Obituary — F. B. Meck. 
143 
1858, with the exception of three Summers, two of which he spent 
witb the Missouri State Geological Survey. In the summer of 1853 
he accompanied Dr. F. Y. Hayden in an expedition to explore the 
“Bad Lands” of Dakota, and brought back very valuable collections. 
This was the comraencement of that long series of successful ex- 
plorations of all portions of the West, which have continued up to 
the present time. While at Albany he was constantly engaged in 
the most important pakeontological works, the results of which were 
published in the proceedings of the learned societies of the United 
States. 
In 1858 he went to Washington, where he resided until the time 
of his death, leaving the city only for a few inonths at a time while 
engaged as Palseontologist for the State of Illinois, Ohio, or in field 
explorations in the far west, in connexion with the U.S. Geological 
Survey of the Territories under the direction of Dr. F. V. Hayden. 
His publications, aside from the State reports referred to, were 
very numerous, and bore the stamp of the most faithful and con- 
scientious research. One great distinction between Mr. Meek’s 
palaeontological labours and the geological publications of his col- 
leagues on the great Surveys of the States, lies in the fact, that 
whereas much of their work will require most careful concordance 
before the grand results accomplished by them can be fully corre- 
lated, on account of many of the separate States having adopted 
purely local or new-coined names for their rock series, Mr. Meek’s 
palaeontological work is at once available to his brother-workers all 
over the world, being written in the same cosmopolitan language. 
Mr. Meek was so modest and retiring that he was scarcely known 
outside a very limited circle of friends. His bodily infirmities pre- 
vented him from mingling in society. Although his fame as one 
of the most eminent palaeontologists on the American Continent 
had been acknowledged among scientific men everywhere, his 
existence was scarcely known to the world at large. He was a 
member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, 
and many other prominent scientific associations in America and 
in Europe. 
He died within the walls of the Smithsonian Institution, where 
he had occupied rooms for eigliteen years. He had been connected 
with the U.S. Geological and Geographical Surveys of the Territories 
as a salaried officer for the greater portion of the time since its first 
Organization in 1867. 
His last great work (Yol. IX.) appeared in 1876, and contains 
630 pp. of quarto text, and 45 plates, of which he writes to Dr. 
F. V. Hayden, “ The following is my final Report on the Invertebrate 
Cretaceous and Tertiary Fossils of the Upper Missouri Country.” 
His grand palaeontological works are bis noblest and best monu- 
ment ; yet, as Prof. Dana truly observes, “ he is gone before his work 
was done ; ” and he adds, “American palaeontology has lost (as regards 
its Invertebrate Department) half its working force at a blow.” 1 
1 These notes were, in great part, communicated by Dr. F. V. Hayden tkrough 
the kindness of Thomas Davidson, Esq., F.E.S. — Edit. Geol. Mag. 
