9, 1910, all who were present will remember his 
: : 5 are ‘ 
serious praise of Mr. Jesup’s life and work, lightened 
with occasional and unexpected flashes of wit, such 
as his allusion to the Chilean mummy, which he 
alw oe 
ays referred to as the “copper woman,” at the 
same time observing that the question had never 
been decided by the biologists as to whether the 
66 99 = 
copper woman” belonged to the animal, vegetable 
or mineral kingdom. 
In reviewing these great services of Mr. Choate, 
we may well conclude with his last published paper 
on the Museum: 
“You ask me to contribute for the Journal something about the begin- 
nings of the American Museum, in which, as the only surviving founder, 
I had something to do. 
“Nobody ever dreamed at that remote time, nearly fifty years ago, 
that the American Museum of Natural History would ever reach its 
present vast proportions and splendid utility. New York was far behind 
other American cities in this development of knowledge and science. 
Sporadic efforts had indeed been made to establish a museum where the 
collections of New York’s learned naturalists might be gathered, but 
thus far Philadelphia and Boston had been allowed to lead. I remem- 
ber that, when it had finally been resolved to establish the American 
Museum, the first thing was to get a charter from the State, and I went 
[25] 
