THE NAUTILUS. 



127 



lished song, " Will You Love Me when I'm Old ?" had a tremendous 

 and immediate success, and was by far the most popular of his com- 

 positions, though a number of those appearing later were deemed 

 more worthy of consideration by his musical friends. Among tliese 

 were "Watching and Waiting," "Daisy and I," "Away Down 

 South," " Sweet Rosalie," and, best of all, " My Ships are Coming 

 Back lo Me " — a piece of deep poetic feeling. 



As a young man, Ford was deeply interested in geology and min- 

 eralogy. A warm friend of Conrad, together they collected cre- 

 taceous fossils from the marl beds of New Jersey. With the late 

 Theodore D. Rand he collected the minerals of Delaware and Chester 

 counties. In the early sixties Ford met the Rev. Dr. E. R. Beadle. 

 This acquaintance ripened into a warm friendship, and turned his 

 attention from mineralogy to conchology. He often said — " It was 

 Dr. Beadle who started me in the study of conchology, and who took 

 all my minerals in exchange for shells." George W. Try on, Jr., 

 was also his warm friend, and their bond of friendship was strength- 

 ened by their love of music. Another true and life-long friend who 

 survives him is Mr. Charles Morris, of Philadel|)hia. 



Mr. Ford was elected a member ct the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences in 18G6 and from that time until his illness in 1903, took 

 an active interest in the Academy's magnificent collection of mol- 

 lusks. He was especially interested in the local species and those of 

 the New Jersey coast, making a special exhibition collection of both, 

 for the Academy and also for the Wagner Free Institute of Science. 

 Aside from the local shells he was also especially interested in the 

 OUvidce. His long suites selected to show specific variation are un- 

 equaled in this country. 



He also brought together a very fine collection of Cyprceida, which 

 although containing none of the great rarities, is notable for its 

 large series illustrative of variation. His entire collection is re- 

 markable for the perfection of the specimens tind the great number 

 of representive genera and species of all the principal faunal regions. 

 He had little interest in fresh-water shells, aside from local species, 

 or for the small or minute land snails, though he possessed a very fine 

 series of exotic Helices andBulimi, numbering many forms now very 

 rare. The marine pelecypods such as Veneridce, CardiidiB, Pectens, 

 etc., of his collection are especially fine. 



Mr. Ford published 29 articles on conchological subjects, besides 



