FOREWORD 



THIS fieldbook is intended primarily for the use of ama- 

 teur students of nature who wish to learn the names and 

 something of the habits of the snails found in Illinois. Its size 

 and organization are such that it may conveniently be carried 

 into the field by high school and college classes and other 

 nature study groups. 



Information contained in this fieldbook is based on a col- 

 lection of more than 20,000 specimens of Illinois MoUusca, 

 obtained principally by a detailed survey of the state. The 

 financing of this survey was made possible by a small special 

 appropriation to the Illinois Natural History Survey, available 

 the biennium beginning July 1, 1931. 



The Natural History Survey was fortunate to obtain the 

 servic-es of Mr. Frank Collins Baker, Curator of the Museum 

 of Natural History of the University of Illinois and an author- 

 ity on the classification of these invertebrates, to prepare the 

 text and to direct the field collections necessary for a thorough 

 distribution record of our native species within the state. Mr. 

 Baker spent part of the summers of 1931 and 1932 in the field 

 directing the collection of specimens and, since then, has spent 

 much time in the identification of material and the preparation 

 of the manuscript for this manual. 



Dr. Thural Dale Foster, now deceased, at that time a 

 graduate student in the Department of Zoology of the Univer- 

 sity of Illinois, was employed by the Survey as assistant to Mr. 

 Baker on this project for three months in the summer of 1931 

 and two months in the summer of 1932 to collect land Mollusca 

 in all parts of the state. The collections resulting from this 

 special work are now deposited on loan with the Mollusca 

 -naterial belonging to the Natural History Museum of the 

 Jniversity of Illinois. 



Other collections deposited in the University's Natural 

 History Museum, notably those of Ferriss. Nason and Hinkley, 

 as well as many records published by other students of Illinois 



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