eae Uy ONT Bites EalelN ns 
was responsible for the identification and counting of the birds, and 
the other a companion, whose duty it was to walk at a measured pace 
at a fixed distance to the left of his leader, and to count and record the 
number of steps taken over each kind of situation. It was the original 
plan to devote a single year to these observations, dividing each of the 
successive seasons between the three sections of the state—northern, 
central, and southern—in such a way that we might have a detailed 
and carefully shaded picture of the bird life of each section in all four 
seasons of the hear. This plan was carried through successfully for a 
year, beginning August 29, 1906; and additional trips were made for 
special purposes during the later summer of 1908 and the entire summer 
season of 1909 . . . . These trips, all taken on foot, aggregated 
2,825 miles, and on them 64,685 birds were recognized and counted. 
The data obtained from the various trips and records made dur‘ng 
these investigations have been the basis for two papers by Doctor 
Forbes and three papers with the joint authorship of Doctor Forbes and 
Professor Alfred O. Gross of Bowdoin College at Brunswick, Maine. 
These papers have been published in the Bulletins of the Illinois State 
Laboratory of Natural History (Vol. VII and IX) and of the State 
Natural History Survey~(Vol. XIV). 
Comparatively few people are in a position to realize the extent and 
importance of the services which Doctor Forbes has rendered to the 
people of Illinois and of the country, because they involve such a wide 
range of activities. His election a few years ago to membership in both 
the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical 
Society is evidence that their scientific importance is recognized. To 
achieve distinction in the fields of economic entomology, ichthyology, 
ornithology, taxonomy of Crustacea, as well as in the complex subject 
of river biology and stream pollution, and also to perform efficiently 
the administrative duties of the various positions he has filled is enough 
to make three or four men widely known and appreciated. It is in part 
due to an unusual mental equipment and ability to distinguish the 
essentials, and also to his ability in enlisting loyal service from com- 
petent assistants who have been glad to serve under his leadership.” 
