70 The American Geologist. August, i90o 
would exert himself as earnestl)' to keep up the standard 
proposed in the organization of a temporary naturalist's 
club, as in that of the most exclusive body of scientists. He 
protested against stuffing institutions with persons whospent 
the time at meetings; as he used to say, in wrangling over 
questions of re-tinning the roof, of bedevilling some real 
worker, or of housing a bod}' already sufficiently housed, 
but insufficiently supplied with publication facilities; and he 
often repeated that the most important scientific institutions 
of the old world proved their value in their publications and 
not in their buildings. The present writer shared 
these views, and this fact formed an additional bond of sym- 
pathy between him and the subject of this memoir. 
We may be sure there were always rivalries, and even 
bitterness among the "illuminati," as among all others; but 
it is doubtful if in any previous epoch were to be found so 
many liliputian Neros presenting their brows to be crowned 
with bay b\' their obsequious sycophants, or the 
offices of "learned societies" so largely filled with professi- 
onal failures, and the shifty disciples of personal expediency. 
These classes have the numerical strength, and conse- 
quent ability, to harass any one who may excite their dis- 
pleasure. They like to keep the offices filled with their own 
kind and to ignore men like Cope, Leid}, and Hunt either 
permanently or for years. It was this state of things that 
Cope pictured in a satirical sketch called 
"Some Points 1] in the !| Zoology and Geolog)' of Gly- 
caphuatl || by Robert Ramrod, A. E. C", from which the 
following are extracts. 
"Having recently returned from a somewhat tho- 
rough examination of the state of Glycaphuatl, I hasten 
to present to my readers some of the more important 
results of my observations. The region, I state in ad- 
vance, lies on the east coast of the Caribbean sea, from 
which it is separated by the straits of Toothaecan, a 
region of perpetual calm owing to the jam that generally 
covers the water. The source of this substance will be 
shortl)- pointed out. * * The peculiarities of the people of 
Gh'caphuatl, or Petromolgi, as they are usually called, de- 
serve more than a passing notice. As may be inferred from 
the above, they have no backbone or indeed bones of any 
