[58 



THE MUSEUM. 



aware been captured elsewhere. 



Each season I take a few of these 

 desirable specimens. 



Dr. James Hall, State Geologist. 



James Hall, LL. D., died at Beth- 

 lehem, N. H., on August 8th, aged 

 about 87. He had been geologist of 

 New York State since 1836. A ser- 

 vice of 62 years in one public office is 

 remarkable. In Dr. Hall's case it was 

 a useful service. 



When the geological survey of the 

 State of New York was organized in 

 1836, Prof. Hall, who was then a 

 teacher in the Rensselaer School, now 

 the Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, was 

 appointed assistant geologist in the 

 second geological district, and in 1S37, 

 State geologist in the fourth geological 

 district, which really made him the 

 State geologist, a position which he 

 has held ever since. From 1S3S to 

 1 84 1 he published annual reports, and 

 in 1843 a final report showing the or- 

 der of the strata and their organic re- 

 mains. In 1S43 Prof. Hall was also 

 given charge of the paleontological 

 department of the survey, in which he 

 was engaged at the time of his death. 

 It was Dr. Hall who set the first stone 

 markers at Niagara Falls, whereby the 

 recession of the cataract has been ac- 

 curately measured since 1842. 



In spite of small and irregular ap- 

 propriations by the State, Prof. Hall 

 has published seven quarto volumes of 

 "The Paleontology of the State of 

 New York," which are amply illustrat- 

 ed. Being discouraged by the lack of 

 appropriations, Prof. Hall, in 1855, 

 accepted the paleontological part of 

 the Canadian survey under Sir William 

 E. Logan, and was about to move to 

 Montreal, when Prof. Louis Agassiz 

 and many other scientific men begged 

 of him to remain in this country. It 

 was promised that the State of New 

 York would be more liberal with ap- 

 propriations; but it was not, and Prof. 

 Hall looked on his decision to remain 

 here as the mistake of his life, a large 



and more inviting field being the Can- 

 adian one. Although still remaining 

 in this country, Prof. Hall, in 1865, 

 published a description of the grapto- 

 lites of the Quebec group. In 1865 

 he was appointed State geologist of 

 Iowa and in i860 the chief commis- 

 sioner to make a geological, mineral- 

 ogical and agricultural survey of Wis- 

 consin. On the reorganization of the 

 New York State Museum in 1866 Prof. 

 Hall was appointed its director, which 

 title he continued to hold, together 

 with that of State geologist and pal- 

 eontologist. 



Prof. Hall had, probably, as many 

 titles as have been conferred on any 

 American citizen. There were about 

 30 in all, including LL. D. from Ham- 

 ilton College, Harvard College and 

 McGill University. He was a mem- 

 ber of many scientific societies both in 

 this country and abroad, and he re- 

 ceived several decorations from Italy, 

 France and other countries. 



The Cicindella Beetles. 



The tiger beetles, or Cicindcllidce 

 comes under the head of beneficial 

 insects, as they and their larva; feed 

 exclusively on insect prey. 



The larvffi looks rather ferocious 

 and are armed with large jaws, and a 

 hooked hump on the ninth segment, 

 which aid them to climb to the mouth 

 of their "holes in sand banks, where 

 they wait for their prey. 



The beetles are very active and 

 handsome creatures, with large heads, 

 long curved and formidable looking 

 jaws, and long slender legs, with which 

 they run about the sand hills with con- 

 siderable agility. When collecting 

 them, I noticed a peculiar trait they 

 have. When the sun was hidden I 

 secure them with ease, but when the 

 sun was shining they seemed to become 

 more alert and active and I could not 

 come near them. They would allow 

 me to approach until my shadow fell 

 full upon them, and then becoming 

 alarmed they flew away. When flying 

 they make a loud buzzing noise similar 



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