were given to me in letters dated 12 September 1977 
and 4 October 1977. 
Roy's work provided the baseline knowledge of 
eastern Long Island lichens for all future workers, as 
Brodo (1968) stated. Harris et al. (1987) published an 
updated list of Long Island lichens, adding five new . . . 
species. Harris (1987) summarized additional Long 
Island lichen records. Imshaug & Brodo (1966: 24) 
even named a lichen subspecies for Roy: Lecanora 
caesiorubella Ach., ssp. lathamii Imsh. & Brodo. 
hi addition to collecting specimens. Roy's 
knowledge of lichen natural history was unique. Who 
but Roy Latham would have observed the lichen species 
used for nest ornamentation by the Ruby-throated 
Hummingbird {Archilochus colubris ) (Latham 1954)? 
Or documented the disappearance of specific lichens at 
Orient Beach State Park, after the great hurricanes of 
1938 and 1944 (Latham 1945, Brodo 1968: 276)? 
Natural history and life history observations of lichens 
are rare in the literature because lichenology is still a 
developing field, when compared to ornithology, for 
example. Relatively few people know the names of 
lichens, yet anything about their natural history. But 
this modest Long Island farmer did know a great deal 
about them. 
The Latham Legacy 
A number of circumstances and personal 
characteristics combined to produce this natural history . 
genius. Roy lived for nearly a century on a beautiful 
island filled with many biological measures. 
Self-employment in outdoor occupations provided 
frequent opportunities to observe and collect natural 
history specimens, or to take the time to investigate 
something that interested him. The isolation of his 
environment, combined with his intelligence, curiosity, 
attention to detail, love and respect for other organisms, 
and observational skills, led to natural history study as 
an entertaining pastime. An intense focus and 
self-direction, unusual record-keeping instincts, and a 
vacant building on his farm resulted in large collections 
in all groups. His knack for acquiring proper references 
and studying anything he wanted to learn allowed him 
to identify collected specimens, or find authorities to 
whom he could apply for assistance. And an inborn 
talent for remarkably clear, direct writing enabled him 
to publish his findings. Roy was a brilliant person who 
might have been a college professor or museum curator, 
but he chose the simplicity and beauty of a rural 
existence, and his life story teaches valuable lessons in 
disciplined work, happiness, and longevity. 
The biological and archaeological specimens Roy 
Latham collected throughout his life have been 
deposited as follows (Schlauch 1971, Bull 1975, 
Zawyrucha 1977. Connor 1978, Anon. 1979. Pechuman 
1979): ca. 100,000 botanical and mycological specimens 
(vascular plants, fungi, lichens, and algae) and 10,000 
zoological specimens (birds, mammals, amphibians, 
reptiles, fishes, and mollusks)-were given to the New 
York State Museum at Albany in 1969. An estimated 
100.000 insects were donated to the Cornell University 
Insect Collection in 1968; and hundreds of botanical, 
lichenological, and mycological vouchers were deposited 
in the Cornell herbaria via Burnham, as well. Roy's 
30.000 aboriginal artifacts, including specimens from the 
"Orient Phase" culture of ca. 1300-1000 B.C., which he 
discovered (Pechuman 1979). now belong to the Long 
Island Chaptef of the New York State Archaeological 
Association, at the Southold Museum, Main Bayview 
Avenue, Southold. What an eloquent and enduring 
testimony to an industrious life! 
One of Roy's most significant accomplishments was 
his careful documentation of the effects of the great 
hurricanes of 1938 and 1944 on the biota of eastern 
Long Island. This is evident in many of his later papers 
(Latham 1945, 1955, and many of his papers in 
Engelhardtia)', and his letters on the topic have been 
extensively quoted (Brodo 1968, Bull 1975, Schlauch 
1971, Zawyrucha 1977). 
Roy Latham was among the great general field 
naturalists of the Northeast, ranking with James Eights 
(Miller & Goldsmith 1980, Miller 1980). William T. 
Davis (Schlauch, verbal camm.), and Daniel Smiley 
(Winerip 1986, Huyghe 1991), yet holding a unique 
position, similar to that of Gilbert White in England 
(Massingham 1983). from having thoroughly studied and 
recorded his region over a entire century. 
Gifted naturalists of this calibre are rare, and appear 
to be bom that way. All have an instinctive grasp of a 
primary field principle: Knowledge of natural history 
comes from time spent in the field, but many 
encounters, especially with animals, occur by 
coincidence; thus knowledge is only slowly acquired, 
and it becomes intensely interesting, and often 
challenging, to collect and organize experiences to 
produce ever-increasing levels of refinement and 
understanding. Few codes of fife could be more 
absorbing than to be always watchful for an organism 
you never before have seen — flying before you, 
swimming around the bend in the stream, hidden under 
the next leaf, or living between the grains of sand at 
your feet. How fortunate we are that Roy Latham 
followed this code so thoroughly and so well! 
- , y Acknowledgements 
Irwin M. Brodo, Robert T. Clausen, John F. Cryan, 
Timothy M. Dillon, John H. Haines, Paul C. Huth, Peter 
A. Hyypio, Lori Leonardi, Richard T. Mitchell, LaVeme 
March - April 1993 
Long Island 
Botanical Society 
'Page^R 
