So questions the poet, but if we might invoke this "Ancient Mariner" from out his crystal coffin, more serious would be the questions we would bid him solve.

But though speechless, he bears a silent witness, for as one of the many hieroglyphics of the language of geology, underneath its Rosetta wand, he helps to reveal the history of our earth.

Thrice happy the gifted mortal, who, wielding this magic wand, can lift the veil and translate these mystic symbols of the too long "dusky past."

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EDITORS' TABLE.

EDITORS: A. S. PACKARD, JR., AND E. D. COPE.

We recommend to the attention of members of the National Congress who are interested in the intellectual progress of the country, the character of the tariff on specimens, apparatus and books necessary for instruction in the sciences. These objects are only allowed to enter the country free of duty when not intended for sale. This practically prohibits any but wealthy citizens and institutions from possessing collections of the natural products of all parts of the earth excepting the United States, a restriction extremely disadvantageous in all directions. The majority of American students are not able to visit Europe for the purpose of making purchases, nor are they able to pay the increased rates which must be demanded by dealers who should bring their specimens here. The result is that foreign collections from all parts of the world pass by our country to go to the various European cities, large and small. This is one of the causes to which we can ascribe the ignorance of natural history which is so general in American Society as compared with that of Germany and some other parts of Europe. The amount of revenue derived from such importations must be practically nothing, while the

injury to useful pursuits and amusements is great. All such objects should be allowed to enter the country free of duty.

It has again become the unpleasant duty of the Philadelphia Board of Education to report where and how another reduction of the salaries of the teachers shall be made. We had hoped that they would have reported that no reduction was practicable. Philadelphia has long enjoyed the unenviable preëminence of paying its teachers less than any city of importance in the country. It is true that owing to the exigencies of the times two or three years ago, the salaries were lowered in several of our cities, but now that times have changed, the original rates should be restored. Instead of this our city governors wish to reduce the figures still lower. If the former situation was discreditable, what shall we say of the present movement? Councilmen perhaps do not know that teachers have a market value like any other kind of skilled labor, and that the city will get exactly what it pays for; also that they can in consequence produce such a community as they pay for. If they will only employ poor workmen, or a large percentage of such, they will turn out a community which will become the ready victims of all the evils that mental development and training is able to prevent, and which will not produce those intellectual fruits and flowers which so sustain and beautify human. life. Not but that we have many excellent workmen in our corps of teachers to-day, but how long can we expect them to remain in a locality or even a profession where they are subjected to such vicissitudes. The character of the profession must inevitably deteriorate in every way under the present system.

The work of conscientious teachers under such circumstances has been, and is, missionary work, and their recompense the consciousness of awaking interest in matters tending to benefit thousands of pupils and teachers immediately and directly, and of affecting the community to be made up of these pupils in the future. The interest and zeal and energy of many of the teachers have been strong-sufficiently strong to carry them along in spite of opposition and obstacles always designed to prevent innovations and reforms. After a time came a reduction of seven-eights per cent. or $125 in their salaries. At the end of next year the scale of salaries will reduce their salaries again about $125, and now comes a reduction amounting to eight-twelfths per cent. or about $150. One of the consequences has been that one after another of these earnest teachers has lost heart and has dropped out, leaving the proposed plans to be worked out by somebody else, or to be dropped altogether. Their efforts have not been appreciated as they should be. If they are not compensated for their regular school work, why should they do more work for less pay? Why not render service commensurate with the wages paid?

Why increase cares and anxiety? Why not let things move along as best they may? WHAT IS THE USE?

We fear that a feeling of apathy may fall upon the stronger and more zealous teachers, as it has already seized upon the average teacher, and is always found with the idle, careless, or incompe

tent ones.

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RECENT LITERATURE.

DANA'S MANUAL OF GEOLOGY, THIRD EDITION.-The merits of this work as a school-book are well known, and in the present edition they are decidedly enhanced. This is partly due to the introduction of the latest determinations in stratigraphic geology in the West. We observe with pleasure that Prof. Dana has adhered with impartial justice to the law of priority in the nomenclature of the formations of the interior of the continent, in spite of the attempts made by some writers to introduce names of their own, regardless of this necessary safeguard. The value of the work is also increased by the introduction of additional engravings, especially of those representing some of Prof. Marsh's discoveries in the West. It is true the author might have derived some aid from other sources, especially as regards the skull of Coryphodon, of which he gives a figure which is quite inaccurate.

We cannot speak in as high terms of the manner in which the palæontology of Vertebrata is represented in the new edition of the manual. It displays little acquaintance with what has been done in this field in North America since 1872, and that includes three-fourths of the entire subject. Thus the greater part of all the principal modern discoveries in the Permian, Triassic, Postcretaceous, Suessonian and Pliocene faunæ are not alluded to, while not a few of those in the Jurassic and Suessonian formations are attributed to other than the original discoverers. The nomenclature employed is that of the vertebrate palæontological papers published in the American Journal of Science and Arts, which is notoriously regardless of the rule that names must be only proposed to represent work done, and may not be proposed to secure credit for work yet to be done. It is discouraging to the student to be expected to remember names which cannot be used either because they are synonymes or do not refer to necessary descriptions.

THE REFUTATION OF DARWINISM.2-This book is an excellent illustration, if one were needed, of the futility of persons writing on the question of evolution who are not themselves experts in

1 Manual of Geology, etc., with especial reference to American Geological History. New York, Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co., 1880.

