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.D   154 
.H5 
Copy   1 


^ 


THE 


VISITOR'S    GUIDE 


TO    THE 


PUBLIC  ROOMS  AND  CABINETS 


AMHERST    COLLEGE: 


S.  preliminary  ^t^axi. 


BY 


:drfir- 


CHARLES  H.  HITCHCOCK,  A.M., 


CUBATOR  OF  THE  CABINETS  AND  LECTURER  ON  ZOOLOOT. 


AMHERST: 

FOR  SALE  BY  THE  JANITOR,  NO.  W  NORTH  COLLEGE, 

AND   BY   THE    BOOKSELLERS   IN   TOWN. 

18  6  2. 


iv* 


THE 


VISITOR'S    GUIDE 


TO    THE 


PUBLIC  ROOMS  AND  CABINETS 


OP 


AMHERST    COLLEGE; 


%  ^rtliminars  §ltport 


B  Y 

CHARLES  H!  HITCHCOCK,  A.M., 

CIJKATOR  OF  THE  CABINETS  AND  LECTURER  ON  ZOO  I.  COT. 


A  M  H  E  K  S  T  : 

FOR  SALE  BY  THE  JANITOR,  NO.  ^   NORTH  COLLEGE, 

AND   BY   THE   BOOKSELLERS   IN   TOWN. 

'l  8  6  2. 


J  J)  s^* 


Gift. 
"Wm.  J. 


i 


CONTENTS. 


PRELIMINARY  REPORT ^^°J 

POSITION  OF  THE  COLLEGE  BUILDINGS 13 

The  College  Tower 2^ 

The  Library  Building  and  Williston  Hall     .       .       .       .15 

The  Gymnasium 2g 

The  Astronomical  Observatory 19 

Cabinet  op  Natural  Philosophy 20 

THE  WOODS  (5^BINET 21 

Rocks  of  Continental  Europe 25 

Missionary  Collection .27 

United  States  Collection 36 

Massachusetts  Collection 38 

Rooks  op  England  and  the  West  Indies        ....       42 

DICKINSON  NINEVEH  GALLERY 45 

Geological  Lectdre-Room  and  Vermont  Collection  .       .      51 

THE  SHEPARD  CABINET 53 

ICHNOLOGICAL  CABINET 56 

Group      I,  Marsupialoid  Animals 65 

Group    II,  thick-toed  Birds 67 

Group  III,  narrow-toed  Birds,  and  Group  IV,  Ornithoid 
Lizards,  etc 69 

Group    V,  Lizards,  and  Group  VI,  Batrachians        .       .       71 
Group  VII,  Chelonians;  Group  VIII,  Fishes;  Group  IX,  Crus- 
taceans AND  Insects 73 

Group  X,  Annelids  or  Worms 74 


IV  CONTENTS » 

THE  ADAMS  ZOOLOGICAL  CABINET 76 

Its  History 76 

Contents 83 

Description  of  the  Specimens   ...,.,.  86 

Protozoa  and  Radiata     . 87 

MoiiLUSCA  AND  ArTICULATA .         .89 

Fishes ,       o  90 

Amphibia  and  Reptiles 91 

Mammals 92 

Birds 95 

Botanical  Specimens        .........  97 

Articxtlata       . 98 

mollusca 100 


PRELIMINARY  REPORT. 


-»♦♦• 


The  Curator  has  several  objects  in  view  in  preparing  this 
brief  outline  of  the  Public  Rooms  and  the  most  interesting 
objects  in  the  Cabinets  of  Amherst  College.  The  first  is  to  fur- 
nish visitors  with  the  means  of  profitably  examining  the  collec- 
tions, of  which  most  persons,  who  pass  through  them  without 
such  a  guide,  obtain  a  very  meagre  knowledge.  The  second 
is  to  furnish  visitors  with  a  souvenir  of  the  cabinets,  which  they 
can  profitably  examine  on  their  return  home.  The  third  is  a 
hope  that  visitors  and  others  may  be  led  to  patronize  the  cabi- 
nets, either  by  pecuniary  donations  or  by  specimens ;  and  espec- 
ially when  they  learn  that  nearly  all  the  collections  have  been 
placed  here,  not  by  money  from  the  College  treasury,  but  by 
individual  effort  and  beneficence.  The  fourth  is  to  make  this 
pamphlet  a  sort  of  Curator's  report  of  his  labors  and  the  pres- 
ent state  of  the  cabinets,  to  the  Trustees  , Prudential  Committee, 
the  College  oflicers,  and  friends  in  the  community.     # 

