A CRITICAL SUMMARY OF TROOST'S UNPUBLISHED 

 MANUSCRIPT ON THE CRINOIDS OF TENNESSEE. 



By Elvira Wood,* 1 



Of Columbia University, New York City. 



INTRODUCTION. 



At a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, on August 14, 1849, Prof. Louis Agassiz read a short paper 

 entitled: "A List of the Fossil Crinoids of Tennessee. By Professor 

 G. Troost, of Nashville." He says [Agassiz, 1849, p. 62] of this list: 



No doubt it is as correct as such lists can be expected to be, and * * * in every 

 respect a monograph would be a highly valuable addition to our knowledge; and I 

 am happy to be able to state that Professor Troost is preparing a monograph of all these 

 crinoids, illustrated by 220 figures. 



The list contained the names of only 85 of the 108 species described 

 in the final paper. 



The monograph was finished during the following year and sent to 

 the Smithsonian Institution for publication July 18, 1850. Troost 

 died in August of the same year, and his manuscript, in accordance 

 with a custom of the institution, was submitted for revision to a com- 

 mittee consisting, in this case, of Prof. James Hall and Prof. Louis 

 Agassiz. 



The subsequent history of the manuscript has been given by Prof. 

 Charles Schuchert [1904, pp. 219-221] and Mr. L. C. Glenn [1905, pp. 

 79-81]. From these accounts it appears that the manuscript and 

 specimens were sent first to Professor Hall, who transmitted them to 

 Professor Agassiz for revision. When at the end of five years the 

 manuscript was still unrevised, Agassiz returned it to Professor Hall, 

 and the cove: bears the following note, " Received from Professor 

 Agassiz in Cambridge, August 23d, 1855, James Hall." 



a The writer takes pleasure in acknowledging her indebtedness to Prof. Charles 

 Schuchert, of Yale University, at whose suggestion the manuscript of Doctor Troost 

 was submitted to her for revision, and to Dr. Charles D. Walcott for 39 photographs 

 used in the illustration of this paper. Also to Dr. Ray S. Bassler for photographic 

 illustrations and for suggestions in connection with the geology of Tennessee, and to 

 Dr. A. W. Grabau, of Columbia University, for valuable advice. 



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