418 The American Naturalist. [ May, 
—the origin of intelligence, the evolution of the ethical side of man, 
etc.—and expressed his views thereon in a series of essays which have 
attracted wide attention. These evolutionary essays were collected in 
a volume issued in 1887 under the title “ The Origin of the Fittest.” 
Later still (1896) these essays, together with his later contributions to 
the theory of descent, were summarized in a volume, “The Primary 
Factors of Organic Evolution ;” a volume which several followers of 
Weismann have recognized as the ablest expression of anti- Weismann- 
ian views. 
Scientific organizations the world over have expressed their appre- 
ciation of the attainments of Professor Cope. He has been elected 
an honorary or a corresponding member of many societies. In 1872 
he was elected a member of the National Academy of Science; in 1879 
the Royal Geological Society of Great Britain bestowed upon him the 
Bigsby gold medal, in recognition of his labors in the advancement of 
paleontological knowledge. In 1883 he was elected vice-president of 
the Biological Section of the American Association for the Advance- 
ment of Science, and in 1896 he was elected to the presidency of the 
same organization. In 1886, at the celebration of the four hundredth 
anniversary of the foundation of the University of Heidelberg, he 
received the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy, the highest honor 
the University could bestow. In 1889 he was elected Professor of 
Geology and Mineralogy in the University of Pennsylvania, and he 
held this position at the time of his death. He became the owner of 
THE AMERICAN NaTuRALIsT in 1877, and since that time has been the 
senior editor of the magazine. 
Professor Cope was a man of quick decision and of strong convic- 
tions. He did not believe in temporizing or acting from motives of 
policy. There were with him only two conclusions: a thing was either 
right or wrong, and when his decision was made, his course was clear. 
Compromise was foreign to his nature. These facts readily explain 
many things in his history. Personally he was a delightful companion. 
Gifted with facility and felicity of speech, and with experiences far be- 
yond the run of the ordinary man, an hour in his presence was an hour 
not easily to be forgotten. How he enjoyed telling of his adventures 
and his battles ; and if the joke were against him, its narration afforded 
him the more pleasure. Those who have heard him tell of the purchase 
of the skin of the long-tailed cat in Oregon will never forget the story- 
Then how helpful he was. The treasures of his collection and the 
greater treasures of his intellect were open freely to all. If it would aid 
a fellow student or would solve a question, his most valuable specimens, 
