home. Prof. Francis S. Holmes was elected Curator 

 of the new Museum on the 25th of November, 1850. 

 At this time large and valuable contributions of skins 

 of birds and quadrupeds, of fossils, shells, reptiles, 

 fish, and insects, were made by Dr. Bachman, Mr. 

 John Audubon, Prof. M. Tuomey, then the Geologi- 

 cal Surveyor of South Carolina, and Prof. Holmes, 

 the Curator. Private citizens also contributed many 

 valuable and unique specimens. Indeed the list of 

 these early contributors would be a notable one, the 

 specimens showing the names of many distinguished 

 travelers, both from this country and Europe, who 

 gave liberally of the treasures they had gathered. 

 Sea captains turned over the curious things they had 

 garnered from the sea, and the Museum grew apace. 

 The Museum was opened to the public in November, 

 1851; on which occasion Prof. Louis Agassiz deliv- 

 ered an address in the College chapel to a large au- 

 dience. Rev. Dr. Bachman opened and closed the 

 services with prayer. In 1861 large accessions were 

 made to the conchological and paleontological depart- 

 ments by James H. Couper, Esq., of St. Simons 

 Island, Georgia, and by the Misses Annelly of the 

 city of Charleston. 



During the latter part of the war of Secession, the 

 minerals, fossils, shells, and other small specimens 

 were removed into the interior of the State, as were 



