696 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tween the years 1858 and 1886, Putnam has been made a member or 

 correspondent of twenty-seven learned societies in America, and of five 

 in Europe. In April, 1885, he was elected a member of the National 

 Academy of Sciences. 



Although in recent years Putnam's attention has been given so 

 largely to archaeological investigations, his knowledge of general nat- 

 ural history has not been overlooked by those who best know him ; 

 and in 1882 Governor Long, of Massachusetts, appointed him a com- 

 missioner of inland fisheries for five years, and so far as practicable 

 his attention is given to the onerous duties of this important office. 

 By the special act of the Massachusetts Legislature, which took effect 

 last month, he became Commissioner of Fish and Game. 



Mr. Putnam's contributions to scientific literature have been many, 

 and all are valuable. As early as 1855, communications with refer- 

 ence to the fishes of Essex County, Massachusetts, were published in 

 the "Proceedings of the Essex Institute " ; but his first paper of length 

 and marked importance was the " Catalogue of the Birds of Essex 

 County, Massachusetts," with notes ; and reference to the ornithic 

 fauna of the State at large. This paper, prepared while its author 

 was yet in his teens, has stood the test of time, but two errors, and 

 these unimportant, having since been detected. 



This contribution to zoological literature was followed by thirty- 

 seven papers on birds, reptiles, fishes, and insects, mostly native 

 species. 



In 1857, while attending a meeting of the American Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, at Montreal, Putnam found, on the 

 side of Mount Royal, near the site of the present reservoir, a quantity 

 of clam-shells, fish-bones, burned earth, and pottery, and, during the 

 following winter, called attention to them, at meetings of the Essex 

 Institute, as evidence of the early occupation by man of that locality ; 

 that the spot was, in fact, a veritable kjokkenmodding, or, as we now 

 call such accumulations, shell-heaps. This is among the first of such 

 notices of ancient man in America. 



In 1865, Putnam published a paper on "An Indian Grave and 

 its Contents, on Winter Island, Salem, Massachusetts," and since 

 then two hundred and twenty-nine papers have been given to the 

 public. 



His archaeological activity may be said to date from the publica- 

 tion of his " Winter Island " paper, for, on looking over the long list 

 of titles, it will be seen that, from this time, papers on early American 

 man steadily increase in number, and the work of the zoologist prac- 

 tically ceases. While archaeologists have good cause to rejoice at this, 

 it can not but be viewed with regret by the zoologist, considering the 

 character of the many papers on their favorite subjects. 



Besides the immense amount of literary work thus briefly sketched, 

 there is to be considered, also, Putnam's labors as an editor, for much 



