HAMILTON: MAMMALOGY IN NORTH AMERICA 



675 



It has served a real need of the legion engaged in this field. In the 73 issues that 

 have appeared to date much mammal research has been summarized. The review- 

 is far more inclusive than the title indicates. 



The American Wildlife Institute has sponsored reports of monographic scope 

 on wolves, coyotes, and the puma. We may soon look for a treatise on deer. 



The Growth of Mammal Collections 



Early collections of mammals in the state cabinets and lyceums of natural 

 history were notable only for their paucity. A century ago, the larger of these 

 were owned by private collectors. With the growth of the large museums, many 

 of the private collections were donated, sold, or bequeathed to the museums. In 

 earlier days, most were displayed as mounted specimens, and emphasis was given 

 the larger or more striking species. Since the primary function of a great museum 

 is to promote research, it is apparent that large collections of the many species 

 in a convenient form for study must be available to the specialist. For every 

 mounted specimen in the showcases of the larger museums, usually more than a 

 score and often hundreds are housed in the mammal collections reserved for study. 



Figure 1. The cyclone trap, and its later refinement into the snapback trap as we 

 know it today, made modern mammalogy possible. A few dollars provides the collector 

 with sufficient traps to make a survey of any region possible. The smaller trap has taken 

 a Zapus, while the Museum Special holds a Condylura. Few inventions have been so instru- 

 mental in furthering the growth and promotion of a specialized field in natural history. 



