THOMAS TRACY BOUV^. 341 



After serving the Society efficiently in almost every subordinate ca- 

 pacity, he was, in 1870, elevated to the presidency. The success of his 

 administration is attested by the spontaneous and earnest expressions of 

 regret when, in 1876, he desired to resign his high office. At the meet- 

 ing prior to the annual election, to use his own words, "AVhat was read 

 as a valedictory was listened to with great attention, after which a call 

 to proceed to the business of the meeting was made. Instead of respoud- 

 inof to this call, one after another of those whom the writer most 

 respected addressed him in such terms of affectionate remonstrance 

 against his resignation, as to induce him not only to withdraw it, but to 

 feel that henceforth what had been regarded as a burden would be a joy, 

 that the performance of the duties of his office would be sweetened as 

 never before by the recognition that the respect and regard which he felt 

 towards all the members were fully reciprocated by them." In 1880. on 

 the completion of the fiftieth year of the society, and his tenth year as 

 president, he declined re-election. But he performed no greater service 

 to the Society or science than is represented by the admirable history of 

 the Society's first half-century contributed in this year to its memorial 

 volume. We search in vain, however, through this painstaking record, 

 for any adequate account of his own labors. Nevertheless, although 

 belonging to a later generation, I have had abundant opportunity to 

 learn with what rare zeal and fidelity he served the Society ; and I feel 

 justified in stating that its extensive and efficient collections of minerals, 

 rocks, and fossils were in a large measure created by him. It was 

 throughout evidently a labor of love on his part ; and that fact alone 

 can explain how he was able to find in these busiest years of his life the 

 great amount of time which this work must have required. Nor did his 

 devotion to these departments cease with his accession to the presidency. 

 It was my privilege, during the greater part of the decade when he was 

 at the head of the Society's affiiirs, to work with him or under his 

 direction in the care of these collections ; and I can, therefore, speak 

 from intimate personal knowledge of his methods. What most strongly 

 impressed me were his affectionate regard for the specimens, and his 

 absolute conscientiousness in every detail of the work. I often recall 

 with much profit his painstaking investigations of individual specimens. 

 He spared no pains to remove the last modicum of doubt as to the 

 authenticity of species, variety, locality, composition, or formation, nor hes- 

 itated to use the query mark when the desired result could not be attained. 

 Working in this methodical manner, progress could not be rapid when 

 measured by hours. But what was done was well done ; and he came 



