THEODORE NICHOLAS GILL— DALL. 583 



various communications on mollusks and miscellaneous subjects 

 After the starting by Prof. Baird, in 1878, of the series Imown 

 as the Proceedings of the United States National Museum, most of 

 Gill's papers were printed there, in the Smithsonian I^Iiscellaneous 

 Collections, or in the annual report of the institution. 



When the United States Fish Commission began its work under 

 the direction of Prof. Baird he gathered about him a number of 

 specialists who worked up the collections, and to Prof. Gill naturally 

 fell a large part of the taxonomic work on the fishes. Hence the 

 annual reports of the commissioner contain numerous contributions 

 from his pen. He was also associated with Prof. Baird in the 

 preparation of the latter's "Annual Eecord of Science and Industry," 

 published by the Harpers and its subsequent equivalent which for 

 some years appeared in the annual reports of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, beginning after the appointment of Prof. Baird as secre- 

 tary, in 1878. 



Most of the zoological data of Johnson's Cyclopedia and the 

 zoological definitions of the Century and Standard dictionaries were 

 furnished by Gill, though Dr. Elliott Coues acted as supervising 

 editor. 



In 1898 Gill acquired a small ornithological magazine called the 

 Osprey and for a time associated Coues with him as editor, but the 

 arrangement did not work well and Coues was obliged to withdraw. 

 In 1899 Gill took entire control and with a brilliant coterie of as- 

 sistant editors carried the periodical on for several years, during 

 which he frequently contributed to its columns. 



His contributions to the labors of the committee on nomenclature 

 of the American Ornithological Union were cordially acknowledged 

 by them, and his influence in standardizing zoological nomenclature 

 in general has been very great, though in the main indirectly exer- 

 cised. 



Any classification of a large group of animals becomes obsolete 

 with the increase of authentic data and the general progress of 

 science ; but that grasp of the subject which includes the best ideas 

 of the current period and is joined with the capacity to weld them 

 into a well-balanced scheme of classification is rare. It was pos- 

 sessed by Dr. Gill in an eminent degree. In fact, we shall hardly 

 exceed the bounds of certitude if we call Dr. Gill the most eminent 

 American taxonomist. 



His papers were rarely long. He seemed to prefer to take up small 

 groups, such as families and genera, and Avork out their relations. 

 No great monograph exists among his publications. Their total 

 mass, however, is very great, and their influence, especially on the 

 classification of fishes, has been profound* 



