What is probably Mrs. Nuttall's most valuable contribution to archaeological science is her erudite work entitled _The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations_. It is a comparative research based on a study of the ancient Mexican, religious, sociological and calendar systems, and represents thirteen years of assiduous labor. It is a worthy monument to the scientific ability of this gifted Americanist, and one which brilliantly illumines some of the most controverted points of comparative archaeology. The Nestor of women archaeologists is Donna Ersilia Caetani-Bovatelli--the daughter of the famous Dante scholar, the late Duke Don Michel Angelo Caetani-Sermonetta. Since the days of Boniface VIII, whom Dante scornfully denounced as _lo principe de' Pharisei_, the family of the Caetani has been one of the most illustrious of the Roman nobility, and is to-day ranked with those of the Colonna and Orsini. Besides his thorough knowledge of Dante, whose _Divina Commedia_ he regarded as the great artistic production of the human mind--a work which he knew by heart--the Duke of Sermonetta was deeply versed in philology and archaeology. No one was more familiar with the history and antiquities of Rome than he was, nor a greater friend and patron of scholars of every nationality. The Palazzo Caetani was the resort of not only the savants of Rome, but also and especially of those who gathered from all quarters of the world to study the rich collections of antiquities for which the Eternal City is so famous. Here the ablest authorities in history and archaeology discussed the latest discoveries among the ruins of Greece and Asia Minor, and the most recent finds in the Forum or amidst the crumbling ruins of the palaces of the Caesars. Having such a father and brought up in such an environment it is not surprising that Donna Ersilia acquired at an early age that taste for archaeology which was, as events proved, to constitute the chief occupation of her long and busy life. Having enjoyed and studied literature and the languages under the best masters in Rome, she was thoroughly prepared for the work of deciphering Greek and Latin inscriptions and for an intelligent study of the ancient monuments of Italy and Hellas. Her learned countryman, A. de Gubernatis, assures us that she has such a thorough knowledge of Latin and Greek that she writes both with ease and elegance, and that she is endowed with an admirable memory for philology and archaeology. Besides being a mistress of several modern languages, she is also familiar with Sanscrit.