APPENDIX. 



THIRD ANNUAL REPORT, 1871, 



The Trustees of the American Museum of Natural History 

 have the pleasure of presenting this, their Third Annual Report; 

 with copies of their Charter, Constitution, By-Laws, the letters 

 received — presenting property to the Museum — and the Report 

 of the Treasurer. The remaining part of the Verreaux Collec- 

 tion, purchased in Paris, which was delayed by the Franco- 

 Prussian war, and subsequent seizure of the French capital, has 

 been received in perfect order and safely deposited with the other 

 Museum property in the x^rsenal Building on Central Park. 



The most valuable donation which the Museum has received 

 during the year, is the Great Auk, now extinct, presented by 

 Robert L. Stuart, Esq. It is the rarest specimen in our large 

 collection of birds. 



A full series of the corals of Florida has been purchased of 

 Capt. Medary, U. S. A. 



The cases for exhibiting the Museum specimens, commenced 

 last year by the Department of Public Parks, were completed in 

 the Spring, and a temporary arrangement of most of the collec- 

 tions was made, and a Reception, to which our subscribers were 

 invited, was held on 27 th of April ; and though a severe storm 

 occurred on that day, so large a number of our prominent citizens 

 were present that the hearty interest of all classes in the pros- 

 perity of our institution was assured at its very opening. Since 

 that date the Museum has been open every week-day to the 

 public, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays it has been literally 

 thronged by hundreds and even thousands, not only of our own 

 citizens, but by visitors from every land to our metropolitan city. 

 The attendance on many days may be safely estimated at over 

 10,000. 



