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48 



years past. The best collections are in the hands of private individuals, as 

 Messrs. Sullivant, Tuckernian, Curtis, Bailey, Lesquereux, and others. A 

 great deal remains still to be done in this branch of botany. The work of 

 l)r. Harvey on North American Algffi, in preparation for the Smithsonian 

 Institution, will tend greatly to stimulate collectors to pay attention to 

 this order. 



Collections in Palaeontology are quite numerous, though principally local. 

 The best general collection is that of the Academy of Natural Sciences. 

 Their museum is incomparably richer than any other in this country, 

 in collections of fossil vertebrata. The only collection of any extent, of the 

 fossil bones found in the caves of the United States, is in the cabinet of this 

 Institution. Of the interesting Eocene species of the Upper Missouri, Dr. 

 Evans of Washington has made an exceedingly valuable collection, under 

 direction of the Land O.Tice. Next to this comes a similar one made by 

 Mr. Cull)ertson for the Smithsonian Institution. An excellent collection of 

 tertiary fossils is in possession of Professor F. S. Holmes, of Charleston, 

 South Carolina. The tertiary and cretaceous fossil shells in the Philadel- 

 phia Academy are very numerous in species. 



Many of the Mineralogical collections of this country are very complete, 

 both as. respects Domestic and Foreign species. Such are the cabinets of 

 Yale College, of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Dartmouth College, 

 of Bowdoin College, of Messrs. Markoe, Vaux, Clay, Ashmead, Alger, 

 Bouve, and others. The general interest in the subject of Mineralogy 

 is such as scarcely to require any additional stimulus, except so far as 

 relates to Geology. 



There are various ways in which collections may be made by the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, the principal of which arc as follow : 



Deposits by Government, 

 " Indivitluals, 



Excliange, 



Purchase, 



Employment of Collectors, 



Donations. 

 To the first of these, I have already briefly referred. Up to the present 

 time nothing has been received, save the series of specimens illustrating Dr. 

 Jackson's report on the mineral lands of Lake Superior. 



In some collections, specimens deposited by individuals form a conspic- 

 uous feature. Thcse^ when of considerable extent and completeness, or 

 when illustrating some special researches or publications, are often very 

 important, particularly as they are, in most cases, ultimately presented. 

 Single specimens, unless of much value, are not generally desirable, as 

 deposits. Free choice must, of course, be left the Institution, to say 

 what shall be received, and what rejected. 



To the individual collector, exchange with other individuals or with so- 

 cieties, forms the principal mode of forming his cabinet, beyond what may 

 be personally procurable. This of course, implies that the specimens be 

 gathered in larger quantities than would be necessary for a single collec- 

 tion. By a judicious system of exchange, based upon a large stock of 

 duplicates, it becomes possible to procure almost any species, domestic or 

 foreign, at little expense beyond that of transportation. To this end it is 

 desirable to secure large numbers of such objects as may be specified here- 

 after. 



