126 Patmer, In Memoriam: Wells W. Cooke. es 
he was very active, fond of outdoor exercise and could walk farther 
and with less fatigue than many a man more robust and apparently 
more athletic. In manner he was quiet, somewhat serious, but 
always genial and willing to assist his friends or acquaintances. 
He was wonderfully patient not only in imparting information but 
in accepting petty annoyances. In certain respects he had a keen 
sense of humor and did not hesitate to recount incidents which 
must have been anything but amusing to him at the time. A 
situation created by the editorial blue pencil which made him say 
something very different from what he intended, or which consigned 
his manuscript to cold storage for a year or two, a mishap on an 
outing resulting in an accident in a boat at night, or his efforts to 
hold the attention of an audience in a carefully prepared lecture 
when the boys in the front row were chiefly interested in projecting 
their silhouettes on the screen, were all described for the benefit 
of his friends as freely as any other information at his disposal. 
He had a large and constantly increasing circle of friends. A new 
face in the office, whether of messenger, clerk or field assistant, 
always aroused his interest and he usually made a point of becom- 
ing acquainted with the new comer at the first opportunity. He 
was also interested in the personal history of his friends, and would 
make special inquiries to satisfy his curiosity, but it was done so 
quietly that hardly anyone would suspect that he had more than 
a casual interest in the individual. For such details his memory 
was remarkable. He was fond of classical music and enjoyed a 
good concert or opera almost as much as he did tramping in the 
woods. He always found congenial spirits among those who were 
fond of being outdoors whether in tramping, botanizing or observ- 
ing the birds. Much of his spare time was spent in the country 
summer and winter, exploring the vicinity of Washington in search 
of birds, ferns, or new walks. Few residents of the capital knew 
the surrounding country better than he and he took a prominent 
part in organizing the spring outings of the Audubon Society, the 
walks of the College Women, and occasionally in acting as leader 
on the outings of ‘The Wanderlusters,’ an active walking club of the 
city. It was his custom to spend several afternoons and even- 
ings each week at ‘The Wickiup,’ at Viresco, on the Virginia side 
of the Potomac, a few miles above Washington. Here on a three- 
