1892.] ) Scientific News. 717 
SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
— Tuar attempts made in past years by the paleontologist of the U. 
S. Geological Survey to prevent other paleontologists from making col- 
lections in the west are now familiar to most of our readers. A 
recent enterprise in this direction quite equals any of the former ones 
in effrontery. We learn on the best authority that Prof. O. C. Marsh 
has been pursuing his old tactics in the case of Prof. Osborn, of the 
Museum of Natural History of New York. He commenced hisattack, 
as heretofore, by charging that dishonest methods were employed by 
the Professor of the Museum in obtaining specimens which really 
belonged to him, Prof. Marsh; and so to damage the character of Prof. 
Osborn with the management of the museum. These charges having 
been refuted, he proceeded to inform the trustees that he could not, as 
Government paleontologist, permit collections to be made on Govern- 
ment land. This not producing the desired effect, he preferred a claim 
based on scientific comity that he had a fair right to exclusive work in 
the Laramie field. The trustees of the museum failed to see the jus- 
tice of this proposition, even if the claim of priority were true, which 
it is not. Prof. Marsh then descended to other and quite childish 
forms of appeal not necessary to mention here. 
It remains to be seen what the U. S. Geological Survey will do with 
tbis psychological phenomenon. The demonstration of Prof. Marsh’s 
unfitness for the position is now ample, and more is to come. But 
apart from all personal characteristics, such as are above described, we 
think it would be well if the Government material could be properly 
worked up and reported on. His only volume published by the pres- 
ent survey, that on the Dinocerata, is a good example of perfunctory 
work. Of the, say twenty-seven, species included in it, the remains of 
but one or two are described from the material actually enumerated by 
Prof. Marsh, the remainder of the work being left to some successor 
who may feel disposed to attempt a task for which all the credit has 
been already assumed by another. The neglect of other authors dis- 
played in all his writings become more conspicuous recently, is also 
reason enough for the withdrawal from him of the aid and counte- 
nance of the U. S. Geological Survey. 
—M. Francots Bocourt, the distinguished author of the Herpetol- 
ogy of the Mision Scientifique de Mexique, has been retired from his 
