212 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [SEPTEMBER 
sketches, etc., 1 was far more surprised at the extent of these 
than I had been on collecting his printed works, for when 
mounted and bound they form sixty large volumes. In addition 
to their intrinsic value, these are of more than usual interest as 
showing the methodical manner in which Dr. Engelmann worked. 
On his table seems to have been always a bundle of plants 
awaiting study. As each specimen was examined its salient 
features were noted and sketched on the back of the ever ready 
prescription blank. When interrupted, he laid his unfinished 
sketch away with the specimen, to resume his observation and 
complete his study at the first opportunity, without any doubt 
as to what had been seen in the first instance. And so from 
individual to variety, from variety to species, from species t0 
genus, and from genus to family, his observations were preserved 
in memoranda that facilitated the resumption of interrupted 
work at any time and after any lapse of time. In no other way 
could the odd moments between the daily calls and occupations 
of a busy physician have contributed so much to botanical 
knowledge; in no other way could his seemingly small a 
tunity for investigation have been converted into a great 
Almost as important as the early selection of a worthy su oo 
ject for study and the adoption of a method insuring a 2 
ervation and use of even the most trivial information bearing °° 
it is the adoption of suitable library methods. Thee 
whose specialty is small and little explored has mainly the as 
of observing and reasoning from the facts before him; 
the departments that have long been the subject of study we 
a part of the work is already done to his hand, and the pie the 
ground, # 
is that he can go much further than on entirely new < have 
decessors 
ly the literature 
‘but 
done is often a difficult one. Not infrequent : 
a subject is so scattered as to make it next to imposs!)" s 
: he frag ee 
one calling for a special faculty.. One o 
been made to form general bureaus of scienti 
which one need only turn if he would be possesse! 
fic infor ati : 
