HAMILTON: MAMMALOGY IN NORTH AMERICA 671 



His ability as a field collector is reflected in the vast assemblage of mammalian 

 fossils housed in Yale's Peabody Museum. 



A student of Leidy, Edward Drinker Cope continued the study of fossils. As 

 a youngster, his first love was the reptiles, and the young naturalist made lasting 

 contributions to our knowledge of salamanders and lizards. His major contribu- 

 tions were made west of the Mississippi, while Cope was employed as vertebrate 

 paleontologist of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. 

 The contributions Cope made on the creodonts, canids, and felids were outstand- 

 ing. His thousand-page volume on the vertebrates of the Tertiary Formations of 

 the West includes accounts of 350 species, 90 percent of which the author had 

 described (Cope, 1884). 



The collecting of fossil remains is a slow and tedious process. Yet even greater 

 effort must be employed in the museum when reconstructing the fruits of expedi- 

 tions. Following the period of western exploration, the study of collections con- 

 sisted in establishing the lineage of the families, orders, and classes. Many groups 

 have been collected which provide a panoramic view of lineal descent. Among 

 paleontologists of the present century, Henry Fairfield Osborn must receive spe- 

 cial recognition. He was a rare combination of scientist, teacher, and adminis- 

 trator. From 1877, when he commenced paleontological research at Princeton, 

 until his death in 1935, Professor Osborn published nearly a thousand articles 

 and memoirs. Among his best known works are The Age of Mammals (1910) , Men 

 of the Old Stone Age (1916) and The Titanotheres of Ancient Wyoming, Dakota 

 and Nebraska (1929) . He somehow found time to write many popular articles and 

 books, detailing the lives of creatures that lived in the past. 



A Princeton classmate of Osborn, "William B. Scott, contributed materially 

 to the study of early mammals. His History of Land 3Iammals in the Western 

 Hemisphere (1913), while designed primarily for lay readers, is of considerable 

 service to the professional mammalogist. 



It is difficult to single out individuals who have made lasting contributions 

 in any field of science without creating injustices. The names of Edwin H. 

 Colbert, William K. Gregory, Claude W. Hibbard, Remington Kellogg, William 

 D. Matthew, John C. Merriam, George G. Simpson, Ruben A. Stirton, Chester 

 Stock, Horace E. AVood, 2nd, and Jacob L. Wortman merit especial notice for 

 their substantial reports on fossil mammals. Of these, Simpson has made particu- 

 larly noteworthy contributions in recent years. 



The Growth of Literature on Mammals 



With the development of mammalogy in North America, it was apparent that 

 many works would appear dealing with this group. Mention has been made of 

 the Quadrupeds of North America. This stellar contribution was a model for its 

 time. Even today, serious students of mammal habits consult the three volumes, 

 for there is a wealth of information that is remarkable for the years in which 

 they appeared. It is probable that if the authors had used a model life history 

 outline, as we know of such today, their immense background of knowledge would 

 have resulted in an even more lasting contribution. Audubon and Bachman did 

 less credit to themselves and the animals they discussed than they might otherwise 



