DELAWARE VALLEY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB 11 



specimens lior books adequate for his work were to be found in 

 this country. It was not until 1846 and 1847 that Dr. T. B. 

 Wilson began to accummulate his great collection and library 

 at the Philadelphia Academy and there was none elsewhere. 

 At all events of 109 new birds that Peale described scarcely one 

 third were really new. Only about 90 copies of his report were 

 actually distributed by the government, the remainder having 

 been destroyed by fire, while Peale seems not to have availed 

 himself of the opportunity to have an edition struck off for 

 himself as authors of the other volumes had done.* Whether 

 Peale refused to have anything more to do with the report, 

 owing to the failure to publish his illustrations, or whether 

 those in charge realized the shortcomings of the work cannot 

 be determined ; but John Cassin after a long and stormy cor- 

 respondence with Wilkes, as is shown in his letters to Baird, 

 was finally engaged to publish a new report, which appeared in 

 1852 along with a folio volume of colored plates comprising 

 most of the Peale drawings. Peale is said to have considered 

 himself very badly treated in the matter. 



On May 17, 1848 the Philadelphia museum, having passed 

 out of existence, Peale was appointed assistant examiner in 

 the United States Patent Office in Washington and was later 

 promoted to principal examiner in the division of Fine Arts and 

 Photography, an office which he held until June 30, 1873 when 

 he resigned and returned to Philadelphia. 



During his twenty-five years residence in Washington he was 

 active in organizing the " Saturday Club ", which later became 

 the " Philosophical Society of Washington." He was also one 

 of the first amateur photographers of this country and made 

 many photographs of great historic value. His scientific in- 

 terests seem to have been mainly centered in his collection of 

 butterflies, which he had gathered together on the various ex- 

 peditions in which he took part, and after his return to Phila- 

 delphia he spent the time in completing the manuscript and 

 plates of a work on butterflies based upon his collection. While 

 he had practically succeeded in this, the publication was never 

 begun, as he died of pneumonia on March 13, 1885. 



' Cf. Jardine's Contr. to Omith., 1852, p. 89. 



