6 | | Othniel Charles Marsh. 
character was nearly always uppermost, and the consideration 
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 opposi- 
tion 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 devel- 
oped 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. 
His esthetic sense was highly developed, and could be seen 
in the artistic care he bestowed upon his publications, but more 
especially on his home. His grounds are a model of landscape 
gardening. He delighted in his collections of modern paint- 
ings, the cultivation of orchids, and above all in the subtleties 
of Japanese art. 
The world was not slow to recognize his contributions to 
knowledge, for during his lifetime he received a large number 
of tangible evidences of distinguished consideration in the way 
of academic and scientific honors, medals, and membership in 
learned societies. 
In 1886, he received the degree of Doctor of Laws from 
Harvard University, and in the same year the honorary degree 
of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Heidelberg. 
He occupied the chair of Paleontology in Yale University from 
1866 to the time of his death. He was Vertebrate Paleontolo- 
gist to the United States Geological Survey, and Honorary 
Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology in the United States 
National Museum. 
He was President of the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science in 1878, and of the National 
Academy of Sciences from 1883 to 1895. As a presiding 
officer in the National Academy, he exercised the same amount 
of care that he bestowed upon his private affairs, and was an 
active and eflicient leader. 

