SCIENCE able persons will consider the progress of man- of the demands of the farm for the summer kind, not by the years of generations merely, 1 months. The boy very early displayed an in but by centuries or millenia. We may learn tense love of nature and a keen interest in by the history of mankind in the last 20,000 all its manifestations. While this did not years how near it has come to extinction; and meet with the wishes of his father there was we must recognize that it will take only a no active or unkind opposition, and from his little interference with natural instincts and mother he met only sympathy. a little interference with natural selection Dependent at first solely upon his own ef- during a few generations to bring the species, forts, without the aid of books or the ac- or one race of it, rather abruptly to an end, quaintance of naturalists, the boy showed :i just as other human races have come to an end great determination to interpret the life about in historical times. The human species must him. Later, when his attendance at Wilbra- eventually go the way of all species of which ham Academy led up to Cambridge and the we have a paleontological record; already there opportunity of studying under Louis Agas- are clear signs of a widc-spread deterioration in siz, he was prepared to make the most of this most complex and unstable of all animal every opportunity. 'IIowever, this zeal for types. A failure to be influenced by the find- tho constant study of nature, in addition to ings of the students of eugenics or a continu- the work necessary in helping on the farm, ance in our present fatuous belief in the resultcd in the overtaxing of his strength and potency of money to cure racial evils will the impairment of his health, a condition hasten the end. But if there be a serious sup- which gave him much trouble throughout port of research in eugenics and a willingness his lifetime and finally put an end to all to be guided by clearly established facts in this field work. field, the end of our species may long be post- IIis association with hgassiz began when poned and the race may be brought to higher he entered Cambridge as a special student levels of racial health, happiness and effective- and lasted until the latter's death. Among ness. his associates in these classes conducted by Crra~t~esB. L)~vt;:r;~o~vrthe great teacher, were men destined to be- come famous, authorities in their special JOEL ASAPH ALLEN fields. The names of Alpheus IIyatt, E. S. THROUGHthe death, on August 29, 1921, of Morse, A. S. Paclrard and A. E. Verrill are Dr. Joel Asaph Allen, science has lost a to be found on the rosters of those days at pioneer and a most devoted servant. A Cambridge. memorable career, filled with achievement and The story of his schooling at Wilbraham marked by years of unflagging apylicatim Academy and later at Cambridge is that of and energy, has been closed in its eighty- a young man anxious for knowledge, but es- fourth year. pecially eager for the subjects bearing upon Joel Asaph Allen was born in Springfield, the natural sciences. With an ardent desire Massachusetts, July 19, 1838, of New Eng- to do editorial work, young Allen found dif- land parentage. Through his father, Joel ficulty in composition and set himself to ac- Allen, ho traced his descent back to an Allen quire this facility by keeping a daily journal, who came to the Colonies about 1630, while among other items making note of current the maternal line of descent was from John weather conditions. When a summary of Trumbull who settled in .Massachusetts in these weather reports were handed in as a 1639. The eldest of five children, his early composition at the academy, the boy was de- life was spent on the paternal farm in an lighted to discover that Professor Marcy, his atmosphere of puritanical strictness. IIis instructor, thouglit them worth publication. schooling bcgan with attendance at the rural The summary came out in the New England school, generally in the winter only, because Farmer and was the first of a long series from [N. 5. VOL. LIT. N& 100 the young naturalist, then about eighteen or seum of Comparative Zoology and returned nineteen years of age. Thus was begun the to the farm, but, with the partial return of literary career that has produced such bounti- strength, found the call of nature to be ir- ful results and the youth who forced himself resistible and made a collecting trip into the to acquire facility in a daily journal de- Middle West, 1867. This trip was successful veloped into the editor of not one, but several, in every way and when a summer had been of the foremost publications of natural sci- spent out of doors and Allen felt equal to ence. museum work once more, he wrote to Agas- At the Lawrence Scientific School, at Cam- siz, who welcomed him back. The next bridge, Allen was the pupil of men whose eighteen years were spent at Cambridge, names stood high-Louis Agassiz, Asa Gray, where he was in charge of the department Lovering