﻿A. 
  M. 
  Edwards 
  — 
  Infusorial 
  Earths 
  of 
  Pacific 
  Coast. 
  373 
  

  

  such 
  remains 
  appeared 
  and 
  those 
  that 
  showed 
  signs 
  of 
  yielding 
  

   definite 
  results 
  were 
  set 
  aside 
  for 
  further 
  study 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  

   been 
  properly 
  prepared. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  sub- 
  

   mitted 
  to 
  me 
  were 
  examined. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  no 
  traces 
  of 
  organic 
  

   remains 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  ascertained 
  their 
  origin, 
  

   as 
  desired. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  siliceous 
  skeletons 
  of 
  Diato- 
  

   macese 
  in 
  any 
  earth, 
  or 
  deposit 
  of 
  any 
  kind 
  reveals 
  at 
  once 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  deposit 
  has 
  formed 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  

   water 
  or, 
  if 
  the 
  remains 
  are 
  not 
  evenly 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  

   its 
  mass, 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  overflowed 
  by 
  water 
  having 
  Dia- 
  

   tomacese 
  living 
  in 
  it. 
  Besides 
  this, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  also 
  ascertained 
  

   as 
  to 
  whether 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  thrown 
  down 
  from 
  fresh 
  water 
  or 
  in 
  

   the 
  ocean. 
  Although 
  this 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  has 
  not 
  

   received 
  the 
  attention 
  that 
  its 
  importance 
  deserves 
  yet 
  we 
  can 
  

   with 
  some 
  considerable 
  degree 
  of 
  certainty 
  even 
  determine 
  as 
  

   to 
  whether 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  which 
  such 
  a 
  deposit 
  was 
  thrown 
  

   down 
  was 
  a 
  lake, 
  a 
  bog 
  or 
  marsh, 
  an 
  estuary 
  or 
  the 
  open 
  ocean. 
  

   As 
  the 
  matter 
  comes 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  fully 
  studied 
  and 
  the 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  of 
  facts 
  is 
  increased 
  we 
  shall 
  doubtless 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  these 
  and 
  similar 
  points 
  with 
  a 
  greater 
  degree- 
  of 
  accuracy. 
  

  

  The 
  indestructible 
  nature 
  of 
  these 
  skeletons, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   their 
  consisting 
  mainly 
  if 
  not 
  entirely 
  of 
  silica, 
  deposited 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  in 
  its 
  tissues, 
  preserves 
  for 
  the 
  student 
  

   of 
  nature 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  former 
  aqueous 
  submergence, 
  and, 
  as 
  

   their 
  distinctive 
  characters 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  difficult 
  of 
  recognition 
  

   by 
  careful 
  students 
  we 
  thus 
  have 
  typical 
  forms 
  of 
  organisms 
  

   to 
  use 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  marine 
  or 
  fresh 
  

   water 
  origin 
  of 
  any 
  specimen 
  under 
  examination. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  remarked 
  that 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greatest 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  time 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  spent 
  by 
  most 
  observers 
  on 
  the 
  Diato- 
  

   macese 
  has 
  been 
  evidently 
  mainly 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  discover- 
  

   ing 
  new 
  forms 
  rather 
  than 
  ascertaining 
  the 
  life-history 
  or 
  even 
  

   the 
  distinctive 
  characters 
  of 
  already 
  known 
  species. 
  So 
  that 
  

   our 
  lists 
  have 
  become 
  but 
  a 
  heterogeneous 
  mass 
  of 
  mei'e 
  names 
  

   applied 
  to 
  often 
  accidental, 
  sometimes 
  distorted 
  or 
  even 
  frac- 
  

   tured 
  specimens. 
  I 
  can 
  not 
  too 
  earnestly 
  enter 
  my 
  protest 
  

   against 
  the 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  species-monger 
  as 
  a 
  naturalist 
  ; 
  

   such 
  observations 
  and 
  records 
  as 
  those 
  I 
  allude 
  to 
  do 
  not 
  only 
  not 
  

   advance 
  our 
  knowledge 
  but 
  certainly 
  retard 
  its 
  progress 
  by 
  

   placing 
  new 
  obstacles 
  in 
  the 
  path 
  of 
  the 
  student 
  of 
  nature. 
  

   Elsewhere 
  I 
  have 
  spoken 
  more 
  fully 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  and 
  shown 
  

   how 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  this 
  branch 
  of 
  biology 
  has 
  fallen 
  undeservedly 
  

   into 
  disrepute 
  among 
  scientific 
  naturalists 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  

   I 
  will 
  refrain 
  from 
  saying 
  more 
  than 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  put 
  upon 
  

   record. 
  

  

  