THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 71 
and more than one foreign scientific society gave his name a place on 
the roll of their membership. Had he possessed more ambition and been 
burdened with less modesty, there is scarcely any position in the paths of 
science to which he might not have successfully aspired. He had what 
one might almost characterize as a morbid shrinking from publicity. He 
was out of his element in a crowded room He loved not the busy 
haunts of men; but, charmed ‘by the breath of flowers, he fled from 
city throngs and cares, back to the woods, the birds, the mountain 
“streams.” Much to the regret of his friends, he could never be induced 
to take prominent part in any public enterprise, As a striking instance 
of this, and as confirmatory of what is now stated, it may be mentioned 
that when he was President of the Ottawa Natural History Society—an 
_ office to which he was elected as a recognition of his acknowledged 
ability—he could never be persuaded to preside at any of the meetings. 
He uniformly, on some pretext or other, always managed to shirk the 
distasteful duty. Nor did this arise from any want of interest in the pro- 
ceedings, for he was one of its warmest and most active supporters, and 
contributed many valuable Botanical and Entomological specimens. 
Mr. Billings was born at Billings Bridge, a small village in the imme- 
diate neighbourhood of what is now the city of Ottawa, on the roth of 
January, 1819. He was descended from a Welsh family that came to 
America about the year 1740. His grandfather, Dr. Elkanah Billings, 
after graduating at Harvard University, served for some time as surgeon 
under Washington, during the Revolutionary War. His father removed 
to Canada sometime previous to the year 1804, and engaged in lumbering 
Operations on the Rideau River. At this time there was only one house, 
on the south side of the Ottawa River, within 50 miles of his clearing. 
The whole of the Ottawa valley was then a comparative wilderness, with 
few indications of the material prosperity which has since become every 
where so apparent. It might be interesting to glean some of the incidents 
connected with the first settlement of this part of Canada, but as this 
would be foreign to the purpose of this paper, we forbear. 
Of the early years of Mr. Billings little need be said; although, by 
this time, considerable progress had been made by the various settlements 
that had been gradually formed in this section. Still, as can be easily 
imagined, he experienced his full share of the trials and hardships inci- 
dent to a life in the backwoods. Access to books must have been a favor 
which few enjoyed, and the facilities for education were of the most 
meagre description. 
