ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 231 



his investisi-ations upon the easterly margin of this continent, especially along 

 the shores of New England. His researches include the entire coast, from 

 Nova Scotia to Key West. 



In 1851 he published the " Shells of New England," with notes on their 

 structure, as well as valuable geographical and bathymetrical data: in 18.54 

 appeared his " Synopsis of the Marine Invertebra of Grand Mauan, or the 

 region about the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick ;" and numerous contributions 

 were made by him to various scientific journals up to the time of his appointment 

 as zoologist to the United States Surveying Expedition of the Nortli Pacific and 

 Japan Seas, under Commanders Ringgold and Rodgers ; (of the results of which 

 expedition a part only has been published, relating principally to Molluscan and 

 Crustacean forms) ; subsequently his " Review of the Northern Buccinums," 

 Check-list of the Shells of the East Coast of North America from the '• Arctic 

 Seas to Georgia," " On the Structural characters of the so-called Melaiiians of 

 North America," and " Researches upon the Hydrobiina? and allied Forms," 

 besides other contributions of more or less importance which have appeared 

 from time to time. 



His MS3. relating to the invertebrates of the North Pacific Exploring Ex- 

 pedition, illustrated by numerous drawings, the labor of years, and ready for 

 publication, were all destroyed by the great fire which devastated Chicago, and 

 consumed the building and collections of the Academy of Sciences of that city. 

 Of this terrible conflagration and its result to him. Dr. Stimpson wrote, '• !\Iy 

 own books, collections, MSS. and drawings — twenty years' work — all gone!" 



His health, which for some years had been declining, induced him of late to 

 seek, in winter, the milder climate of Florida ; and it was upon the eve of one 

 of these winter expeditions to that State, (in January to March, 1869.) that I 

 had the pleasure of joining and afterward working with him in the field ; and 

 of learning, by personal contact, his worth and scientific ability, and his modest 

 estimate of himself. 



I shall never forget the delightful season passed in his company, the pleasant 

 toils of each day, and the rehearsal of each day's triumphs in the evening, as 

 we sat in front of the blazing fire of pitch-pine, which lighted up his face with 

 a glow less genial than the smile whicli played round his lips ; or when some 

 joke more pungent than usual was uttered, the explosion of laughter which 

 followed, and which was joined in by none more heartily than himself. 



"Ko hidden snare was in liis speech, 

 Nor malice in his sunny smile." 



The destruction of the Chicago Academy's building and its contents, involved 

 the loss not only of its own collections, but also much and very vahial)le mater- 

 ial belonging to other institutions, which had been sent to Dr. Stimpson to work 

 up. After the disaster and consequent suspension of labor in connection with 

 said Academy, he at once took the field, though in infirm health, in the endeavor 

 to restore, as far as possible, by new collections, the losses which had occurred. 



One result of that awful fire, and the most disastrous of all to science, was 

 the shock which it gave to our friend, whose constitution, already enfeebled, 



