506 Recent Literature. LOct. 



death of Miss Baird hindered the progress of the work, but a provision of 

 Miss Baird's will arranged for its completion and publication and her execu- 

 tor has displayed admirable judgment in selecting for the task Dr. Wm. H. 

 Dall, long time associate and friend of Prof. Baird and who, to use his own 

 expression, was personally familiar with most of the occurrences of the last 

 twenty years of Prof. Baird's life. 



Miss Baird's contribution to the biography is considerable; consisting 

 of her personal recollections of various incidents and periods in her father's 

 life, together with matter obtained from other members of the family or 

 friends covering earlier events in his career. The biographer had also the 

 neatly bound volumes of correspondence which Prof. Baird had carefully 

 preserved and which comprised letters from almost every prominent 

 American scientific man of the period, as well as of many distinguished in 

 other fields of learning. Baird's own letters to his brother William and to 

 several other correspondents were also available as well as his journal. 



From such rich material it was possible to construct a virtual autobiog- 

 raphy with contemporaneous discussion of the interests and activities 

 of the subject, and this Dr. Dall has done, welding together his materials 

 in a masterly way, interpolating the original letters with excellent judgment 

 and producing not only a splendid exploitation of the life of the naturalist, 

 but a volume of absorbing interest to the reader, whether he be scientist 

 or layman. We feel sure moreover that the one who would appreciate 

 the labors of the author, more perhaps than can any one else, would have 

 been the devoted daughter of the great naturalist to whom the volume is 

 inscribed. 



Prof. Baird's position in American scientific circles was unique. No 

 other naturalist was probably acquainted with such a large number of 

 scientific men or held in more universal esteem. His personal qualities 

 were such as endeared him to all with whom he came in contact, and the 

 generous cordiality and affection of his correspondents is reflected in many 

 of the published letters. His influence upon American scientific develop- 

 ment was of the utmost importance. From his early youth the idea of 

 amassing specimens was ever foremost in his mind, first as a private collec- 

 tion, then as a great government museum, and as we turn the pages of the 

 biography his selection as Assistant Secretary and then as Secretary of the 

 Smithsonian Institution appears simply a matter of course, so perfectly was 

 the man fitted for the position. In training his scholars in the College at 

 Carlisle, where he was a professor, in methods of collecting specimens, and 

 later in furnishing more elaborate instructions and outfits to the young 

 naturalists who came to the Smithsonian, to army officers and to the staff 

 •of the Government surveys, he started a sort of endless chain which reached 

 far into the future producing collectors and collections increasingly skilled 

 and valuable as years went on. 



Through the entire volume one is impressed with the tireless energy of 

 the man, collecting and studying birds, fishes, mammals, reptiles, fossils, " 

 minerals and plants; preparing specimens for exchange, keeping up an 