In  reference  to  this  last  object  the  Curator  ventures  to  remark, 
that  he  has  reason  to  suppose  that  the  nature  and  duties  of  his 
office  are  but  imperfectly  understood  by  many,  and  therefore 
he  feels  bound  to  state  what  in  his  view  they  embrace.  It  is 
probable  that  most  persons  consider  that  the  chief  and  almost 
the  only  duty  of  the  curator  is  to  have  an  oversight  and  super- 
intendence of  the  cabinets,  taking  care  that  they  are  kept  secure 
from  injury,  and  in  a  proper  state  for  exhibition  and  use  by  the 
professors.  These  objects  are  indeed  included  in  the  office, 
though  most  of  them  belong  rather  to  the  janitor.  But  a  cura- 
torship,  as  it  is  understood  in  the  large  cabinets  of  Europe  and 
1* 


6  PRELIMINARY  REPORT. 

our  own  country,  embraces  many  other  objects;  such  as  the 
following :  — 

1.  One  is  to  endeavor  to  supply  deficiences  in  the  collections, 
and  to  increase  the  number  of  specimens  by  correspondence 
with  naturalists  and  others  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  by 
exchanges  and  by  expending  any  funds  that  may  be  obtained 
for  that  purpose.  Any  large  cabinet  will  deteriorate  rapidly 
where  strenuous  efforts  of  this  kind  are  not  made. 

2.  Another  duty  is  to  arrange  the  different  collections  accord- 
ing to  the  highest  authorities,  to  fix  a  printed  number  and  the 
name  and  locality  upon  each  specimen,  and  make  out  a  descrip- 
tive catalogue  of  the  whole.  Till  this  is  done  cabinets  are  of 
comparatively  small  value. 

3.  A  third  duty  is  to  obtain  by  personal  study,  or  the  aid  of 
distinguished  naturalists,  the  true  scientific  names  of  all  the 
specimens.  No  man  living  has  a  sufficiently  thorough  knowledge 
of  all  the  branches  of  natural  history  to  be  able  to  give  accurate 
specific  names  to  large  collections.  Very  few  can  do  it  in  more 
than  one  science.  Hence  the  curator  must  resort  to  gentlemen 
of  distinguished  ability,  who  have  made  a  particular  branch  a 
speciality.  This  is  a  difficult,  laborious,  and  somewhat  expen- 
sive part  of  a  curator's  duty. 

4.  Fourthly,  it  is  sometimes  made  a  curator's  duty  to  lecture 
upon  one  or  more  branches  of  natural  history. 

So  exte«sive  are  these  duties,  that  in  many  large  cabinets  it 
is  customary  to  appoint  several  curators ;  one,  for  instance,  in 
botany,  another  in  zoology,  and  another  in  mineralogy  and 
geology. 

The  Curator  of  the  Amherst  cabinets  has  considBred  all  the 
above  objects  to  belong  to  his  office,  and  since  his  appointment, 
four  years  ago,  he  has  done  what  he  could  to  accomplish  them. 
But  he  has  labored  under  grave  difficulties.  The  smallness  of 
the  compensation  for  the  curatorship  (one  hundred  dollars  annu- 
ally) has  compelled  him  to  be  absent  a  considerable  part  of  the 
year  in  other  employments ;  though  while  absent  he  has  been 
able  to  do  not  a  little  for  the  cabinets  in  collecting  specimens. 


PRELIMINARY  REPORT.  7 

carrying  on  correspondence,  visiting  distinguished  naturalists 
and  other  cabinets,  in  order  to  get  specimens  named,  etc.  In- 
deed, he  thinks  that  nearly  half  of  his  time  has  been  given  to  his 
curatorship ;  and  the  following  are  among  the  objects  accom- 
phshed : — 

1.  Opening  a  correspondence  with  naturalists,  graduates  of 
the  college,  and  others,  especially  with  missionaries  in  distant 
regions.  This  has  been  done  to  a  considerable  extent ;  but  the 
curator  has  felt  cramped  in  this  matter  by  the  fear  that  if  too 
wide  a  correspondence  was  opened,  and  too  many  exchanges 
negotiated,  the  pecuniary  means  in  his  hands  (the  income  of  the 
Natural  History  Fund)  would  be  insufficient  even  to  pay  the 
necessary  expenses.  Yet  the  great  number  of  foreign  mission- 
aries that  have  gone  out  from  Amherst  College,  and  their  gener- 
ous readiness  to  obtain  specimens  without  compensation,  make 
this  a  most  important  branch  of  the  curator's  duty. 

