1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 759 
In a note to Morton’s biographical notice of William Maclure, 
prepared in 1841, it is stated that the library then consisted of 
7,000 volumes. 
At this time certain designated books were permitted to be bor¬ 
rowed, but the Committee expresses grave doubt as to the advis¬ 
ability of continuing the practice, as serious loss of works which 
could not be replaced had been detected during the preparation of 
the catalogue of 1836. It was strongly recommended, in harmony 
with the desire of Mr. Maclure, that the library should be exclu¬ 
sively for use within the building. It was considered, however, 
that this was scarcely practicable until the services of a salaried 
Librarian could be secured. 
In May, 1845, Dr. Thomas B. Wilson presented Owen’s His¬ 
tory of British Fossil Mammalia and Birds, and from that date 
until bis death, March 15, 1865, more than 10,000 volumes in 
all branches of natural history were received from this liberal 
patron of the Academy. These formed the rarest and most expen¬ 
sive portions of the library—complete sets of early transactions 
and superbly illustrated monographs. Week after week the Wil¬ 
son package was examined with delight, as it was sure to contain 
not only contributions indispensable to the workers, but also gifts 
of the highest artistic value, such as Gould’s Monographs , Wolf's 
Zoological Sketches , Chenu’s Illustrations Conchyliologiques, Reich- 
enbach’s Xenia Orchidacea , Lindley and Moore’s Ferns of Great 
Britain , etc. Dr. Wilson’s earlier contributions were placed with 
the society on deposit, but were given outright in 1850 on condi¬ 
tion that they should not be removed from the building, a rule 
which was then extended to the entire library. 
Dr. Thomas B. Wilson was not the only member of his family 
who took an active interest in the Academy. Between the years 
1850 and 1857 his brother, Mr. Edward Wilson, residing in 
England, presented to the society 4,184 rare volumes and pam¬ 
phlets of the last century, and after Dr. Wilson’s death a valuable 
selection from his library was received from another brother, Mr. 
Rathmell Wilson. Nor did the benefit derived by the Academy 
from the liberality of Dr. Wilson cease at his death. He be¬ 
queathed to the society $10,000, directing that $300 of the annual 
income should be contributed toward the payment of the salary of 
the Librarian, the balance to be expended for the continuation of his 
