Klem — The History of Science in St. Louis. 125 



The purchase of this collection by the Academy placed in 

 St. Louis two of the best fossil collections in existence to 

 which students may refer in their scientific researches 

 for typical specimens characteristic of this section of the 

 country. 



In 1901, through the efforts of Mrs. Wm. L. Bouton, 

 the Academy acquired a collection of six hundred and 

 thirty-five butterflies, mostly tropical. 



When the Academy moved into its own home in 1903 

 new efforts were made to again establish a museum of 

 natural history worthy of the name. Besides the Yan- 

 dell and butterfly collections, the Academy has on exhi- 

 bition a fine collection of mound builder pottery and some 

 forty human skulls from the mounds near New Madrid, 

 Missouri; a collection of song birds and birds of prey, 

 deposited with the Academy by the Missouri Botanical 

 Garden; many minerals from all parts of the United 

 States ; a small collection of fossil leaves ; a collection of 

 twenty-five meteorites, among them a section of the Fort 

 Pierre meteorite; some fine fossiliferous slabs, mostly 

 from St. Louis limestone and of great value ; some of the 

 fossils of the Hayden Survey, containing the type of 

 Titanotherium Proutii; and a good specimen of Bos cavi- 

 frons (a species of fossil ox). 



Hand in hand with the formation of a museum went 

 the acquisition of a library. In the first year of its ex- 

 istence the Academy received the library, consisting of 

 one hundred twenty volumes, of the Western Academy of 

 Natural Sciences. With this as a nucleus, efforts were 

 made to secure the publications of other scientific socie- 

 ties. Letters were sent to Mndred societies and the ex- 

 change value of publications soon became evident. A 

 committee was appointed to consider the question of un- 

 dertaking some form of publication. After considerable 

 thought and discussion the publication of " Transac- 

 tions" was decided upon, and the first number was is- 

 sued early in 1857. It contained in addition to the char- 

 ter, constitution and by-laws, and journal of proceedings, 



