144 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIV. No. 866 



The conifers of California were his special 

 delight, and he made many field trips with 

 his students to all parts of the state, notably 

 to the Sierra Nevada and the Sierra Santa 

 Lucia. His extended collections were prtv 

 sented to Stanford University, where with the, 

 collections of Dr. Abrams they form the 

 major part of the large " Dudley Herbarium." 



A genus of stone-crops, of many species, 

 abounding on the cliffs of California and espe- 

 cially on those which overhang the sea, was 

 named Dudleya by Britton and Rose. Dud- 

 leya pulverulenta is one of the most conspicu- 

 ous plants in California wherever " sea and 

 mountains meet." 



Dudley was instrumental in inducing the 

 state of California to purchase a forest of 

 redwoods {Sequoia sempervirens), that this, 

 the second of California's giant trees, might 

 be preserved in a state of nature. Two thousand 

 five hundred acres in the " Big Basin " of 

 Santa Cruz County were thus bought and 

 established as the " Sempervirens Park." For 

 several years Dudley served on the board of 

 control of this park. 



Of the Sierra Club of California, Dudley 

 was a leading member and for some years a 

 director. 



As an investigator, Professor Dudley was 

 persistent and accurate, doing his work for 

 the love of it. A partial list of his papers is 

 given below. A large work on the conifers 

 of the west was long projected, but still ex- 

 ists only in uncompleted manuscript. 



Dudley was master of a quiet and refined 

 but effective English style. He was one of 

 those scientific men, too few I fear, who have 

 real love for literature, and who understand 

 what poetry is and what it is about. In his 

 early days he vsrote graceful verse. Three of 

 his poems are in print, " The Kaaterskills as 

 seen from the Taeonies," " Sunrise on the 

 Kaaterskill " and " A Legend of the Lehigh 

 Valley." The last is the story of the Mo- 

 ravian settlements of " Friedenhiitten, Tents 

 of Peace, and Gnadenhiitten, Tents of Grace." 



From the first of these, I quote: 



'Twas reached at last, with toiling long and weary 

 Taconie's loftiest hill; 



Then, vision of all visions, stood uncovered 



The domes of Kaaterskill! 

 They rose above the lesser hills as sovereigns 



Above the common herd; 

 They gathered then in conclave grand and solemn; 



They breathed no spoken word. 

 But full as anthemed voices of the ocean 



A soundless song was borne 

 Up from those lips that changeless through the 

 ages, 



Sang on Creation 's morn. 



A mighty calm sits on these silent summits, 

 Time fades, as breath away, 



'er all in solemn oceanic pulsings 

 Deep flows — Eternity. 



From the " Legend of the Lehigh A'slley," 



1 quote the last verses : 



Full six score years have passed away. 



Still on the silent summer morn, 

 At noon's repose, or evening's gray, 

 O \',T Lehigh 's vale this dirge is borne. 

 The reaper hears, on far-off hills, 

 And traveler by the mountain rills, 

 And fisher in the evening's chills; 

 They hear and feel some echo wake 

 Of sorrow slumbering long. A tear 

 Is shed for some sweet lost one's sake, 



A tear that leaves life's stream more clear. 

 They bless the song and them who sing; 

 They feel the sympathy upspring 

 That 's born of human suffering. 

 The air is full of sad-toned bells 



That never cease their brazen toll; 

 With circling suns their pulsing swells. 

 And in one tireless world-wave roll. 

 But grateful unto sorrow's ear 

 From the Lehigh, far or near. 

 Comes this dirge so sweet and clear, — 

 Come these human voices dear. 

 Professor Dudley's health was good until 

 about three ye;\rs ago, when he set out to 

 study the trees of Persia. In Egypt he was 

 attacked by a se\ere cold or bronchitis which 

 ended in tubercu\ osis. 

 He was never married. 



PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPH r OF THE BOTANICAL WKITINGS 

 OF WILLIA.4 KUSSELL DUDLEY 



1. An Abnormal C'rehid. Abstract from the 

 Proc. of the Aiier. Ass'n. for the Adv. of 

 Sei., Vol. 32, August, 1883. 



