8 The American Geologist. Jl,I - v - ,H,; 
in connection with Mollusca was with these forms in and 
around Jamaica. He hoped to prepare a monograph which 
should be a complete study of the species and varieties of that 
region. 
From such opportunities for collection and having the gift 
of making accumulations it is not strange that the Museum un- 
der the charge of professor Adams took on a unique character 
and large proportions. Professor Hovey of the chair of phys- 
ics had accumulated what may be considered the nucleus for 
the marvel that crystallized around it. A marvel it was, the 
hundreds and thousands of specimens grouped as to relation- 
ship and hearing a peculiar personality by the labelling in the 
beautiful handwriting of professor Adams. At the time his 
formative hand left it, a half century ago, it contained about 
8000 species and professor Louis Agassiz said "I do not know 
in all the country a conchological collection of equal value." 
A somewhat similar collection made by Robert Swift, for 
the sum of 830,000, passed into the keeping of the Smithsonian 
Institution. 
Teaching at Amherst with collecting in the West Indies 
went on year after year with professor Adams as had his teach- 
ing at Middlebury and the geological survey of Vermont. 
But the year 1853 was a sa( ' one f° r Amherst College; an 
overwhelmingly calamitous one to his family there. While at 
work at St. Thomas, W. I., he was attacked by the Yellow 
Fever. He was most faithfully cared for by his colaborer in 
the conchological field, Robert Swift. But the grip of the fear- 
ful malady was too powerful to be loosed by any loving minis- 
tration. The strong, the courageous, the hopeful naturalist, 
yielded his life, dying January 18. 1853. aged thirty-nine years. 
Some time later a memorial stone, the. appreciative gift of 
scientific friends, was placed at his grave, the spot at which 
on St. Thomas his body .was buried. So in a way St. Thomas 
at this early date was pre-empted to the United States, by the 
deposit of the body of professor Adams, and the erection of 
the stone that stands sentinel at his dust. 
Fn person Mr. Adams was not large but sturdy, his coun- 
tenance was that described as intellectual, his eyes large, black, 
lustrous, his hair abundant and black, early showing of gray. 
He was a gfood horseman, a.strongf swimmer. The sons recall 
