1861.] MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 65 



As a matter of scientific interest, I would state that our collection 

 of Acalephs would surprise most naturalists, who, under the belief 

 that Medusae cannot be preserved, have neglected to collect them. 

 There is quite a variety of them in our Museum, in a very satisfactory 

 state of preservation; some of which were received from the East 

 Indies, through Captain Putnam, and others from the Pacific Coast, 

 through my son. 



From the foregoing enumeration, it appears that during the past 

 year not less than 91,000 specimens, representing 10,884 species, have 

 been added to the Museum ; and this number is probably to be 

 increased when the packages only partially examined shall have 

 received the proper attention. 



This is certainly a great result, the importance of which may be 

 appreciated if I state that less than a century ago, when Linnaeus pub- 

 lished the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae, the whole number 

 of animals then known by him, from all parts of the world, did not 

 amount to 8,000. 



In this connection I would mention that the scientific value of the 

 work done in the Museum, with the view of identifying and labelling 

 the specimens, is as great as that of the specimens themselves, and 

 that nothing could more enhance the scientific importance of the 

 establishment itself in the eyes of the scientific world, than the pub- 

 lication of an illustrated catalogue of its contents, with systematic 

 descriptions of the new species. The number of drawings made from 

 fresh specimens, by those who have collected them, is so great, and of 

 such scientific value, tbat if they could be published also, they would 

 no doubt be considered as among the most important contributions to 

 science. 



A few remarks upon the policy I have followed in the management 

 of the Museum may not be out of place in this Report. 



Considering that the Gray donation was made with the special object 

 of founding a Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, I have 

 thought it my duty at all times to devote the resources derived from 

 that Fund to the enlargement of the collections ; for it is by reserving 

 in that way to a special object our resources as they are increasing 

 that we may also hope to attain our object and found a great Museum. 



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