316 Recent Progress and present State of Systematic Botany. 
opinions and statements; nor by one wholly free from pretense 
and sham. 
Taking all things that have been reviewed into consideration, 
I think there is sufficient reason for regarding Dr. Koch’s 
evidence of the cotemporaneity of Man and the Mastodon very 
doubtful. It is to be hoped that the geologists of the Missouri 
Geological Survey now in progress will succeed in settling the 
question positively. 
The cotemporaneity claimed will probably be shown to be 
true for North America by future discoveries if not already so 
established ; for Man existed in Europe long before the extine- 
tion of the American Mastodon. 
ART. XXXVI.—Bentham, On the recent Progress and present 
State of Systematic Botany. 
[Continued from page 294.] 
As to the necessity or advantage of artificial keys to species 
in systematic works, when the species of a genus are brought 
into an order which as much as possible exhibits their natural 
relationships, it is seldom difficult to divide and subdivide the 
groups by important characters, if pains enough be taken, so 
In this connexion we can best bring in the few remarks we 
have to offer upon the present tendency, which Mr. Bentham 
cannot now restrict them to the twelve-word law of Linneus,” 
and that “a twelve-line ablative diagnosis is an absolute nul- 
sance,” our choice is not bound to either of these extremes, and 
the happy medium may generally be hit. The diagnostic form 
is a constant enjoinder of brevity and of utmost arte & 
The protracted specific characters which Mr. Bentham rightly 
deprecates generally mean slovenly work. To keep them within 
unds we have only to insist upon critical grouping, and sub- 
ordinated sections and subsections, such as we have just recom- 
mended. In this way we adapt the Linnean diagnosis to our 
