FIELD ZOOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY 337 



is a pity to make it a work of irritating labour to find out just 

 what the thought is. Surely, if he will take as much pains with 

 his writing as he has with the far more difficult business of ex- 

 ploring and collecting, he will become able to express his thought 

 clearly and forcefully. At least he can, if he chooses, go over his 

 sentences until he is reasonably sure that they can be parsed. He 

 can take pains to see that his whole thought is expressed, instead 

 of leaving vacancies which must be filled by the puzzled and 

 groping reader. His own views and his quotations from the views 

 of others about the static and dynamic theories of distribution are 

 examples of an important principle, so imperfectly expressed as to 

 make us doubtful whether it is perfectly apprehended by the writer. 

 He can avoid the use of those pedantic terms, which are really 

 nothing but offensive, and, fortunately, ephemeral scientific slang. 

 There has been, for instance, a recent vogue for the extensive mis- 

 use, usually tautological misuse, of the word " complexus " — an 

 excellent word if used rarely and for definite purposes. Mr. Base- 

 man drags it in continually when its use is either pointless and 

 redundant, or else serves purely to darken wisdom. He speaks of 



Fiala when Fiala descended the Tapajos (and, by the way, Fiala's trip down 

 the Papagaio, Juruena, and Tapajos was infinitely more important than all 

 the work Mr. Landor did in South America put together). Lieutenants 

 Pyrineus and Mello, mentioned in the body of this workj informed me that 

 they accompanied Mr. Landor on most of his overland trip before he embarked 

 on the Arinos, and that he simply followed the highroad or- else the telegraph- 

 line, and, furthermore, Colonel Rondon states that the Indians whom Mr. 

 Landor encountered and photographed were those educated at the missions. 



Colonel Rondon's official report to the Brazilian Government and his letter 

 to me are of interest to all geographers and other scientific men who have 

 any concern with the alleged discoveries of Mr. Landor. They contain very 

 grave charges, with which it is not necessary for me to deal. Suffice it to say 

 that Mr. Landor's accounts of his alleged exploration cannot be considered as 

 entitled to the slightest serious consideration until he has satisfactorily and in 

 detail answered Colonel Rondon ; and this he has thus far signally failed 

 to do. 



Fortunately, there are numerous examples of exactly the opposite type of 

 work. From the days of Humboldt and Spix and Martius to the present 

 time, German explorers have borne a conspicuous part in the exploration of 

 South America. As representatives of the men and women who have done 

 such capital work, who have fronted every hazard and hardship, and laboured 

 in the scientific spirit, and who have added greatly to our fund of geographic, 

 biologic, and ethnographic knowledge, I may mention Miss Snethlage and 

 Herr Karl von den Steinen. 



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