108 TBANSACTIONS OP THE ILLINOIS 



cording to a well-defined plan. Dr. Thomas was a hard student, a 

 thorough teacher and, to some extent, an original investigator. 



His review of Darwin's works from an orthodox standpoint, 

 published in the Gettysburg Bevieu\ were considered of such value 

 that the Gettysburg College immediately conferred upon him the 

 degree of Ph. D. At present Dr. Thomas resides with his family in 

 Washington,City, where he lives the life of a retired philosopher, 

 reaping rich rewards for his half century of arduous labor in assist- 

 ing to educate the masses in scientific knowledge. 



OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



BY FRED GEUNDT, MORRISOKVILLE. 



Every fruit-grower and farmer is well aware that the most 

 active and pernicious foes we have to deal with are the many species 

 of noxious insects which infest our fields, orchards and gardens. 

 To check their ravages, we resort to expensive poisons, traps, nettings 

 and other appliances, and yet, despite our utmost efforts, they seem 

 to be steadily increasing in numbers and becoming more destructive 

 each succeeding year. Whether this is owing to the increased area of 

 fruit plantations, or to the destruction of their natural enemies, is 

 an unsettled question. Certain it is, however, we must wage an 

 incessant war upon them with every means at our command, or 

 cease trying to grow fruit. In this warfare, we must be vigilant 

 and aggressive to be even partially successful, and we must call to 

 our assistance every natural ally that walks, flies, crawls or swims. 

 Furthermore, we must take energetic steps to protect, with stringent 

 laws, these natural allies from destruction by people who are ignor- 

 ant of their good services. 



We must, especially, protect our insectiverous birds, the most 

 efficient allies we have. We must protect them from the bad boy 

 with the rusty musket, who shoots them simply because he can; 

 from the nobby-nob sportsman, with the hundred-dollar dog and 

 silver-plated fowling-piece, who delights in a full game-bag that he 

 may have something to boast of when he returns to his club, and 

 from the heartless devotee of senseless fashion, who hankers after 

 their wings and tails, wherewith to bedeck her headgear ! 



Not only must we protect our small birds, but the larger ones 

 also. Under an act of the Legislature, prairie chickens have not 

 been shot in this State for two years, and their numbers have 

 increased to quite an extent. This beneficient law has but one year 

 more to run, and then, unless fruit-growers and farmers combine and 

 take active measures to prevent it, hordes of pot-hunters and nob- 

 nobs will invade our fields and destoy them by the thousands. 