2.  Obtaining  new  specimens  such  as  the  following :  — 

(rt.)  Fossil  footmarks  of  the  value  of  more  than  one  thousand 
dollars.  These  were  paid  for  chiefly  from  a  fund  in  the  hands 
of  the  Curator's  father,  obtained  by  him  for  this  purpose  from 
benevolent  individuals, 

(b.)  Zoological  Specimens:  —  Mammals,  150;  Birds,  490; 
Fishes,  175  ;  Invertebrates,  800. 

(c.)  Geological  Specimens :  —  Rocks  from  Vermont  and  Rhode 
Island ;  Fossils  from  Africa,  Asia  Minor,  England,  Ireland,  Vir- 
gina,  Vermont,  New  York,  Kansas,  the  Rocky  Mountains,  New 
Brunswick,  Maine,  Rhode  Island,  Pennsylvania,  South  Carolina, 
etc.,  amounting  to  upwards  of  2000  specimens. 

3.  Obtaining  the  names  of  specimens.  The  Curator  has  not 
ventured  to  do  this  on  his  own  authority  to  much  extent,  except 
in  geology.  But  he  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  assist- 
ance from  eminent  naturalists,  so  as  to  get  names  placed  upon 
the  following  collections  by  those  to  whom  they  were  sent  at 
Washington,  Ohio,  Albany,  Cambridge,  and  Montreal. 

(a.)  The  Fishes  sent  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 
(&.)  The  Crustaceans  sent  to  Prof  Spencer  Baird,  of  Wash- 
ington. 


8  PEELIMINARY  REPORT. 

(c.)  The  Echinoderms  sent  to  Prof.  Agassiz. 

(d.)  The  Carboniferous  and  Tertiary  Fossil  Plants  sent  to 
Leo.  Lesquereux,  Esq.,  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Principal 
Dawson  of  the  McGill  College,  Montreal. 

(e.)  The  Fossils  of  Vermont  to  Prof.  James  Hall,  of  Albany, 
and  E.  BiUings,  Esq.,  Palaeontologist  of  the  Canada  Survey, 
Montreal. 

4.  Considerable  progress  has  been  made  in  the  great  work  of 
arranging,  labelling,  and  cataloguing  the  collections ;  especially 
the  following :  — 

(a.)  Printed  names  have  been  attached  to  nearly  all  the 
specimens  of  fossil  footmarks,  prepared  on  a  small  hand-press 
owned  by  the  department  of  Natural  History,  and  according  to 
the  "Ichnology  of  New  England,"  where  they  are  described. 
A  full  descriptive  catalogue  is  also  well  advanced. 

(p.)  The  same  has  been  done  to  the  Massachusetts  collection 
of  rocks  and  minerals. 

(c.)  Also  to  the  Vermont  collection  of  rocks,  minerals,  and 
fossils. 

The  la'st  two  collections  are  fitted  up  according  to  the  Cura- 
tor's beau  ideal  of  the  manner  in  which  a  cabinet  should  be 
labelled,  viz.  with  a  printed  number  referring  to  a  catalogue, 
and  a  printed  name  on  each  specimen,  so  that  they  can  be 
studied  without  taking  them  from  the  cases.  To  carry  this  sys- 
tem through  all  the  Amherst  cabinets  must  require  several  years 
of  labor  ;  but  it  would  exceedingly  enhance  their  value. 

(d.)  In  bringing  Professor  Adams's  great  collection  of  mol- 
lusca  together  from  several  rooms,  it  became  necessary  to  re- 
arrange the  whole,  in  order  to  place  the  specimens  in  the  order 
which  he  had  indicated.  This  has  been  done,  and  it  proved  a 
work  of  no  inconsiderable  labor.  A  similar  work  has  been 
performed  among  all  the  classes  of  animals,  or  all  the  specimens 
exhibited  in  the  zoological  cabinets. 

