1884-1885 - American Museum of Natural History

FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.
1883.
The Trustees of the AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
herewith present their Fifteenth Annual Report, to the Patrons,
Fellows and Members of the Museum.
The Treasurer's Report shows a gratifying increase in receipts
from Life and Annual Members, and from Special Contributions
other than those from the Trustees, thus relieving the Board of a
part of the heavy expenditures for maintaining the Museum during
the year.
A considerable increase in the number of visitors to the Museum
is also a cause for congratulation.
The work on the improvements to the grounds surrounding the
Museum shows satisfactory progress and signs of early completion.
For this we are indebted to the kind cooperation of the Department
of Parks.
By the operations of the contract entered into a year ago for
the purchase of all the birds and mammals necessary to complete
the Collections of the Museum, north of the Rio Grande, over
eighty. American mammals and one hundred birds have been
added to the Collections during the year. There were also added
fine specimens of the Gorilla and Chimpanzee, with some fifty
other monkeys from all parts of the world.
The Skeleton of a Whale, given to the Museum some years ago
by the late Peter Cooper, has also been placed on exhibition for
the first time.
Guides to the Collections of birds and mammals have been
prepared and placed on sale, and many have availed themselves
of this means to study the Collections.
Dr. Edgar A. Mearns has made a large donation of skins of
North American and European birds, and their eggs, which supplements
in an important degree our series on exhibition. He
has also given a suite of the skins of our native birds, as the