11 



'• It may 1 e of interest to add, that the collection previously owned by 

 the Academy comprises about 3,U0t> specimens, including a very supe- 

 rior North American scries derived from nearly all ornithologists in 

 the United States, who have invariably shown the greatest interest iu 

 the formation of the large collection of this Academy. Tlie aggregate 

 number of specimens i.rhihitcd and now belonging to the Academy is 

 therefore about 2(1, (J<H) birds." Besides this number. Dr. Wilson at 

 that time presented 2.0(J0 unniounted skins, and since then the acqui- 

 sitions i'rom all sources have amounted to about 1,000 mounted speci- 

 mens, making the sum of about 32,000 in the Academy's Museum. 



This more than royal gift Ur. Wilson presented in a letter as modest 

 «nd unpretending as though it had been a gratuity of about five dollars. 

 The letter is as follows : 



Philadeiphia. March 2n. 1860. 



I)kah Doctok — I ciiclose you a ruomoranclum by which you will please pre- 

 sent to the Academy my entire collection of birds now in the Academy. In 

 addition to the 25.000 mounted specimens there are about ;5,000 mounted speci- 

 mens in the cases, which are the property of the Academy; the entire number 

 in llie cases being about 28,000 specimens. 



The donation docs not include the specimens collected by Mr. Duchaillu in 

 his hist excursion to Africa, as these will have to lie presented jointly by the 

 subscribers to the fund. When the difficulty with Mr. Duchaillu is settled, 

 and tln> other subscribers are ready to make the donation, you are authorized 

 to include my name in the list of donors, without ajiy further notice. 



As I have been twice poisoned witli arsenic during the past winter, I have 



concluded to give up all branches of Natural History which expose me to its 



influence. I shall not again open the cases of birds at the Academy, and shall 



be glad if you can find some member to take my place on the Ornithological 



committee: if you can, you are authorized to offer my resignation from the 



committee to the Academy. Yours, respectfully, 



THOMAS B. WILSON. 

 To Dr. Lf-ipy, Curator of A. N. S. 



P. S. — Having no further use for the keys, I enclose them; the larger one 

 belongs to the cases of mounted birds, the smaller one to the duplicate cases in 

 the lower room and to the oological cases in the Entomological room, 



T. B. W. 

 To convey so great a gift in a letter so simple and short is sublime. 

 The style is in keeping with the character of the man, artless, sincere 

 and open. There is something solemn in his delivery of the keys and 

 his announcement •• I shall never again open the cases at the Acade- 

 my." Jle had spent many happy hours in contemplating and arransr- 

 ing rliose feathered forms. For fourteen years he liad been gatherini; 

 them from every quarter of the land and of the sea. They formed now 

 one of the four great collections in the world. He must have long 

 looked upon them with gratification, and now he bids them adieu. 



