be true is greatly to be regretted, and poih 
148 Editors Table. [February, 
malian, have degenerated in every direction in the characters of 
the pelvis. 
The limbs of the Pisces are as well adapted to their environ- 
ment as are those of the land Vertebrata, but from an embryologi- 
cal standpoint, their structure is inferior. The primitive rays are 
less modified in the fin than in the limb; and limbs themselves 
display a constantly «increasing diii kornica of parts, commenc- 
ing with the Batrachia and ending with the Mammalia. The de- 
tails of these modifications belong to the history of the contents 
of the classes however, rather than to the succession of the 
iu Vertebrata as a whole. 
In review it may be said, that a comparison of the characters 
whNgh define the classes of the Vertebrates, shows that this branch 
of theNanimal kingdom has made with the ages successive steps 
of progress from lower to higher conditions. This progress has 
not been wittnout exception, since as regards the construction of 
the scapular ach, the Mammalia have retrograded; “rom the 
reptilian standard, as a whole. 
In subsequent articles I shall take up theine of the classes 
separately. Ga a 
(Tè O Fe N a 
ba 
EDITORS TABLE. 
EDITORS: A. s. PACKARD ` 
E E-D. COPE. 
interest to the naturalist on the subject of the accumulation and 
care of collections. The director of the museum thinks that it 
is not advisable to create collections which “ ‘must undoubtedly 
be duplicated in Washington or Néw York,” That portion 
which relates to the care of the perishable Materials contains 
many suggestive statements. Aion tkese is the information 
that the large collections of reptiles, fishes , molliisks, Crustacea 
~ and echinoderms in alcohol, made by the museum, have become 
in great degree useless for nice scientific Mork, atid that every 
year much material has to be thrown away. Such a statement as 
this must be equally applicable to all museums That it should 
clearly to the 
