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SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES OF THE ILLINOIS STATE 

 MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



A. R. Crook. 



The Museum is fifty-eight years old. It is thus older 

 than any other department represented here. For the first 

 twenty-four years of its existence it was a part of the State 

 Geological Survey. Then for twelve years the Museum and 

 Historical Library were under the control of the former State 

 Geologist. For the last twenty years it has existed strictly 

 as a Museum of Natural History. 



When in '75 the State Survey was discontinued there was 

 a period of two years during which the Museum was not 

 recognized officially, but the fossils and rocks could not be 

 "discontinued" and consequently perpetuated the influence 

 and spirit of the institution till a time when Professors 

 Forbes and Worthen introduced into the legislature a bill 

 creating the State Museum and Historical Library. 



During all these years of its existence it has been pre- 

 eminently a geological museum. 



In spite of the fact that the law creating the survey in 

 '51 provided that it should be in charge of a so-called "prac- 

 tical geologist" circumstances brought it about that the men 

 who directed the affairs of the survey during the first twen- 

 ty-four years were paleontologists — men whose work may 

 be regarded as leaning more toward the scientific side than 

 toward the practical side of geology. 



But that Dr. Norwood and Prof. Worthen should work 

 with the greatest enthusiasm along paleontological lines 

 was natural and fortunate since at that time the fossils of 

 Illinois offered a most attractive field for labor. As a result 

 of their work large quantities of valuable materials were 

 brought together in the museum, and the museum became a 



