Page Five 



For seven years he was President of the Linnaean Society, 

 and he has served as Vice-President of the New York 

 Acadeni}' of Sciences. 



A Founder of the American Ornithologists' Union, and for 

 its first seven years successive^ its President, he was also, 

 for twenty-seven years, editor of its journal, "The Auk." 

 Through this publication he was a potent factor in arousing 

 and keeping active ornithological interest throughout the 

 country. Always, since its organization, a member of the 

 Union's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of 

 North American Birds, he has played an important part in 

 shaping the course of zoological classification. The work of 

 this Committee resulted not only in a new check-list of North 

 American birds, standardizing their nomenclature, but also 

 in a new and elaborate Code of Zoological Nomenclature 

 which has had a very far-reaching influence in standardizing 

 the rules of nomenclature the world over. 



Today Dr. Allen is an elected member of all the leading 

 academies of science in this country, and holds honorary or 

 corresponding membership in an impressive number of 

 foreign societies of affiliated interests. His honorary degree 

 of Doctor of Philosophy, conferred by Indiana University, 

 dates from 1886. 



But after the remarkable story of his achievements and 

 distinctions has been told, there still remain to be described 

 his generous sympathies, his consideration for others, his 

 gentleness and his ready helpfulness. Perhaps he derived 

 these high qualities from his own experience — remembering 

 the limitations and lack of assistance, the formidable difficul- 

 ties and the exhaustingly hard work through which he 

 struggled as a boy, but in spite of which his passion for scien- 



