8 



tion which impelled him to study the animate or inanimate 

 with equal ardor. 



"He was an exceedingly close observer, of unlimited 

 patience. At an early period he began the study of birds, 

 and his papers on the Fish Hawk (The Auk, ix. 1892, pp. 

 313-321, pll. iv, v) and the Black Duck (Ibid, x, 1893, pp. 

 53-59, pll. i, ii) gave evidence of the excellent use he made 

 of his necessarily limited opportunities for field work. 



" More recently, his natural history work had been 

 largely confined to investigations of the toxic power of 

 snake-venom, with the particular object of discovering an 

 antidote for this virile poison. Dr. Allen was gifted with 

 much ingenuity in the mechanical details of his profession, 

 and the methods he employed in his herpetological studies 

 were far in advance of any which had been previously 

 used. While his experiments had not permitted him to 

 arrive at final conclusions concerning the treatment of 

 snake-bite, he had nevertheless brought together a large 

 amount of invaluable data, which, it is to be regretted, will 

 now never see the light. 



"On several occasions during the past two years, he 

 treated, with success, persons who had been bitten by ven- 

 omous snakes — moccasins and rattlesnakes — and he also 

 had one patient who had been seriously bitten by a Gila 

 monster. 



11 In the absence of a specific antidote, Dr. Allen's method 

 of treatment was to isolate the poison by injections about 

 the wound which would coagulate the fluids, and then re- 

 move the poisoned part. As a result of his experiments 

 with the Gila monster, Dr. Allen discovered that the bite 

 of this reptile is not poisonous, provided it can be made to 

 release its hold at once, for he observed that the poison 

 does not begin to flow until the animal has been attached 

 to its victim for several seconds. 



"Dr. Allen was a rarely genial comrade. In the field, 

 no misfortune was so great as to dampen his enthusiasm, 

 and his generous disposition always prompted him to sac- 



