20 THEVA DU BON BNI Eee 

teachers of zodlogy and to the Museum of Natural History as Curator 
brought a realization of the great lack of knowledge of most kinds of 
animal life in Illinois, and also of the desirability of the introduction of 
natural science into the public schools of the State with the objective 
methods of instruction in the same. Not content to merely follow the 
custom of most naturalists of the time and build up collections and make 
systematic studies of them with the descriptions of the new species 
that happened to be included, Doctor Forbes realized the importance of 
careful and extended investigations into the life histories of these animals 
and of their relations to their surroundings. He did noteworthy pioneer 
work in these fields of investigation long before the term ecology came 
into general use. 
Thoroughgoing studies of the food of many common kinds of birds, 
of many of the important types of fishes, and of the relations of useful 
and harmful insects to each other and to crops, were the basis for a 
series of papers, useful not only to the teachers of biology and to scien- 
tists, but to agriculturists and those interested in fish cultural problems. 
In order that such papers might be available to the teachers of the State 
and to agriculturists and others most interested, Doctor Forbes estab- 
lished a series of bulletins of which the /6th volume is now current. 
The first one appeared in 1876 as Bulletin No. 1 of the Illinois Museum 
of Natural History and contained six papers dealing with zoological 
and botanical groups. The next Bulletin appeared in 1878 as Bulletin 
No. 2 of the [linois State Laboratory of Natural History and contained 
seven papers of which six were concerned with animal groups and of 
these, two by Doctor Forbes dealt with the good habits of fishes. 
Bulletin No. 3 appeared in 1880 and most of the papers contained ~ 
therein dealt with the food of fishes and the food of birds. The latter 
subject was discussed in a paper of 76 pages with numerous tables 
dealing with the results of an examination of the stomachs of 315 
specimens of birds belonging to the Thrush family, including the Robin, 
and to the Mockingbird family, including the Catbird and Brown 
Thrasher. These had been collected at various times of the year in 
various parts of the State. An additional series of 108 stomachs of 
Bluebirds was also carefully studied. Accompanying this mass of data 
were especially able discussions of the economic importance of the 
various species and their relation to agriculture and horticulture. 
Other papers during the next three years extended the list of bird species 
studied and contributed further to an understanding of their economic 
value and relations. 
A tribute to the importance of these contributions is Yourne in the 
well-known Manual of Economic Ornithology by Weed and Dearborn 
and entitled “‘Birds in Their Relations to Man.” The dedication of 
this book is as follows: ‘To Stephen Alfred Forbes, Director of the 
Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History whose classic studies of 
