530 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1897. 



given the opportunity to use them, become eminent in literature, art 

 or science. 



It is certain that Dr. George H. Horn was a born systematist : — 

 a man with a genius for arranging things, for ferreting out their 

 true relationships, for ascertaining the meaning of apparently mean- 

 ingless structures, and for uniting everything into a consistent, con- 

 gruent whole. 



It is probable that, whatever the line of natural science taken up 

 it would have profited by Dr. Horn's work. It is certain that the 

 study of Coleoptera has been enormously advanced by him, and 

 that not only were new facts added, but old, well known matter be- 

 came endowed with new life and meaning under his masterly treat- 

 ment. 



He exhibited an interesting combination of the almost intuitive 

 ability to reach sound conclusions characteristic of certain brilliant 

 Frenchmen, with the power to give close attention to detail and to 

 painfully strive after facts peculiar to many German students. It 

 is this ability to do patient work in securing facts, and to marshal 

 them in such order that they led irresistibly to the conclusion which 

 he had reached, that gives his work its permanent scientific value. 



It is difficult to speak of Dr. Horn without referring also to Dr. 

 John L. Leconte: — first and always his teacher, afterward also his 

 co-laborer. And it was wonderful how these two men supplemented 

 each other ! Dr. Leconte was the broader student of nature ; his 

 grasp was wider and he saw the Coleoptera more truly in their rela- 

 tion to other orders, and the insects in their relation to the rest of 

 the animal kingdom. Dr. Horn was narrower, but his knowledge 

 of detail was greater and more accurate. The result of combining 

 these two characteristics may be seen in the Classification of the 

 North American Coleoptera, a work, the like of which does not exist 

 in any other country or in any other language. There are more 

 elaborate books, profusely illustrated, much more expensive and 

 equally valuable as contributions to entomological science; but 

 nowhere is there so much, so clearly and succinctly told in so small 

 a compass. There is scarcely a useless word in the book, yet all 

 that is needful to inform the student is there. It represents the ripe 

 experience of Dr. Leconte and the critical and accurate knowledge 

 of technical detail characteristic of Dr. Horn. 



It is difficult to estimate rightly Dr. Horn's influence on Coleop- 

 terology at the present time. There is no doubt that for America 



