Eminent A^aiuralists. 7 



On the death of Dr. Amos Binney, another name worthy of 

 high honor, Dr. Gould was selected as the proper person to edit 

 and complete the great unfinished work of that author on the 

 '• Land Shells of the United States." 



To show the quality of the man, let me quote a few lines from 

 a letter which I once received from Mr. Dall, now at the head of 

 the Conchological Department of the Smithsonian Institution at 

 Washington. He writes: "Dr. Gould, excellent man and natu- 

 ralist as he was, when I went to him, a young fellow, with a ques- 

 tion such as you have asked of me, said in effect, ' you must go 

 ahead and earn your living, and use your leisure for study, as I 

 have done, only don't wait for the leisure to be greater; do some- 

 thing, if but little, every day, otherwise, when wealth or age give 

 you greater leisure, your interest will have faded and your oppor- 

 tunity will be gone.' " 



Grand words, full to the brim of the true idea of education ! 



Mr. Dall adds: "Dr. Gould's work was done in the occasional 

 spare moments of a not wealthy physician, in active practice, upon 

 which he depended for his daily bread." 



One of our most common shore shells, the little checkered Lit- 

 torine. Littorina scutulata, received its name from this eminent 

 naturalist. As you pick up the humble little shell on the beach 

 let it always remind of the man who studied its peculiarities and 

 gave it its name. Let it bring before you the most excellent ad- 

 vice and example of Dr. Gould, and remember that it is as good 

 for any other department of knowledge as for the study of shells. 



Oh, this question of bread and butter ! How it weighs upon 

 us. If only we were rich and had plenty of spare time, what 

 marvels we would accomplish! How we would study and invest- 

 igate ; what books we would, read, and what books we would 

 write ! 



Would we? 



Do most of the rich men whom w^e know indulge in such occu- 

 pation ? 



Grand words are those of the busy physician, bringing cheer 

 and stimulus to our aspiring, but sometimes almost discouraged 

 souls: 



"You must go ahead and earn your living, and use your leisure 

 for study, as I have done; only don't wait for the leisure to be 

 greater; do something, if but little, every day." 



Dr. Gould's end was sudden, almost tra?^ic; he died of cholera, 

 Sept. 15th, 1866. 



Though he was so suddenly called to lay aside his leisure hour 

 studies, his published works remain and bear testimony to the ex- 

 cellent use he made of those fragments of time, which so easily 

 might have been frittered away in idleness or unprofitable employ- 

 ments. The story of such a life is worthy of being recorded in a 



