40 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



life, beginning under some unexpected hardships and gradually working up to 

 full recognition and honours. 



Williston never held an official entomological position, but he found time to 

 do much valuable work as a pioneer in dipterology. His interest in flies began 

 to be serious about 1878, but he was virtually alone in the field in iVmerica, 

 and the difficulties which confronted him in the identification of genera and 

 species were almost overwhelming. After a year or two of slow and tedious 

 effort, however, he came upon Schiner's Fauna Austr'aca, in which he found 

 great relief and satisfaction, for he was now able, through its excellent analytical 

 tables, to trace all his American flies to their families and, in most cases, to their 

 genera. "He was so impressed by the saving of time accomplished 

 that his own publications coming later show the effect of this early experience 

 on every page; everywhere he has the beginner in mind and is clearing the way 

 for him. 



''''In a few years he began publ'shing tenative papers analyzing the American 

 families and genera of flies. These he extended and enlarged in a pamphlet 

 in 1888, and again in a bound volume in 1896; and in 1898 published a third 

 edition still more complete, with 1,000 figures, his well-known Manual of Diptera. 

 This third edition is his main contribution to entomology. It is a handbook 

 unapproached by anything else dealing with a large order of insects. From 

 necessity he published it at his own expense; it was eight years before the receipts 

 from sales covered the cost of printing, but happily he lived to see this con- 

 summation. 



"His other papers of his early period, 1881-89, dealt with Asilida?, Conopidae, 

 Tabanida:", and smaller groups, and especially with Syrphidae, in which his fine 

 monograph of 1886 is still in universal use, and by the taxonomic genius of its 

 author has created in the United States an ineradicable belief that the family 

 is an easy one, well adapted for the beginner to publish in; a mistaken belief, but 

 highly complimentary to the monographer. 



"From 1890 his more important papers were concerned with tropical 

 Diptera (Mexico, St. Vincent, Brazil), and with bibliography As his official 

 duties grew more exacting, he gradually abandoned entomology, but he had as 

 many farewell appearances as an opera singer, for he could not resist the tempta- 

 tion to come back again and again * * * g^t after 1896 he did little work 

 on the order except in preparing the third edition of his Manual, which cost him 

 two years of arduous work, as he drew 800 figures with his own hand His deep 

 interest in genera and his very wide acquaintance with them, together with his 

 universally recognized taxonomic ability, made him in the period 1890-1900, 

 the peer of Osten Sacken, Brauer and Mik as a world-authority in Diptera." 



Williston exercised a stimulating and inspiring influence upon his students^ 

 with whom he associated himself intimately. Although he never gave any 

 formal entomological courses, he gave much informal assistance to many who 

 were interested in his special studies, and among these are some of our most 

 eminent dipterists, as well as others who attained distinction in pahTContology. 

 '"'But his life work was mainly directed to the larger circle outside his own in- 

 stitution." 



"His last years were full of honours. He was a delegate to the International 

 Zoological Congress at Monaco; Yale University gave him an honorary D. Sc; 



