44 
Annual Reports of Academy of 
pletion, while the exhibition collection is ever deteriorating and has 
to be replenished, much as a collection of live birds in a zoological 
garden, or an aviary, which suffer the loss of specimens by death 
almost as fast as they receive new accessions. 
The study collection should be regarded in the same light as a 
scientific reference library, where rare old volumes are preserved for 
centuries and carefully guarded against deterioration. And how 
are our study collections of bird skins preserved? In metal cases 
fitted with clamped doors, which render them dustproof, lightproof, 
and mothproof, the specimens being arranged in shallow drawers, 
and labelled with tags bearing information relative to the date 
and place of capture, sex, age, etc. 
The chief aim of the Academy’s ornithological department today 
is to secure for the study collection specimens of such birds as are 
not now represented, so that they may be preserved for examination 
and study by future ornithologists when, and at no distant time, 
many of them will be unobtainable. This need is urgent and 
immediate and we should be enabled to secure important disiderata 
by purchase whenever opportunity offers. 
Up to 1888, the Academy’s collection of birds was almost entirely 
mounted, some 25,000 specimens mounted on T-perches being dis¬ 
played on shelves where they stood, rank upon rank, so crowded 
that only a few were visible. Since then about three-quarters of 
these specimens, including the historic types of early authors and 
large numbers of duplicates have been reduced to skins, while 
some 40,000 modern “skins” have been secured by expeditions, 
purchase, and gift. 
The old collection was largely the private collection of Dr. 
Thomas B. Wilson which included the Rivoli (Massena) Collection, 
the Gould Collection of Australian birds, and many smaller col¬ 
lections purchased in London and Paris from 1845 to 1855. There 
were also many specimens obtained on the early government ex¬ 
peditions received in exchange with the National Museum; speci¬ 
mens obtained in the west by Townsend, Gambel, Heerman and 
Woodhouse. This collection was largely assembled during the 
period of John Cassin’s activity, and its value was vastly enhanced 
by the years of study that he spent upon it. From the time of his 
death in 1869 until 1888, when the writer assumed charge of the 
collections, practically no accessions were made, but from that 
time they have been many. 
