﻿564 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPOET 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  be 
  made 
  are 
  those 
  on 
  evolution, 
  on 
  the 
  geographic 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   marine 
  animals 
  and 
  on 
  " 
  Zoological 
  Nomenclature," 
  the 
  latter 
  a 
  

   painstaking 
  and 
  much 
  needed 
  work 
  of 
  timely 
  service 
  to 
  systematic 
  

   naturalists. 
  And 
  besides 
  these, 
  Dall 
  was 
  the 
  author 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  monographic 
  volumes 
  and 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  lesser 
  papers, 
  chiefly 
  on 
  

   the 
  MoUusca, 
  and 
  also 
  of 
  an 
  appreciative 
  biography 
  of 
  Spencer 
  F. 
  

   Baird, 
  a 
  volume 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  450 
  pages, 
  published 
  in 
  1915. 
  To 
  one 
  

   unacquainted 
  with 
  his 
  indefatigable 
  industry, 
  the 
  number, 
  mag- 
  

   nitude, 
  and 
  quality 
  of 
  his 
  published 
  contributions 
  to 
  science 
  are 
  quite 
  

   overpowering. 
  

  

  Dall, 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  most 
  naturalists, 
  developed 
  an 
  interest 
  in 
  

   natural 
  history 
  when 
  so 
  young 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  recall 
  the 
  date. 
  

   The 
  accident 
  that 
  led 
  him 
  to 
  become 
  interested 
  in 
  shells 
  was, 
  he 
  said, 
  

   the 
  possession 
  when 
  a 
  boy 
  of 
  12 
  of 
  a 
  copy 
  of 
  Doctor 
  Gould's 
  " 
  In- 
  

   vertebrata 
  of 
  Massachusetts." 
  Inspired 
  by 
  this 
  work, 
  and 
  living 
  near 
  

   Boston, 
  he 
  undertook 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  complete 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  

   Massachusetts. 
  Finding 
  species 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  name, 
  he 
  made 
  

   bold 
  to 
  consult 
  the 
  author, 
  Doctor 
  Gould, 
  who 
  gave 
  him 
  much 
  sound 
  

   advice, 
  and 
  whom 
  Dall 
  characterized 
  as 
  " 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  most 
  

   lovable 
  of 
  men." 
  

  

  A 
  little 
  later, 
  when 
  employed 
  in 
  an 
  office 
  on 
  the 
  India 
  wharf 
  in 
  

   Boston, 
  where 
  he 
  did 
  boy's 
  work 
  for 
  wages, 
  he 
  kept 
  a 
  book 
  in 
  his 
  

   desk 
  and 
  at 
  odd 
  times 
  when 
  unoccupied 
  with 
  his 
  regular 
  task 
  copied 
  

   scientific 
  books 
  which 
  he 
  then 
  thought 
  he 
  would 
  never 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  buy. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  factor 
  in 
  shaping 
  his 
  zoological 
  career 
  was 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  

   museum 
  at 
  Cambridge, 
  where 
  he 
  fell 
  under 
  the 
  magnetic 
  influence 
  

   of 
  Louis 
  Agassiz. 
  His 
  third 
  opportunity 
  occurred 
  in 
  Chicago 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Civil 
  War, 
  when, 
  having 
  failed 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  liveli- 
  

   hood 
  in 
  Boston, 
  he 
  found 
  emj^loyment 
  in 
  the 
  Windy 
  City. 
  Although 
  

   hard 
  at 
  work 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  he 
  spent 
  his 
  evenings 
  studying 
  at 
  the 
  

   Chicago 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  there 
  that 
  he 
  met 
  William 
  Stimpson 
  and 
  Robert 
  Ken- 
  

   nicott, 
  both 
  of 
  whom 
  became 
  dear 
  personal 
  friends. 
  It 
  was 
  there 
  

   also 
  that 
  he 
  determined, 
  in 
  the 
  event 
  of 
  a 
  choice 
  of 
  occupations, 
  to 
  

   accept 
  irrespective 
  of 
  pay 
  the 
  one 
  that 
  promised 
  most 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  

   opportunity 
  for 
  continuing 
  scientific 
  studies. 
  Acting 
  on 
  this 
  re- 
  

   solve, 
  he 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  declined 
  offers 
  of 
  higher 
  salary 
  and 
  under- 
  

   took 
  harder 
  work 
  with 
  less 
  pay 
  where 
  there 
  were 
  better 
  advantages 
  

   for 
  study. 
  

  

  In 
  1865 
  he 
  visited 
  Alaska 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  scientific 
  staff 
  of 
  the 
  

   Western 
  Union 
  International 
  Telegraph 
  Expedition, 
  and 
  when 
  his 
  

   friend, 
  Robert 
  Kennicott, 
  leader 
  of 
  the 
  expedition, 
  died 
  on 
  the 
  ice 
  

   of 
  the 
  Yukon, 
  Dall, 
  though 
  only 
  21 
  years 
  old, 
  was 
  unanimously 
  

   chosen 
  to 
  succeed 
  him. 
  In 
  1867 
  he 
  explored 
  and 
  mapped 
  the 
  mighty 
  

  

  2! 
  

  

  