554 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



contributions to knowledge, never elsewhere published. Others 

 were critical reviews or notes upon the current literature of sci- 

 ence. Others are abstracts of scientific papers, with the addition 

 of explanatory or illustrative remarks. Others still are abstracts 

 of papers for the most part in the words of the authors of the 

 papers or of some other reviewer. A modification of the plan of 

 the "Record" was introduced in 1877, under which, instead of 

 merely general summaries of progress in various branches, with 

 abstracts of papers, more space was given to the former part, and 

 the summaries were prepared by eminent specialists, and pub- 

 lished under their names. 



A beautiful picture of Prof. Baird's personal character and of 

 his unselfish devotion to science is given in the tribute which was 

 published in " The Nation." In selecting men for particular posi- 

 tions or lines of work, " he was very rarely mistaken in his judg- 

 ment. In his position he was called uj^on to advise in nearly all 

 Government appointments which had a scientific bearing, direct 

 or indirect, and the total number of selections which he deter- 

 mined during his career must have been many hundreds, and 

 have included nearly every available person among the younger 

 generation of students. The most surprising element in it all, to 

 those cognizant of the details, was the calm impartiality which 

 he brought to the task. No thought of self seemed to enter into 

 his calculations. ... It is evident that, in promoting the studies 

 of others, and in holding as a trust for the general benefit the 

 vast collections which passed under his control, opportunities 

 must have been numerous for giving precedence to the progress 

 of his own researches rather than of those of others engaged in 

 the same lines. In such cases, we believe, he never hesitated, and 

 the decision against himself was in more than one instance known 

 by him at the time to be of pecuniary as well as of scientific dis- 

 advantage to his own interests. He never spoke of this sort of 

 self-denial, and it was in a majority of cases known but to a few 

 persons incidentally connected with the researches in question. 

 . . . Two things," the author of the tribute says in conclusion, 

 " his experiences may be said to have lacked — he never had a per- 

 sonal controversy, nor, so far as we have ever heard or had reason 

 to suspect, an avowed enemy." 



In illustration of his modesty, which amounted almost to 

 timidity, and was yet so engaging as to secure him advocates 

 whenever he presented his views, Mr. Garrick Mallery relates that 

 he once joined Prof. Baird on his way to a meeting of the Philo- 

 sophical Society of Washington, where he was to deliver an 

 address on a subject connected with fish propagation. During the 

 walk, says Mr. Mallery, " he spoke of the struggle at that moment 

 between the sense of duty requiring him to take part in the pro- 