and Wyman. At this school his of mammals and birds. curriculum was heavily inclined toward the The winter of 1868-1869 was spent in East natural sciences and he learned the value of Florida where valuable material and experi- accura,tc and painstaking observation. Be- ence was gained. Nine months were spent on cause of poor health and weak eyes, the stu- a collecting trip to the Great Plains and the dent was compelled to talie instruction ir- Rocky Mountains, in 1871-1872. Work was regularly and to suffer many obstacles in his begun at Leavenworth. At this time there was struggle for education. trouble with the Indians and the small party In 1865, Agassiz invited Allen to accomp- had to exercise caution in their movemenb. any him on a collecting trip to Brazil. The Near Fort Hays they went on a buffalo hunt, party numbered sixteen and all during the and Allen had his first extensive experience voyage south Professor Agassiz gave a series with the mammal which was to be one of his of lectures to the members of his party. They favorites and the subject of a large mono- landed at Rio de Janeiro and different trips graph. Their itinerary took them through were planned. Allen was assigned to a party Denver and South Park, Cheyenne, Green which was to visit the northern provinces. River and Fort Fred Steele. The results of They set out on June 9, and after delays and the expedition were most satisfactory and a difficulties with their native assistants reached large numbcr of specimens were secured. Lagoa Santa on July 13. This is the locality The next year, 1873, Allen made his last made fardous by the researches of Lund and important field trip. He accompanied a party the scientists explored the caves of the region of railroad surveyors who were to locate the for several days. The route necessitated long Northern Pacific Railroad westward from hard travel, partly by river, partly by pack Bismark. It was during a period of Indian train. Allen's health had broken down by troubles, and a large military escort under the end of the third month of this trying life, General Custer went with the party. This and he was forced to leave the others and was a historic trip, marked by skirmishes strike out for Bahia, which he reached by the with the Indians, and by many other novel end of November, after an overland journey experiences. While opportunities for collect- of nearly 600 miles. His voyage northward ing specimens were not of the best, much of was not soon to be forgotten, because his ship the territory traversed was zoologically un- which ran into gales off Cape Hatteras, was known and much valuable information was driven off her course and only narrowly brought back. esoaped foundering. Approaching the Cape From 1876 to 1882, Dr. Allen served as a a second time, she was again met with storms special collaborator of the United States and eventually reached Boston ninety days Geological Survey, devoting most of his time out from Bahia. to original research, publishing among other In the attempt to build up his constitu- papers, ('The American Bisons, Living and tion, Allen severed connections iith the Mu- Extinct," and monographs of various families of the North American Rodentia, the latter Coincident with the vast accumulation of in cooperation with Dr. Elliot Coues. At research collections, which grew from prad- this time his interest was drawn to marine caIly nil, in 1885 when the new curator took mammals and after he published a '(History charge, to a total of about 50,000 specimens of North American Pinnipeds" he took up of mammals in 1981, there has been a cor- the Cetaceans, but illness checked the work responding increase in the number of mam- before it was finished and the results never mal groups placed upon exhibition in his de- were printed. A short trip to Colorado was partment. There has been a transition from taken, upon the advice of a physician, in the the hall filled with a heterogeneous assem- attempt to throw off this illness, but a nerv- blage of mounted individuals to halls given ous breakdown resulted and it was months over to carefully planned habitat groups before active work could be resumed. which tell a story. Publications from the In 1885, the financial resources of the MU- department of mammals may be said to be- seum of Comparative Zoology were so re- gin with Dr. Allen's curatorship and the stricted as to cut down opportunities for the total number of scientific papers written by staff, and Dr. Allen accepted a curatorship him in this capacity is a surprisingly large jn the American Museum of Natural History number. in New York City. He took over his duties While Dr. Allen devoted his later years on May 1, 1885, and served thirty-six years in almost exclusively to research in mammalogy, that capacity, as curator of the department the sum total ,of his endeavors disclosea work of ornithology and mammalogy. Later this in many other branches of natural science. department was divided into the department The