OBITUARY 31 



tention was drawn to the study of plants, and the collecting of 

 specimens; but from about 1880 forward he, and for a time his 

 brother Joseph made extensive collections in many parts of Ore- 

 gon, their labors being rewarded by the discovery of many new 

 species. These rich accessions to the Northwestern flora were 

 published by Engelmann, by Gray, by Watson, and many of the 

 later by myself; though still later a great number were presented 

 in Mr. Howell's monumental Flora by himself. 



That which is most peculiar and noteworthy about Mr. Howell's 

 career is, that he accomplished the greatest amount of meritorious 

 and valuable scientific work that was ever done by any man 

 of any epoch, on so very rudimentary an education in letters. 

 I am informed by Mr. Howell's and my own very valued friend, 

 Mr. M. W. Gorman of Portland, that this man's educational oppor- 

 tunities were limited to six months attendance at log school 

 house on Sauvier's Island in his boyhood as a pioneer. The cor- 

 respondents of Mr. Howell all must have noted that his hand- 

 writing always was like that of some child of four or five years, 

 first learning to form letters and connecting them into words; 

 nevertheless, as to spelling, and grammar in general, the lapses 

 were rather few. 



Respecting Mr. Howell's abilities as a botanist I had always 

 a very high opinion, but the indications of these, as well as the 

 fuller account of his career, must await further study. 



Mr. Joseph Howell, a brother of Thomas, and his senior by 

 something like a dozen years, had been claimed by death only a 

 few weeks earlier. He died, so Mr. Gorman informs me, at Sau- 

 vier's Island, 7 October, in his eighty-third year. The interest 

 of both had at first been engaged in botanical exploration and 

 research; but the elder of the two, having a family to provide 

 for, soon withdrew from that pleasant scientific avocation which 

 took up much time, and brought no emolument; and this 

 one, at his recent death left his family in comfortable circumstances; 

 but not so the other, who had given the best of his life to botany, 

 and then died penniless. 



Most readers of the work of Thomas Howell naturally attri- 

 bute to him all the species bearing the Howell name; but this 

 will not be quite correct; and I gladly present here Mr. Gorman's 

 manuscript list of plants the discovery of which was due to the 

 labors of the elder brother, Joseph Howell. 



