684 The American Naturalist. [August, 
EDITORIALS. 
—TuE U. S. Geological Survey has entered on a new era of its his- 
tory, and one which will have an important bearing on the study of 
geology in this country. We look for a material improvement in the 
' administration of this public trust, as compared with its history during 
the past ten years. Major Powell, who has just retired from the posi- 
tion of director, tried a good many experiments which were not judi- 
cious, and proposed to try others which were fortunately suppressed. 
It is to be greatly regretted that the Survey did not at the outset es- 
tablish a modus vivendi with either the U. S. Engineers, or the Coast 
and Geodetic Survey, so that the topographic work could have been 
done by one or the other of these competent corps of men. They pos- 
sessed the plant, both in men and in apparatus, but instead of arrang- 
ing with one or the other of them, director Powell preferred to expend 
a large part of the resources of the Survey on this branch of the work. 
The topographic corps of the Survey constituted, perhaps, two-thirds 
of the entire force, and the expenditures for it were of course pro- 
portionately great. The new director, Dr. Walcott, inherits this incu- 
bus from his predecessor. The problem of its continuation as a part 
of the Survey's work is a serious one, in view of the reduced appropri- 
ations now granted by Congress. It may be considered in connection 
with the fact, that ultimately the geology of the United States will be 
represented on maps of first class topographic quality. It is frequently 
asserted that the maps hitherto produced by the Survey have not that 
high accuracy which the subject demands, although not without value 
for general purposes. The produetion of the best grade of map will 
probably require a greater outlay than has been heretofore granted for 
this purpose. Since the appropriations are less than heretofore, the 
assumption of this work by one or the other bureaus of the Govern- 
ment already mentioned would seem to be a necessity. 
The importance of such a transfer is obvious from another point of 
view. The department of paleontology was inexcusably neglected by 
Major Powell, who had little appreciation of its importance to geology. 
So far as concerns vertebrate paleontology, the Survey's publications 
are distinguished by their absence, as based on collections in this depart- 
ment, for which large sums wereexpended. This failure of the Survey 
to render any equivalent for the expenditure, led Congress to restrict 
definitely the appropriation for this object, which was a misfortune for 
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