The Museum as it stands To-day 77 



Why not? We occupy the position of leading Natural History in- 

 stitution in a large metropolitan district, a center justly famed for 

 its Art Museum, its Public Library system, its Symphony Or- 

 chestra, its schools and colleges. We are inevitably regarded as the 

 city's official institution, in spite of the fact that we have to rely on 

 private support. The modern youth expects to find in a great city 

 all the opportunities for culture — expects it as unquestioningly as 

 he expects to get good drinking water by turning a tap. Many of his 

 elders are like-minded. 



As far as our restrictions permit and our funds carry us, as fast 

 as we become known to those who need us, the Library is func- 

 tioning quietly and steadily. Many of the biological books which 

 are published in this vicinity have been worked out with the help 

 of our resources. Many a graduate student owes the groundwork 

 of his doctor's thesis to our shelves. Artists get up magazine covers 

 from plates in our books. Older people come here to revive the 

 hobbies of youth, and find to their delight a mine of literature in 

 their chosen fields. 



Sixty Famous Paintings by Fuertes 



(Shown in Photograph of Library on pa$e yi) 



IN the reading room of the Library may be seen one of the rare 

 treasures in the possession of the Society, namely the water- 

 color paintings of New England birds by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. 

 Reproductions of these are familiar to a great number of bird stu- 

 dents through Forbush's volumes, Birds of Massachusetts and other 

 Keiv England States, for which they were painted. To see the 

 originals is worth a pilgrimage for artist or ornithologist. Both are 

 wont to express indignation at the way they are hung, for the 

 railing around the balcony is obviously too high, either for close 