bibliography, published in the volume of mammalogy and the department of orni- also containing the autobiographyl, contains thology, Dr. Allen retaining the curatorship the following large numbers of titles: papers of the former department. In 1921, he was on.mammals, 211; on birds, 966; an reptiles, made honorary curator in order to give him 5; on zoogeography, 9; on evolution, 22; 3n entire freedom for research work. nomenclature, 35; on biography, 134; miscel- At the time he took over the department, laneous, 20; a grand total of 1,433 titles pub- the collections were very small with no re- lished up to 1916. Since 1916 many other search facilities, and no study collection to papers have appeared and a great deal of serve as the basis for original work. During manuscript has been prepared which has not his tenure, the department entered upon a been published. When it is considered that period of growth and expansion of marvelous each one of these publications is a well proportions. At first he was alone, without thought out piece of work, in most cams any assistants, but in 1888, he was given his necessitating days spent in the study of first assistant, Mr. Frank M. Chapman, and material, and that many of them are papers later others joined the department until at of length, such as his monographs an the the time of his death, the scientific staff of the bison, the seals or the musk ox, which con- two departments which were formerly his de- tain several hundred pagee of text, then one partment, numbered ten, besides non-staff is forced to marvel at the amount of mental assistants and field collectors. Collections labor involved and the tireless energy that were brought in, first from the United States, drove the man. Mexico and British Columbia; and then the His youthful yearnings for editorial work scope of activities was enlarged to take in were realized to the full. Beginning with South America, Africa and the Orient. In the year 1874, when he edited a volume of the 1921, his department had parties in the field Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural and plans for work in Asia, Africa, Australia, 1 " Autobiographical Notes and a Bibliography North America, South America and the West of the Scientific Publications of Joel Asaph Allen, '* Indies. American Museum of Natural History in 1916. SCIENCE [N. S. VOL.LIV. NO. 1400

History, he served continuously as the editor of Nomenclature" adopted in the American of one or more scientific publications until Ornithologists Union, 1908. 1918, when he was forced to give up editorial Among his first papers are many of a phi- work because his advancing age demanded losophical nature, such as articles on the geo- that he restrict his activities. For forty-four graphical variation in mammals and birds, years he acted in editorial capacities and the geographical distribution of mammals and some of these publications ranked with the the laws that govern the distribution of ani- foremost .in natural science. From 1884- mal life, the genesis of species, the instinct 1911, he was editor of the Auk, A Quarterly of migration, etc. It is quite likely that his Journal of Ornithology, the publication of inclination in this direction would have led the American Ornithologists Union, during to many other papers along similar lines, but which time twenty-eight volumes appeared. when material from the field began to come As a testimonial to the esteem in which his into his department at the American Mu- tenure was held by his fellow ornithologists, seum, it became necessary for him to devote Witmer Stone, the succeeding editor of The his entire time to the building up of the de- Auk, wrote: partment and the identification of species. Beginning with the initial volume of the Bulletin EIis philosophical papers show the result of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, and continuing of close observation and keen analysis and to the present year, Dr. Allen has, without inter- some of his deductions are recognized today mission, guided the course of this, journal and its as natural laws. In 1876, in his (( Qeographi- successor The Auk; and the series of thirty-six cal Variation among North American Mam- volumes stands as a pe~petualmonument to his mals " he set forth the following: ability, and his painstaking devotion to the cause In a general way, the correlation of size with 'of ornithology and the interests of the American geographical distribution may be formulated in the Ornithologists' Union. There have been few con- following propositions : tinuous editorships of equal length in the hisltory 1. The maximum physical development of the of scientific periodicals. individual is attained where the conditions of envi- An even longer editorial service was ren- rment are most favorable to the life of the species. dered to the Bulletin, of the American Mu- Species being primarily limited in their distribu- seum of Natural History, for beginning with tion by climatic conditions, their representatives