HISTORICAL SKETCH 5 



and other type material of Pilsbry, Walker, Sterki. Moellendorff, 

 Baker and others. It is especially rich in American land and fresh- 

 water shells and in the Pulmonata of the Philippine Islands, em- 

 bodied in the Quadras collection. The collection of Mollusca is also 

 notably valuable for its extensive study series, illustrating the geo- 

 graphic range of a large majority of the American species. 



The paleontological department is next in value, consisting of 

 the Egan Paleozoic collection, the Britts collection of Missouri coal 

 plants and the Arnold Pliocene collection. This department con- 

 tains about 22,000 specimens, including a number of types and co- 

 types. The mineral collection aggregates about 11,000 specimens, 

 illustrating the majority of the subdivisions. The entomological 

 collection contains upwards of 35,000 specimens, mostly American, 

 and is especially rich in Coleoptera, there being about 4,000 species 

 of this group. The ornithological department consists of 4,400 

 birds and 2,600 birds' eggs, the larger per cent, being American. 

 A number of rare species are contained in the collection. The 

 botanical collection is almost wholly local, and consists of about 

 8,000 mounted plants. The lower invertebrates, as well as the other 

 orders of the vertebrates, consist of small collections of a more or 

 less local nature. 



The skeleton of the mammoth, Elephas columbi, is about 50 per 

 cent, original, and is the only restored specimen of this species on 

 exhibition at the present time. It was collected in Spokane County, 

 Washington. 



A notable feature of the Academy's collections is the material 

 gathered by the Natural History Survey, illustrating the local 

 fauna, flora and geology. This material aggregates about 15,000 

 specimens, mostly with very carefully prepared data. The follow- 

 ing exhibits of local faunas have been prepared : Mollusca, miner- 

 alogy, lithology, paleontology, land birds. 



The library contains upwards of 27,000 books and pamphlets, 

 consisting of the transactions and proceedings of scientific soci- 

 eties, of which about 600 are represented. 



DIRECTORY OF THE -MUSEUM. 



The collections are arranged in a progressive manner from 

 lower to higher. Beginning in the north end of the gallery the 

 visitor may examine first the minerals, then the rocks, followed by 

 dynamic geology and paleontology ; zoology follows, and the groups 

 Protozoa, Porifera, Ccelenterata. Vermes, Echinodermata, Mol- 



