference to 
the study of morphological variability amongst living types. 
The undifferentiated tip of a terminal pinnule has had its 
special name, whilst the more developed structures, forming 
the lower part of the frond, have supplied two or three species. 
Then the distinct forms of the fertile fonds may have 
furnished additional oves whilst a further cause of confusion 
is seen in the wide difference existing between a young half- 
developed seedling and the same plant at an advanced stage 
of growth.” 
Since these observations were written Professor F. W. 
Hutton has contributed a most interesting article bearing upon 
subject (‘‘ Geological Nomenclature,” pp. 59-61, Geol. Mag., 
1885) in which he very ably supports similar ideas. He 
states that it is quite impossible to squeeze the rock systems 
of other regions into those found in the Huropean. They 
will not fit, and he therefore justly contends that all desig- 
nations of sub-divisions of systems in Hurope, as well as else- 
where, should have a local application only, and that in 
tabular or other comparisons the several local sub-divisions of 
a great system or era, such as the Paleozoic, should simply be 
treated as independent local groupings of the local sequence, 
against, or between which, may be approximately related 
the equivalent or complementary systems of distant 
regions. The necessity for these distinctions, although 
recognised by Dr. Geikie (pp. 634636, ‘Text Book 
of Geology”), is not sufficiently appreciated by him 
as regards the world-wide application of European sub- 
divisions of great systems. For he still believes that regional 
names (Huropean statedly), whatever may have been their 
origin, are upou the whole best adapted for general use ; and 
accordingly he cites Cambrian, Silurian, Devonian, Permian, 
and Jurassic as types of this class of divisional names as 
having been adopted all over the globe, 
Undoubtedly, so far as the three first-named systems are 
