﻿Obituary — David Forbes. 45 



of the International Exhibition of London, and a similar one at 

 the Exposition Universelle of Paris in 1867. In the latter year, 

 also, he was presented with the silver medal of the Natural History- 

 Society of Montreal as a mark of its appreciation of his " long-con- 

 tinued and successful labours in Canadian Science." 



As a diversion from his almost unremitting pala3ontological 

 researches, Mr. Billings, at different periods of his life, occupied 

 himself with the study of mineralogy and entomology. Among 

 insects, his favourite group was the Coleoptera, and he made quite 

 an extensive collection of Canadian beetles, which a few years since 

 he deposited in the Museum of the Natural History Society of 

 Montreal. 



Like many other original thinkers, Mr. Billings was entirely self- 

 taught, so far as science was concerned, and those who wei'e best 

 qualified to form an ojjinion on both points knew not which to 

 admire most, the untiring industry of the man, or the conscientious 

 thoroughness of his work. To show that he spared no pains to 

 increase his knowledge of the science which he made peculiarly his 

 .own, it may be mentioned that he learned to translate with ease, 

 palgeontological essays, written not only in the French and German, 

 but also in the Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish languages. 



J. F. Whiteaves. 



DAVID FORBES, F.R.S., SEC. G.S., F.C.S., ETC. 



BOEN 6 SEPT. 1828. DIED 5 DEC. 1876. AGED 48 YEARS. 



For many years past the names of its oldest and most eminent 

 members have one by one been removed from the list of the G-eologi- 

 cal Society, and we have looked around, almost in despair, for men 

 to fill the front benches, once distinguished by the presence of a 

 Murchison, a Lyell, a Scrope, a Sedgwick, or a Phillips. Now, 

 alas ! we have to record with sorrow the loss of one of those younger 

 members from whom we had fondly looked for some ten years at 

 least of active scientific work. 



The name of Forbes had already become well-known and honoured 

 in association with the Greological and other learned Societies by the 

 scientific labours of the late Prof. Edward Forbes, brother of the 

 subject of our present memoir ; and when David Forbes returned to 

 England after nearly twenty years of his life had been spent abroad 

 in Norway and South America, he was cordially welcomed as a 

 fellow-worker by his brother Geologists and speedily took an 

 honoured place among them. 



Born in the Isle of Man in 1828, he was partly educated there and 

 subsequently at Brentwood in Essex. His school-days over, he was 

 removed to the University of Edinburgh, where, in Dr. Wilson's 

 laboratory, he laid the foundation for those chemical and physical 

 studies which so distinguished his later years. 



An early opportunity was afforded him of turning this chemical 

 and scientific training to good account, and before he was 20 he ac- 



