45 
ability and forceful character. Under him the Mines Branch assumed its 
full functions vigorously. A. P. Low, a senior officer with long and dis- 
tinguished service in the Geological Survey, was made its Director and also 
Deputy Minister. It was quite evident to his associates that Low appre- 
ciated the transformation which had been taking place in Canada and the 
need for adjustment of the Survey to it. He at once began to raise the 
qualifications of technical officers by setting a higher standard for new 
appointees and by affording those already on the staff opportunities for 
further university training. Reorganization of the Survey was begun and 
other changes were being undertaken, when in November, 1907, after only 
nineteen months as Director, he was seized with a devastating and almost 
fatal illness, from which he has never fully recovered. R. W. Brock, who 
succeeded to the directorship, continued and extended with great energy 
and ability the reconstructive plans initiated by his predecessor. The 
present Survey and Museum organization is essentially a result of his work 
from 1908 until 1914, when he resigned to take charge of the Faculty of 
Science in the Universitv of British Columbia. 
Intensive specialization was the outstanding characteristic of the 
policy inaugurated by Low and Brock. All scientific officers were required 
to have a high educational standing and thorough practical training. 
Surveying was referred to a special division of highly trained topographers. 
The mineralogists, palaeontologists, and biologists were reinforced with 
specialists and formed into other distinct divisions, and a division of 
anthropology was created, this branch of science having hitherto been 
contributed to by Dawson, Low, and other geologists and having had no 
specialist. No effort was spared to secure good taxidermists, preparators, 
and other auxiliary help. 
The consequences to the Museum of these radical changes, brought 
about by almost equally extraordinary developments in Canada, were 
not all salutary. The divisions of anthropology, biology, and palaeonto- 
logy gained, in varying degrees, in the quality of the material placed on 
public exhibition, and to less marked degrees in the scientific value of 
material collected and investigational results. On the other hand Museum 
activities in geology, which had hitherto been the largest and most active 
section, declined rapidly almost to zero. Mineralogy and palaeontology 
were unfavourably affected to a less notable extent and even in biology 
the increase of accomplishment was not as much as might have been 
expected. This was due to an almost complete cessation of museum work 
by the main body of field officers. From Logan’s time until about 1905 
these men had been actively interested in other natural sciences besides 
geology and had been habituated to collect natural history material and 
to interest themselves in museum work. After 1907 thej r found the other 
sciences represented by specialists with whom they could not collaborate 
on a footing of scientific equality. Also they were required to concentrate 
to a greater extent upon the economic and practical aspects of geology; 
and had less inclination for other subjects. Because of these and various 
other less apparent causes museum work lapsed quickly and almost entirely 
into the hands of museum specialists, even in spite of the stimulus afforded 
by provision of finer and more commodious quarters. 
The Survey Staff had given such enthusiastic attention to museum 
work during the time of Selwyn and Dawson that fifteen years after coming 
