Dr. Hurd's Address 1 



Indies. He described the skulls and linguistic remains 

 of the Lucayan Indians, or spoke of his animal pets and 

 his love for them. He had the rare faculty of conveying 

 scientific knowledge in simple language and could interest 

 all who heard him. He seemed to have given careful, 

 deliberate thought to every subject which came up for dis- 

 cussion. I remember that he had very decided views as to 

 education, and he spoke of his desire to organize classes in 

 nature study long before it became a fad in elementary 

 schools. I also never forgot his views as to the training 

 of animals, which I afterwards saw carried out at his own 

 home in a very practical manner. His kindness to 

 animals, especially parrots and dogs, and his considera- 

 tion for them were remarkable. He never allowed them 

 to be punished, and had theories that bad temper, bad 

 habits, and even ferocity on their part grew out of incon- 

 siderate treatment. If a dog killed a chicken, he had the 

 dead chicken hung about the puppy's neck until it became 

 offensive to him as well as to others. If a young dog 

 gnawed a book or a shoe, he had the mutilated articles 

 similarly dealt with. He believed that all animals should 

 be reasoned with and told of their faults with quietness 

 and composure. The result was a wonderful degree of 

 sympathy between him and his pets. The same was true 

 of his flowers. They were his companions, his joy, and his 

 pride. In his eyes no one could have a higher pleasure 

 than to go through his hot house to inspect his beloved 

 plants. 



His was a complex character of strength and simplicity. 

 His views as to matters essential were philosophical and 

 statesmanlike in their breadth and to him seemed axio- 

 matic, and he held them tenaciously and could not depart 

 from them. He could, on occasion, as in his plea for the 

 preservation and study of the oyster, stand inflexibly for 

 them for twenty years and never think of change or even 

 of compromise, for they were founded upon careful obser- 

 vation, sound study, and impregnable deductions. He 



