452 G. K. Gilbert—Special Processes of Research. 
Art. XLV.—Speciul Processes of Research ; by G. K. GILBERT. 
[ Presidentiai Address read before the American Society of Naturalists at Phila- 
delphia, December 28, 1886.] 
Mr. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN :—A year ago your suf- 
frages made me my own successor in office. To that fact is due 
our present relation of audience and speaker, and to that fact 
is also due the subject of my discourse. My re-election was a 
phenomenon of so surprising nature that I have only recently 
ceased to frame explanatory hypotheses. One theory after 
another was subjected to such tests as were available, and was 
proved to be untenable—until finally it occurred to me that my 
address last year was not thrown open to debate, and that the 
nomination of officers came soon after it. It was then evident 
that the treatment of the subject of the address had not been 
so clear and convincing as was desirable, and that you had 
delicately given me an opportunity to supplement it. I em- 
brace the opportunity. . 
Our subject last year included the general process of scien- 
tific research.* 'T'o-day endeavor will be made to illustrate the 
general process by a description of certain special methods of 
its application. 
When one of our citizens first comes into relation with the 
Chinése, he finds great difficulty in distinguishing and recog- 
nizing individuals. This is not because marks of discrimina- 
tion are wanting—the Chinaman from a different province has 
no such trouble,—it is merely that he unconsciously groups to- 
gether all the features of face and costume as strange. The 
common features by their strangeness hold his attention, and 
until this strangeness has passsd away, he does not automat- 
ically catch the individual features. A year ago we gave 
attention to the common features of research and saw it as a 
unit. If now we should attend instead to the features of dif- 
ference, we would find an immense assemblage of individual 
operations, devices, and other details, a limited number of 
formulated procedures applicable to groups of special cases, 
and a great organized, though ever enlarging, system of research, 
in which each special procedure assumes its proper codperative 
function. I shall attempt neither the enumeration of the de- 
tails, nor the characterization of their groups, nor the demon- 
stration of the organized system. I could not if I would, and if 
I could, time would not permit. What I shall attempt is this: 
first, to follow for a time the course of an elaborate, carefully 
planned investigation of a complex subject, analyzing its 
* This Journal, vol. xxxi, p. 284, April, 1886. 
