CALL’S GEOLOGICAL WORK 
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GEOLOGICAL WORK OF R. ELLSWORTH CALL 
By Charles Keyes 
Recent announcements by the press of the demise of Prof. R, 
Ellsworth Call brings to mind the fact that this scientist was long 
numbered among our fellow geologists of the country. Although 
Call was one of those all-round naturalists of the old school now 
fast approaching extinction, and was widely read in all scientific 
realms his efforts in the domain of geology were not inconsider¬ 
able. He was really one of the recognized secondary geologists 
belonging to the last quarter of the last century. 
A most versatile genius and one as erratic as the famous 
Rafinesque whose life he took such keen delight in protraying, 
, he explored many fields. While he had broad general knowledge 
of animals and plants and minerals he knew much about particular 
types and circumscribed groups. Recognition as a foremost 
authority on mollusks did not deter him from delving extensively 
into other branches of zoology, not from exploring diverse depart¬ 
ments of earth history. He was one of the first men elected to 
fellowship to the Geological Society of America. Withal he was 
an ideal and inspiring teacher of the science and he was especially 
popular as a lecturer before young people and mixed audiences. 
I knew Call well. His family lived in Des Moines. For a 
period of many years even while his employment took him into 
distant states, he usually spent the summers’ with his parents. 
During this time his extensive collections of shells and his fine 
library were housed in the Capital City. He was the author of 
many memoirs, mainly upon subjects relating to Conchology. 
Richard Ellsworth Call was born on May 13, 1856, in Brooklyn, 
New York, where his early education was obtained, in the public 
schools. After grammer school he attended the Cazenovia 
Seminary from which he was graduated in 1875. From there he 
went to Syracuse University, but did not remain to finish the 
prescribed course. While there he fell in at Ithaca with David 
