's RIJKS MUSEUM VAN NATUURLIJKE
HISTORIE
— LEIDEN.
263
IN M E M O R I A M E . D. V A N O O R T
1876—1933
O n September 21st last P r o f e s s o r D r . E . D . v a n O o r t d i e d at L e i d e n
rather
s u d d e n l y . P o r a considerable
indifferent;
longer
apply
o n frequent
t i m e h i s h e a l t h h a d , i n d e e d , been
occasions he h a d been
u n w e l l for s h o r t e r or
periods, a n d i n t h e s p r i n g of t h i s y e a r h e was even o b l i g e d to
for a f o u r
months'
leave
o f absence. W h e n after t h e e x p i r y o f
t h i s p e r i o d , a p p a r e n t l y recovered,
he resumed h i s w o r k , be i t o n l y f o r
a f e w h o u r s d a i l y , w e fostered t h e hope to h a v e h i m a m o n g us f o r m a n y
years to come. F a t e , h o w e v e r , decided d i f f e r e n t l y . O n T h u r s d a y m o r n i n g
he
came to t h e m u s e u m , f e e l i n g better t h a n o n t h e p r e v i o u s d a y s ; h e
received
t h e v i s i t o r s c h e e r f u l l y , a n d left t h e b u i l d i n g past n o o n .
Three
h o u r s l a t e r death h a d o v e r t a k e n h i m .
Eduard
1876.
Daniel
v a n Oort
w a s b o r n at B a r n e v e l d
A l r e a d y i n early boyhood
on October
31st
?
he felt d r a w n to nature, a n d spent a
great p a r t of h i s l e i s u r e - h o u r s , n a y even occasionally o f h i s schoolhours,
in
t h e open,
watching the animals, and especially
the birds, i n their
natural surroundings.
His
late
teacher
i n biology
a t t h e S e c o n d a r y S c h o o l at the H a g u e , t h e
D r . E d . E v e r t s , t h e w e l l - k n o w n coleopterist, s t i m u l a t e d h i s l o v e to
the a n i m a l
w o r l d , l e a d i n g i t into t h e r i g h t c h a n n e l s a n d a s s i s t i n g h i m
w i t h a d v i c e a n d h e l p i n f o r m i n g h i s collections. T h i s once roused interest
d e t e r m i n e d h i s career.
I n 1 8 9 5 h e went
to t h e U n i v e r s i t y at L e i d e n ,
w h e r e he studied botany a n d u n d e r Professor H o f f m a n n z o o l o g y .
w a r d s he w a s f o r some years
(1900—1904)
After-
assistant o f P r o f e s s o r K .
M a r t i n , director of the " R i j k s Geologisch-mineralogisch M u s e u m " (National
Geological
and Mineralogical Museum).
H e arranged
there
i . a. the
collections o f fossil molluscs a n d p u b l i s h e d s e v e r a l papers on p a l e o n t o l o g i c a l
subjects.
T h e d a i l y intercourse w i t h
the great paleontologist
Professor
M a r t i n , h i s w a y o f m a n a g i n g t h e m u s e u m , h i s a c t i v i t y a n d l o v e o f order
had
a great influence
museum-manager.
(March
thesis
1904),
on V a n O o r t ' s t r a i n i n g
H e took h i s degree
"magna
was e n t i t l e d
cum laude"
"Beitrag
as a systematist a n d a
o f doctor o f p h i l o s o p h y a t B e r n
under
Professor
z u r Osteologie
T h . Studer; his
des V o g e l s c h w a n z e s " .
