1 82 



SCIESCE-GOSSIP. 



THE RISE OF PAL-EOXTOLOGY 



By Arthitr J. Maslex. 



{Canthtued from page na ) 



T' 



Linnaeus, the great Swedish 

 study of fossils owes h'c' Ii 

 already pointed ou: •-^- 1-:e :r=s 

 origin of fossils were ir. z: i; ir. 

 times. EBs great ;r.; =.5 a. :::5.z: 

 his importance :- -.hii Ji:s.;r 

 Biolc^y in geners-l , !::h :- :Jie :=;: 

 we owe the moderz — e.h:i ;: ~a: 

 by the use of '."■z iris, eereri 

 Previous to this :ht -=.— re :: riE. 

 subject ton: r:;ei =.ri ur: trsa!'; r 

 and a cum:er;;rre ; ; err :: ! 

 names had gr:./- up. V:.:- --e 

 the binomial system c: z:r:er:' = :- 

 an orderly system of Darning iias 

 and so important is this meth: 

 modem naturalists that no pre-Lir 

 admitted or can be quoted as evide 

 As a conseqnraice of this rule, a . 

 literature written before that time, 

 be in itself, is r^arded as of an::: 

 only, while a still largo- amount : 

 1766 and 1820 has to share the se 

 the authors did not adopt the ':: 

 Indeed, the whole sncjec: cf z:: 

 priority has become a verv :n : m; 

 no subject at the presen: :' — e =: 

 animated discussion cr ir-;er.i::£ 

 one on the rules of ncrrer:.= :ure 

 has become accusto— ei :: :er: 

 names of organisms '^■':-:z'z r.e 

 questioned for years, be n;: :rra.: 

 the evil of changing these n5.rres : : 

 to nobody, excepting nerhars :ne 

 hunting in some old an i r em a: s 

 discovers some older na— es ani : 

 out the principle of prl;rl:y a.s a. ;: 

 there can be no appeal 5: e s 

 for adopting some fixed d£.:e : ey : r 

 priority do not extend, ard :re da: 

 of the " Systema Na::rs ;: 1: 

 universally accepted. I-I ere a : = :r a 

 A committee of the Z--:::sd ..ss: 

 adopted a set of ri.es Ir: r 

 landian Code, in wh::n :ne : : 

 "Systema Naturae," p::.:sre: :n 

 the starting point, whi. e :re ;e e: 

 drawn up by the Germ a r Lzi'.zf.zi 

 the tenth edition (17;: and :ne; 

 this edition contains al. :na: 

 However this may de :de :r:r: 

 binomial system of r:n:er;.a::re 

 what we may call modern L : ; 1 ; i y 



naturalist, the presoit time it seems more and more in danger of 

 :tle. We have becoming trinomial or even qnadrinomial. owing to 

 respecting the the continual splitting up of old genera, and the 

 ai" ance of his formation of ever-increasing varieties in specie, 

 e ad know ; In this way the good old goius Ammonites is di^-ided 

 an d indeed :: ty Zilte! P) into more than a hundred new genera. 

 ha: :: is :: hirr :he ;id generic name being retained and put in 

 rre ireanisras z i-nr.. zas z'zus: Cosmoceras (AmmoMiiesJ jason. 

 z ard :re:id:. Tne i~~ en; e collection of type specimens formed 



nis— s had deer dy lirnsus s: i—rcrtant in fixing the exact limits 

 e;:§n:sedrhe£ ::' a genus :r s:e:ies, was bought and brought over 

 to this crjrr d Sir J. Smith, not. however, 

 without the n : s::l:: . — n£:d63ble, one would think — 

 of the Swedish G:: em—en: v. no srait a warship in 

 chase! H:.-.e-er :he sre:irr.ens —ere not captured. 

 theUnnean 5:::e: as ::r~e: and the original 



scriptive 



:crIco of 



:=:jvUvcG5 

 rded by 



noont of 

 13 it may 



in:erest 



and which : : : 

 period, v, e ma 

 "Natural Histc: 



on NorthamD:: 



.1 -known 



Gusta\Ti5 Zran 



:;©d un- 



figured the :':s 



-agrines 



day. The i- 



rs in:wn 



which was z: 



iual who. 



S:iander an 



en book. 



fon-na:ei . dne 



r:n :rots 



were :h:s era: 



_ . . •_ ; _ V 



V,-e n:v,- ::• 



n e : e s s 1 : V 



e-iner: arr:r 



n roies 01 



-- '_' rv ~u: ie 



rblication 



ver:edra:e ar: 



nas nsen 



tivel- de:r: 



r.y ar.ses. 



Be5.an;:r :n : 



e-:re :: :ne pre-sious 

 ha: dy ?i;: en the 

 :nre ::-- and that 

 .I:r::n :7;5,. both 



many fossils, while 



dished proposals for 



dratnral History of 



as far fr:iii support- 

 • ■as : s s : e 1 , however, 



r::isd ee;i: = y vrhich 

 mrsnire ?:ssis bv 



I'ork, 

 Dr. 



a:-Jie 





(1) "Gmndzogt 

 p) H. B. Wood-J 



respec- 



ssier. -.vnere, 

 :e—r:raries, 

 .an:ar:k, his 



:. GeoL Assoc," vaiL xiiL, p. 



