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schools. We cau not absolve ourselves from an interest or a duty in 

 this direction even if we would. 



From an extreme of systematic zoology, which consisted largely of 

 memorizing scientific names of species and groups, we have gone to an 

 extreme in histology and morphology, which in some cases almost ignores 

 the recognition of species or the relationships of the organisms studied. 



The refinements of modern technique in sectioning, etc., while of 

 great value in furnishing knowledge in domains hitherto unexplored, 

 have carried some of the votaries of microtomy to the point of having 

 only contempt for other phases of biological science. While of utmost 

 value in the science and worthy most extended utilization in the train- 

 ing of the zoological student, such technique should not be made the 

 end of zoological study. Rather, it seems to me, this work should be 

 viewed as a most important aid in the determination of phytogenies, 

 the establishment of fundamentals in the recognition of relationships. 



From the standpoint of the general student, and especially from our 

 own view point, which has in sight the man in ordinary life, there is an 

 important factor here — the attractiveness of the subject. Experience 

 shows that young students are far more likely to be attracted by the 

 comparison of various species, the forming of collections, which involve 

 more or less of systematic work, and we certainly may legitimately use 

 this fact in planing lines of study for general students. To show con- 

 tempt for such part of zoological work seems to me quite inexcusable. 

 Indeed, some of our best zoologists seem to be reaching the conclusion 

 that to put a student too early upon pure morphology and histology is 

 quite likely to discourage him and quench his natural enthusiasm for 

 nature study. It is certainly unscientific and likely to lead to serious 

 error to conduct laboratory work with half a dozen species, probably of 

 different genera, of grasshoppers aud allow the student to label them 

 all, after the guide, Acridium americanum. Exactness here is just as 

 essential as in the determination of how many thousandths of a milli- 

 meter a section is in thickness. 



It appears to me that properly used there is one of the most fruitful 

 fields of study for us as investigators, and for subject-matter for instruc- 

 tion, in the tracing of phytogenies. This implies from the very first a 

 morphologic basis for all systematic work, a most rigid application of 

 all the results of modern histology and embryology, the nearest possi- 

 ble approach to the actual lines of descent and consequent relationship 

 of the groups considered. No matter how small or how large the group 

 in hand, the effort should be to leave it with a better recognition of the 

 characters having phylogenetic significance. With elementary students 

 such matter must of course take the form of noting similarities of struc- 

 ture rather than technical discussion of relationship, but the one leads 

 to the other, and a student familiar with the comparative method of 

 study will later readily grasp the fundamentals of relationship. 



We sometimes hear the statement that the old-time naturalist is pass- 

 ing away, and in this age, when every profession becomes so specialized 