In
the same y e a r ( M a y 1904) he w a s appointed c u r a t o r o f ' s R i j k s M u s e u m
a
van N a t u u r l i j k e H i s t o r i e " (the N a t i o n a l M u s e u m o f N a t u r a l H i s t o r y ) , o f
w h i c h h e became t h e d i r e c t o r i n 1 9 1 5 . I n 1 9 2 0 V a n O o r t was a p p o i n t e d
professor
o f z o o l o g y at t h e U n i v e r s i t y at L e i d e n . A l t h o u g h the subject-
264
ZOOLOGISCHE MEDEDEELINGEN
matter
of h i s lectures
lectures
were
w a s not r e q u i r e d
— DEEL
XVI.
for t h e e x a m i n a t i o n s ,
these
for t h e difficult subject as the systematics
well-attended,
of birds a n d m a m m a l s was dealt w i t h b y h i m i n such a w a y as to h o l d
the attention o f h i s audience.
I n V a n Oort
we have
lost a systematist o f t h e o l d stamp, a s k i l f u l
ornithologist, a m a n w h o h a d acquired h i s profound knowledge
of the
b i r d s a n d t h e i r eggs n o t o n l y b y s t u d y i n g t h e m a t e r i a l i n the m u s e u m ,
but l a r g e l y b y w a t c h i n g the b i r d s i n n a t u r e . T h e p r o b l e m of the m i g r a t i o n
b i r d s was to h i m one of a b s o r b i n g interest. W h e n e n t e r i n g upon h i s
of
duties as a professor ( D e c e m b e r 1st, 1920), h i s i n a u g u r a l address h a d for
i t s subject " D e v o g e l t r e k en zijn t e g e n w o o r d i g
(The
m i g r a t i o n of b i r d s a n d t h e present
experimenteel
onderzoek"
p o s i t i o n of i t s e x p e r i m e n t a l
research). H e w a s the first i n H o l l a n d to a p p l y t h e m e t h o d of p r o v i d i n g
birds
with
birds
on their
expanded
and
r i n g s i n order to gather data r e g a r d i n g the w a y s , t a k e n b y
migrations.
This
research,
c o n s t a n t l y , i n v o l v i n g a n enormous
started
as e a r l y
amount
administration. T h e "Ringstation Wassenaar"
as 1 9 1 1 ,
of correspondence
and the " V o g e l t r e k -
station T e x e l " w e r e established w i t h h i s support.
Besides h i s n u m e r o u s c o n t r i b u t i o n s i n the field of systematic o r n i t h o l o g y
in
Dutch
Holland
and foreign
periodicals, his standard-work
"Ornithologia Neerlandica", i n
five
volumes,
on the b i r d s
of
deserves s p e c i a l
m e n t i o n ; i n t h i s w o r k he g i v e s a n extensive d e s c r i p t i o n , based o n personal
observation, of t h e h a b i t u s , d i s t r i b u t i o n a n d m a n n e r of l i v i n g of a l l b i r d s
that
l i v e i n t h i s c o u n t r y or t h a t have been occasionally observed. I t i s
to be regretted that death has p r e v e n t e d h i m f r o m c o m p l e t i n g t h i s w o r k
a n d f r o m c a r r y i n g out h i s p l a n to w r i t e a s i m i l a r treatise on the m a m m a l s
o f H o l l a n d , for besides b e i n g i n charge o f t h e section f o r b i r d s , h e w a s
also
curator
extensive
o f t h e section for m a m m a l s , o f w h i c h he also possessed a n
knowledge.
H e took a special interest i n w h a l e s , a n d w h e n a r a r e Cetacean w a s
washed
ashore,
damaged
he a l w a y s
t r i e d to obtain i t for t h e m u s e u m i n a n u n -
c o n d i t i o n , a n d great
was his satisfaction, when his exertions
were c r o w n e d w i t h success.
H e w a s n o t o n l y versed i n t h e k n o w l e d g e
a
section
was u n d e r
h i s charge,
b u t also
o f those a n i m a l s of w h i c h
i n the remaining
field
of
systematical z o o l o g y ; he h a d a v e r y good k n o w l e d g e of the C a r a b i n i a n d
the L y c a e n i d a e , w h i l e he m i g h t c l a i m to be a specialist for h u m b l e - b e e s .
