FOSSIL VERTEBRATES 
THE Department of Vertebrate Paljeontology was established by 
President Jesup in May, 1891, with Professor Henry Fairfield 
Osbom as Curator. 
The plan of the department, as outlined by Professor Osborn in 
the Annual Report for 1892, was to form representative series from 
the successive horizons of the West, in order to present a historical develoj)- 
ment of the Evolution of the Mammals in North America. It was ex- 
panded subsequently to cover the evolution of the vertebrata in 
general, but its chief aim, and since 1909 its specified limitation, has 
been to present the Evolution of the Land Vertebrates, primarily of 
North America, but incidentally of other parts of the world. 
These plans have met with a substantial success that places this 
department among the foremost in the world in this branch of science, 
not merely in the size of its collections, but in their quality, and in 
the high standards of scientific accuracy, thoroughness, and artistic 
excellence maintained in all its work. The generous support received 
from Trustees and friends of the Museum and the interest and appre- 
ciation shown by the people of New York have warranted expanding 
the original plans to a much larger scale than at first contemplated. 
Where eighteen years ago a single hall seemed adequate to present 
the evolution of the mammalian life of North America, the exhibits 
already require three times this space; and we look forward to pre- 
senting the broad succession of vertebrate life of land and sea, from 
its inception far back toward the beginnings of the geological record, 
down to its culmination in the appearance of man, in a succession 
of halls corresponding to the great periods of geology. The materials 
for this larger plan are rapidly accumulating, and will be prepared 
for a splendid presentation before the space is available for their 
exhibition. 
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