568 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 302. 



taining a small bottle of syrup, on a trumpet 

 vine, and finding that it was regularly visited 

 by a humming-bird. The editor discusses the 

 province of the Audubon Societies and there are 

 reports from some of the Societies themselves. 



The Popular Science Monthly for October, 

 completing the 57th volume, opens with the 

 presidential address of Sir William Turner be- 

 fore the British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, describing the development of 

 biological science during the present century. 

 Professor Frederick G. Novy's article on the 

 ' Bubonic Plague ' reviews especially its ravages 

 in the past. There follow articles on ' Gasoline 

 Automobiles, ' by William Baxter, Jr. , on ' Some 

 Scientific Principles of Warfare, ' by William J. 

 Koe, on ' Modern Mongols,' by F. L. Oswald, on 

 'The Religious Beliefs of the Central Eskimo, 'by 

 Professor Franz Boas, and on ' Mental Energy,' 

 by Edward Alkinson. The present instalment 

 of ' Chapters on the Stars, ' by Simon Newcomb, 

 is devoted to variable stars and the parallaxes 

 of the stars. The number contains the index 

 to the current volume. A journal such as the 

 Popular Science Monthly is essential for the de- 

 velopment and recognition of science in Amer- 

 ica, and the contents of the first volume under 

 its new management show that the Monthly has 

 secured the cooperation of the leading American 

 men of science. 



The Mazamas, a mountaineering club of the 

 Western States proposes to publish a quarterly 

 magazine devoted to the mountains, forests and 

 natural scenery of America, especially of the 

 northwest. The subscription which is $1.00, 

 may be sent to Mr. W. G. Steel, 407 Ross St., 

 Portland, Ore. 



DISCUSSION AND COBBESPONDENCE. 

 AN EMINENT AMERICAN MAN OF SCIENCE. 



To THE Editoe, of Science : In Science for 

 August 17th and 31st (pp. 277, 346) are names 

 suggested for inscription ' in the Hall of Fame 

 of the New York University.' Those of natu- 

 ralists are John James [not Adam] Audubon, 

 Spencer F. Baird, Asa Gray, Isaac Lea, John 

 Torrey, and, later, O. C. Marsh, E. D. Cope, 

 James Hall, J. D. Dana, J. S. Newberry and 



Alexander Winchell. There is one naturalist 

 at least as much entitled to such recognition as 

 almost any one of the preceding — Thomas Say, 

 once of Philadelphia. If it is intended to 

 indicate the historical development of biology 

 in America, Thomas Say should stand pre- 

 eminent. He was by odds the most versa- 

 tile and accomplished of the early American 

 naturalists and has left his impress on the zool- 

 ogy of the country to a greater extent than any 

 of his contemporaries or, in fact, if we measure 

 the range of his studies, than any of his suc- 

 cessors. He was fully abreast of the science 

 of his times and to a greater extent than any 

 English naturalist, except Leach. A large pro- 

 portion, if not most, of the common species of 

 several orders of invertebrate animals were 

 first named and intelligibly described by him. 

 Numerous of the most common land and fresh- 

 water shells, crustaceans, worms, and insects 

 were introduced into the system by him. He 

 paid attention also to the mammals, birds and 

 reptiles, leaving the fishes alone to his friend, 

 C. A. Lesueur. 



You ask : "Are any of the readers of this 

 Journal prepared to suggest how many men of 

 science should be included among the 100 most 

 eminent Americans no longer living, and who 

 they should be ?' ' Whatever the number, Say 

 should be accorded a place in the very first 

 rank among zoologists. In my judgment Dana 

 and Cope are the only ones whose rank is 

 equally high. Not far behind are Joseph Leidy 

 and William Stimpson (I suppose that Louis 

 Agassiz has not been proposed because he was 

 born and became eminent in another land.) 



It may be of interest to learn that Say's name 

 has been inscribed among those of illustrious 

 Americans in the vestibule of the Library of 

 Congress. The Hon. Bernard R. Green, super- 

 intendent of the Library building, did me the 

 honor of consulting with me on the selection of 

 men of science for such distinction, and I sug- 

 gested to him the title of Say. His name was 

 paired with Dana's near the entrance into the 

 Librarian's office. I understand that he has 

 been congratulated on the aptness of the selec- 

 tion. 



Theo. Gill. 



Washington, October 1, 1900. 



