SKETCH OF MANLY MILES. 103 



inhahiliii^- this ronliiiciil extend." On tlio haclc of tliis letter was l>r. 

 Miles's endorsenieiil tliat a box liad l>een sent. 



A nnnibei- of letters from Professor liaird, of 1800 and 18G1, relate 

 to the ideutilication of specimens eolleeted by Dr. Miles, and to the 

 fishes of Michigan, and contain ini|niries abont unlls and e^os. T)r. 

 .Miles likinvise siii)i)lied Cope with a considerable amount of material 

 concerninj;- Miclu<;an reptiles and fishes. 



While mollnsks were the favorite object of Dr. Miles's investigations, 

 lie also made studies and valuable collections of birds, mammals, 

 reptiles, and tishes; and he seems, Mr. liarrows sa^'s, "to have possessed, 

 in a liijih decree, that stron^' characteristic of a true naturalist, a full 

 apju-eciat ion of the value of jiood specimens. Many of his specimens 

 are now ju-eserved at the A.i>ricultural colleoe. and amono- his shells are 

 many which are of more than ordinary value from havinj:,- served as 

 types of new s])ecies, or as specimens from type localities, or as part or 

 all of the mal<'iial which has helped to clear up mistakes and miscon- 

 (•(^ptions about sjx'cies and their distribution." Mr. Walker s]»eaks of 

 his having done a great work in conchology. His catalogue, which 

 ' contained a list of one hundred and sixty-one siiecies, was by far the 

 most comi»lete i»ublished up to that time. "He described two new species 

 —Phniorhis inincdfiis and riiio Icprosiis. The former is one of the few 

 species which are, so far as known, peculiar to Michijian, and is a very 

 beautiful and distinct form; while the latter, although now considered 

 as synonymous Avith another species, has peculiarities which in the then 

 slight knowledge of the variability of the species w"as a justification of 

 his position. He was also the discoverer of two other forms which were 

 named after him by one of our most eminent conchologists — viz., 

 Campelonia Milcsii (Lea) and Gonlohasis Milesii (Lea)." Mr. Walker be- 

 lieves that "in general, it can be truthfully stated that Dr. Miles did 

 more to develop the general natural history of the State (Michigan) 

 than any other man either before or since he completed his work as 

 State Zoologist." 



As professor of zoology and animal i)hysiology. Dr. Miles is de- 

 scribed by one of his students, who afterward became a professor in 

 the college and then its [U'esident, as having been thoroughly interested 

 in the subjects he taught, and shown that interest in his work and in 

 his treatment of his students. He labored as faithfully and industriously 

 with the class of five to which President Clute belonged as if it "had 

 numbered as many score." He supplemented the meager equipment of 

 his department from his more extensive private apparatus, and collec- 

 tions, wiiich were freely used for class work; and, Avhen there was need, 

 he had the skill to ])re])are new pieces of apparatus. "He was on the 

 alert for every chance for illustration which occasion offered: an animal 

 slaughtered for the tables gave him an o|)portunity to lecture on its 

 viscera; a walk over the drift-covered fields found many specimens of 

 rock which he taught us to distinguish; the mud and the sand banks 

 along the river showed how in the periods of the dim i>ast were formed 

 fossil footprints and rii)ples; the woods and swamps and lakes gave 

 many useful living specimens, some of which became the material 

 for the imj)roA-ised diss(H-ting room; the crayon in his hand produced 

 on board or jtaper the chart of geologic ages, the table of classification, 

 or the drawing of tlie part of an animal under discussion." 



