LIFE OF 

 JAMES DWIGHT DANA 



CHAPTER I 



INTRODUCTION 



The Man to be Portrayed Sources of Information Quotation from Dr. 

 Jowett The Dana Family in America Their Probable Italian Origin. 



THE life of Professor James D wight Dana is the life of 

 a distinguished naturalist, successively an explorer, 

 an investigator, a writer, an editor, and a teacher. His 

 versatility is as noteworthy as his longevity. Gifted with 

 uncommon powers of observation, memory, comparison, 

 and reasoning, he devoted them to the sciences of min- 

 eralogy, geology, and zoology. He had the advantage 

 of a favorable environment in his youth, at home, at 

 school, and at college. Rare opportunities were subse- 

 quently enjoyed for seeing the most interesting parts of 

 the globe, a visit to the Mediterranean Sea; a voyage 

 round the world, with prolonged stay among the South 

 Sea Islands ; a summer in Switzerland ; and a journey, late 

 in life, across the North American continent, and beyond 

 it to the Hawaiian Islands. Long periods of quiet study 

 and reflection intervened. Close relations with the most 

 Distinguished investigators in this country and abroad 



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