134 
Psyche 
[September 
until his last illness. By 1905, when this catalogue had 
reached publication size and was about ready for submis- 
sion to the Smithsonian Institution, Aldrich married Della 
Smith of Moscow, Idaho, and securing sabbatical leave of 
absence from Idaho went to Stanford University for a year. 
His Ph. D. degree was awarded by Stanford in 1906. For- 
tunately Aldrich had moved his library and collection of 
Diptera to his father’s house because during his absence the 
University of Idaho burned to the ground. 
Aldrich always regarded Moscow, Idaho, as home. He 
had built a beautiful house at the edge of the University 
campus facing Moscow Mountain, his best beloved collect- 
ing ground, and there had established his library and col- 
lection. He had every prospect of continuing his useful 
work at Idaho, when suddenly after twenty years of service 
as its most eminent professor his connection with the Uni- 
versity of Idaho was terminated. It is unnecessary now to 
reopen the sorry case and discuss the vagaries of an in- 
competent administration other than to recall that those of 
us who knew the situation well regarded the dismissal as an 
outrageous and unwarranted interference. Aldrich’s ashes 
have been returned to Moscow, Idaho, and placed beside his 
first wife and his only child. 
Idaho’s self-inflicted loss proved to be the nation’s gain. 
Dr. Howard immediately appointed Aldrich to the Bureau 
of Entomology, and for the next five years he was stationed 
at Lafayette, Indiana, to investigate life-histories of Osci- 
nidse and other Diptera affecting cereal crops. The death 
of Frederick Knab in 1918 made it necessary to transfer 
Aldrich to the National Museum, where he was appointed 
Custodian of Diptera and Associate Curator. 
In 1928 Aldrich presented to the National Museum his 
personal collection of Diptera, numbering 45,000 specimens 
and 4,000 named species. With this he donated the unique 
and extensive card catalogue of Diptera. This index is the 
only source of information on all the literature of all the 
American Diptera, and with its cross references to synon- 
ymy is invaluable to all workers. It brings the Aldrich 
catalogue of 1905 to date. His library is the most com- 
plete assemblage of books and articles on Diptera, and de- 
