I 



HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM 



funds) the present value of the collections would be between four and 

 five hundred thousand dollars, and the expenditures of the Trustees 

 thereupon would amount to about $300,000. 



SUMMARY 



The total number of catalogued specimens is over 18,000, of which 

 14,000 are mammals. These specimens, it is estimated, represent 

 about 2,000 distinct species. They include an exceptionally large 

 number of type specimens and casts of types. There are 403 original 

 type specimens of valid species of fossil mammals from the North 

 American Tertiary formations; the total number of type specimens 

 (originals and casts) of fossil vertebrata is estimated at over one 

 thousand. 

 Summary of The collections include forty-nine complete mounted skeletons of 



collections. extinct mammals, twenty-four of extinct reptiles and amphibians, and 

 one extinct bird. There are in addition many complete or nearly 

 complete skeletons which have not yet been mounted for exhibition, 

 many hundreds of skulls of extinct vertebrates, and thousands of 

 jaws, feet, or other portions of skeletons, only a small part of which 

 (some two thousand specimens) are placed on exhibition. 



SCIENTIFIC STAFF 



The scientific staff of the department at its organization consisted 

 of Professor Henry Fairfield Osborn, Curator, Dr. Jacob L. Wortman, 

 Assistant Curator, and Mr. Charles Earle, Assistant. Professor 

 Osborn has contributed his services to the Museum for twenty years 

 without salary. Mr. Earle remained with the department until 1894. 

 w D In 1895 the Cope Collection of Fossil Mammals was presented by 



Matthew, a number of the Trustees, and Dr. W. D. Matthew was engaged in 



1895 



connection with its cataloguing and arrangement. In 1899 Dr. 

 Wortman resigned his position with the American Museum to take 

 charge of vertebrate palaeontology in the Carnegie Museum, and Dr. 



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