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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XL VI 



But it is Professor Coulter's task to deal with morphol- 

 ogy, particularly in its paleobotanical aspects, in rela- 

 tion to systematic botany, as is specially fitting, since the 

 laboratories over which he presides at Chicago have up 

 to the present time been the greatest single influence in 

 putting American morphology on a modern and progres- 

 sive basis. His important relation to systematic devel- 

 opment in this country is also well known, representing 

 as it does an earlier but not less striking phase of his 

 botanical activity. My excuse for even referring to sys- 

 tematic matters in these preliminary remarks is the 

 close relation in which they necessarily stand or should 

 stand to morphology and paleobotany. Darwin in his 

 immortal " Origin of Species," although but little given 

 to figurative language, has described morphology as the 

 soul of natural history. It is to be feared that there is 

 just ground for complaint, that the botanical natural 

 historian has in the past too often worn his soul upon his 

 sleeve or has even appeared to lack that necessary ad- 

 junct of higher existence. Internal morphology now 

 holds the field and all other lines of botanical activity 

 from systematic botany to plant physiology must take 

 account of its doings, if they are to make solid and en- 

 during progress. 



If a change has come in recent years in the point of 

 view of morphology, an equally important shifting of 

 position has taken place, during the past few decades in 

 the attitude of paleobotany. Until the late seventies of 

 the nineteenth century, paleobotany had to do practically 

 with the external form of plants alone, as they appear as 

 impressions in the rocks. It is true that Brongniart in 

 the earlier years of the last century realized the impor- 

 tance of internal structure in the case of fossil plants and, 

 as Dr. Scott has recently pointed out, his views on this 

 subject are so clear and fit actual conditions so well, that 

 they read as if they were written only yesterday. But 

 Brongniart had few followers even among his own coun- 

 trymen. To the Englishman, Williamson, belongs a large 