living at or near either of their respective lati- the first volume, 1886, he directed the ever tudinal boundaries are more or less unfavorably lengthening series until 1918, a total of affected by the influences that finally limit the thirty-two years. From the standpoint merely range 'of the species. . . . of routine accomplishment, this mould stand 2. The largest species of a group (genus, sub- as an editorial achievement to be envied, but family, or family, as the case may be) are found with Dr. Allen, editorial duty meant more where the group to which they severally belong than that and each contribution was read as reaches its highest development, or where it has painstakingly and given the same attention what may be termed its center of distribution. In as he gave to his own personal contributions. other words, species of a given group attain their Nor was he content to rest his editorial maximum size where the conditions of existence for laurels upon these two terms of service but the group in question are the most favorable, just edited the zoological numbers of the Mem- as the largest representatives of a species are found where the conditions are most favorable for the ex- oirs of the American Museum of Natural istence of the species. History from 1893 to 1918, and was the 3. The most " typical " or most generalized rep- editor, or a joint editor, of the two editions resentatives of a group are found also near its of the " Check-List of North American center of distribution, outlying forms behg gener- Birds," 1895 and 1910, " Supplement to the allv more or less '' aberrant " or s~ecialized. Thus Code of Nomenclature and Check-List of the Cervide, though nearly cosmo-politan in their North American Birds," 1889, and " The Code distribution, atbain their greatest development, both SCIENCE as reepects the size, and the number of species, in of Zoology since 1910 and attended the meet- the temperate portions of the northern hemisphere. ing in Monaco in 1913. The tropical species of this gr'oup are the smallest A man of extreme modesty and retiring of its representatives. Those of the temperate and temperament, indeed bashful, he strove for no cold temperate regions are the largest, where, too, titles, sought for no publicity. Honors, how- the species are the most numerous. . . . The pos- session of large, branching, deciduous antlers forms ever, came to him unasked. In 1886 he was one of the marked features of the family. These granted the degree of Ph.D. by Indiana Uni- appendages attain their greatest development in the versity; in 1903, he was awarded the Walker northern species, the tropical forms having been re- Grand Prize, Boston Society of Natural His- duced almost to mere spikes, which in ~omespmies tory, and in 1916 the Medal of the Linnaan never pass beyond a rudimentary state. . . . Society of New York. He was a fellow or mem- ber of no less than thirty-three scientific socie- A paper published in 1871 " On the Mam- ties in the United States and abroad. mals and Winter Birds of East Florida, with He held high positions in many scientific an Examination of certain assumed Specific organizations, the more important being that Characters in Birds" brought forth the fol- of president of the American Ornithologists lowing comment from Coues: Union, 1883-1891 ; an incorporator of the (first) The article gained the Humboldt Scholarship, Audubon Society for the Protection of Birds, and is one of the most important of American orni- 1886; a Founder and Director of the Audubon thological works. Society of the State of New York, 1897-1912; His work in taxonomy covered almost the Vice-president of the New York Academy of entire mammal fauna of the world, from Sciences, 1891-1894; President of the Linnaan marsupials to monkeys, from shrews to whales, Society of New York, 1890-1897; etc. while his field of research has been at times Dr. Allen possessed to a rare degree the in every one of the continental areas. The faculty of concentration and devotion to his greater number of his papers are systematic work. Not content with the amount of work taxonomic reports and the descriptions of done at his office ik the museum, he carried new forms. He is the author of nearly seven books and material home with him, and his hundred new mammal names, and fifty-three ideal vacation was one where he might take bird names. some special subject away with him where he Some of the most important of the ac- could study unmolested. In brief, he lived for complishments of Dr. Allen have been his his work and to the psychology of this devotion labors in the field of scientific nomenclature, may possibly, in part, be attributed his ripe a field where authoritative workers are scarce age, attained in spite of long periods of ill because of the exacting demands of the prob- health. lems. His knowledge of scientific literature No one associated with Dr. Allen could fail was so deep, his memory for authors and to be impressed, not only with the very