1144 Scientific News. 
summary of the geological history of the district so far as that is 
plainly recorded in the rocks, tracing the gradual evolution of the 
present topographic and structural features from the widely differ- 
ent conditions which have prevailed in the past. The object of 
this course is to enable the teachers of the public schools of Boston 
an opportunity to become acquainted with the facilities that they 
have at hand for the illustration of many points in geology. 
—Tue THEORY OF THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES BY NATURAL 
SeLection.—In the last number of Science (Nov. 16, 1888) Mr. 
H. S. Williams, of Cornell University, publishes a letter, in which 
he says that Robert Bakewell gave “a remarkably clear conception 
of the elements of the theory which Charles Darwin has made 
famous, almost thirty years prior to the appearance of ‘The Origin 
of Species.’ ” 
At first he gives some notes about artificial selection by R. Bake- 
well, which contain nothing new; artificial selection having been 
use from the oldest historical times. 
Then Mr. Williams continues, stating that Mr. Bakewell applied 
this principle to explain the appearance of new forms of Mollusca. 
But Mr. Bakewell’s remarks have nothing to do with natural 
selection whatever. He simply says that forms are changed when 
brought into different conditions. 
This is Transformism or Lamarckism, but not Darwinism ! 
Mr. Williams seems to ignore the fundamental difference between 
these two theories, in spite of the numerous recent able [discussions 
on this subject—G. Baur, Yale University Museum, New Haven 
Connecticut. 
—The late Prof. Edward Tuckerman made a choice collection of 
books and papers relating to Lichens, some four hundred numbers 
in all, which has been presented by Mrs. Tuckerman, in accordance 
with his own wish, to Amherst College Library. It is proposed to 
keep the collection by itself under the name of the “ Tuckerman 
Memorial Library,” and to make it worthy of the name, by making 
it as complete as possible in its own department. Supposing that 
some persons interested in this specialty might like to assist mm 
maintaining and completing the collection (with the understanding 
that it is always available to public use), I wish to give opportunity 
for any who care to do so to contribute, either in money or in ma~ 
terial (especially rare monographs that may have escaped Prof. 
Tuckerman’s notice), to this memorial to a model scholar and scien- 
tist. Whatever money may be contributed will be kept as a fund | 
~ which only the income will be employed in making paare 
=~ the collection, or in repairs and rebinding. Thesum of $100 
_ would probably suffice as such a fund. 
iG, Wm. I. FLETCHER, 
Librarian of Amherst College. 
