Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 62.djvu/521

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
THE MAKING OF BIOLOGISTS.
515

Illinois.—Coquillett, Gilbert, Hatcher, L. O. Howard, Kofoid, Nutting, Ridgway, Simpson, Stanton, E. B. Wilson, Walcott.

Ohio.—Chittenden, Girty, Pratt, Schuchert, C. H. T. Townsend, Ulrich, C. M. Weed.

Connecticut.—Benedict, Blatchley, Davenport, C. L. Franklin, H. F. Osborn, Mrs. Slosson.

Pennsylvania has given us Ashmead, Bruner, H. C. Chapman, Garman, W. Stone and the late H. Strecker. From New Jersey we have Beutenmüller and F. M. Chapman; from Maine, Fernald, Verrill and C. B. Wilson; from New Hampshire, Nelson; from Maryland, Uhler. Iowa is the birth-place of Eastman, Evermann, McGee, Springer and Pilsbry; Michigan of V. Bailey; Minnesota of C. L. and C. J. Herrick; Wisconsin of H. Osborn, Bitter and W. M. Wheeler. The South is hardly represented at all; from South Carolina come J. A. Holmes and J. P. Smith; from Kentucky, Morgan and Miss Sadie Price; Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia do not appear on my list at all! There are, I hope, some zoologists born in these states of whom I have no statistics, but in any event the zoological output of the southern states is wholly insignificant. This fact suggests again the great influence of environment, whatever the blood; and one may add that the tropical English colonies have deprived us of the services of many a good man, who under more stimulating social and climatic conditions promised much.

The civilization of the West is so young that perhaps we ought not to expect much of the native-born therein. As a matter of fact, the showing is small indeed; my records give only these names: Kansas, V. L. Kellogg, Marlatt; Texas, Vaughan; California, T. S. Palmer. Of course there are many others less well known; indeed a very good crop of young men and women, who will be prominent enough in the next twenty years. Everything shows that California, in particular, will be the center of great biological activity; but so far Colorado is by no means doing her part. About fifteen years ago a small body of naturalists founded the Colorado Biological Association, of which the present writer was secretary; but the movement died in 1890, and to-day there are not enough biologists in the state to revive it or found a new society on similar lines. Even the professors in the state university seem to be permitted rather than encouraged to engage in research. However, Colorado has too much natural vigor to tolerate this inertia indefinitely; the time cannot be far distant when there will be an awakening.

I have also catalogued the prominent zoologists under the names of the schools, colleges and universities they attended; but the results are perhaps not very significant. Of course every one knows that many of our leading men (e. g., Jordan, Dall, Uhler, J. A. Allen, Scudder) studied under Agassiz, but it may be doubted whether their interest in