﻿62 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  

  

  clature 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  complete 
  disregard 
  of 
  all 
  restrictions 
  upon 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   terms. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  quite 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  kinds 
  of 
  subdivisions 
  made 
  in 
  

   both 
  stratigraphy 
  and 
  time 
  by 
  the 
  Bologna 
  Congress 
  was 
  rather 
  

   greater 
  than 
  was 
  necessary, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  restriction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   words 
  group 
  and 
  series 
  to 
  particular 
  subdivisions 
  in 
  the 
  scale 
  renders 
  

   it 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  write 
  upon 
  stratigraphy 
  in 
  English, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   poverty 
  of 
  the 
  language 
  in 
  geological 
  terms 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   these 
  two 
  words 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  every 
  kind 
  of 
  subdivision 
  indis- 
  

   criminately. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  group 
  for 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  division 
  as 
  Palaeozoic 
  

   and 
  Mesozoic 
  is 
  quite 
  opposed 
  to 
  our 
  habit, 
  as 
  the 
  word 
  has 
  hitherto 
  

   been 
  more 
  frequently 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  of 
  the 
  French 
  etage 
  than 
  for 
  

   any 
  larger 
  division. 
  The 
  proposal 
  repeatedly 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  French 
  

   and 
  other 
  Committees 
  to 
  transpose 
  the 
  words 
  group 
  and 
  series, 
  and 
  

   to 
  apply 
  the 
  latter 
  to 
  great 
  divisions 
  like 
  Palaeozoic, 
  and 
  the 
  former 
  

   to 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  order, 
  would 
  be 
  an 
  improvement 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  

   would 
  be 
  far 
  preferable 
  to 
  diminish 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  subdivisions, 
  and 
  

   to 
  eliminate 
  both 
  words, 
  group 
  and 
  series, 
  from 
  the 
  restricted 
  list 
  — 
  

   to 
  revert, 
  in 
  fact, 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  proposal 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  Committee 
  

   in 
  this 
  respect. 
  Professor 
  Hughes 
  calls 
  attention 
  to 
  a 
  suggestion 
  of 
  

   Professor 
  Sedgwick's, 
  to 
  use 
  class 
  for 
  the 
  largest 
  divisions. 
  I 
  had 
  

   made 
  the 
  same 
  suggestion 
  myself, 
  in 
  ignorance 
  of 
  Professor 
  Sedg- 
  

   wick's 
  employment 
  of 
  the 
  word, 
  when 
  writing 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  for 
  the 
  

   International 
  Committee 
  meeting 
  in 
  Geneva 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  think 
  if 
  English 
  

   geologists 
  would 
  agree 
  to 
  employ 
  the 
  term 
  class, 
  or, 
  as 
  Professor 
  Cope 
  

   has 
  suggested, 
  realm, 
  as 
  the 
  English 
  equivalent 
  of 
  group, 
  and 
  to 
  omit 
  

   series 
  and 
  assis'e 
  altogether, 
  as 
  unnecessary, 
  we 
  should 
  have 
  three 
  

   words 
  left 
  — 
  class 
  or 
  realm, 
  system, 
  and 
  stage 
  — 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   additions 
  to 
  our 
  very 
  poor 
  list 
  of 
  English 
  terms. 
  I 
  cannot 
  agree 
  

   with 
  Prof. 
  Hughes 
  in 
  objecting 
  to 
  the 
  word 
  stage 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   exactly 
  the 
  equivalent 
  of 
  etage 
  ; 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  me 
  a 
  great 
  advantage 
  

   to 
  have 
  an 
  English 
  word 
  to 
  fit 
  precisely 
  where 
  a 
  term 
  is 
  peculiarly 
  

   wanted. 
  I 
  feel 
  sure 
  that 
  if 
  English 
  geologists 
  will 
  condescend 
  to 
  

   try 
  the 
  term 
  they 
  will 
  find 
  it 
  extremely 
  useful. 
  If 
  intermediate 
  or 
  

   inferior 
  subdivisional 
  names 
  are 
  needed, 
  the 
  terms 
  subclass, 
  sub- 
  

   system, 
  and 
  substage 
  might 
  be 
  employed. 
  

  

  The 
  distinction 
  drawn 
  at 
  Bologna 
  between 
  stratification- 
  and 
  time- 
  

   words 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  very 
  great 
  importance, 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  English 
  

   writers 
  would 
  do 
  wisely 
  and 
  would 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  science 
  

   by 
  adopting 
  the 
  reformed 
  nomenclature. 
  Until 
  there 
  are 
  clear 
  

   ideas 
  on 
  the 
  subject, 
  and 
  until 
  the 
  distinction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  categories 
  

  

  