The  specimens  of  most  of  the  reptiles  have  just  (1862)  been 
sent  to  Mr.  Edward  D.  Cope,  of  Philadelphia,  for  names ;  and 
he  is  abundantly  qualified  to  give  them  correctly. 


MELIMINARY  REPORT.  9 

(e.)  A  brief  course  of  lectures  on  Zoology,  amounting  to  ten  or 
twelve,  has  been  given  to  the  Senior  Class,  by  the  Curator,  each 
of  the  four  last  years  ;  also,  several  on  Geology,  occasionally  to 
aid  his  father  when  required,  agreeably  to  an  understanding 
with  the  Trustees. 

This  summary  will  show,  it  is  hoped,  that  the  Curatorship  is 
no  sinecure,  and  that  something  has  been  done  to  bring  the  cabi- 
nets into  such  a  condition  as  will  make  them  most  valuable  and 
useful.  But  they  will  also  see  that  a  great  amount  of  work 
remains  to  be  done. 

The  Curator  wishes  it  to  be  understood  that  he  has  had  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  Cabinet  of  Professor  Shepard,  that  gentleman 
having  had  the  entire  oversight  and  management  of  his  own 
collections.  So  also,  the  committee,  after  the  expenditure  of  the 
Natural  History  Fund,  employed  for  one  season  Mr.  George 
Goodale  to  arrange  the  herbaria.  The  Professor  of  Geology, 
likewise,  has  done  what  severe  infirmities  would  allow  him  in  his 
department.  And  it  might  be  thought  that  each  Professor  ought 
to  act  as  curator  in  his  department.  Were  there  Professors  for 
all  the  great  branches  of  Natural  History,  as  in  the  European 
Universities,  as  there  is  for  Mineralogy  and  Botany,  it  might  be 
the  best  course.  But  as  matters  now  stand,  a  large  part  of  the 
collections  would  be  left  unprovided  for.  The  Curator  is,  in- 
deed, the  assistant  of  the  Professors,  while  he  looks  after  all  that 
is  not  embraced  in  their  departments. 

The  following  pages  will  show  essentially  the  general  state  of 
the  cabinets,  but  the  following  summary  of  their  contents  at 
present  will  give  a  better  idea  of  their  extent :  — 

MINKRALS,   ROCKS,   AND   FOSSILS. 

Simple  Minerals,          .......  2,200 

Rocks  and  Fossils  of  Continental  Europe,      .         .         .  600 

do.         from  England,        .         .         .         .  600 

do.         from  Asia, 1,200 

do.         from  the  West  Indies,     .         .        .  225 

do.         of  the  United*^tates,         .         .         .  4,000 


10  PRELIMINARY  REPORT. 

Rocks  and  Fossils  of  Massachusetts,     ....  3,200 

do.  of  Connecticut,    .         .         .         .         .800 

do.            of  Vermont,    .         .         .         .         .  2,300 

Fossils  —  a  general  collection  from  Europe,    .        .        .  500 

do.        from  the  Permian  Formation,       .        .        .  100 

do.         from  the  Paris  Basin, 124 

do.        miscellaneous  from  Europe,  Africa,  Kansas,  etc.,  500 

Economic  collection  of  Mnerals  and  Rocks  from  Europe,  300 

Polished  Marbles,  Alabasters,  etc.,    .        .        .        .        .  162 

PLANTS. 

Dried  Plants  (species),  4,000 

Smoothed  Sections  of  Wood, 1 75 

Seeds  and  Fruits, 400 

ANIMALS. 

Manikin  and  Casts  of  Human  and  other  Crania.        .        .  63 

Mammals  (Quadrupeds),  stuffed,  and  Skeletons,    .        '.  130 

Birds, .  256 

Nests  of  Birds, 70 

Eggs  of  Birds, 175 

Reptiles, 150 

Amphibia,          .         . 85 

Fishes, 250 

Crustaceans  and  "Worms,    .        .        '.         .        .         .         .  200 

Insects  (species), 4,800 

Mollusca, 8,000 

Animals  of  Mollusca,     .         .         .         .         .         .         .  155 

Radiated  Animals  (Corals,  etc.), 250 

Amorphozoa,  Sponges,  etc.  (specimens),        .         .         .  127 

FOOTMARKS. 

