522 PROCEEDINGS OF THE WASHINGTON MEETING 



tion form a lasting monument to his perseverance and foresight, A 

 person with means and inclination may be supposed to have the neces- 

 sary qualities for accomplishing his aims, whether they are first editions, 

 autographs, or fossils, but had Marsh possessed no further qualifications 

 than these, the results of his collecting would fall far short of what he 

 really attained. He not only had the means and the inclination, but 

 entered every field of acquisition with the dominating ambition to ob- 

 tain everything there was in it, and leave not a single scrap behind. 

 Every avenue of approach was made use of. and cost was often a second- 

 ary consideration. The nine-tenths, when attained, were only an addi- 

 tional stimulus for securing the remaining one-tenth. Of course, this 

 ideal of completeness was often impossible of accomplishment, and yet 

 U served to bring to the Yale University Museum collections which are 

 unique from their richness and extent. 



In making an estimate of his character, it must not be forgotten that 

 he developed wholly without the influence of family and home ties, 

 which in most men profoundly mark their mature life. Self-reliance is 

 probably the strongest trait fostered by the absence of immediate family 

 connections. This Marsh possessed to an extraordinary degree, and it 

 naturally led to a self-centering of his life and ambitions. Out of it 

 came, also, an absence of the complete exchange of confidence which 

 normally exists between intimate friends. Even where perfect confidence 

 existed, he seldom revealed more about any particular matter than 

 seemed to him necessary or than the circumstances really demanded. 

 As a friend, he was kind, loyal, and generous. As a patron of science, 

 he has seldom been equaled. Honest work in an}' department appealed 

 to him strong]\ r , and he was ever ready with aid and counsel, even at 

 the expense of a personal sacrifice. His disposition was a most happy 

 one, and he was always keenly appreciative of the humorous and ludi- 

 crous and fond of relating amusing experiences and anecdotes. The 

 sunny side of his nature was nearly always uppermost, and the consid- 

 eration of subjects of the greatest gravity was enlivened by constant 

 sparkles of wit from his exhaustless store. 



He was normally restive under restraint, and met all opposition with 

 power and fearlessness. Having practically created the modern science 

 of vertebrate paleontology in America, he resented any encroachment 

 upon the particular fields of research in which he was engaged. This 

 attitude frequently developed feelings of hostility in other investigators, 

 and often alienated him from co-workers in his department of science. 

 Nevertheless, he labored faithfully for the truth as revealed in his work, 

 and was ready to change opinions and published statements whenever 

 facts seemed to warrant it. 



