EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 119 



51 per cent, females. Of the Mussels taken from high level, 47 per cent, 

 were males, 53 per cent, females. Of the Mussels taken from mid-level, 

 48 per cent, were males, 52 per cent, females. Of the Mussels taken from 

 low level, 51 per cent, were males, 49 per cent, females. From these 

 figures it will be seen that the proportion of the sexes varies within very 

 narrow limits at the different levels. There is certainly not a greater pro- 

 portion of males at the upper poorly nourished zones, nor a greater propor- 

 tion of females in the lower zones. Indeed, the differences, such as they 

 are, point the other way." 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society held on Feb. 7th a paper was 

 read by Mr. H. M. Bernard, " On the Necessity for a Provisional Nomen- 

 clature for those Forms of Life which cannot be at once arranged in a 

 Natural System." Taking the Stony Corals as an illustration, the author 

 showed how impossible it is to classify them into " species " in the present 

 state of our knowledge (1) of the living forms themselves, and (3) of what 

 we should mean by the term " species." He found himself compelled to 

 invent some method of naming them which shall enable their natural 

 history to be written, so far as it can be discovered, without at the same 

 time having to pretend that, in so doing, the specimens are being classified 

 in the modern evolutionary sense — that is, according to their true genetic 

 affinities. This " natural order " can only be based upon an exhaustive 

 study of all the discoverable variations, and only then will it be possible to 

 arrange these variations into natural groups or " species." Further, this 

 study, if its results are to be trustworthy, must have had regard not only 

 to the structural details of the specimens, but also to their natural con- 

 ditions of existence, in order that all these variations, which are purely 

 accidental and adaptational, e.g. due to special currents, or to favourable 

 or unfavourable positions on the reef, may be eliminated ; for only those 

 which have been normally inherited can be admitted into an evolutionary 

 classification — at least, as at present understood. 



The author contended therefore that the present exclusive adherence, 

 for all purposes of description, to the Linnean binomial system, which 

 implies classification when classification can only be attained as the end 

 and crown of our work, is philosophically absurd and practically disastrous. 

 The absurdity of starting by assuming what it is the object of all our 

 researches to find out is self-evident ; while the hindrance to progress 

 due to waste of energy, to the assumption that the goal is attained, to 

 the natural indisposition to rearrange previous classifications, to the 

 synonymies which continue to grow, and must ever continue to grow, as 

 our knowledge — which advances in spite of our methods — compels us to 

 bring our premature classifications nearer and nearer to the natural order, 

 only need to be mentioned to be equally self-evident. 