Individual  Tracks,    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .   9,000 

PROFESSOR   SHEPARD'S   CABINET. 

Simple  Minerals  (specimens),    .         .         .         .         .         10,000 
Technological  Collection, 500 


PRELIMINARY   REPORT.  11 

Meteorites  (specimens), 162 

Fossils  and  Rocks  (specimens), 6,000 

Mollusca  (specimens), 5,000 

Dried  Plants  (species), 6,000 

ARCH^OLOGICAL   COLLECTIONS. 

Nineveh  Gallery.  Sculptures,  Bricks,  Antique  Gems,  Pot- 
tery, etc.,  Modern  Articles  of  Dress,  Ornaments,  etc., 
from  Mesopotamia ;  Fresco,  etc.,  Coins,  chiefly  ancient,    1,000 

Virtu.  Casts  in  Sulphur  and  Plaster,  and  Copper 
Medallions 317 

Indian  Relics, 1,100 

The  greatest  deficiency  in  the  collections  is  probably  in  the 
fossils.  The  Curator  hopes  that  some  benevolent  gentleman 
who  may  notice  this  fact  ■will  be  led  to  appropriate  one  or  two 
thousand  dollars  to  supply  this  most  important  desideratum,  as 
might  now  be  done  to  great  advantage. 

The  Curator  would  say  a  word  in  regard  to  the  true  theory  of 
a  college  cabinet ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  objects  to  be  aimed 
at  in  amassing  these  various  specimens.  The  grand  object  is  to 
afford  to  students  an  opportunity  of  seeing  and  examining  sys- 
tematic collections  of  all  the  animals  and  plants  that  now  live, 
or  ever  have  lived,  upon  our  earth.  The  nearer  the  collections 
approach  completion,  the  more  perfect  will  be  the  knowledge 
acquired  from  them.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  every  student 
whose  attention  is  directed  to  the  study  of  Zoology  and  Geology 
will  make  a  proper  use  of  his  privileges.  Indeed,  so  far  as  the 
majority  of  students  are  concerned,  very  meagre  collections 
would  suffice.  But  for  the  few  who  are  determined  to  make  the 
most  of  their  advantages,  comprehensive  collections  are  neces- 
sary. The  grand  plan  upon  which  all  created  objects  are  built, 
as  it  has  been  illustrated  by  the  Creator,  must  be  learned,  and 
this  cannot  be  appreciated  until  the  whole  series  of  animate  beings 
has  been  arranged  in  systematic  order,  presenting  all  the  links 
of  the  chain  at  once  to  view.  No  certain  conclusions  of  practical 
or  religious  interest  can  be  obtained  from  an  incomplete  series. 


12  PRELIMINARY  REPORT. 

No  preconceived  notions  of  the  order  or  completeness  of  crea- 
tion are  of  any  value  until  tested  by  the  objects  themselves. 

A  secondary  object  of  a  college  cabinet,  and  one  of  no  small 
importance,  is  to  aiford  transient  visitors  much  valuable  knowl- 
edge. No  college,  it  is  true,  would  make  this  a  primary  motive 
for  the  establishment  of  a  cabinet ;  still,  the  imparting  of  knowl- 
edge to  a  community  is  important.  In  the  year  1859,  by  actual 
count,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Appleton  Cabinet  was  visited 
by  fifteen  thousand  persons,  and  many  of  them  spent  hours  in 
examining  the  collections,  so  that  it  may  be  taken  for  granted 
that  they  were  interested,  as  well  as  profited,  by  what  they  saw. 
The  cabinet  can  be  seen,  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  by  visitors,  with- 
out any  charge. 

C.  H.  H. 

Amherst,  May  1,  1862. 


VISITORS'   GtTIDE 

TO  THE  PUBLIC  ROOMS  AND  CABINETS. 


