Obituary

William N. "Mac" McFarland, an emeritus professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (formerly the Section of Ecology and Systematics) and an internationally recognized expert in the visual physiology and sensory ecology of fishes, died Aug. 31 in Mount Vernon, Wash. He was 78.

After graduating from the California Maritime Academy and serving in the Merchant Marine and Navy during World War II, McFarland matriculated at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he earned his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. His early professional work, including his graduate work done as a consulting biologist for Marineland of the Pacific, involved mostly osmotic regulation and the development of methods for safely transporting and anaesthetizing marine species. He continued with these themes as a staff physiologist at the Institute for Marine Science of the University of Texas at Port Aransas and, starting in 1961, as an assistant professor at Cornell in the Department of Zoology.

McFarland developed an interest in the visual system while a student at UCLA, but it was not until 1965 that he and a friend from his graduate school days, Fred Munz, published what was to become a long string of seminal papers on the visual pigments and visual ecology of fishes. By combining visual pigment and environmental light measurements they made predictions and speculations about the ecological significance of visual pigment spectral position that have stood the test of time. Together with his students, postdocs and many collaborators, McFarland continued to publish papers on this theme (as well as on fish behavior and polarized light vision) until his death.

He was a consummate teacher and presenter. His lectures were always well prepared and delivered, but what really set him apart was the enthusiasm he injected into any discussion. He is remembered in particular for his contributions to two courses, Comparative Physiology and The Vertebrates. The latter ultimately led to a multi-authored book that has gone through several editions.

McFarland served as chair of Ecology and Systematics twice, the last ending with his retirement from Cornell in 1989. After retiring he moved to California, where he became director of the Wrigley Marine Science Center and an adjunct professor of biology at the University of Southern California. He served in this capacity for five years, after which he continued his studies on fish vision as an adjunct professor at the Friday Harbor Labs of the University of Washington.

Colleagues say McFarland will be remembered for his wisdom and humor. He taught those who worked with him that having fun doing science is as important as doing the science itself. Gifts in his name can be made to the Graduate Student Research Fund in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.