Lorus Johnson Milne

Lorus Johnson Milne (September 12, 1910 – May 4, 1987) was a Canadian and American biologist, naturalist, conservationist, professor, and author. He co-wrote over fifty books, and over one hundred articles in the field of natural science alongside his wife, Margery Milne. His works appeared in Science, The New York Times, Scientific American, and The Atlantic Monthly.

Milne expressed his philosophy as the following: “The unifying joy in my life stems from discoveries, both personal and the observation of others, about the ongoing interaction among all kinds of life… A reverence for life and a delight in learning about plants and animals, I find, opens the way to friendly communication with people of all nations, regardless of language, education, or economic status.”

Early life

Milne was born in York (later Toronto), Canada, to Charles Milne and Edna Johnson. Milne helped out in the museum during the summer and later as a student at the University of Toronto.

In 1933, he graduated with highest honors and received a scholarship to attend Harvard University. At Harvard he wrote and self-published his major contribution to Trichopterology, Studies in North American Trichoptera, which provided deep understanding of the entire caddisfly fauna of the United States and Canada known at the time. He also chose unusual names for species, such as Pycnopsyche sonso and 22 species of Rhyacophila with adjectives beginning with v’s.

Career

After leaving Harvard, Milne broadened his interests from caddisfly taxonomy to the whole field of biology and worked at six universities.

In 1936, he became a professor of biology and geology at Southwestern University in Texas. He moved to Virginia in 1939 and started teaching at Randolph-Macon Woman's College before accepting a position at the University of Pennsylvania but then he accepted a position at the University of New Hampshire. In 1948, he started teaching zoology at UNH, where he worked for over 28 years and where he was formed as a naturalist writer and lecturer. for the article Life of the Water Film.

In 1951, the Milnes conducted research at the Barro Colorado Island biological sanctuary in Panama through a grant from the Smithsonian Institution. After that they published several scientific papers and made a film called Panama Venture.

Following the release of the significant textbook The Biotic World and Man(1952), the Milnes were awarded a research grant by the United Nations Education Council, later UNESCO, which allowed them to conduct fieldwork in Australia and New Zealand.

After the publication of Water and Life in 1964, the Milnes were awarded a research grant by the National Geographic Society which allowed them to go to Israel, Tunisia, Libya, and Kuwait, where they studied the importance of fresh water.

In the 1980s, the Milnes traveled to the Soviet Union to investigate the aftermath of the 1986 nuclear disaster and its long-term consequences. Based on their research, they wrote a book for young adults Understanding Radioactivity, which was published in 1989.

Legacy

Insect collection Throughout his life, Milne collected various caddisflies out of professional interest. Most of his personal collection, including types, was given to the Illinois Natural History Survey in Champaign, Illinois.

Milne Nature Sanctuary In 1961, Milne and his wife purchased 1.5 acres of land in Durham, New Hampshire, on Mill Pond. Their goal was to save the place in its natural state. Soon after, swans began settling on the pond and returning each year to raise a family. The Milnes maintained the land and protected the swans as part of their conservation work. In 1968, the town council appointed them as "Durham's Keepers of the Swans". After the couple's death, the land was designated a nature sanctuary and deeded to the town of Durham. In 2009, a commemorative bench and stone were placed to honor their legacy.

Scholarships Multiple scholarship programs and research awards have been created in the names of Lorus Milne and his wife. The University of New Hampshire offers the Drs. Lorus & Margery Milne Memorial Scholarship to students in the biological sciences. In 2008, the University of Toronto established the Milne Research Award, granted to outstanding undergraduate students. The Marine Biological Laboratory at the University of Chicago has the Lorus J. and Margery J. Milne Scholarship, aimed at supporting student research.

Publications

Milne co-authored over fifty five books, including textbooks and children’s literature, and more than one hundred scientific articles, book reviews, and magazine pieces.

Books Title Publisher Year A Multitude of Living Things Dodd, Mead & Co. 1947 The Mating Instinct Little, Brown & Co. 1954 The World of Night Harper Books 1956 Paths Across the Earth First Edition, Harper 1958 The Balance of Nature Knopf 1960 The Lower Animals: Living Invertebrates of the World DoubleDay 1960 The Mountains Time-Life Books 1962 The Senses of Animal and Man Atheneum 1962 The Valley: Meadow, Grove, and Stream Harper 1963 Water and Life Atheneum 1964 Living Plants of the World Random House 1967 The Ages of Life: A New Look at the Effects of Time on Mankind and Other Living Things Harcourt 1968 The Nature of Life: Earth, Plants, Animals, Man, and Their Effect on Each Other Crown 1970 The Arena of Life: The Dynamics of Ecology Doubleday 1972 The Animal in Man McGraw-Hill 1973 The Secret Life of Animals Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1976 Ecology Out of Joint: New Environments and Why They Happen Scribner Book Company 1977 National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders: North America Knopf 1980 Insect Worlds: A Guide for Man on Making the Most of the Environment Scribner Book Company 1980 Dreams of a Perfect Earth Atheneum 1982 World Alive: The Natural Wonders of a New England River Valley Yankee Books 1991 Nature's Clean Up Crew Dodd, Mead & Co. 1982

Textbooks Title Publisher Year The Biotic World and Man Prentice-Hall 1952 Animal Life Prentice-Hall 1959 Plant Life Prentice-Hall 1959 Patterns of Survival Prentice-Hall 1967 North American Birds Prentice-Hall 1969 The Cougar Doesn't Live Here Any More: Does the World Still Have Room for Wildlife? Prentice-Hall 1971

Scientific articles

Personal life Milne married biologist Margery Joan Greene on September 10, 1936, two years after they met at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The couple shared passion for natural world and education and soon started traveling and researching as a team. They collaborated on most of their publications and some of the lectures. Photography of the wildlife played a big role in their work as well. In 1948, they moved to Durham, New Hampshire, and lived out their lives.

Death Milne died on May 4, 1987, after a sudden illness, at the age of seventy-six in Dover, New Hampshire.