24 2 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May, '08 



OBITUARY. 



JAMES H. RIDINGS. 



Mr. Ridings died suddenly on April I7th from paralysis of 

 the heart. He was born in Philadelphia, June 12, 1842. He 

 was the son of the late James and Diana Ridings. His father 

 was a distinguished Philadelphia Entomologist and one of the 

 founders of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, after- 

 ward the American Entomological Society. Mr. Ridings was 

 also fond of entomology and took a warm interest in the 

 welfare of the American Entomological Society, having been 

 its recording secretary for twenty- four years, serving from Sep- 

 tember, 1873 until December, 1897. He was a member of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and its entomo- 

 logical section and became a member of the American Entomo- 

 logical Society February 9, 1863. He will be greatly missed 

 by his associates in the society. 



Mr. Ridings leaves a wife and one daughter to mourn his 

 loss. Services were held in All Saints P. E. Church and the 

 interment was at Mount Peace Cemetery, April twenty-first. 



PROF. WILLIS GRANT JOHNSON. 



Mr. Johnson was born at New Albany, Ohio, in 1866, and af- 

 ter studying at the Ohio State University, took his B. S. and 

 M. S. degrees at Cornell, specializing in economic entomology. 

 Later he took advanced work in Leland Stanford University 

 and served as instructor there. As instructor in the University 

 of Illinois he conducted important investigations, continuing 

 his work for the Laboratory of Natural History, and later was 

 state entomologist of Maryland. After organizing the State 

 Horticultural Department of Maryland and serving as its chief 

 until 1900, he took up journalistic work as managing editor of 

 the American Agriculturist. He then became associate editor of 

 the New England Farmer and the Orange Judd Farmer, as well 

 as the Agriculturist, and but a short time ago he was appoint- 

 ed one of the Board of Control of the New York State Experi- 

 ment Station at Geneva. While living in New York City he was 

 attacked by spinal meningitis and after some time of illness 

 died in that place March u, 1908. His body was returned to 

 Ithaca and buried in Lake View. 



Mr. Johnson was the author of several reports and bulletins 

 as well as the Poultry Book, which was published in three vol- 

 umes in 1903-4-5. While living in Palo Alto, California, he 

 was married and is survived by his wife and several relatives. 



