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ILL, THEODORE NICHOLAS, naturalist and professor of Zoology at George Washington university, was born in New York city, March 21, 1837. He is the son of James Darrell Gill and Elizabeth (Vosburgh) Gill, and a descendant of Nicholas Gill, who emigrated from Devon, England, in 1722 and settled at Newfoundland, where he was appointed admiralty judge; and of Captain Michael Gill who settled in Newfoundland in 1709.

Professor Gill was educated in private schools and under special tutors. From early childhood he has been deeply interested in natural history. In 1860 he moved to Washington, District of Columbia, where he was appointed adjunct professor of physics and natural history at Columbia university. He retained this position for one year. In 1863 he became assistant librarian to the Smithsonian Institution; two years later he was appointed librarian. From 1866 to 1875 he was assistant librarian of congress. He was twice appointed lecturer on natural history at Columbian university, from 1864 to 1866, and again from 1873 to 1884. In 1884 he was appointed to his present position as professor of Zoology at Columbian (now George Washington) university.

In 1873 he was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences; and he is a member of over fifty other American and foreign scientific societies. In 1897 he was president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. George Washington university has conferred upon him these degrees: A.M., in 1865; M.D., in 1866; Ph.D., in 1870; and LL.D., in 1895.

Dr. Gill has made many contributions to scientific literature. He is the author of: "Synopsis of Fresh Water Fishes"; "Arrangement of the Families of Mollusks"; "Arrangement of the Families of Mammals "; "Arrangement of the Families of Fishes "; "Catalogue of the Fishes of East Coast of North America" ; "Principles of Geography"; "Scientific and Popular Views of Nature Contrasted"; "Account of Progress of Zoology." He wrote most of the articles on fishes and a considerable number of those on mammals, in the