24 



of their organization is considered, most nearly approach 

 each other." 



Selecting now for farther comment only some of the more 

 noticeable contributions to science, we should not pass by his 

 •investigations of the anatomy of the Blind Fish of the Mam- 

 moth Cave. The series began, in that prolific year, 1843, 

 with a paper published in " Silliman's Journal," and closed 

 with an article in the same Journal in 1854. Although Dr. 

 Tellkamph had preceded him in ascertaining the existence of 

 rudimentary eyes and the special development of the fifth 

 pair of nerves, yet for the whole details of the subject, and 

 the minute anatomy, we are indebted to Prof. Wyman. 

 Many of the details, however, as well as the admirable 

 drawings illustrating them, remained unpublished until 1872, 

 when he placed them at Mr. Putnam's disposal, and they 

 were brought out in his elaborate article in the "American 

 Naturalist." Here the extraordinary development of tactile 

 sense, taking the place of vision, and perfectly adapting the 

 animal to its subterranean life, is completely demonstrated. 



If Prof. Wy man's first piece of anatomical work was the 

 preparation of a skeleton of a bull-frog, in his undergraduate 

 days, his most elaborate memoir is that on the anatomy of 

 the nervous system of the same animal (Hana pipiens), pub- 

 lished in the " Smithsonian Contributions," in 1852 (51 pages, 

 royal 4to, with 2 plates). 



Anything like an analysis of thrs capital investigation and 

 .exposition would much overpass our limits. For, although 

 the special task he assigns to himself is the description 

 .of the nervous system of a single Batrachian, chiefly of its 

 peripheral portion, and of the changes undergone during 

 metamorphosis, he is led on to tlie consideration of several 