A s a delegate he attended several zoological congresses; that h i s w o r k
was v a l u e d not o n l y i n H o l l a n d b u t also abroad appears f r o m h i s b e i n g
i . a. a n h o n o r a r y
m e m b e r of t h e " A m e r i c a n O r n i t h o l o g i s t s ' U n i o n " a n d
a c o r r e s p o n d i n g m e m b e r of t h e " Z o o l o g i c a l S o c i e t y of L o n d o n " .
s RIJKS MUSEUM VAN NATUURLIJKE
HISTORIE
A s d i r e c t o r , V a n O o r t has a l w a y s devoted
— LEIDEN.
265
h i s best efforts to m a k i n g
the N a t i o n a l M u s e u m o f N a t u r a l H i s t o r y a n i n s t i t u t i o n that s h o u l d r a n k
equally
among
the museums
throughout
the w o r l d . H e advocated the
true standpoint that there was not a m u s e u m for t h e sake o f the curators,
but t h a t there were curators for the s a k e of the m u s e u m . H e w a s a l w a y s
ready
to stand
up for the i n s t i t u t i o n whose interests he h a d so m u c h
at heart a n d to defend
the
its r i g h t s a n d independence,
for he considered
M u s e u m r a t h e r a c e n t r a l i n s t i t u t i o n for the w h o l e c o u n t r y t h a n a n
establishment connected w i t h the U n i v e r s i t y at L e i d e n . U n d e r h i s directorate
the
collections
value.
knowing
wish
have
considerably
M a n y persons
that these
have
i n size
increased
bequeathed
a n d i n scientific
t h e i r collections to h i s m u s e u m ,
w o u l d be i n safe custody i n h i s hands. H i s fervent
w a s to complete
the M u s e u m b y a d d i n g e x h i b i t i o n - r o o m s a n d also
rooms to accomodate the osteological collections t h a t are n o w d i s t r i b u t e d
i n m a n y different parts of the b u i l d i n g . I n h i s o p i n i o n a m u s e u m w i t h o u t
an
e x h i b i t i o n for t h e p u b l i c c o u l d o n l y p a r t l y a n s w e r i t s purpose. U n -
f o r t u n a t e l y h i s w i s h for such a n e x t e n s i o n of the M u s e u m has n o t been
fulfilled.
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e numerous w o r r i e s w h i c h t h e management of such
a
large
deed
or
i n s t i t u t i o n e n t a i l s , he w a s a l w a y s ready to assist b y w o r d a n d
whoever
a scientific
applied
research
to h i m for i n f o r m a t i o n s or h e l p , be i t a student
worker.
O w i n g to h i s e x t e n s i v e k n o w l e d g e
of
a n i m a l s , h i s p r o f o u n d r e a d i n g a n d h i s never f a i l i n g m e m o r y , assisted b y
a r i g h t i n s i g h t a n d a dispassionate j u d g m e n t , those w h o appealed to h i m
wert,
seldom
appreciated
dismissed
h i s advice
empty-handed.
a n d appointed
T h e Government,
h i m a member
too, h i g h l y
of several r o y a l
Commissions.
A t first sight V a n O o r t m i g h t seem s o m e w h a t cool a n d reserved, b u t
those
w h o were
more
intimately acquainted
with
h i m knew
that h i s
heart beat w a r m l y for h i s f e l l o w - m e n a n d that h e w a s v e r y susceptible.
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g h i s great k n o w l e d g e
he w a s e x t r e m e l y modest. H e w a s
j u s t , a n d honest to a f a u l t , w h i c h has caused h i m m a n y
May
manager
that
his work
as a scientific research
worker
disagreeables.
a n d as a
museum-
be c o n t i n u e d i n such a w a y as to f u l f i l t h e h i g h r e q u i r e m e n t s
the w o r k
of t h i s accurate
a n d conscientious
scholar
has a l w a y s
come u p to.
CH. BAYER.
Z O O L . M E D . M U S . L E I D E N , XVI.
P L . II.
Prof. Dr. Ε. D. V A N O O R T
1876—1933.
f