28 
ean hardly be. Let the heads of depart- 
ments of biological research in our univer- 
sities then take heart, and not be afraid to 
follow the lead of Pasteur, who surely com- 
mitted no violence upon science by under- 
taking the solution of practical problems. 
Let us now turn to the consideration of 
Professor Baird, the man of science. If 
there are any who ask what his claims to 
the appellation, man of science, are, let 
them turn to the voluminous bibliography, 
of over one thousand titles, of his writings, 
one fifth of which are formal contributions 
to scientific literature. Two of these, his 
“Mammals of North America’’ and his 
“Birds of North America’? (Vols. VIII. 
and IX. of the Pacific Railroad Reports) 
alone would secure a high place for their 
author among the world’s great scientific 
men. 
To this virtue of original productive- 
ness in science was added signal ability as 
an organizer and administrator. When, in 
1850, he was called from his position of 
professor of chemistry and natural history 
in Dickinson College to the position of as- 
sistant secretary of the Smithsonian Insti- 
tution, the young professor brought with 
him his own private collection, around 
which, through his genius for organization, 
erew the great and priceless collections of 
the Smithsonian Institution and National 
Museum. 
Professor Goode presents the following 
useful condensed outline of the principal 
phases of activity in the life of Professor 
Baird; phases, which, it will be observed, 
overlap in a complicated manner: 
(1) A period of twenty-six years’ (1843-1869) 
occupation and laborious investigation and volumi- 
nous publication upon the vertebrate fauna of 
North America; (2) forty years (1840-1880) of 
continuous contribution to scientific editorship; 
(8) five years (1845-1850) devoted to educational 
work; (4) forty-four years (1843-1887) devoted 
to the encouragement and promotion of scientific 
SCIENCE 
[N. S. Vou. XLVIII. No. 1228 
enterprises and the development of new workers 
among the young men with whom he was brought 
- in contact; (5) thirty-seven years (1850-1887) 
devoted to administrative work as an officer of the 
Smithsonian Institution and in charge of the scien- 
tifie collections of the government; twenty-eight 
(1850-1878) as practical executive officer, and nine 
(1878-1887) as secretary and responsible head; 
(6) sixteen years (1871-1887) as head of the Fish 
Commission, a philanthropic labor for the increase 
of the food supply of the world, and, incidentally, 
in promoting the interests of biological and phys- 
ical investigation of the waters.2 
It is in that phase of Professor Baird’s 
life which is presented by his activities as 
fish commissioner that are to be found il- 
lustrations of practically ideal relations 
maintaining between science and legisla- 
tion. 
From the summer of 1863, when he first 
visited Woods Hole, he realized the im- 
portance of a thorough investigation into 
the causes of the decrease of the food fishes 
along our coast. * 
In 1870 he made a systematic beginning 
in this inquiry, $100 having been set apart 
for that purpose by the Smithsonian Insti- 
tution, and the Treasury Department grant- 
ing the use of a 30-foot sloop yacht. 
Having thus demonstrated to his own 
satisfaction by personal investigation that 
a problem existed, the solution of which 
was of vital importance to the nation, and 
realizing that the necessary Inquiries were 
beyond the resources of any private enter- 
prise to carry on, he set about securing the 
support of the national government. 
To this task he brought the great powers 
of his own natural sagacity, to which was 
added the experience of thirty years of pro- 
ductive scientific work, and nearly four 
decades spent in the administration of what 
had grown, under his management, to be a 
great museum whose activities had become 
world-embracing. Although it is said of 
2 Smithsonian Report for 1888, p. 83. 
