October 27, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



599 



Museum, San Francisco, for the board of park 

 commissioners; Dr. David Starr Jordan, chan- 

 cellor emeritus, Stanford University; Dr. 

 Barton Warren Evermann, director of the 

 museum. 



Mr. Crocker spoke feelingly of his long con- 

 nection with the academy, as president of the 

 board of trustees continuously since 1898, or 

 18 years. Before him his brother, Charles F. 

 Crocker, had occupied the same position for 

 a number of years and his father, Charles 

 Crocker, was deeply interested in the academy. 



As president of the board of trustees, Mr. 

 Crocker formally dedicated the new museum 

 building to the advancement of the biological 

 and physical sciences and the educational in- 

 terests of the city of San Francisco and the 

 state of California. He then turned the build- 

 ing over to the academy. 



Speaking of the history and the aims and 

 ambitions of the academy, President Grunsky 

 said, in part : 



Organized in 1853, the California Academy of 

 Sciences has now for 63 years been conducted 

 along broad lines for public service. Member- 

 ship in the academy at a nominal annual fee is 

 open, to all who are interested in the study or ad- 

 vancement of science. Its activities are directed 

 mainly along educational lines in providing the 

 material and opportunity for securing informa- 

 tion on matters pertaining to the natural sci- 

 ences; and second, along lines of research and 

 study in the various subdivisions of the natural 

 sciences. 



There are those present to-day who will recall, 

 and some who were active in, the activities of the 

 academy while it was quartered in a building at 

 the southwest corner of California and Dupont 

 streets, and there are many here who have enjoyed 

 and who have profited by the natural history mu- 

 seum and its accessories maintained for many 

 years prior to the great disaster of 1906 on 

 Market between Fourth and Fifth streets. 



It would be needless to present at this time a 

 review of the history of the academy and of the 

 work done by it. Those who desire will find much 

 of interest and of value in the published reeords 

 of the academy's proceedings. 



It would be futile to give a due mead of credit 

 to those heretofore connected with the work of the 

 academy whose contributions have borne fruit, and 

 whose achievement is expressed in some measure 



in the museum plant now to be brought closer to 

 the general public. It must suffice to say that at 

 all times in the history of the academy there was 

 a group of enthusiastic scientific workers — with 

 changing personnel — who stood ever ready to 

 make, and did make, the sacrifices and put forth 

 the personal effort which made the work of the 

 academy worth while. 



In the matter of publications, as in the case of 

 its other activities, the academy has had to ac- 

 cept the limitation upon its output made neces- 

 sary by the lack of adequate funds. Much has 

 been left undone which ought to be done. Time 

 will not, however, permit me to take up this mat- 

 ter for full presentation. Let me call attention 

 merely to one fact which will be patent to all who 

 look carefully into the affairs of the academy. 

 The field in which the academy is active is but 

 imperfectly covered; nor can it be covered as it 

 should be without adequate support from those of 

 means who, in furthering the aims of the acad- 

 emy, will not alone be benefiting our city and 

 commonwealth, but will be contributing to the 

 sum of human knowledge. 



The building which has here been erected and is 

 to-day being dedicated is located upon public 

 ground. The academy has invested in it $183,000. 

 Yet this building, while it is an earnest of what 

 the academy is willing to do for the public, repre- 

 sents, in area occupied, only about one third of 

 that of the museum building, which we hope some 

 day in the near future will be completed on this 

 site. 



To accomplish the incomplete work with which 

 we desire you to become better acquainted, the 

 academy has taxed its resources as far as seemed 

 wise and has made it possible to open to the pub- 

 lic, housed in the first unit of its museum build- 

 ing, certain exhibits which will forecast what it is 

 hoped may ultimately be adequately accomplished. 

 There should be here assembled material from the 

 Pacific Ocean and its shores representative of all 

 the natural sciences, more complete than can be 

 found elsewhere. It can be done and will be done, 

 but not without outside aid. The resources of the 

 academy, chiefly the result of bequests and en- 

 dowments that will be referred to later, are lim- 

 ited and our installations and facilities for hous- 

 ing material always obtainable in abundance must 

 progress slowly unless the academy can count on 

 the generous assistance of those who have the 

 means. 



We can not at this time announce when our 

 building will be extended. More material for re- 



