SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1SS3. 



JOHN LAWRENCE LECONTE. 



American science has suffered a sad loss in 

 the death of one of its best-known exponents. 

 An advanced 

 leader in his own 

 department, pro- 

 found and accu- 

 rate in his labors, 

 a cultured schol- 

 ar, a genial com- 

 panion and a true 

 friend, — such a 

 man was L e - 

 Conte. 



John L. Le- 

 C'onte, the son of 

 Major John Eat- 

 ton LeConte and 

 INIary A. H. Law- 

 rence, was born 

 May 13, 1825, in 

 New- York Cit^-. 

 When but a few- 

 weeks old, his 

 mother died, and 

 the father thence- 

 forward devoted 

 himself to the care 

 and development 

 of liis only child. 

 The father died in 

 18G0, having seen 

 his son rise to a 

 foremost place 

 among tiie natu- 

 ralists of his day. 



On arriving at suitable age, he was placed in 

 St. Mary's college, Maryland, from which he 

 was graduated in 1842. The discipline of the 

 school was severe, the training accurate and 

 thorough. Early in his pupilage he exhibited 



No. 46. — 1883. 



decided tastes for natural-history studies out- 

 side of the scholastic course, greatlj' to the 

 alarm of his tutors. The father, on being ap- 

 prised of this, was greath' pleased, and dfrect- 

 ed that the tendencies should not be repressed, 

 inasmuch as the boy exhibited no deficiency in 

 his regular stud- 

 ies. His progress 

 in the study of 

 mathematics and 

 languages was 

 rapid and thor- 

 ough, and doubt- 

 less laid the foun- 

 dation for the 

 accuracy and re- 

 ten tiven ess of 

 his memory, so 

 marked in his ma- 

 turer years. Af- 

 ter the completion 

 of the college 

 course, he re- 

 turned to his na- 

 tive city, and en- 

 tered the College 

 of physicians and 

 surgeons of New 

 York, receiving 

 his medical degree 

 in 1846. 



For mway years 

 Miijor LeConte 

 had been in cor- 

 respondence with 

 European ento- 

 mologists, nota- 

 bly Dcjean, and 

 laid the founda- 

 tion of the cabinet, now greatly enlarged, which 

 made the basis of the future labors of the son. 

 In 1844 the first essays of the latter in original 

 work made their appearance, with unmistaka- 

 ble evidences of his youth and inexperience. 





