BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH XXX1X 
his friends raised a sum of $8,000 by subscription and the 
property was bought and the house restored and presented to 
Whitman. This very signal mark of love and appreciation on the 
part of his friends, indicating as it did so clearly their desire to 
remove every obstacle that prevented his presence among them, 
touched Whitman most deeply. He was present again at the 
Laboratory in the sessions of 1906 and 1907, but never again, 
except for a brief visit of two or three days in 1909. 
His gradually increasing engrossment in the study of heredity 
and evolution in pigeons may be assigned as the principal cause 
of his withdrawal from residence at the Laboratory. For many 
years he transferred his large collection of birds from Chicago to 
Woods Hole and back again each summer. He always suffered 
some losses of valuable birds, even when the railroad companies 
allowed him to take his birds as excess baggage and to attend to 
them en route. However, when this permission was refused 
and they had to come by express and might be delayed over an 
extra night, the losses became more serious. Indeed, the trans- 
fer became an intolerable burden, and he relinquished his charge 
of affairs at Woods Hole rather than curtail his own research, 
an eminently characteristic choice. 
In 1908 he tendered his resignation; his letter and the reply 
thereto follow: 
To the Trustees of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, 
Mass. 
Gentlemen: 
This year has brought the twenty-first birthday of the Marine Bio- 
logical Laboratory. For these many years you have continued to honor 
me with the directorship of the Laboratory. In late years I have so 
far drifted out of office and out of use that a formal resignation at this 
time can scarcely be more than an announcement of the fact accom- 
plished. The time has arrived, however, when a reorganization seems 
to be imperatively demanded, and as a prelude thereto, I must ask you 
to accept this note as a somewhat belated announcement of my resig- 
nation of the office of director. 
Let me take this opportunity to thank you one and all very heartily 
for the cordial support you have extended to me. 
Respectfully, 
C. O. WHITMAN. 
