Preface. ix 



tunity to consult his published work, and shall be able, 

 through it, to approve or condemn his course; if the 

 tendency to ignore all of his work because some of it 

 was peculiarly bad shall give way to a more generous 

 treatment, then, the time required to collect and arrange 

 the scattered matter which constitutes the bibliographic 

 portion of this volume, and to present for inspection 

 the whole course of an active though largely misdirected 

 life, will be amply repaid. It is not true, notwithstand 

 ing that the editor of a well-known scientific journal has 

 but just editorially so declared, that recent identifications 

 of Rafinesque s species &quot;will be ultimately set aside, 

 when a more critical spirit prevails among species zoolo 

 gists&quot;; on the contrary, outside of certain editorial 

 rooms there prevails that spirit of honor and fairness 

 which demands that these claims shall be recognized. 

 The position thus editorially assumed is, in itself, a 

 complete justification for the expenditure of the time 

 and means involved in presenting, to men of science, 

 this resume of the work and life of Rafinesque. 



RICHARD ELLSWORTH CALL. 



THE FILSON CLUB, 



LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, 

 7 JANUARY, 1895. 



