luer size, and doubtless he would have made it still larger had the 

 •iTOunds been more extensive. The first enlargement was in 1847. 

 when the house was extended 30 feet westward, and the second was in 

 1853, when the entire structure so extended was elevated 24 feet. His 

 expenditures in the.se improvements we do not fully know; one of his 

 donations was ^10,000 for the payment of a mortgage, another was 

 S7.000 for building the glass cases and which noAV first becomes known 

 and only by accident, another was $3,700 on a subseribtion list to 

 which ninety other' gentlemen contributed 88,525, among whom was 

 his brother W. 8. Wilson who gave S500. Dr. Wilson's gifts for 

 building the Academy must have been quite equal to Maclure's, 

 namely 825,000, and how much more we do not know. 



While the building and the library are mainly the donations of 

 ^laclure and the brothers Wilson, the fact stands out still more promi- 

 mently that the Museum of the Academy is mainly the donation of 

 Dr. Wilson, considerably assisted by his brother Edward Wilson. This 

 is illustrated, for instance, by the ornithological department. His col- 

 lections of birds had long been deposited in the Museum for the use of 

 the members, but the formal presentation did not take place until 

 March 20th, 1860. This was done through a letter written by himself to 

 the Academy. The remarks on that occasion by Mr. John Cassin, the 

 eminent ornithologist, show the extent of the collections, and in what 

 various ways they were made. The remarks were as follows : " This 

 donation by Dr. Wilson has been accumulated from various sources, since 

 1845, with great judgement, and with con.stant and unremitted exertions 

 on his part and also on the part of his brother, Mr. Edward Wilson, 

 long re.sident in Europe. The latter named gentleman has most ably 

 and successfully seconded his brother in the gi'eatest enterprises ever 

 entered upon in America, having for their object the promotion of the 

 Zoological Sciences, and general Natural History. The results mainly 

 have been, at this period, the formation of the library of this Academy 

 and its collections in all departments, but especially in Minerology. 

 Palaeontology, Conchology, Crustacea, Ichthyology, and Ornithology. 



'• The very extensive and comprehensive series now presented, with 

 the comparatively small collection previously owned by the Academy, 

 comprise one of the most complete Ornithological Museums extant. It 

 is. in fact, one of the four great collection of birds in the world, and. 

 so far as can be ascertained from published catalogues, is fairly entitled 

 to be considered as presenting facilities for study in this favorite branch 

 of Natural History, equal to those of any other Institution. 



