PASSING OF MURCHISON’S SILURIA 
233 
It is as some old violin string that feels the master melody — 
and snaps. 
Passing of Murchison’s Siluria 
When, nearly a hundred years ago, Sir Roderick Murchison 
resolved the chaotic and mystical Transition Group of rocks 
of England into orderly arranged component parts he performed 
for Geology perhaps the greatest service of his century. As 
originally delimited the Silurian System corresponded essentially 
to the higher eral division which we now generally denominate 
■^as the Paleozoic section. This was about the same sequence which 
James Hall, of Albany, a decade later, attempted to erect and 
sustain, although unsuccessfully, as the New York System. 
Siluria as first proposed, proved to be too large a group of 
terranes. This defect even its author was quick to realize. Soon 
it was agreed that his colleague Sedgwick should detach a bottom 
part under the designation of Cambrian System; and that another 
co-worker Lonsdale should decapitate it and erect the Devonian 
System. At a later date, Lapworth and other English geologists 
found it convenient to recognize the restricted Lower Silurian 
under a new title of Ordovician System. Thus, there was finally 
left only a minor part of Murchison’s original Silurian section 
under the terminology which he gave it. 
At the sight of Murchison’s great geological edifice falling to 
ruins Giekie was led to bemoan, with not a little feeling, the loss 
of England’s old geological landmarks: “Murchison’s ‘Lower 
Silurian’ has by many writers been replaced by ‘Ordovician,’ 
and his ‘Upper Silurian’ is in a similar manner being ousted 
by some other terms, so that, if this process of substitution is 
perpetuated, the names given by the illustrious author of the 
‘Silurian, System’ will disappear from current geological litera¬ 
ture. I shall continue to employ Murchison’s terminology, which 
has the claims of priority, and, in my opinion, is perfectly suffic¬ 
ient for the requirements of science.” 
But petulancy and exchange of petty personalities are not sci¬ 
entific or logical arguments. If Siluria no longer harmonize with 
the advancing science there should really be small regret at its 
substitution, especially when new conceptions are involved. Had 
Murchison postponed the differentiation and naming of these 
