W. G. Wright 



Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. 



"The tumult and the shouting dies; 

 The captains and the kings depart." 



— Kipling. 



It is our painful duty to record the death this month of a 

 pioneer student of California butterflies, who is known to ento- 

 mologists the world over, and Avho will especially be remem- 

 bered by those of us who were privileged to have known him 

 personally. 



AVilliam Greenwood Wright passed from this world on 

 Sunday afternoon, December 1, 1912, in the 83rd year of his 

 age. He had been in apparently good health and spirits for 

 some time past. He was found dead sitting in liis chair, a 

 newspaper fallen from his relaxed grasp. He must have died 

 between noon and 4 P. IVI. of Sunday, December 1. The cause 

 was heart failure, and his death was instantaneous and a pain- 

 less one. 



William Greenwood AVright was born near Newark, New 

 Jersey, about 88 years ago, the exact date is not ascertained. 

 His early education was limited. He was a soldier in the Union 

 Army during the Civil AVar, and soon after the close of that 

 conflict he must have come to California, where he resided a 

 few yeai's in Los Angeles, where his only child Avas 1)orn and 

 Avhic'h died in infancy. He went to San Bernardino about 1873, 

 where he resided until his death, and where he conducted a 

 planing mill and sash and door plant. About fifteen years ago 

 lie retired from active business, and spent his time in collect- 

 ing and gathering material for his book on Initterflies. His 

 wife died a number of years ago and he leaves no near relatives. 



His butterflies and lilirary lie has left to the California 

 Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Some other collections 

 are to lie sold. Mr. S. B. Parish, the noted botanist, a close 

 friend of Mr. AVright, and the executor of his estate, has given 

 'me the few data pertaining to his life that are now obtainable, 

 perhaps when AVright 's j^apers and correspondence are looked 

 over we may have more details; he was a recluse in all phases 

 of his life, and the most we have is the indefinable quality, 

 which only personal acquaintance can give; and his writings 

 and contributions to science. 



AV. G. AA^right traveled all over the AVest Coast from 

 Alaska to Alazatlan, Mexico, collecting specimens in various 

 departments of natural history, but especially Lepidoptera, 

 but we do not at present know the details of these trips. He 

 published an interesting account of his travels in Mexico in 



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