A Resume of the Research Collections 



THE MAMMAL COLLECTION 



BY 



GLOVER M. ALLEN 



The study collection of mammals, housed on the fifth floor of the 

 Museum, ranks, in point of numbers and importance, about third 

 or fourth among those in American Museums. Although its ultimate 

 aim is to comprise a representation of the living species of mammals 

 of the glove, this ideal is naturally still very far from being realized. 

 Nevertheless, there is really an excellent series of North American 

 species, including most of the genera and a good proportion of the 

 described forms of living mammals. The mammals of the West 

 Indies are well represented, and include such rare species as the two 

 solenodons and all the known forms of Capromys and Geocapromys. 

 South America, except Brazil, is still rather scantily represented; our 

 collections from Europe and Northern Asia are better, and from parts 

 of Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa better still, and very com- 

 plete as relating to Kenya and Tanganyika Territory. 



At present the collection contains about 35,000 skins and skulls, or 

 more or less nearly complete skeletons of living species, and repre- 

 sents about 1800 species. 



There are about 300 type specimens upon which names have been 

 based. A large part of these are contained in the well known Bangs 

 Collection of North American Mammals. 



Other important collections are: the Loveridge and Schwab col- 

 lections of African mammals, the large Australian and Chinese col- 

 lections, as well as many others of greater or less extent added 

 through frequent exchange, purchase, or gift, as well as through the 

 work of field expeditions of the Museum. 



A card index, by species, forms a ready guide to the material here 

 available for study, and the collection itself is readily accessible for 

 the use of properly qualified persons wishing to consult it. 



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