HISTORY OE THE MUSEUM 



Hoffman 

 Collections. 



Samuel V. 



Hoffman 



Collection. 



Elliot 

 Collection. 



groups, of which there are fifty-three, were prepared at the expense of 

 Mr. Morris K. Jesup. 



LEPIDOPTERA— BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 



The present collection of lepidoptera contains about 100,000 speci- 

 mens, representing 10,000 species. 



One of the most important gifts to this section of the department, 

 and one which extended over several years, is the collection of butter- 

 flies presented by the Very Reverend Eugene August Hoffman, D.D., 

 LL.D. Dr. Hoffman's desire was to extend the Museum's collection 

 so as to include the more important species of the world. He began, 

 in 1897, by purchasing ($508) a series of the butterflies, found in 

 America north of Mexico, containing 1,650 specimens, representing 

 475 species. The next year he added 2,250 specimens collected in 

 Mexico, Central and South America, and during the following four 

 years purchased and presented various collections, containing over 

 2,500 specimens from South America, Australia, and Asia. 



Dr. Hoffman also provided funds for Museum expeditions to the 

 Black Mountains, North Carolina, in 1900, 1901, and 1902. The 

 material thus obtained numbered fully 13,200 specimens of various 

 insects, among which were many butterflies and moths. 



After the death of Dr. Hoffman in 1892, many additions were made 

 as the result of the expeditions by Curator Beutenmiiller, the expenses 

 for which Dr. Hoffman had provided. 



Since 1892, Mr. Samuel V. Hoffman has generously continued the 

 work begun by his father, the Very Reverend Eugene A. Hoffman, 

 in his efforts to extend the butterfly collection. His contributions 

 include 364 African butterflies, 3,600 specimens of North American 

 and exotic lepidoptera, and a collection presented in 1908 of specimens 

 from Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and Africa. 



The collection which had been gathered by Dr. S. Lowell Elliot 

 was presented to the Museum by Mrs. Elliot in 1890. It contained 

 6,600 butterflies and moths in absolutely perfect condition, almost 

 all of which were bred specimens, with many of the rarer types repre- 



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