128 BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



in 1842, and later to Jamaica; visited England in 1850, and in 

 the same year accepted the superintendency of a gold mine at 

 Marmato, New Granada. While a resident of Jamaica, it was 

 visited in 1849 by Prof. C. B. Adams, with whom Mr. Bland 

 cultivated a warm friendship. Stimulated by the enthusiasm of 

 Adams, Bland began those investigations of the land shells for 

 which he afterward became so distinguished. In 1852 he came 

 to New York, which for most of his subsequent life became his 

 home. Here his business lay chiefly in the direction of the affairs 

 of mining companies, with several of which he was connected. 

 He was a man of rather dark complexion, with brilliant dark 

 eyes ; somewhat bowed by ill health, induced by his long resi 

 dence in the tropics, he seemed rather below the middle height. 

 He was of a studious and rather grave demeanor, but notably 

 courteous, and always ready to assist young students or others 

 interested in his favorite pursuit. He avoided controversy, and 

 in spite of his extreme modesty was several times called to posts 

 of honor and responsibility. By those privileged to know him 

 he was held in high esteem, which was not lessened by his bear 

 ing under the adversity which unfortunately clouded his later 

 years. Mr. Bland was the author of more than seventy papers 

 treating of the Mollusks, especially of the United States and of 

 the Antilles. His work was not confined to the description of 

 species, but comprised valuable contributions to their anatomy, 

 classification, geographical distribution, and the philosophy of 

 their development. No American conchologist has shown a 

 more philosophic grasp of the subject, and his discussion of the 

 distribution of the land shells of the West Indies, published in 

 1 86 1, gave him a wide reputation. He several times returned to 

 this subject in later years, and always with marked success. 

 Since 1869 Mr. Bland was associated with Mr. W. G. Binney 

 in several important works on the terrestrial mollusks of North 

 America. Mr. Bland was a fellow of the Geological Society, 



