ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCE OF ST. LOUIS. 633 



time the Portland (Maine) Society of Natural History had just met 

 serious loss from fire. It was therefore resolved that the academy 

 should donate to the unfortunate society a full set of its Transactions, 

 together with minerals and other museum specimens. The Chicago 

 Academy of Science having suffered in a similar way at the same 

 time, a like courtesy was extended to it. 



It will be remembered that the first meeting was held in the 

 rooms of the Board of Public Schools. Nearly or quite all the fol- 

 lowing meetings for a long time were held at the local Medical 

 College, in O'Fallon Hall, through the courtesy of Dr. Pope at 

 first, and later through that of his successor, Dr. Hodgen. Twelve 

 years of the life of the academy passed thus, when an effort was 

 finally made to secure new rooms in the building of the Poly- 

 technic. A committee was appointed September 2, 1868, in this 

 matter; the negotiations went on f or some months. The museum of 

 the academy was by this time distinctly creditable. Mammals of the 

 Rocky Mountains were the result of Mr. Chouteau's interest. A fine 

 meteorite from Nebraska had been secured; sections cut from it had 

 been exchanged for similar pieces from other localities, until thirteen 

 meteoric falls were represented. The chief importance of the mu- 

 seum, however, was in paleontology; the Hayden collection has al- 

 ready been mentioned; there were also important local collections; 

 among foreign matter was a particularly fine complete skeleton of 

 the cave bear. Just at the time when the museum's prospects were 

 so good, May, 1869, fire broke out in the Medical College building, 

 and the whole museum was swept out of existence. The only valu- 

 able specimens left uninjured were a skull of Bos cavifrons, some 

 mastodon vertebrae, and several meteoric specimens, including the 

 original piece from Nebraska. Fortunately, the library was saved, 

 and the greater part of the Transactions, though some of these were 

 injured by water. 



During this year, just before the fire, the president, Benjamin F. 

 Shumard, died. He was born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Novem- 

 ber 24, 1820. His taste for science may have come to him from 

 his mother's side; her father, a Mr. Getz, was an inventor and a 

 maker of instruments of precision. When Benjamin was still 

 young, his father removed to Cincinnati, and the boy was sent to 

 Oxford for his college education. He returned to his native State 

 to pursue his medical course, but had hardly well begun his work 

 when his father removed to Louisville, Kentucky. The result was 

 that the young man completed his studies in that city, graduating 

 in 1846. His practice began in that State, first in the interior, later 

 in Louisville. The young physician's leisure was devoted to the 

 study of local paleontology and zoology. Making some reputation, 



