Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. 63 



mindedness contributing to his foreign ways to make him pecul 

 iar. His students were not slow to perceive that he made an 

 excellent target for their practical jokes, and having but small 

 esteem in those days for natural science as compared with class 

 ical attainments, they showed him little respect. His lecture room 

 was the scene of the most free and easy behavior, made possible 

 by the total absorption in his subject of the lecturer, who was 

 always totally oblivious to his surroundings when occupied with his 

 favorite pursuits. In appearance Professor Rafinesque was small 

 and slender, with delicate and refined hands and small feet. His 

 features were good and his eyes handsome and dark, or apparently 

 so from the long, dark eye-lashes. His hair, which he wore long, 

 was dark and silky. He went into society while in Lexington and 

 was a good dancer but had no companions, being totally abstracted, 

 usually, with his own thoughts and having no conversation, although 

 he spoke good English, save on his favorite topics of botany, etc. 

 On these he was an enthusiast. He was a clever draughtsman and 

 often made sketches of persons in his company. Mrs. Holly, the 

 wife of the President, took a motherly supervision over this lone, 

 friendless, little creature, while at Transylvania University, and saw 

 that he ate his dinner, that the mud of his various expeditions was 

 removed from his garments, that his, hair was combed and his face 

 was washed, as often any or all of these particulars would be for 

 gotten by the oblivious scientist. , . . For my own part I always 

 felt sorry for poor Rafinesque, because he was a stranger and 

 because all the young people made jokes at his expense. These 

 he is said never to have noticed apparently, but I believe a man 

 of his fine mind must have felt more than he showed. At any 

 rate he appreciated kindness that was shown him although he 

 knew none of the arts that make a man popular. He was well 

 known to my grandmother and to my great-grandfather, Samuel 

 Meredith, who then lived at this old country place, &quot;Winton,&quot; 

 where I am writing. Rafinesque often walked here from Lexington, 