There  are  ten  large  buildings  on  College  Hill,  owned 
and  occupied  by  the  authorities  of  Amherst  College,  viz. 
the  Johnson  Chapel,  three  dormitory  buildings,  Williston 
Hall,  Barrett  Gymnasium,  Appleton  Cabinet,  Woods  Cab- 
inet and  Lawrence  Observatory,  the  President's  house,  and 
the  Library  building.  The  Johnson  Chapel,  two  dormitories, 
Williston  Hall,  and  the  Appleton  Cabinet  are  in  the  cen- 
tre, upon  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and  all  face  the  west,  being 
in  a  line  with  one  another.  The  Barrett  Gymnasium  and 
one  of  the  dormitories  are  upon  an  elevation  east  of  the 
chapel  row  of  buildings  ;  the  Woods  Cabinet  and  Lawrence 
Observatory  are  situated  upon  the  crest  of  a  hill  west  of  the 
Chapel;  while  the  President's  house  and  the  Library  build- 
ing are  situated  upon  the  west  side  of  the  highway,  directly 
south  of  the  village  church.  This  arrangement  of  the  build- 
ings is  in  one  sense  accidental,  since,  when  the  plans  were 
laid  for  the  construction  of  the  first  buildings,  no  one  imag- 
ined that  other  buildings  than  a  chapel  and  four  dormitories 
in  a  row  would  ever  be  needed.  Moreover,  the  new  build- 
ings have  "been  added  from  time  to  time,  each  one  without 
anticipation  of  the  succeeding ;  so  that  there  has  been  no 
general  method  in  their  arrangement.  For  certain  reasons, 
however,  this  wide  distribution  of  the  buildings  has  been 
found  very  convenient. 

The  best  view  of  the  College  buildings,  as  a  whole,  is 
from  a  small  hill  (the  Dome)  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
southwest  from  the  Chapel.  From  this  eminence  every 
building  except   the  Gymnasium  can   be   seen.      Another 

2 


14  visitors'  guide. 

good  view  of  the  buildings  can  be  obtained  from  a  point  in 
the  highway,  a  short  distance  west  of  the  railway  station- 
house.  This  brings  the  G-ymnasium  into  full  view,  while 
the  Appleton  Cabinet  is  hidden,  and  many  of  the  other 
buildings  are  seen  only  from  their  rear. 


THE    COLLEGE   TOWER, 

Those  who  love  a  fine  view  of  natural  scenery,  should 
not  fail  to  visit  the  Tower  attached  to  the  Johnson  Chapel ; 
or  at  least  the  smaller  towers  upon  Williston  Hall  and  the 
Library  building.  That  from  the  chapel  is  the  best,  because 
the  stand-point  is  the  highest,  being  ninety-four  feet  above 
the  top  of  the  hill,  and  about  three  hundred  feet  above  the 
ocean.  The  visitor  will  here  learn  how  beautifully  the  Col- 
lege is  situated,  —  upon  a  small  eminence,  in  one  of  the  love- 
liest valleys  in  New  England,  but  environed  by  mountains. 
Upon  the  east  are  Mounts  Lincoln,  Hygeia,  and  Aquilo ; 
upon  the  north.  Mounts  Pleasant,  Taurus,  Mettawampe,  and 
Sugar  Loaf,  whose  curious  outline  and  bright  red  color  ren- 
der this  aspect  of  the  scenery  exceedingly  picturesque.  To 
the  nortiiwest,  in  the  distance,  may  be  seen  Bald  Mountain, 
Mount  Pocumtock,  the  Hoosac  Mountains,  and  the  far-off 
Green  Mountaiijs  of  Vermont.  Upon  the  west  appears 
Mount  Warner ;  and  beyond  the  Connecticut  river,  set  off 
by  the  beautiful  serpentine  water-line  of  that  noble  stream, 
lie  the  hiorh  mountains  of  western  Massachusetts.  But  the 
most  noted  mountains,  and  those  which  instantly  arrest  the 
attention,  from  their  beautiful  position  and  outlines,  are 
the  several  peaks  comprising  the  Holyoke  range ;  being 
in  order,  from  east  to  west,  Mount  Norwottuck,  Holyoke, 
Nonotuck,  and  Tom.  The  undulating  valley  vies  in  inter- 
est with  the  mountains,  thickly  interspersed  as  it  is  with 
forest,  cleared  land  and  meadow,  set  off  by  occasional  ponds 
of  water,  and  several  villages.  Ordinarily,  the  villages  of 
Amherst,  Hadley,  Northampton,  Easthampton,  Whately, 
and   Sunderland  are  visible  from  this  summit. 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  15 


THE   LIBRARY  BUILDING. 

