Wadsworth.] 
248 
[October 19 
the rocks, as arranged by Zirkel ; and the specimens of each 
species were compared with one another, and with those of the 
other groups. Comparisons were also made with the undescribed 
rocks and sections. 
Now Mr. Merrill’s remarks regarding the want of publication 
of the “ original paper ” were uncalled for, since any competent, 
independent lithologist could have found out, as well as myself, 
the mistakes in the determination of minerals, and the unsystem- 
atic arrangement of the collection. Does Mr. Merrill mean, as his 
paper seems to imply, that he was unable to distinguish frag- 
mental from non-fragmental rocks? 
It may be said that no secret was made of the results of my 
examination, but they were discussed from time to time as the 
work went on, with the officers of the American Museum and 
with Mr. King. Also, in accordance with Mr. King’s request, the 
writer then offered to point out actual mistakes in the determin- 
ation of the minerals, and to indicate the positions to which he 
would assign the rocks in question. It is to be remembered that 
this was prior to the publication of Mr. King’s Systematic Geol- 
ogy (Yol. I), a work largely dependent upon Zirkel’s determina- 
tions and therefore based on the assumed correctness of many of 
the very points in question. But Mr. King then excused him- 
self upon the plea of want of time, which he has never found 
since ! Want of time to examine the foundations of a work upon 
which it may be said ten years of his life had been spent ! This 
too, when the incorrectness of some of the statements as a matter 
of fact, and not of theory, could have been shown him in fifteen 
minutes ! 
The writer has been ready and willing, at all times, to go to 
New York and, in the presence of competent lithologists, endeavor 
to establish the correctness of his statements as to matters of fact ; 
and that, as has been said before, was something, as it appeared to 
him, which any competent lithologist could have done for himself 
if he would. 
The writer having thus discovered various errors in matters of 
fact , felt that he had a right to think for himself in matters of 
theory. 
In order to understand how the work on the lithological col- 
lection of the Fortieth Parallel Survey was done, it is necessary to 
