Alfred Giard was born at Valenciennes (Nord) on the 8th of August, 1843, and died at Orsay (Seine-et-Oise) on the 8th of August, 1908. He received his education at the “Ecole Normale Supérieure” of Paris and in 1873, having obtained his D.Sc. at the Sorbonne, he was elected to the chair of Natural History at the University of Lille. In 1874 he founded at Wimereux, near Boulogne, a marine zoological station and in 1878 became editor of the Bulletin Scientifique de la France et Belgique, which still appears and counts now fifty-five volumes.In 1882 he was elected member of Parliament but, fortunately for his scientific career, lost his seat at the next election in 1885. Three years later the Town Council of Paris endowed for him at the Sorbonne a lectureship of Evolution which soon developed into a Professorial chair of “Evolution des Ětres organises.” In 1900 he was elected a member of the Institute.