5i6 Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology. 



of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. Finally 

 the ripest years were to be devoted to physiological and com- 

 parative psychology on the basis of the mechanics of the nerv- 

 ous system and to philosophical correlation. 



His life may be roughly divided into four periods. While 

 these were marked by extraneous events and were apparently 

 purely artificial and arbitrary, yet it may be said that the ideal 

 scheme was in the end fairly achieved, though with great devia- 

 tion in the details of the working. 



Dr. Herrick was born near Minneapolis, June 21, 1858. 

 He grew up in a home far from neighbors, a solitary child 

 with few playmates, and very early showed his bent as a natu- 

 ralist. While still in the Minneapolis High School he collect- 

 ed extensively and left at graduation a case of over a hundred 

 mounted bird skins and other specimens to the high school. It 

 was during this period that his father, despite his poverty, got 

 him an eight dollar microscope. With this crude instrument 

 and without guidance or library facilities he worked over the 

 fresh water fauna of the neighboring brooks and pools so thor- 

 oughly that before graduation from the University of Minne- 

 sota in 1880 he had published several articles of value on the 

 fresh water Crustacea of Minnesota and four years after gradu- 

 ation, with somewhat better facilities, published a report on the 

 micro-crustacea of Minnesota, which is still standard. The 

 materials for this report were elaborated before he graduated 

 from college. 



These years were filled with many bitter struggles, not the 

 least ol which was with poverty and the consequent lack of 

 material for study. But, notwithstanding, he completed the 

 college course in three years, at the same time partly sup- 

 porting himself by assisting on the staff of the Geological 

 and Natural History Survey of Minnesota. He had also showed 

 so obvious a native gift with his pencil that upon his graduation 

 the president of the university said to his father that he was 

 uncertain whether to advise the young man to devote his life 

 to science or to art. But there was no uncertainty in the mind 

 of the graduate. Continuing his work on the Geological and 