evident dates so unusual, that he took particular de- scholarly attainments of the man, but with his light in the solution of the weightest nomen- sincerity and simplicity. From a profound re- clatural problems. His opinions command spect for his work, one passed readily to a love respect from scientists the world over and this for the man, and an association with him in fact has long been recognized in the positions any work could be counted, not only as a most held by the doctor on committees on n3men- valuable mental training, to be prized in later clature of both national and international years, but as a friendly contact no less to be organizations. It is in this field that the remembered. loss of his contributions will be most keenly Dr. Allen married, in 1874, Mary Manning felt. Cleveland and a son, Cleveland Allen was born He was a member of the Commission on to them. His wife died in 1879 and for seven Nomenclature of the International Congress years the doctor remained single. In 1885 he 402 SCIENCE [N. 8. VOL. LIT. NO. 3400 married Susan Augusta Taft, who with his son worked by steam. A big trawl-winch placed Cleveland survives him. Dr. Allen's home life for~ardhas two drums, the smaller carrying was idyllic and to this inspiration he was wont 4000 meters of steel wire 14 mm. in diameter to attribute the achievements of his later life for trawling at moderate depths, and the and the activity of his older years. larger, carrying 10,000 meters of steel wire With the passing of Dr. Joel Asaph Allen tapering from 14 mm. to 7 mm. in diameter, the world has lost an earnest and sincere stu- to be used for greater depths. The three dent, natural science has lost the power of an winches for vertical hauls (water-bottles, able pen backed by the searching analysis of plankton nets, and sounding) are placed on level judgment, while his personal friends will the port side of the ship; one works the Lucas mourn the loss of all this and more, for they sounding machine and a drum carrying 6,000 have known him as a man. meters of phosophoi*-bronze wire; another is H. E. ANTHONY a small hand-winch to be used for the surface AMERICANMUSEUM OF NATURALHISTORY layers; and the third works a big drum carry- ing 10,000 meters of steel wire 4 mm. in diam- SCIENTIFIC EVENTS eter. The steel-wire ropes have been sup- THE DANISH DEEP-SEA EXPEDITION plied by Messrs. Craven and Speeding Bros.. WE find in Nature an account of the Dan- Sunderland, and the hydrographical instru- ish Deep-sea Expedition, which left Copen- ments by the Laboratoire Hydrographique, .hagen on August 30 on board the new research Copenhagen, of which Pyofessor Xartin steamer Dana. It plans to spend about ten Knudsen is director. months in the temperate and tropical parts The personnel of the expedition is as fol- of the Nort,h Atlantic. The object of the ex- lows:-Dr. Johs. Schmidt, leader of the ex- pedit,ion is to carry out deep-sea investiga- pedition ; Dr. J. N. Nielsen (Xeteorological tions in accordance with a scheme which was Institute, Copenhagen), hydrographer; P. submitted by the leader of the expeditim, Jespcrsen and A. V. Taaning (Danish Com- Dr. Johs. Schmidt, to the International Coun- mittee for the Study of the Sea) ;K. Stephen- cil for the Exdoration of the Sea during- sen (Zoological Museum, Copenhagen) ; 3. their meeting at Copenhagen in July last. 01sen (Polytechnic College, Copenhagen), as- The Dana, of the Lord Mersey trawler type, sistant hydrographer. N. C. Anderson, ~hip'a was bought in England by the Danish Qdvern- doctor, will also take part in the investiga- ment to replace the old research steamer tions. Professor C. H. Ostenfeld expects to Thor, which was sold some years ago. The join the expedition later on during its stay in Dana, has been equipped for marine research West Indian waters. work at the Royal Dockyard, Copenhagen. She has a length of about 140 ft. between per- THE FIFTH AVENUE HOSPITAL OF NEW YORK pendiculars, and is 325 tons gross register. She carries a 600-h.p. triple expansion engine, THE Fifth Avenue Hospital Association is giving her a speed of 9 knots. A large deck- making an urgent plea for contributions to house has been constructed, which contains complete the construction of the new building two laboratories-a larger biological labora- at 105th Street and Fifth Avenue. The insti- tory with accommodation for five workers, tution will combine the present Hahnemann and a smaller one for hydrographical work Hospital and the Laura Franklin Free Hos- with room for two-together with a mess- pital for Children. Dr. Wiley E. Woodbury, room for the scientific staff, and a cabin for director of the hospital, has made a statement the leader of the expedition. Below deck are for the New Pork Even,ing Post in which he the cabins of the scientific staff, and store- says: rooms for the various instruments, fishing There is an enormous waste in the administra- gem, collections, etc. The winches are tion of the free ward, which is not realized by any