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the Peoria Scientific Association joined us in a steamer trip up 

 the IlHnois River for aquatic work. These field meetings were 

 well attended, as a rule, and were much enjoyed, although it 

 must be confessed that they were perhaps more agreeable than 

 permanently profitable to us. The annual meetings also were 

 interesting to the participants, and did something, no doubt, 

 to stimulate the workers among us, and something also to in- 

 terest and instruct the communities in which they were held. 

 Their average character may be well enough illustrated by 

 the program of the Urbana meeting in 1882. 



The first session was devoted to an address on "Primitive 

 Religion in America," by Mr. McAdams, of Jerseyville, which 

 was substantially an account of the religion of the Mound Build- 

 ers as inferred from idols and other implements of a religious 

 character which had been collected by the speaker. During the 

 next session. Dr. Edwin Evans, of Streator, read a paper on 

 "The Rock System of the Northwest," based mainly on the 

 records of borings for artesian Vv'ells. and illustrated by maps 

 and colored diagrams. This was followed by a paper on "Re- 

 cent Microscopy," by Professor Burrill, of the university, giv- 

 ing a historical account of the devcloijmcnt of the miscroscope 

 and a description of its most recent improvements and per- 

 formances; and this by a paper on "Prehistoric Remains in 

 Southeastern Missouri," by F. S. Earle, of Cobden — essentially 

 a classification and general description of mounds studied on 

 a trip made for the Smithsonian Institution. A lecture on 

 "The Fossil Tracks of the Connecticut Valley," by Don Carlos 

 Taft, professor of geology in the university; a paper on "The 

 Army-worm in 1881," by F. M. Webster, of Waterman; and 

 one on "The Organs of the Sixth Sense of Blind Fishes," by 

 S. A. Forbes, completed the i)rogram of the first day, which 

 was followed by an evening reception to the society by the 



