4 FISH’ CULTURAL’ ASSOCIATION. 
The Corresponding Secretary, BARNET PHILLIPs, read the fol- 
lowing paper, in memory of the late Professor JAMEs Woop 
MILNER. ’ 
The sad duty devolves on me of announcing to you the death 
of Professor James W, Milner, who, at Waukegon, Ill, on the 
last day of December, 1879, passed away from tlfis world. 
Many of you here must remember what interest Professor 
Milner took in our proceedings. Thoroughly grounded in all | 
the scientific data, perfectly at home in the practical details of 
fish culture, there were no questions of an icthyological or other 
character we could put to him that he did not respond to it at 
once in a singular terse and clear manner. He had the power of 
stripping the husk off of matter, and presenting you the perfect 
grain. This society owes a great deal of its prosperity to the 
labors of this man. Many of its plans, and especially the widen- 
ing of its scope—the effort to make it more than local, to extend 
its influence—were suggested by Professor Milner. If ever any 
one had his whole soul in the work, it was that man, whom death — 
has now taken away from among us. His quick, nervous man- 
ner, his intensity, the power he possessed to make any question 
lucid, his easy method of explanation, we can hear no more. His 
place will be one, in this Association, not easily filled. Fully 
trusted by the Smithsonian Institution, he took charge of some of 
its most important missions, and there are here some present who 
can testify to the thoroughly conscientious manner in which his 
task was fulfilled. There are, in this world, many ways of doing 
one’s duty. It was Mr. Milner’s ambition to leave no stone un- 
turned that might be an obstacle in the way of scientific progress. 
You have often heard that saying, that ‘if war has its heroes, so 
has science its martyrs.’’ The repetition of this has perhaps be- 
come trite, but it is none the less true. It was as much overwork 
as anything else; an excess of zeal which, early in Milner’s life, 
as late in his career, shortened in such an untimely way his days. 
Brimful of his work, I have seen myself how careless, how utterly 
indifferent, Mr. Milner was of his person in the prosecution of 
his labors. It was my good fortune to have been with Mr. Milner 
as his guest on more than one occasion when he was engaged in 
