10 Curtis: Lucien Marcus Underwood 



times he had accepted less remunerative positions in order to con- 

 fine his work more closely to the lower forms of plant life and now 

 for the first time he had the opportunity of realizing the ambition 

 of his life. His interest now became more and more centered in 

 the ferns and he enthusiastically devoted all his energies to study- 

 ing and amassing collections of these plants. This work neces- 

 sitated extended collecting trips in the United States and in the 

 West Indies as well as repeated visits to the herbaria of Europe 

 for comparison and study of material. 



His career at Columbia has been attended by signal honor. 

 He was one of the ten botanists elected at the Madison meeting 

 of the American Association to form the Botanical Society of 

 America, of which organization he served as president in [899- 

 1900. He became editor of the publications of the Torrey Botan- 

 ical Club in 1898 and acted in this capacity until the end of 1902. 

 He was associate editor of "North American Flora" from the 

 beginning of his work at Columbia, during which period five parts 

 have appeared. He was a member of the board of Scientific 

 Directors of the New York Botanical Garden and since 1901 was 

 the chairman of this board. In 1906 Syracuse University recog- 

 nized his long and eminent service by conferring upon him the 

 degree of doctor of laws. 



His work at Columbia has been most fruitful and far-reaching 

 in its results. The publication of his manuscript on " Moulds, 

 Mildews, and Mushrooms'' in 1899 stimulated study along this 

 line and assisted greatly in establishing mycological clubs in many 

 sections of the country. His numerous papers on the Pteridophyta 

 and the recent revisions of his book upon " Our Native Ferns and 

 Their Allies" have presented a rational system of classification of 

 the group and a conception of its relationships and of the problems 

 to be considered in its study that will serve as a guide in the investi- 

 gation of these plants for generations to come. 



In reviewing this brief account of Professor Underwood's life 

 and his varied activities we are impressed with the traits that actu- 

 ated and controlled him. He inherited an energy and a keenness 

 of interest, a curiosity and a quickness of perception regarding liv- 

 ing things that are the endowment of few. These characteristics 

 led him irresistibly to the study of natural history and explain the 





