THE 
AMERICAN GEOLOGIST 
Vol. XXIIl. JANUARY, 1899. No. i 
EDWARD DRINKER COPE. 
By Helen Dean King, Bryii Mawr, Pa. 
(Plate 1.) 
In the death of professor E. D. Cope which occurred at 
Philadelphia, on April 12th, 1897, science has lost a master 
in vertebrate paleontology arid a brilliant explorer in the fields 
of zoology and philosophy. No man since Louis Agassiz has 
had so great an influence on the development and progress 
of biology in America ; and his premature death at the age of 
fifty-seven has left unfinished investigations which would, if 
completed, greatly enrich our knowledge of the extinct fauna 
of the country and its relations to the more recent forms. 
Edw^ard Drinker Cope was born in Philadelphia, July 28th, 
1840. His father, Alfred Cope, was a man of wealth and cul- 
ture, possessing a considerable knowledge of botany and zool- 
ogy. He early recognized and fostered in his son the strong 
love for nature which soon grew into an overpowering pas- 
sion. To his father's help and guidance the lad owed much 
of his early scientific training, and it does not appear that he 
received any instruction in science while attending school. 
When not at his studies, young Cope spent most of his time 
in the woods and fields near his home. He was especiallv 
interested in reptiles, and his collection of salamanders, snakes 
and tortoises was not only carefuhy and skillfully prepared, 
but also fully identified by comparison with specimens in the 
museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. 
Cope's school education was mostly carried on in the West- 
town Academy, an institution near Philadelphia, under the 
