14 MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, VOL. XIII. 



Professors Silliman and Kingsley, as early as 1807, collected specimens of the Weston meteorite 

 for the college, and the Red River meteorite, at that time the largest meteorite known, was 

 presented to it in 1835. The growth of the Yale collection since that time has been steady and 

 the latest catalogue (1897) gives a total of 201 falls, having a weight of 1,374 kgs. Besides the 

 Weston and the Red River meteorites, important North American specimens in this collection 

 are those of Cape Girardeau, Castine, Estherville, Forest, Hammond, Jerome, and Salt Lake 

 City. 



The Amherst collection began with the deposit there in 1861 of Shepard's meteorites, 

 numbering 151 falls, several of which, however, later proved to be pseudometeorites. The 

 chief additions to the collection were made by Shepard and the latest manuscript catalogue 

 gives 300 falls, having a weight of 660 kgs. Important North American specimens in this 

 collection are those of Bear Creek, La Grange, Losttown, Marshall County, Putnam County, 

 Richmond, Ruff's Mountain, Tazewell, and Union County. 



The Harvard collection, according to Huntington, had its nucleus in a collection of about 

 50 falls made by Prof. J. P. Cooke, but obtained its chief importance through the purchase in 

 1883 of the collection of J. Lawrence Smith. In 1897, according to Wulfing, the collection 

 numbered 244 falls and had a weight of 1,754 kgs. Important North American specimens are 

 those of Butler, Charlotte, Coahuila, Cynthiana, Estherville, Frankfort, New Concord, Vernon 

 County, and Warrenton. 



The collection of the United States National Museum is the gradual result of gift, exchange, 

 and purchase. It has maintained a steady growth by this means and in addition includes a 

 series of chiefly small specimens deposited by Shepard. The latest catalogue of the collection 

 (1902) gives a total of 348 falls, weight not stated. Important North American specimens 

 are: Allegan, Arispe, Bishopville, Canyon Diablo, Casas Grandes, Felix, Gargantillo, Hender- 

 sonville, Lexington County, Mount Vernon, Persimmon Creek, Travis County, and Tucson. 



The meteorite collection of the Field Museum of Natural History originated in the purchase, 

 at the time of founding the museum in 1894, of collections made by Kunz and Ward. One 

 hundred and eighty falls were then acquired, having a weight of 2,099 kgs. The collection has 

 gradually been increased so that it now numbers 300 falls and has a weight of 2,310 kgs. The 

 most important North American specimens are Brenham, Canyon Diablo, Farmington, Indian 

 Valley, Kenton County, Leighton, Long Island, Modoc, Saline, Shelburne, and South Bend. 



The American Museum of Natural History possessed no important meteorite collection 

 until the purchase of the Bement collection in 1898. This contained over 400 falls, mostly in 

 small specimens, but many of them rare, and included Ottawa, Plymouth, Pricetown, Rushville, 

 and San Pedro Springs. Subsequent to the acquisition of the Bement collection the Museum 

 acquired the great Cape York and Willamette meteorites and Selma. In addition the private 

 collection of Ward is at present on deposit at this museum. 



The meteorite collection of the Mexican. National Museum and School of Mines is chiefly 

 notable for containing a number of the great Mexican iron meteorites. These include Adargas, 

 Chupaderos, Descubridora, Morito, and Zacatecas, together with several smaller stones and 

 irons which have never been described. 



Other institutions in North America which contain meteorite collections of some size are 

 Adelbert College, reputed to possess 143. falls (Wulfing); the California State Mining Bureau, 

 containing among others Chilcat, Oroville, and the Carleton mass of Tucson; the Public Museum 

 of Milwaukee, containing several masses of Trenton and other meteorites; the University of 

 Minnesota, containing 54 falls; the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia, containing Cleveland 

 and about 50 other falls; and the Academy of Sciences of St. Louis, containing Fort Pierre and 

 about 40 other falls. 



Private collections of meteorites have not been wanting in North America, but they have 

 for the most part been acquired by institutions. The earliest collections were those of Troost, 

 Shepard, and Smith. The disposal of the collections of the two latter collectors has already 

 been stated ; the collection of Troost was probably in part acquired by Smith and in part scat- 



