664 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
our native birds. Every bug, fly, moth, butterfly, mole, rat, or 
game animal within miles around his favorite Lake Koshkonong, 
with its habits and life story, was perfectly known to him. The 
life story and habits of every freshwater fish of the lake and of 
Rock River he thoroughly understood. He was master of every 
phase of the zoology and botany of this state. As an artist he 
had few equals. He drew plants and animals in water colors. 
Few men were adept in more languages. One writer has said he 
knew almost every language in Europe. He was master of Latin 
and was well versed in Greek. He could speak and write classic 
English before he came to this country. His predominant quali¬ 
ties were strict honesty, purity of conduct, and exactness in scien¬ 
tific research. He was the highest authority on oology in this 
country. No one has furnished so many learned institutions and 
well known museums with so many or such fine mounting and 
exact correct designation as our modest, lovable old blonde natur¬ 
alist of Jefferson County. 
Governor Hoard in the notice of the death of Thure Kumlien 
writes of him in his paper (2) that he was an “eminent natur¬ 
alist” and that he was 
“known as one of the most prominent scientists of the world. His con¬ 
tributions to science were many and of great importance”. 
Mr. Wheeler, in writing of the sudden death of Thure Kumlien 
while conservator at the public museum at Milwaukee, speaks of 
him 
“as one who was present at the institution’s small beginnings and who 
has diligently assisted in raising it to its present flourishing condition” ( 2 ). 
The late Prof. Edward Lee Greene wrote (4) that 
“A purer, nobler type of the naturalist of the reserved and quiet non- 
advertising class,, there probably was not in his day, in America, than 
Thure Ludwig Theodor Kumlien”. 
He was contemporary, friend, and correspondent of Dr. P. R. 
Hoy of Racine and of those other pioneer scientists who in 1870 
came together to found the Wisconsin Acadamy of Sciences, Arts, 
and Letters. In 1875 he read a paper before this society on the 
rapid disappearance of Wisconsin wild flowers (5). Professor 
Greene says: 
“It was evident not only from the friendly correspondence -which was 
always kept up between them, but also from many a pleasing anecdote 
which we were wont to hear of life and study and travel in intimate com- 
