12 



He goes to another labor, another field of usefulness equally wide, ano- 

 ther source of happiness equally as elevating. And he was not disap- 

 pointed. It must ever be to us all a matter of thankfulness that he 

 lived to behold another rich collection of his own making around him 

 here in the Entomological Society. 



After the reading of Dr. Wilson's letter accompanying this magnifi- 

 cent donation an interesting debate occurred. A member arose and 

 ofiered a resolution that a committee be appointed to draft resolutions 

 expressive of the views and feelings of the Academy in relation to Dr. 

 Wilson's great ornithological gift. This was at once opposed by several 

 members who represented how exceedingly painful any such resolu- 

 tions would be to Dr. Wilson. One of them related an occurrence 

 which took place several years ago when Dr. Wilson had happened to 

 become acquainted with some similar design which the Academy then 

 had in contemplation. He went immediately to one of the prominent 

 members and, with deep emotional earnestness, said he hoped they 

 would immediately stop any such proceedings, for if they did not he 

 would be compelled to stop his donations. To have public resolutions 

 of thanks passed in his favor was too much for his peculiarly modest 

 and retiring disposition. Of course the proceedings were at once 

 quashed, and in like manner the resolution on the donation of the 

 birds was withdrawn. 



Xo attempt can here be made to describe fully the other gifts of Dr. 

 Wilson to the Museum. That would require a large volume. The de- 

 partment of Conchology numbers more than 13,000 species, and more 

 than five times that number of specimens. It is the largest cabinet of 

 shells in America, and to this his contributions were on his usual liberal 

 scale. The crustaceans form a most striking display, and as we view 

 them we are disposed to ask how they could be collected from all around 

 the globe. The radiata, consisting of echinoderms and corals, in all the 

 strangeness of these low forms of life, present a vast and instructive 

 field of study. The fishes and the reptiles amaze the beholder by the 

 multiplicity of their shapes, their adaptations to all imaginable condi- 

 tions, and the astonishing number of their species. But the depart- 

 ment enriched by Dr. Wilson preeminently next to Ornithology, is 

 that of Geology, consisting of rare, beautiful and costly minerals, and 

 tne fossil remains of plants and animals. Every visitor to the Museum 

 is astonished by the perfectly preserved specimens of ichtheosauri and 

 pleseosauri. Millions of years have rolled away since they played in 

 the ocean, and here we think we see their bones fresh from a recent 



