Paleontologist; born in
Lockport, N. Y., Oct. 29, 1831; graduated at Yale University in 1860.
After taking a course of science in the Sheffield School, he went to
Germany, where he devoted three years to the study of zoology, mineralogy, and geology.
Returning to the
United States, he was called to the chair of Paleontology at Yale University in 1866, which he retained till his death.
In 1868 he made his first visit to the region of the
Rocky Mountains, to study its inexhaustible fossil remains.
Later he organized and conducted several scientific expeditions to that region.
During 1882-99 he was vertebrate paleontologist for the
United States geological survey.
He discovered more than 1,000 new fossil vertebrates, more than half of which he classified and described.
Among his more important finds were a sub-class of birds with teeth, which he named Odontornithes; two new classes of large mammals, the
Tillodontia and
Dinocerata; several new orders of dinosaurs, supposed to be the largest land animals yet discovered, etc. In 1877 he received the first Bigsby medal given by the Geological Society of
London, and in 1898 the Cuvier prize of the French Academy of Sciences.
In 1883-95 he was president of the National Academy of Sciences.
He was a member of numerous scientific organizations.
In 1898 he presented the collections of his lifetime to Yale University, and also gave his estate, having a supposed value of $150,000, to that institution.
His publications include
Odontornithes: a monograph on the extinct Toothed birds of North America;
Dinocerata: a monograph of an extinct order of gigantic mammals; and
The dinosaurs of North America.
He died in
New Haven, Conn., March 18, 1899.