546 PROCEEDINGS OF THE PHILADELPHIA MEETING 



orders on the basis of the nature and position of the free cheeks. These 

 orders he named Hypoparia, Opisthoparia, and Proparia. 



In 1892 he became greatly interested in the significance of spines, ac- 

 cumulating data until 1898, when he presented his studies in a paper 

 entitled " The origin and significance of spines." This paper he regarded 

 as his best and most philosophic work. He found that all kinds of 

 spines in plants and animals can be arranged into eleven distinct cate- 

 gories. Further, that two generalizations result, as follows : 



"That spinosity represents the limit of morphological variation, and, second, 

 that it indicates the decline or paracme of vitality." . . . "Finally it is evi- 

 dent that, after attaining the limit of spine differentiation, spinose organisms leave 

 no descendants, and also that out of spinose types no new types are developed." 



Beecher's standing among biologists and paleontologists was high ; 

 he was a leader among students of Brachiopoda and Trilebita, and Jack- 

 son has said that he " became the leader of the Hyatt school." He had 

 the artist's gift, nearly all the drawings illustrating his various papers 

 being made by himself and exhibiting a high order of merit. He was 

 a slow and very careful worker. Those who knew him well saw in him 

 an enthusiast, but his exuberance was always held in check by his judi- 

 cial qualities, which also made him an excellent counselor. He was 

 orderly in his work, and, as he had the " museum instinct " well devel- 

 oped, he made one of the best of curators. 



In 1894 Beecher married Mary Salome Galligan, of Warren, Pennsyl- 

 vania, who, with two daughters, survives him. He died very suddenly, 

 of angina pectoris, at his home, shortly after 1 o'clock on Sunday after- 

 noon, February 14, 1904. Up to about 11 o'clock of the same day, he 

 was in his usual health. He lies in Grove Street cemetery, in the shadow 

 of the Sheffield Scientific School. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



The following bibliograph}' includes Beecher's more important papers :* 



1876. List of land and fresh-water shells found within a circuit of 4 miles about 

 Ann Arbor, Mich. [Walker and Beecher.] Proc. Ann Arbor Sci. Assoc, 

 pp. 43-46. 



1884. Ceratiocaridse from the Chemung and Waverly groups of Pennsylvania. 

 Second Geol. Survey of Pennsylvania Report, pp. 1-22, pis. i, ii. 



1884. Some abnormal and pathologic forms of fresh- water shells from the vicinity 

 of Albany, N. Y. Thirty-sixth Ann. Report N. Y. State Mus. Nat. Hist., pp. 

 51-55, pis. i, ii. 



1880. A spiral bivalve shell from the Waverly group of Pennsylvania. Thirty- 

 ninth Ann. Report N. Y. State Mus. Nat. Hist., pp. 161-164, pi. xii. 



* For a complete bibliography see Jackson, in the American Naturalist, June, 1904, pages 418-426, 

 where 108 titles are cited. 



