Barrcmde and the Taconic System—Mar coil 137 
contestable, but they have recourse to old habits, and their pride 
is too much and too deeply engaged in the matter, to expect 
from them justice, for at least two or three generations of geol¬ 
ogists to come. They have first to settle among themselves the 
question of priority in regard to the second fauna, appropriated 
by Murchison as an annex and subdivision of the third fauna, 
which has always been justly contested by Sedgwick as a special 
system, forming half of his too great Cambrian system. Mur- 
chisonians and Sedgwickians are as much divided as ever, and 
as far from a compromise as at the time of the discussion be¬ 
tween their two great leaders. 
The Geological Survey of the United Kingdom led by its 
present Director-general, Mr. A. Geikie, with all his influence 
not only in England and Wales, but also in Scotland, Ireland, 
India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, maintains all the 
claims of Murchison to keep the second fauna as a part of the 
Silurian system while Cambridge University and its Woodwardian 
professor, actually Mr. T. MacKenny Hughes, backed by other 
universities, colleges and museums, cling strongly to the pos¬ 
session of the second fauna as belonging by right of discovery 
to Sedgwick, with a certain tendency, however, to accept as a 
compromise a new name for the second fauna; but as a matter 
of course a Welsh name (Ordovician); for all the rights of other 
nations are kept carefully in the background and completely 
ignored, because as Geikie says, “it is mainly an English ques¬ 
tion; 1 
With two such factions, matters will remain in statu quo for 
several generations. One of the ablest of rising young English 
geologists, writes to me: “Taconic has the right of priority, 
still in England Cambrian has acquired a right by prescription 
which it would be impossible to dispute successfully; the same 
applies to Silurian, and I doubt if geologists here are prepared to 
add a new name (referring to Ordovician). 11 
Conclusion. —Time has always favored the Taconic system 
and the Primordial fauna; while on the contrary it has con¬ 
stantly brought up most disagreeable surprises for their adver¬ 
saries. Attendons! 
