﻿334 
  , 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  Like 
  its 
  sister 
  volume, 
  the 
  present 
  one 
  is 
  splendidly 
  and 
  gener- 
  

   ously 
  illustrated 
  and 
  its 
  beautiful 
  quarto 
  pages 
  are 
  a 
  delight. 
  

  

  Taxonomy 
  is 
  the 
  special 
  subject 
  treated, 
  and 
  though 
  Wieland 
  

   recognizes 
  the 
  flimsy 
  basis* 
  of 
  external 
  morphology 
  upon 
  which 
  

   Cycadeoid 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  created, 
  yet 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  quarrel 
  

   with 
  the 
  " 
  cast-makers 
  " 
  of 
  species 
  but 
  considers 
  it 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  great- 
  

   est 
  importance 
  to 
  present 
  structural 
  details 
  as 
  rapidly 
  as 
  those 
  can 
  

   be 
  assembled, 
  and 
  with 
  as 
  little 
  specific 
  rearrangement 
  as 
  pos- 
  

   sible." 
  So 
  thoroughly 
  has 
  he 
  presented 
  these 
  details, 
  that 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  headway 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  species, 
  

   j)ossibly 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  genera. 
  For 
  example, 
  Wieland 
  

   has 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  score 
  or 
  so 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  Cycadella 
  can 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  all 
  be 
  included 
  in 
  four, 
  and 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  genus 
  Cycadellaf 
  

   can 
  well 
  be 
  merged 
  into 
  Cycadeoidea. 
  Though 
  Wieland 
  has 
  no 
  

   quarrel 
  with 
  the 
  makers 
  of 
  species, 
  yet 
  he 
  has 
  one 
  complaint 
  

   w 
  r 
  hich 
  must 
  appeal 
  to 
  every 
  scientist 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  valid 
  one. 
  In 
  

   some 
  cases 
  " 
  type 
  specimens 
  " 
  are 
  hoarded 
  intact 
  in 
  museums 
  and 
  

   only 
  their 
  external 
  appearance 
  is 
  known, 
  it 
  being 
  considered 
  a 
  

   sort 
  of 
  sacrilege 
  to 
  have 
  their 
  structure 
  determined 
  by 
  section- 
  

   ing! 
  This 
  most 
  unenlightened 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  a 
  museum 
  

   retards 
  scientific 
  advance. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  new 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  struggle 
  

   between 
  the 
  systematist 
  and 
  the 
  modern 
  botanist, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   hand 
  of 
  the 
  strateographic 
  geologist 
  can 
  be 
  clearly 
  discerned. 
  

   In 
  the 
  end 
  such 
  museums 
  will 
  suffer 
  by 
  their 
  narrow 
  policy, 
  for 
  as 
  

   time 
  goes 
  on, 
  and 
  the 
  structure 
  in 
  related 
  species 
  become 
  known, 
  

   the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  type 
  ones 
  will 
  become 
  less 
  and 
  less. 
  The 
  

   National 
  Museum 
  at 
  Washington 
  and 
  some 
  European 
  museums 
  

   have 
  set 
  a 
  good 
  example, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  no 
  doubt 
  not 
  be 
  long 
  until 
  

   their 
  lead 
  will 
  be 
  followed. 
  Wieland 
  further 
  considers 
  that 
  

   extensive 
  field 
  work, 
  opening 
  up 
  of 
  quarries 
  like 
  those 
  for 
  Dino- 
  

   saurs, 
  affords 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  for 
  an 
  adequate 
  study 
  of 
  fossil 
  

   plants. 
  

  

  Aside 
  from 
  the 
  taxonomic 
  results 
  of 
  his 
  w 
  T 
  ork 
  the 
  chief 
  points 
  

   of 
  interest 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  elaboration 
  of 
  the 
  woody-structure 
  of 
  the 
  

   stem 
  and 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  fruiting 
  habit 
  and 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  staminate 
  disk. 
  

  

  A 
  most 
  remarkable 
  new 
  species 
  ( 
  C. 
  dartoni) 
  which 
  bore 
  500- 
  

   600 
  well-preserved 
  fruiting 
  strobili, 
  one 
  in 
  practically 
  each 
  leaf 
  

   axil, 
  and 
  all 
  uniformly 
  mature, 
  illustrates 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  a 
  

   culminating 
  fruiting 
  period 
  (monocarpy) 
  in 
  the 
  Cycadeoidea. 
  

   Wieland 
  had 
  found 
  traces 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  condition, 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  

   the 
  evidence 
  is 
  practically 
  conclusive. 
  The 
  similar 
  habit 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  no 
  exaggeration 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  most 
  Cycadeoid 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  

   based 
  on 
  the 
  characters 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  liable 
  to 
  individual 
  variation 
  in 
  

   life, 
  the 
  least 
  diagnostic 
  of 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  least 
  susceptible 
  to 
  constancy 
  of 
  

   preservation" 
  (Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  15). 
  

  

  f 
  " 
  But 
  while 
  it 
  should 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  be 
  considered 
  that 
  this 
  new 
  genus 
  is 
  

   finally 
  and 
  absolutely 
  overthrown, 
  it 
  is, 
  definitely 
  speaking, 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   recognize 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  hour 
  no 
  features 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  any 
  single 
  specimen 
  referred 
  to 
  Cycadella 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  

   duplicated 
  over 
  and 
  over 
  in 
  characteristic 
  Cycadeoideas 
  " 
  (Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  106). 
  

  

  