134 BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



tages. Two were wealthy by inheritance, two became so by 

 business enterprises, fourteen had a modest or insufficient in 

 come, and were obliged to work their way through life ; of these 

 five were college bred. Seven were devoted to science among 

 other interests ; with eleven science was the mainspring of their 

 lives. The average age attained was sixty years ; of those de 

 pendent on their own industry about 58 years. Divided accord 

 ing to their absorption in scientific pursuits we find those who 

 devoted all their energies to science averaged 62.27 years, the 

 others 55.7 years of life. 



The only lesson which may be said to be absolutely clear is, 

 that naturalists are born, and not made ; that the sacred fire can 

 not be extinguished by poverty nor lighted from a college taper. 

 That the men whose work is now classical, and whose devotion 

 it is our privilege to honor, owed less to education in any sense 

 than they did to self-denial, steadfastness, energy, a passion for 

 seeking out the truth, and an innate love of nature. These are 

 the qualities which enabled them to gather fruit of the tree of 

 knowledge. Let us see to it that their successors, while profit 

 ing by that harvest, fail not in the virtues which made it possible. 