2 The Refutation of Darwinism, and the converse theory of Development, based exclusively upon Darwin's facts, etc. By T. WARREN O'NEILL, member of the Philadelphia Bar. J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1880.

some branch of natural science. A work founded "exclusively upon Darwin's facts," must of necessity strike wide of the mark, for many of the most important evidences for evolution are not to be found, or are barely mentioned in Darwin's works. That Darwinism is not the whole doctrine of evolution is perceived clearly enough by Mr. O'Neill, who devotes two or three opening chapters to a lucid exposition of the well known fact that Natural Selection does not explain the origin of characters. This truth has for twelve years been maintained by the editors of this journal, as well as by others, and has been epitomized in the statement that "the origin of the fittest" is the primary problem of evolution, while the "survival of the fittest" (Darwinism) is secondary.

Mr. O'Neill's "Refutation of Darwinism," however, consists principally of a theory of his own, which is an extension of the principle of reversion to all kinds of variation now observed in domesticated animals; he does not concern himself so much with the wild ones, as they are not so fully considered in Darwin's works. In brief, Mr. O'Neill believes that the present condition of animals is one of degradation from a condition of primitive perfection, which has been brought about by the severity of the struggle for existence! The whole theory is a readaptation of modern knowledge to the mediæval idea of the creation and its degradation, consequent on the fall of man.

There are two little difficulties in the way of this hypothesis. Firstly since the doctrine of evolution is an attempted explanation of the "origin of species," etc., etc., Mr. O'Neill's work is entirely irrelevant, if true. By reversion he only brings us back to species in their pristine completeness or "physiological integrity," as he calls it; the question of how they attained this condition is not considered. It is fair to add that Mr. O'Neill promises us a work on this subject in a foot note on page 435, which will be, if the author's expectations are realized, a wonderful work indeed.

The second difficulty is presented by the science of palæontology. One should look here for the evidences of reversion to older types, should such have been the law of the later creaBut Mr. O'Neill does not concern himself with this subject. When he does so he will find his primitive "physiological integrity" to be a myth; that development is by divergent advances, not by reversion; and that a struggle for existence, not too severe, has been an agent of good, not of evil.

The book is written in a pleasant style and the author is sometimes witty at Mr. Darwin's expense.

HALLEZ'S NATURAL HISTORY OF TURBELLARIAN WORMS.-The first of this series was the elaborate researches on the embryology

1Travaux de l'Institut Zoologique de Lille et de la Station maritime de Wimereux. Fascicule II. Contributions a l'histoire naturelle des Turbellariés. Par PAUL HALLEZ. Lille, 1879. 4to, pp. 213, 11 plates.

of Bryozoa, by J. Barrois; the present memoir is concerned with the structure of several Turbellarian worms, and is particularly valuable as giving detailed and well illustrated life histories of Eurylepta auriculata, Leptoplana tremellaris, with fragmentary but still important embryological details on certain Rhabdocœlous worms, with especial reference to the early history of the egg. He describes the lasso cells of some of the worms, remarkably like those of the jelly-fish, and discusses the process of strobilation in a Microstomum.

WESTWOOD'S SYNOPSIS OF URANIIDAE.'-This is a finely illustrated essay on the systematic position of this small but interesting group of moths. By Guenée they were placed at the head of the Phalanidæ, in which view he was followed by Packard. Prof. Westwood, however, on account of differences in the venation of the wings, and the fact that the larvæ are not loopers, but have sixteen legs instead, or fourteen as with a very few Geometiid larvæ, believes that the group should be placed at a distance from the Geometrida and amongst the Bombycida.

THE ZOOLOGICAL RECORD FOR 1877.2-This well known publication of the Zoological Record Association, and which has now become almost absolutely indispensable to working naturalists. deserves more than a mere passing notice. Under the heads of twenty-two classes and orders, the progress of Zoology for the year past in all departments is reviewed by specialists competent, from their bibliographical attainments and training in their respective departments, to carry out the work satisfactorily. Under each head the contents of the more important papers, general and special, are given with references to their place of publication. The mammalia have been done by Edward Richard Alston: Aves, by Howard Saunders; Reptilia and Pisces, by A. W. E. O'Shaughnessy; Mollusca and Molluscoida, by Prof. Edward von Martens; Crustacea, by Prof. von Martens; Arachnida and Myriopoda, by Rev. O. P. Cambridge; Insecta, general subject, by E. C. Rye, together with Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera and Rhynchota; Lepidoptera, by W. F. Kirby; Neuroptera and Orthoptera, by R. McLachlan; Vermes, by F. Jeffrey Bell; Echinodermata and Colenterata, by C. F. Lûtken; Spongida and Protozoa, by Stuart O. Ridley. Most of these names are exceedingly familiar to naturalists and are a sufficient guarantee of the character of the book. It is a work which may be deservedly encour

Observations on the Uraniida, a family of Lepidopterous Insects, with a Synopsis of the Family and a Monograph of Coronidia, one of the genera of which it is composed. By J. O. WESTWOOD. (From the Transactions of the Zoological Society, X, Part XII, 1879.) June 1st, 4to, pp. 35, 3 plates.

The Zoological Record for 1877; being volume fourteenth of the Record of Zoological Literature. Edited by Edward Caldwell Rye, F. Z. S., M. E. S., etc., 8vo., Pt. 24, 59, 11, 30, 97, 36, 20, 1, 234, 20, 11, 18, 8, 12, London, John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row, 1879.