268 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



pond snails {Limnea, Physa, Planorbis etc.); 

 the marine univalves are arranged in the 

 large metallic cases in the east and west 

 corridors, and the bivalves (Pelecypoda) 

 occupy the rail cases, while a much con- 

 tracted, and simply emblematic, synoptical 

 series has been placed in the south wall cases, 

 and especial exhibits, as of abnormalities, 

 ornamental uses, large shells, color or other 

 variation, and the map of moUuscan oceanic 

 provinces with representative genera, are 

 installed on the north wall. 



Even thus limited the prodigality of the 

 display must prove educational, while in 

 many genera the long suites and the perfec- 

 tion of the shells convey an aesthetic pleasure 

 which many visitors may find helpful for 

 retaining scientific names and position. A 

 hall of shells broadly generalized and con- 

 trolled by the wisest scientific spirit would 

 make it tributary — let us say — to ocean- 

 ography, where the populations of the suc- 

 cessive benches of the sea margin and the 

 inhabitants of the abyss would be exhibited, 

 while it also defined, in its arrangement, land 

 faunal areas. It is however certain that in 

 such a disposition of the shell collection, 

 systematic study would be much deranged, 

 and so far as permanent impressions of the 

 families and genera of shells are valuable, 

 visitors might lose much. A double exhibi- 

 tion might be so conceived that both the 

 distribution and the kinds of shells in their 

 serial and group arrangements could be 

 harmonized with reciprocal benefits in both 

 divisions from the collocation. 



The collection as made up, is a composite 

 one, and encloses, by inference and sugges- 

 tion as well as by chronological data, an 

 interesting history of early conchological 

 effort. Its nucleus — although like most 

 nuclei overwhelmingly occluded in subse- 

 quent growths — was the famous collection 

 of Dr. John C. Jay, and its presentation by 

 Miss Catherine Wolf to the American Mu- 

 seum laid the foundations of the great scien- 

 tific library now found within its walls. It 

 was practically a purchase of the large Jay 

 library, which brought the Jay collection of 

 shells along with it, that began the present 

 library of the Museum. 



The Jay collection of shells is inseparable 

 of course from the stirring memories of the 

 excitement, interest and applause that at- 

 tended the publication of the Jay catalogue 

 of shells, near the middle of the last 

 century. It was a remarkable work in its 



day. It remains a monument to the author's 

 industry. Bibliographic research had hardly 

 in this country covered so large a field before. 

 The work went through four editions and 

 enumerated nearly eleven thousand species, 

 the compilation of its synonymy embracing 

 some 40,000 names. Collecting in those 

 days, as is very well known, did not resume, 

 as to-day, the details of occurrence, and 

 locaUty data are often vague or illimitable, 

 but the collection was a very notable one and 

 probably in its comprehension of families 

 exceeded in importance any public or private 

 collection at the time. 



To this collection has been added, by 

 purchase, the very remarkably beautiful 

 collection of WiUiam S. Haines which added 

 not only a long list of species, but increased 

 the individual suites by many notably per- 

 fect specimens. The Bickmore collections 

 from the East Indies and Spice Islands, the 

 John Crooke collection — ■ a very valuable 

 gift from that gentleman — and the Binney 

 and Bland collection of land shells, with many 

 types and cotypes, together with numerous 

 gifts of smaller lots, none negligible and many 

 important, make up the Museum's present 

 collection. 



A late and very important addition of 

 specimens was received from the late 

 Frederick A. Constable, presented before 

 his death. It particularly embraces a really 

 notable assemblage of small shells labelled 

 and many most painstakingly mounted in 

 glass-covered black-edged boxes. The scien- 

 tific importance of this generous gift cannot 

 be overestimated. 



The immediate work to be undertaken in 

 connection with this collection seems rather 

 starthng in its demands. The collection 

 must be relabelled in large measure with 

 deference to new or later nomenclatural needs 

 and in some way a systematic study collec- 

 tion must be segregated for daily use. Its 

 gaps should be filled, and especially the 

 molluscan fauna of America — no matter 

 how inclusive or exclusive the term is made — 

 be fully illustrated, while the excursus of 

 more ambitious designs might reasonably 

 extend all of this work into a developmental 

 comparative study of Tertiary and living 

 forms. But obviously, apart from these 

 higher scientific ends, the immediate requisi- 

 tion is an attractive installment, and fresh- 

 ened accessories, whereby the young student, 

 the collector and the more or less observant 

 visitor may be aided, stimulated or instructed. 



