WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 63 



Geologists will recall the earnest discussions during the late eighties 

 and early nineties in connection with the attitude to be taken toward 

 the International Congress of Geologists. One of the objects men- 

 tioned as calling for the institution of this body was the discussion 

 of the schemes of color to be used for the representation of the forma- 

 tions. It was thought there might be a uniformity in a scheme to 

 be adopted by the geologists of the different countries represented. 

 The Congress led off in the discussion by adopting a scheme por- 

 trayed upon a new geological map of Europe. Among those who 

 vigorously opposed its adoption was Doctor McGee, who proposed 

 instead the scheme employed by the United States Geological Survey. 

 After years of discussion, the parties still retain their original pref- 

 erences. Though we were opposed to each other in the discussions 

 we still retained pleasant social relations, especially in the enter- 

 tainment of the International Congress in Washington in 1892. 



Doctor McGee served as editor of the Geological Society of America, 

 his name appearing upon the first three volumes issued. The pecu- 

 liar features of the publication were largely outlined by him. In 

 this work we were associated together. 



After this we met often in the meetings of the Geological Society, 

 and of the American Association; and discussed various phases of 

 the glacial period. His most elaborate works were the reports upon 

 the Lafayette and Columbia formations. 



From F. W. Hodge, of the Bureau of American Ethnology: 



Reprinted from the American Anthropologist, Vol. 14, No. 4, Oct.-Dec., 1912. 



William John McGee, or, as he preferred to be known, W J McGee, 

 was born on a farm at Farley, Dubuque County, Iowa, April 17, 1853, 

 and died of cancer at Washington, D. C., September 4, 1912. He 

 was the son of James and Martha (Anderson) McGee, of Scotch Irish 

 ancestry, his paternal great-great-grandfather having been Alex- 

 ander McGee of County Down, Ireland, who emigrated to the United 

 States, while on the maternal side the line leads back to Samuel An- 

 derson, of Irish parentage, who was born at sea in 1740. Both of 

 these grandparents espoused the American cause in the Revolution. 

 In his early years, although large for his age, McGee was frail in 

 health, averse to manual labor, and rather uncertain in disposition; 



