Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 67.djvu/174

168 Eastwood, the well-known botanist of California, who used to teach in Denver, spending her summers studying the Colorado flora.

In New Mexico, biology is not very much studied. I will only refer at this time to Professor E. O. Wooton and his assistant, Mr. Metcalfe, at the Agricultural College. These botanists have made large collections of the New Mexico flora, and Professor Wooton's writings on the subject are well known.

In Wyoming, one thinks first and last of Professor Aven Nelson, the indefatigable botanist of the University of Wyoming. The herbarium he has accumulated there is by far the best within our region, and his critical studies of the Rocky Mountain flora in the field have given him a knowledge possessed by no other man. He has, of course, described very many new species, and I have heard it stated that he will cooperate with Professor Coulter in the production of a new edition of the latter's 'Rocky Mountain Botany' now so greatly behind the times. Between Professor Nelson and Dr. Rydberg we seem likely to possess in the near future works which will give a new impetus to the study of Rocky Mountain plants, making easy that which has been getting increasingly difficult. Professor Nelson has already issued a small school flora, including only the commoner and more conspicuous plants.

In Montana, we have Professor Cooley, the entomologist of the experiment station, and Professor Morton J. Elrod, of the University of Montana. The work of Professor Elrod in founding a biological station and studying the mollusca, dragon-flies, etc., is extremely valuable, and one may hope that it will continue to find hearty support. The publications of the University of Montana show that Professor Elrod has been able to interest a number of persons in the 'biological survey' idea, and the work seems to be growing in volume and value every year.

I have not attempted to refer to every Rocky Mountain worker, nor have I said anything about visiting naturalists; but it would be a serious omission not to allude to Dr. Clements, of the University of Nebraska, who for a number of years has been a 'summer resident' as they say of certain birds. Dr. Clements migrates to the mountains when his teaching work closes in Nebraska, and, with others, occupies a cottage at Minnehaha, which is on Pike's Peak, at an altitude of 8,400 feet. From this point he explores the slopes of the peak and the surrounding country, and makes ecological observations.

The above brief account of Rocky Mountain biology will make it apparent, I hope, that there are at least six places where fairly good facilities, of one sort or another, are offered for biological research. These are the University of Montana, the University of Wyoming, the University of Colorado, Colorado College, the Agricultural College of Colorado and the Agricultural College of New Mexico. In some