SPENCER, Joseph William Winthrop, American geologist: h. Dundas, Canada, 2 March 1851. After graduating from McGill University, Montreal, in 1874, where he took first honors in geology and mineralogy, he studied at the University of CiZttingen, Ger many, whence he was graduated Ph.D., in 1877. In 1877 he was appointed science master at the Collegiate Institute at Hamilton, Ontario; in 1880 became vice-president and professor of geology in King's College, Nova Scotia; in 1882 accepted the chair of geology in the Uni versity of Missouri, remaining there till 1887; and was State geologist of Georgia from 1888-93. He designed the museum building for the University of Missouri and procured many of the specimens for the geological de partment. In 1893, having come to New York, he became dissatisfied with the technical pub lications of the experimental stations and in duced the legislature to appropriate $8,000 for university extension of agriculture, the money being placed with Cornell University, part for carrying the Agricultural College to the farmer and part for the Experimental Station. In
1896 he was placed in charge of the depart ment for a farmers' correspondence reading course and later, with the aid of the Depart ment of Public Instruction, succeeded in intro ducing agriculture under the name of ((nature stud? into the public schools. In 1905-08 he was special commissioner of the Geological Survey of Canada. He has made extended investigations of glacial geology of the Great Lakes region and Niagara Falls and of the geologic history of the Antilles and Central America. His report on