530 SCIENCE. 
Dr. Reid Hunt, of the Johns Hopkins Med- 
ical School, and Mr. F. B. Sumner, fellow 
in Columbia University. Their chief object 
was to procure the long coveted eggs and 
early stages in development of Polypterus 
bichir of the Nile and other African rivers, 
one of the most ancient and least modified 
types of living fishes, and one of the most 
interesting vertebrates whose development 
yet remains to be studied by modern zoolog- 
ical methods. 
Last year Mr. Harrington and Dr. Hunt 
explored Lake Menzaleh and several hun- 
dred miles of the river north of Damietta, 
spent two months at Mansourah, forty miles 
from the sea; made many observations on 
Polypterus alive, and brought home valu- 
able material illustrating the anatomy of 
this and other Nile fishes. They found, 
however, that eggs of Polypterus obtained 
as lateas August 30th, were still immature, 
and they were obliged to come away with- 
out getting the embryological stages sought 
for. 
Harrington returned from this expedition 
with a wider knowledge of the world, a 
greater circle of friends anda keener zeal to 
extend the bounds of zoology. Although 
he was just beginning bis career as a teacher 
and a great variety of work was pressing to 
be done, the Nile country was ever in his 
mind, and great was his satisfaction when 
he was again sent into the field. 
Letters to friends during the early weeks 
of summer showed that new obstacles 
had arisen which threatened to remove 
every chance of success. The fish were 
scarce in the lower Nile and the region 
traversed by the upper Nile, where they 
were supposed to abound, was not yet open 
to travelers. After destroying the rule of 
the Mahdi, the English authorities were 
naturally reluctant to admit strangers to the 
newly recovered territory. Harrington’s 
earnestness and tact however prevailed, and 
the party was permitted to proceed to At- 
[N. S. Von. X. No. 250 
bara, a small village and military post 1200 
miles north of Cairo by river. 
The circumstances of Harrington’s illness 
and death have been told in the letters of Dr. 
Hunt, and from them we are permitted to 
narrate the following facts. Early in July 
Harrington went up the Atbara river with 
a member of his party and spent a night in 
the desert, where they were overtaken by a 
dust storm. A slight indisposition follow- 
ing this exposure finally led to an attack of 
Nile fever which ended fatally in spite of 
the devoted energies of his friends and Dr. 
Nickerson, the British Surgeon of the Post. 
He was borne to the grave by British 
soldiers attended by their officers, amid the 
strains of martial music, and was laid to 
rest in the little cemetery on the edge of 
the desert near the grave of Mr. Cross, the 
late war correspondent in the Sudan cam- 
paign. 
The death of this young man calls to 
mind another young American zoologist of 
great promise, Adam T. Bruce, whose death 
also occurred in Egypt, twelve years ago. 
As with Bruce, Harrington’s scientific and 
academic career had just begun. Though 
born in Massachusetts—in Somerville, De- 
cember 22, 1870, the son of John and 
Emma WHarrington—he was virtually a 
Cleveland boy, and was graduated from the 
West High School in 1889. He received 
the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1893 and 
later that of Master of Arts from Williams 
College. The years 1893-1898 were passed 
at Columbia University, with the exception 
of a year as assistant in the laboratory at 
Williamstown, in the capacity of graduate 
student, assistant and fellow. During this 
interval his summers were spent in study 
at Woods Hole, and as a member of the 
Zoological Expeditions sent out by Colum- 
bia University, to Puget Sound and Alaska. 
These were followed by the Senff Expedi- 
tions to Africa in 1898-1899, as already re- 
corded. In 1898 he was appointed Instruc- 
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