Page:A Short History of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (1909).djvu/30

18 Academy since Tryon's death in 1888, under the able editorship of Dr. Henry A. Pilsbry, the value of whose conchological work has received the most cordial recognition. Mr. Tryon's business training enabled him to actually secure a revenue from his two unpromising ventures, which, with much more, he bequeathed to his favorite department. In quite a special sense, therefore, his work continues.

Much the greater part of Cope's time was, at this period, devoted to the study of herpetology, his work being done in a small room in the northeast corner of the first gallery. Cope's contributions to science, his paleontological work especially, lent brilliancy to the Proceedings and Journal and as time progressed entitled him to be regarded as the greatest naturalist born on American soil. In his relations to the administrative affairs of the Academy, he was ever a storm center, absolutely a law unto himself, and so divergent were his theories and methods from those entertained by Dr. Leidy and his other associates, that for years before his death in 1897, he had no official connection with the society, although his interest in the meetings was maintained and the provisions of his will give evidence that, through all the disagreements and in spite of them, he retained confidence in its usefulness and was, perhaps, after all not entirely opposed to its methods. He bequeathed to the Academy about 8,000 valuable specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes and the fund arising from the sale of his paleontological collections after the payment of certain legacies.

Dr. James Aitken Meigs had taken up the work of Samuel George Morton and was giving all the time he could spare from a rapidly growing practice to the study of ethnology, with the fine results recorded in the Proceedings.

John Hamilton Slack, a man of extraordinary versatility, in a little room directly under Cope's, was studying the mammals and laying ambitious plans for a monograph of the monkeys, which, it is to be regretted, resulted in nothing more than a sixteen page contribution to the Proceedings. He was a frequent visitor to the library and by his accomplishments gave brightness and variety to the dullest days.

William M. Gabb, during his term as one of the Jessup Fund students, had fitted himself for the work accomplished later in connection with the Geological Survey of California and as Director of the survey of San Domingo.