Life and Work of Augustus Wing. — Sccly. j 
professor Dana and a party of geologists at Great Barrington, 
Mass., and there began to unfold his theory, verifying each 
position as they traveled through the Berkshire hills, and 
Hoosac valley, and made their way north, traversing the entire 
length of his native state, crossing and recrossing the Green 
mountain range, by which time his theory had given place to a 
deep conviction that it was correct. To Mr. Wing this, with- 
out doubt, was a moment of great triumph, when the great im- 
portance of his contribution to science was thus recognized by 
the highest authority in America — perhaps the highest in the 
world." 
It is not to be asserted that all obscurities of the region, such 
as the relations of the lower to the upper Potsdam, the slates at 
the middle and southern part of the state, the exact age of the 
most disturbed and metamorphosed strata near the quartzyte, 
have been fully removed. But in the main what was to be done 
had been done, and ]\Ir. Wing made good his early assertion, 
''That all the rocks in Addison, Rutland and Bennington coun- 
ties between the great break on the west and the quartzyte on 
the east were Lower Silurian." The minor facts he could put 
over for later time, or leave indeed to others who should catch 
enthusiasm from the work and the success of the master. 
It would have been fortunate for science if Mr. Wing could 
have written out his observations and discoveries. This work 
he fully intended to do. But he found so much in the field thar, 
as he thought still demanded his attention, the writing was 
put off. He was ever finding his delight, as well as his reward, 
in his discoveries ; so he neared his bound without having re- 
ceived personally the appreciative acknowledgment his fellow- 
workers would have gladly accorded him. 
The work in the field of the season of 1875 had been severe 
and exhausting to him, now advancing in age, and he retired 
to Whiting, Vt., to accept the ministries of a sister and her fam- 
ily. Here this stalwart man, with large frame and great heart, 
with the broad intellectual range of the mature man, and yet 
with the sim])licity of a child, of great good nature and m- 
capal)le of resentment, over-fiowing with enthusiasm and kind- 
ling like enthusiasm in others, came to take a needed rest. 
Undiscovered truths of his loved science were beckoning 
bun on. But there were other discoveries and other beckon- 
