ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 19 



scribed by C. L. Bonaparte, in his " Fauna Italica" ; and to Dr. 

 E. K. Kane, of the navy, for an Esquimaux dog, and a very fine 

 specimen of Ursus maritimus, or polar bear, killed by him during 

 a recent voyage to the Arctic regions, in search of Sir John Frank- 

 lin. As soon as practicable, recent additions to the Museum are 

 appropriately mounted. 



The collection of mammals, including those in alcohol, in skin, 

 and mounted, numbers 636 specimens, representing about 200 

 species of 90 genera. 



2. ORNITHOLOGY. 



The attention of members of the Academy was attracted to 

 this department of natural science at an early period. The pub- 

 lication of Wilson's American Ornithology, about the time of the 

 foundation of the Institution, and works on this subject by George 

 Ord, Charles Lucien Bonaparte, and J. J. Audubon, published 

 in succession, widely diffused a taste for this elegant study. 



Mr. Thomas Say, (whose early social association with Mr. Wm. 

 Bartram, and Alexander Wilson, probably directed his attention 

 to the study of birds,) was the first to present specimens to the 

 Museum. He and Mr. Gilliams commenced this department. 



In the year 1837, the collection contained about 1,000 species, 

 of which one half were displayed in the cases. This series in- 

 cluded 250 species of the birds of Surinam, presented by Dr. 

 Hering ; and more than 200 species of the birds of India, many 

 of them rare, had been presented by the late Dr. Burrough, " who, 

 during his extensive travels in Hindostan, the Indian Archipelago, 

 and South America, [always] availed himself of every occasion to 

 increase [the Academy's] collections in all departments of Natural 

 History." " Much is also owing," says Dr. Morton, " to the liber- 

 ality of Mr. Audubon, Dr. McEuen, Dr. Mervin, Dr. Huffnagle, 

 Dr. J. W. Russell, Dr. McMurtrie, Dr. Harlan, Mr. J. K. Town- 

 send, Dr. Ruschenberger, Dr. J. C. Jenkins, Dr. Trudeau, and 

 the late Mr. W. S. Warder ; but, in this department, the Society 

 is under particular obligations to Dr. McEuen, by whose personal 

 exertions the collection has mainly attained its present extent and 

 admirable preservation in the short period of eight years."* 



* Notice of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia. Fourth, 

 edition, 1837. 



