342 The American Geologist. Dooember, looi 
To the scientific world in general, beyond the circle of his personal 
friends and acquaintances, Lacoe was widely known as a promoter or 
patron of science; and it was in this capacity that he did his greatest 
and best work. The occasional collecting of fossils, begun as an out- 
of-door recreation beneficial to his failing health, quickly developed 
a profound and enthusiastic interest in th plant-life of earlier geological 
time and the remarkable discoveries resulting from paleontological re- 
search. At first he made extensive collections of coal plants from the 
Wyoming Valley coal field. Realizing at an early date the very great 
handicap to the progress of paleontology resulting from the enormous 
labor and expense of exhuming, intelligently collecting and bringing 
the raw fossil material to the hand of the paleontologist, he chose, for 
his part and service, to promote the advancement of science by gather- 
ing the materials for and facilitating the work of the paleontologist. 
Accordingly, he began systematically to procure, through the aid of 
collectors, by purchase, exchange, or with his own hands, collections 
to show the plant hfe in various geological cpoclig, but chiefly Paleo- 
zoic, in different countries and continents, as well as from the coal 
fields of this country. Becoming interested in the occasional remains 
of insects, which, very rare at best, are seldom discovered except in 
their natural association with fossil plants, Lacoe also entered upon the 
systematic collection of fossil insects and Crustacea as well." 
"Lacoe's aid to science did not end with collecting the fossils and 
placing them in the hands of the appropriate specialists. Whene\ er a 
paleontologist was so situated as to be dependent on his daily labor for 
his livelihood, Lacoe made it possible for him to carry on his researches 
in the material placed in his hands. In many additional cases the ex- 
pense of preparing suitable drawings, so essential in paleontological 
publications, was also borne by him. It deserves to be added, to the 
disgrace of a State great in many respects, that in order that the inval- 
uable data of the Lacoe collections relating to the geographical and 
stratigraphical distribution of the species might be included and made 
available in the Pennsylvania state geological report on the Coal Flora; 
that the stratigraphic and correlative values of the species mighr. be 
ascertained and the described species made satisfactorily recognizable 
by means of adequate illustration, Lacoe largely bore the expenses of 
the paleontological study of the collections and guaranteed the compen- 
sation for a part of the illustrations. He was further the benefactor of 
the State through the presentation of extensive series of specimens ^o its 
geological museum. He was also bearing the expense of the paleon- 
tological study and of the preparation of manuscript and illustrations of 
the materials to form a supplementary volume of the Coal Flora to be 
published by the State, when the failing health and death of Prof. 
Lesauereux left the work incomplete. Before the resumption and tom- 
pletion of the work the state survey was abolished." 
Single handed and with but slight aid among his friends, Lacoe 
quietly did for science a work of a kind that is rarely prosecuted ex- 
cept by the wealthier universities, endowed scientific societies, or special 
