248 McAtes, In Memoriam F. EH. L. Beal. ay 
snake, and other animals. Professor Beal often referred to his 
experiences on this trip; one reminiscence, in particular I remember, 
related to nighthawks. The birds immediately availed themselves 
of the newly-laid rails as perches, upon which, according to their 
custom, they sat lengthwise. They were so abundant, Professor 
Beal says, that he was certain there were enough nighthawks 
immediately along the right-of-way, to make a continuous row of 
the birds on both tracks clear across the state of Nebraska. The 
work on the railroad ended in November, and Professor returned 
to Boston. 
The next year was spent in an attempt to establish a Civil 
Engineering business at Fitchburg; the field was limited however, 
and Professor began teaching again at the Institute of Technology 
in October, 1873. He taught there one school year, spent the next 
vacation in Boston and on camping trips, and proceeded October 5, 
1874, to Annapolis, Md., where he had secured a position as Pro- 
fessor of Mathematics in the United States Naval Academy. The 
position was held only one year, but I imagine that this was not a 
serious disappointment to the Professor. The system of formal 
calls demanded by the naval social code, irked him considerably, 
and it is certain he would not have stayed indefinitely at the Naval 
Academy. During the spring of 1875 he actively collected natural 
history specimens around Annapolis, particularly birds, of which 
he mounted a number. He returned to Boston June 26. The 
following summer and winter were passed in Boston and Fitchburg 
and in short excursions in New England. 
March 20, 1876, was an important date in Professor Beal’s life, 
as it was then he started for Ames, Iowa, to take a position in the 
Agricultural College there; where he met the girl he was to marry 
and where he remained for the next seven years. After the first 
semester at Ames, he took an Eastern trip of about a month’s 
duration, attending the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia and 
visiting in Boston and Fitchburg. On his next visit to the east 
which began in November, 1876, he was married on his 37th birth- 
day, January 9, 1877, to Mary Louise Barnes,! at Cortland, N. Y. 
1 Mrs. Beal was born at Bath, N. Y., July 22, 1844, and was educated in the Elmira 
Female College, and the Lyons Musical Academy. She has published two books for boys 
under the titles: ‘“‘A Misunderstood Hero” and “‘ Boys of Cloverdale.’’ Professor Beal is 
survived also by a son Kenneth Foster Beal who was born March 20, 1880. 
0 a ae 
