FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 



To the Trustees and Members of The American Museum of 

 Natural History^ and to the Mimicipal Authorities of the 

 City of New York : 



The President submits herewith a report of the activities 

 of the Museum during the year 1909. 



Both the scientific and the administrative branches of the 

 Museum, under the guidance of Director Hermon C. Bumpus, 

 have made greater progress than in any previous year. 



The past history and the future scope and plan of the 

 Museum have continued to be subjects of very careful investi- 

 gation and reflection. As intimated in the Fortieth Annual 

 Report, it is of the utmost importance that the Trustees and 

 the City should have before them an ideal plan of a complete 

 and perfectly arranged Natural History Museum covering all 

 the branches of natural science, so that all of the work of the 

 Museum shall be so arranged as ultimately to become a part 

 of the final plan. Opportunity often dictates what collections 

 shall be secured, what halls shall be first arranged, what 

 explorations shall be sent out. But a policy of opportunity is 

 not a wise one for the future, which must prepare for the needs 

 of a very much greater city than New York is at the present time 

 in such a manner as to be a source of pride and a most efficient 

 agent of public enlightenment in pure and applied science. 

 This, together with the establishment of a great library, was 

 among the original plans of the Founders of the Museum in 

 1869. Such a report on the future scope and plan has been 

 prepared and submitted* by the President, but it will not be 

 published until it has received both the careful consideration 

 and the approval of the Trustees. 



ENDOWMENT AND MAINTENANCE 



An increase of the endowment is the greatest need of the 

 Museum at this time. The present fund of ^2,195,645.92 

 should be increased to at least $5,000,000. The munificent 



* At the Annual Meeting, February 14, igio. 



15 



