ll'i Till-: XAUTIIA'S. 



And a.s we cannot excrci.so feelings of veneration and gratitnde 

 foi- mere names of unknown persons, it is well for us to become some- 

 wiiat aequaintetl with the lives of the great naturalists whose initials 

 meet us whenever we glance over our collections. For some of us, 

 perhaps, this is not an easy task ; but fortunately books and papers 

 upon these subjects are becoming more common, and it is nmch 

 easier now to obtain this information than it was a few years ago. 

 Such names as Bay and Gould and Binney, for instance, while they 

 serve primarily to identify the terms which these authors applied to 

 their species, may themselves be studied and identified ; and as we 

 learn more of their pure and earnest lives, we shall have a deeper 

 respect and a more profound veneration for the men who studied 

 and wrote before we were boi-n, and who left us the fruits of their 

 labors. Veneration for character and admiration for attainments 

 are healthful feelings, and tiieir free exercise speaks well for the 

 youthful mind. 



And not only for the dead, but also for the living naturalists we 

 should cherish these feelings, and seek for information concerning 

 their lives. Many of them in their youth experienced the same 

 l)erplexities and encountered the same difficulties which beset some 

 of us now, and as we learn of their victories we nuxy be encouraged 

 to more vigorous action. 



But while we entertain these sentiments of respect and esteem for 

 both the ])ast and the present workers in science, it is well to 

 remember two things. 



First. The men and women who are to be eminent in science 

 forty years hence are boys and girls now. Each year adds to the 

 list of the honored dead. A few, like the venerable Isaac Lea, sjjcnd 

 nearly a century among the scenes of their labors and pleasures ; 

 but others, like the lamented Tryon, are cut down suddenly, in the 

 midst of active vitality. The ranks are being recruited, it is true, 

 but the recruits must ever come from the young. 



Second. Ti'uth is greater than any of its expoundei's. While it 

 is desirable to know the names which eminent men have given to 

 the various sj)ccies of mollusks which we collect, it is still more im- 

 portant to know their nature, their habits, their food, stages of growth, 

 and changes, and to observe their motions and conditionsof activity or 

 repose. Where we cannot observe the living animal, we can at least 

 study the shell, and notice its points of resemblance to others, also its 

 differences; we can examine its structure, test its composition, note 



