166 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [Mar. 27 
His amiability seriously interfered with his scientific and 
literary work, for his time was much broken by friendly Visits. 
He would never turn away a caller to another time, no matter 
how urgent the task upon which he might be engaged. In is 
hours and work he was not systematic, and important corre- 
spondence or undertakings were neglected or left unfinished 
for lack of the time that a man less sociable, more severe and 
systematic would have found. 
Like many men of large experience and attainment he was 
inclined to monologue in conversation, but there was an entire 
absence of anything like boastfulness or self-laudation. He 
was the most modest of men, and it was exceedingly rare to 
hear from him anything about himself. He had a fund of 
anecdote, reminiscence and personalities about other people, 
which, related in his picturesque and pungent way, made others 
willing to listen. 
His style of writing was somewhat ornate, perhaps better 
described as picturesque, but very lucid and elegant. His 
short articles in Johnson’s Cyclopedia may be taken as examples 
of his literary style, being models of clear scientific statement 
with enough of animation to vivify them. With his broad 
knowledge, his instinct of the true relations of facts, his capacity 
for generalization, his imagination, and his charming literary 
style, he might have become a great popular writer in natural 
history if he had sought such fame. But he wrote almost 
nothing of a popular character ; an article on ‘The Geological 
History of New York Island and Harbor,’’? in the Popular 
Science Monthly, October, 1878, is, perhaps, the only one of such 
a kind. 
HIS CHARACTER AND DISPOSITION. 
In temperament Dr. Newberry was cheerful and buoyant. 
He was fond of companionship, and there was an element of 
humor in his conversation, sometimes even a sort of dignified 
gaiety in his manner. But like many persons of lively disposi- 
tion, coupled with a sensitive and delicate spirit, he had his 
periods of depression, and a trifling impatience of manner at 
times was not inconsistent with avery kind and affectionate 
nature. A slightly irascible temper of later years was probably 
due to his mode of life, and to some disappointments, and was 
really more in manner than in reality. A certain extravagant 
and picturesque way of speaking of other men might sometimes 
have caused misjudgment by a listener who did not know his 
real kindness of heart. Like most earnest workers and writers 
in descriptive natural science, he was jealous of priority and 
