CEN'OZOIC (marine) : NOTE. 283 
form of the term has always seemed to me objectionable and mis- 
leading. I would be willing, therefore, to dispense with the term 
' Quaternary ' and adopt one which in significance and form 
would imply a coordination with Eocene, Miocene, Pliocene. In 
short, I am willing to concur in the suggestion of Prof. Heilprin 
whose classification well expresses the facts as I understand them. 
" When we turn to the so-called ' Quaternary ' geology of the 
northern drift-covered States, we certainly find records of a Post- 
Pliocene period strongly and peculiarly marked. 
" It is not sufficient to say that the fauna of the Quaternary 
presents no marked contrast with that of the Pliocene, for in 
districts where the Quaternary is well characterized, the physical 
conditions of the epoch were such as to exclude the possibility of 
a fauna, and we have no more basis for faunal comparisons than 
we have between the successive stages of the Huronian. It is 
still true, however, that, wherever we have discovered, in con- 
tiguous regions, the remains of faunas coeval with the epoch of 
glaciation, a fairly intermediate condition is found between Plio- 
cene faunas and recent ones; hence, on the whole, I incline to 
think that everywhere, the events of the glacial epoch signify no 
more than is implied in the group-terms Eocene, Miocene, and 
Pliocene ; and so we might well dispense with the systematic 
designation Quaternary." 
Alexander Winchell. 
Prof. Joseph Le Conte writes : 
Berkeley, Cal., December 21st, 1887. 
My Dear Sir : 
Just in regard to the Quaternary, you probably know my views. 
I believe the present ought to be a primary division and in the 
name of Psychozoic. I know this will not be generally received 
by geologists, because it is the fashion now to minimize the impor- 
tance of man. Nevertheless, I believe it can be maintained on 
thoroughly scientific and still more on philosophic grounds. 
1. With man one cycle of evolution, the organic, closes, and 
another, the psychic, commences. 2. There is going on now, under 
our eyes, the most rapid and sweeping change of faunas and floras 
that has ever taken place in the history of the earth. But be- 
cause we are in the midst of it we overlook it. When civilized 
men shall have occupied the whole earth thickly, all other 
