1887.] 349 [Marcou. 



until the meeting in England in 1888. It has only accepted the 

 groups numbered 4 (primordial fauna), 5 (second fauna), and 6 

 (third fauna) ; showing that the Congress was determined to have 

 three systems, and not two as given by Mr. Hitchcock ; and that 

 the Geological map of Europe, for which the classification is made, 

 is going on, according to M. Hauchecorne, without waiting for 

 the determination of the names, but using only the numbers 4, 5 

 and 6. 



It is to be regretted that an American geologist, against the de- 

 cision of the Berlin Congress, has taken upon himself to anticipate 

 and foreshadow what the Congress may accept as a solution ; and 

 more than that, has put aside all American claims of priority to name 

 the great zone of the Primordial fauna. If Professor Hitchcock 

 had said on his map and in the explanatory text that the colors and 

 names were only provisionally (provisoire) as it is marked at the head 

 of the "color-scale for the geological general map of Europe" (see 

 at the end of Dr. Frazer's pamphlet on the International Congress at 

 Berlin), it would have been more in accordance with the results 

 arrived at by the Committee upon uniformity of nomenclature. 



The following table expresses in a condensed way, easy to read, 

 all the principal views entertained in regard to the classification 

 of the Lower Palaeozoic rocks in Europe and America. All data 

 refer to memoirs and works well known to all interested in the 

 question. A list of them is subjoined. 



At the beginning, geologic methods were defective, and the first 

 observers, like Sedgwick, Murchison, Emmons and Barrande had 

 to make their way, with more or less of accuracy, among problems 

 entirely new ; and in using tools which had been tried, until then, 

 only on the more recent formations. That some mistakes were 

 made is certain, and it is a wonder that they are no more numer- 

 ous ; human passion, personal rivalry and jealousy, also added to 

 the already very complicated question. But now, we can be more just 

 and give credit where it is deserved. Priority of discoveries must 

 stand first, and pass before anything else ; and it is for us to cor- 

 rect the mistakes and injustice of our predecessors and contem- 

 poraries. If we do not do it now, it will remain for our successors 

 to give clue credit to all the great discoverers and classificators of 

 the history of our planet. It is simply a question of time. 



The facts are now well exposed before the geologists of the 



