T 



LIBRARY 



|HE Founders of the Museum in their Articles of Incorporation 

 provide for the establishment and maintenance of a Museum and 

 Library of Natural History, and it is a well-recognized fact that 

 a thoroughly equipped library is a* necessary adjunct to an institution 

 devoted to scientific research. Since the incumbency of the present 

 Curator, Prof. R. W. Tower, in 1902, it has been the aim of the 

 administration to build up an exhaustive library of natural history 

 rather than a large general library. 



In 1902 the Museum possessed a good nucleus of standard scientific 

 works, which had largely been received through the gifts of friends of 

 the Museum. Among those of special importance are the following: 

 The first important gift was the John C. Jay conchological library, 

 Wolfe. presented in 1874 by Miss Catharine L. Wolfe. It contained about 



850 bound volumes and many pamphlets, gathered at a cost of over 

 $10,000 and forming what was considered the finest library of its 

 kind in America. 

 Brevoort. The Carson Brevoort library on fishes and general zoology, on 



deposit since 1879, was presented by Mr. Robert L. Stuart. It num- 

 bered 2,083 volumes and over 1,000 pamphlets, and included almost 

 all important works on ichthyology up to 1870. 



A library of voyages and travel, numbering about 350 volumes, 

 jewett. was received in 1886 as the gift of Mr. Hugh J. Jewett. Among them 



were many rare original editions. 

 Elliot The ornithological library of Daniel Giraud Elliot, containing 



987 volumes and 675 pamphlets, and ranking third of its kind in the 

 United States, was purchased and presented to the Museum in 1887 

 by Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt and Mr. Percy R. Pyne. 



The largest addition, in point of numbers, which has been received 



at any one time is the library which was gathered by the late Dr. S. 



biiiot. Lowell Elliot and presented in 1891 as a memorial by his widow, 



[120] 



