ROBERT EVANS SNODGRASS — THURMAN II 



and in describing and illustrating the morphological development of ar- 

 thropod structures, than in describing new taxa of arthropods. In 

 fact, it was by sheer accident that Dr. Snodgrass described a new 

 species of scorpion fly, though he did not name it. He figured the 

 structures of the male genitalia of what he thought was a well-known 

 species of Panorpa. Specialists in the group assured him he had not 

 figured a known species, but an undescribed one. 



In 1945 Dr. Snodgrass reached the age of retirement. Having 

 much unfinished work on hand, he continued his activities in space 

 made available in the United States National Museum, space which 

 he still gratefully occupies. Since retirement he has completed 1 5 pub- 

 lications (65 to 79), and as with all his publications, each is an im- 

 portant contribution in its own right. Over a period of 61 years, 

 Dr. Snodgrass has completed 79 publications, totaling 5,972 pages and 

 2,154 plates and text figures, with 15 of the plates in color (44). 

 Seldom does a plate or text figure consist of a single drawing, but 

 more often of 10 to 15 or even 20 drawings. His bibliography ex- 

 hibits both quality and quantity. 



Reviews of Snodgrass publications have been exceedingly compli- 

 mentary, testifying to the high regard which others have for Dr. Snod- 

 grass and his research. About "A Textbook of Arthropod Anatomy," 

 Dr. A. Glenn Richards (Science, vol. 117, p. 464, 1953) has this to 

 say, "[Snodgrass] concerns himself with comparisons of the anatomy 

 and terminology associated with the anatomy of the various classes 

 of the animal phylum Arthropoda. He states the situation pungently 

 in his preface : 'The arthropods are a group of related invertebrates ; 

 arthropodists, for the most part, are a group of unrelated verte- 

 brates.' . . . The high caliber, the style of writing, the logical think- 

 ing, the personal verification of most of the details presented — even 

 when they are credited to a previous author — and the many superbly 

 drafted illustrations (very few of which are copied) are typical of 

 the author's work." 



Of the same book. Dr. V. G. Dethier's review (Quarterly Review 

 of Biology, 1954, p. 179) includes these statements: "An outcome of 

 a lifetime of study of insect structure and ancestry . . .," "a master- 

 ful piece of work, clearly presented, and attractively printed," and 

 "a profusion of excellent illustrations which has come to be associated 

 with all Snodgrass' works." 



In his review of the "Anatomy of the Honey Bee," Dr. Roland 

 Walker (Science, Oct. 19, 1956) uses such phrases as "precision and 

 elegance of the pen work . . .," "constant evidence of Snodgrass' 

 critical judgment . . .," and "the labels punctiliously revised to con- 



