9 



the army of the Confederate States and when, durin^^ his last 

 years, much of his time was spent with his daughter and only 

 child in New Orleans. It was during this period that, to his 

 great delight, he accomplished a visit to California and its " big 

 trees." 



Notwithstanding the diligence required to fulfil the responsi- 

 bilities of a large practice among the planters and their depen- 

 dents, he found time for much botanical research and collecting. 

 In the interesting floral region around him were many of the 

 rarer species described by Walter, Michaux, and Elliott. Speci- 

 mens of these were much prized by the botanical fraternity and, 

 through his correspondents, were largely and freely distributed 

 and are now valued samples in many of the best herbaria. 



His good judgment in making observations and clear state- 

 ments of the results brought him the correspondence and esteem 

 of Doctors Gray, Engelmann, and other masters of the science. 

 For Dr. Engelmann he investigated the flowering and fruiting of 

 some species of Yucca, the peculiar oaks of his region, and 

 especially Piniis Elliottii, which he practically discovered and, in 

 the excellent notes he furnished, adequately described. Very 

 acute observations on the insectivorous habits of Sarraccinci 

 variolaris were published in the Proceedings of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science. In this paper he 

 recorded his discovery of the lure by which insects are tempted 

 to the fatal pitcher of the leaf; of the fact that the secretion 

 therein is more or less of an intoxicant ; and the curious fact that 

 the larva of a certain insect was able to resist the secretion and 

 to feed upon the decaying mass. Dr. Sargent, in his S)'lva of 

 North America, acknowledged his services in the studies of the 

 oaks and other trees. Dr. Gray so esteemed his assistance that 

 he named a Mexican Asclepiad in his honor McllicJiampia. De- 

 sirous of helping others, he was one of those useful men who, 

 diffident and retiring, and not caring to advance their own fame, 

 always willingly give to others the benefit of the knowledge 

 they have acquired. It is not too much to say that but for him. 

 considerable of value would have remained unknown of the flora 

 of his district ; grateful acknowledgments of this have come 

 from European as well as American botanists. 



