In 1868–70 he studied geology under Edmond Hébert at the Sorbonne, then continued his education in Lille as a pupil of Jules Gosselet.
[4] His name is associated with several species of mollusk, an example being Chrysallida dollfusi, a sea snail described by Wilhelm Kobelt in 1903.
[6] Among his various geological studies was analysis of the Cretaceous and Tertiary in the Cotentin Peninsula (mid-1870s).
From his research of the Aquitanian stage, he published an important essay titled "Essai sur l'étage Aquitanien" (1909).
With Philippe Dautzenberg, he was co-author of the voluminous "Conchyliologie du Miocéne moyen du Bassin de la Loire" (Conchology in regard to the Middle Miocene of the Loire basin).