November — December 1SS3.] 



PSYCHE. 



109 



death, so tliat he may viitiiallv be said 

 to have died in harness. 



Tliis brief reference to his published 

 papers reflects but feebly the eliaracter 

 and value of LeConte's life and work. 

 Throughout liis writings there is the 

 evidence of a calm, dispassionate, well- 

 balanced and philosophic mind, which, 

 added to their accuracy, made him trom 

 an early day the leading authority on 

 North American beetles the world over. 

 Beginning- \viien the idea of fixity of 

 specific type was general, he easily fol- 

 lowed the advance of evolutionary ideas, 

 conforming his later work thereto, ac- 

 quiescing and assisting in the ''sinking" 

 of his early species founded on too tri- 

 fling \ ariations. 



His non-entumological writings f'\'ince 

 cultin-e. bieadth of \ iew and that rarest 

 ot qualities in specialists, common sense. 

 He was not of the class who decrj' the 

 practical application of knowledge as 

 ignoble, but lie felt rather that such ap- 

 plication to man's wants is one of the 

 aims of science. Thus he was always 

 interested in the economic bearings of 

 his favorite study and made several 

 most valuable suggestions in his "Hints 

 tor the promotion of economic entomo- 

 logy in the United States" and his 

 "Methods of subduing insects injinions 

 to agriculture." 



He was likewise for some years ac- 

 tively interested in endeavors to elevate 

 the United States Department of agri- 

 culture, and was a candiilate for the 

 office of commissioner in 1S77. As 

 president of the American association 

 for the advancement of science in 1S74, 

 and the first president of the Entomolo- 



gical dull of tliat association, he took 

 an active part in the attempt to bring 

 about uniformity of terminologv and the 

 adoption of some general rules of no- 

 menclature. He prepared, in conjunc- 

 tion with the wiiter, a memorial which 

 in 1S75 was signed bv many members 

 ot the association praying Congress for 

 the creation of a special entomological 

 commission on a plan that would have 

 been in manv respects preferalile to that 

 upon which the United States entomo- 

 logical conniiission was finally created 

 in 1S77. 



LeConte's taste for natural science 

 was evidently inherited, and the family 

 name is honored bv several eminent 

 scientists still li\ Ing in this countrx' and 

 all of them, we believe,, not very re- 

 moteh connected. His father was a 

 distinguished naturalist, and we were 

 astonished at the beauty and accuracy 

 of many of his yet unpublished drawings 

 and paintings of animals which the son 

 once showed us. 



Feyy- contemporary naturalists were 

 better or more favorably known abroad 

 than Dr. LeConte, and he was the first 

 American elected to honorary membei"- 

 ship of the Entomological society of 

 France. 



At a time when there was no national 

 museum, before Dr. Horn had earned 

 the fame he so richly deserves, and 

 when the Ameiican entomological so- 

 ciet\' showed no promise of being able 

 to appreciate or properl)' care for his 

 valuable collection Dr. LeConte be- 

 queathed it to the Museum of compara- 

 tive zoology, at Cambridge, where in 

 Dr. Hagen's care it yvill form the most 



