398 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. No. 1400 



the young naturalist, then about eighteen or 

 nineteen years of age. Thus was begun the 

 literary career that has produced such bounti- 

 ful results and the youth who forced himself 

 to acquire facility in a daily journal de- 

 veloped into the editor of not one, but several, 

 of the foremost publications of natural sci- 

 ence. 



At the Lawrence Scientific School, at Cam- 

 bridge, Allen was the pupil of men whose 

 names stood high — Louis Agassiz, Asa Gray, 

 Levering and Wyman. At this school his 

 curriculum was heavily inclined toward the 

 natural sciences and he learned the value of 

 accurate and painstaking observation. Be- 

 cause of poor health and weak eyes, the stu- 

 dent was compelled to take instruction ir- 

 regularly and to suffer many obstacles in his 

 struggle for education. 



In 1865, Agassiz invited Allen to accomp- 

 any him on a collecting trip to Brazil. The 

 party numbered sixteen and all during the 

 voyage south Professor Agassiz gave a series 

 of lectures to the members of his party. They 

 landed at Rio de Janeiro and different trips 

 were planned. Allen was assigned to a party 

 which was to visit the northern provinces. 

 They set out on June 9, and after delays and 

 difficulties with their native assistants reached 

 Lagoa Santa on July 13. This is the locality 

 made famous by the researches of Lund and 

 the scientists explored the caves of the region 

 for several days. The route necessitated long 

 hard travel, partly by river, partly by pack 

 train. Allen's health had broken down by 

 the end of the third month of this trying life, 

 and he was forced to leave the others and 

 strike out for Bahia, which he reached by the 

 end of November, after an overland journey 

 of nearly 600 miles. His voyage northward 

 was not soon to be forgotten, because his ship 

 which ran into gales oS Cape Hatteras, was 

 driven off her course and only narrowly 

 escaped foundering. Approaching the Cape 

 a second time, she was again met with storms 

 and eventually reached Boston ninety days 

 out from Bahia. 



In the attempt to build up his constitu- 

 tion, Allen severed connections with the Mu- 



seum of Comparative Zoology and returned 

 to the farm, but, with the partial return of 

 strength, found the call of nature to be ir- 

 resistible and made a collecting trip into the 

 Middle West, 1867. This trip was successful 

 in every way and when a summer had been 

 spent out of doors and Allen felt equal to 

 museum work once more, he wrote to Agas- 

 siz, who welcomed him back. The next 

 eighteen years were spent at Cambridge, 

 where he was in charge of the department 

 of mammals and birds. 



The winter of 1868-1869 was spent in East 

 Florida where valuable material and experi- 

 ence was gained. Nine months were spent on 

 a collecting trip to the Great Plains and the 

 Rocky Mountains, in 18Y1-1872. Work was 

 begun at Leavenworth. At this time there was 

 trouble with the Indians and the small party 

 had to exercise caution in their movements. 

 Near Fort Hays they went on a buffalo hunt, 

 and Allen had his first extensive experience 

 with the mammal which was to be one of his 

 favorites and the subject of a large mono- 

 graph. Their itinerary took them through 

 Denver and South Park, Cheyenne, Green 

 River and Fort Fred Steele. The results of 

 the expedition were most satisfactory and a 

 large number of specimens were secured. 



The next year, 1873, Allen made his last 

 important field trip. He accompanied a party 

 of railroad surveyors who were to locate the 

 Northern Pacific Railroad westward from 

 Bismark. It was during a period of Indian 

 troubles, and a large military escort under 

 General Custer went with the party. This 

 was a historic trip, marked by skirmishes 

 with the Indians, and by many other novel 

 experiences. While opportunities for collect- 

 ing specimens were not of the best, much of 

 the territory traversed was zoologically un- 

 known and much valuable information was 

 brought back. 



From 1876 to 1882, Dr. Allen served as a 

 special collaborator of the United States 

 Geological Survey, devoting most of his time 

 to original research, publishing among other 

 papers, " The American Bisons, Living and 

 Extinct," and monographs of various families 



