360 The American Geologist. December, i90i 
At Iowa Citv he made a close study of the Hamilton and 
other Devonian rocks. At Burlington he found a rich field 
in the crinoids and other fossils of the .Burling-ton limestone, 
of which he made a large and valuable collection, discovering 
manv new species. Some of these are described in his own 
written contributions to science ; others, by his permission, 
were named and described by Dr. Hall, Mr. Wachsmuth, Dr. 
Knapp and other leading geologists, who personally ac- 
knowledged the value oif his work. Many of the new forms 
described and pictured in Wachsmuth and Springer's great 
work on the crinoids, were first discovered by Dr. Barris. 
Through Wachsmuth also, many specimens were sent to the 
British Museum, in acknowledgment of which a copy of the 
beautiful "Catalogue of the Blastoidea" (Etheridge and Car- 
penter, London, 1886) was sent to him by the trustees of 
the museum. Next to Wachsmuth, Dr. Barris is named first 
among the scientific friends at home and abroad to whom 
its authors express their indebtedness. 
In the summer of 1866, professor and Mrs. Louis Agassiz 
visited Burlington purposely to see the Barris collection of 
crinoids, and were so delighted with it that negotiations 
were opened at once and it was purchased for the museum 
at Cambridge. In a subsequent letter professor /Vgassiz 
writes : "I owe it to you to say that I shall treat this col- 
lection with all the regard which it deserves, and that I 
shall take good care to have the scientific world know and 
understand that while it will become an ornanient to the 
museum at Cambridge, it is yet entirely your work. Every 
specimen shall be furnished with a label stating that it once 
fomied part of your collection, and I believe I am within 
bounds in saying that it will commemorate your scientific 
zeal and ability as surely as it would remaining in \our 
possession. Allow me to request you, therefore, not to feel 
as if yO'U had parted with your interest in science, but on the 
contrary to continue your eft'orts in a direction in which you 
have thus far been so eminently successful." 
On removing to Davenport Dr. Barris still kept up his 
geological studies, contributing, from time to time, valuable 
articles for publication, chiefly in the Proceedings of the 
Davenport Academy of Science. Lie became a member and 