As  the  visitor  approaches  the  collepjes  from  the  village, 
he  first  passes  the  Library  building.  This  is  built  of  gneiss 
from  Pelham,  and  was  erected  in  1853,  through  funds  given 
by  friends  of  the  College.  The  library  is  mostly  in  the 
second  story,  and  contains  twenty  thousand  volumes.  Upon 
the  first  floor  are  the  reading-rooms.  In  the  passage-way 
may  be  seen  a  cannon  which  was  captured  from  the  rebels. 
in  the  battle  near  Newbern,  on  March  14,  1862.  It  was 
captured  by  the  Twenty-first  Massachusetts  Regiment, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  (Professor)  Clark  commanding.  It  was 
given  to  the  regiment  by  General  Burnside,  and  by  the 
regiment  presented  to  Amherst  College.  The  names  of  the 
brave  men  killed  upon  that  occasion  are  engraved  upon  the 
cannon.  Among  them  was  a  member  of  college.  Adjutant 
F.  A.  Stearns,  son  of  the  President. 

Passing  up  stairs,  the  room  containing  the  books  may  be 
seen,  and  it  is  the  only  room  in  the  building  above  the  first 
story.  The  room  is  crowded  with  books,  insomuch  that 
more  space  is  needed  in  which  to  display  the  books.  Sev- 
eral portraits  adorn  the  library-room :  among  them  are 
the  three  first  Presidents  of  the  College,  —  Dr.  Moore,  Dr. 
Humphrey,  and  Dr.  Hitchcock,  —  Hon.  David  Sears,  Prof. 
Fiske,  Prof  Warner,  Hon.  Samuel  WiUiston,  and  Galileo. 
From  this  room  the  passage  to  the  tower  is  not  difficult. 


WILLISTON  HALL.' 

Leaving  the  Library  we  will  pass  to  Williston  Hall,  the 
brick  building  north  of  the  Johnson  Chapel.  Its  three 
stories  are  devoted  to  different  objects,  and  each  story  has 
a  separate  entrance.  The  upper  story  is  the  Alumni  Hall, 
devoted  to  the  annual  examinations  of  all  the  classes,  and 
to  the  meetings  of  the  Alumni  at  commencements.  In  the 
second  story  are  the  halls  of  the  Athenian  and  Alexandrian 
Societies,  which  contain  the  libraries  belonging  to  the  two 
orn-anizations,  each  numberim^  over  five  thousand  volumes. 


16  VISITORS^   GUIDE, 

The  whole  of  the  lower  story  is  devoted  to  a  chemical  lab- 
oratory, and  has  ample  accommodations  both  for  the  aca- 
demical course  of  general  chemistry,  and  for  private 
instruction  in  analytical  chemistry.  It  is  divided  into  six 
apartments  :  the  lecture -room,  working-room  for  analysts, 
furnace-room,  balance-room,  and  the  Professors^  private 
laboratory.  The  College  is  indebted  to  the  munificence  of 
the  Hon.  Samuel  Williston,  of  Easthampton,  for  this  edi- 
fice, who  so  nobly  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  College  in  its 
days  of  darkness  and  despondency^ 


THE  GYMNASIUM. 

Passing  through  the  "  Grove,'^  the  visitor  will  see  an 
unpretending  stone  building  with  its  name  in  front,  "  Bar- 
rett Gymnasium."  Of  late  the  interest  of  visitors  has  been 
largely  absorbed  by  the  novelty  of  the  objects  of  this  edi- 
fice and  the  department  it  typifies.  The  different  kinds  of 
apparatus,  the  bowling-alleys,  dumbbells,  swings,  ladders, 
spirometers,  etc.,  best  explain  themselves  when  used  by 
some  one  of  the  classes  in  their  regular  exercise.  At  pres- 
ent visitors  can  be  sure  of  witnessing  an  exercise  upon  four 
days  of  the  week ;  viz.  Monday,  Tuesday,  Thursday,  and 
Friday,  both  in  the  morning  and  afternoon.  Visitors  may 
test  the  power  of  their  own  muscles  upon  any  of  the  appa- 
ratus, at  any  hour  when  there  is  no  regular  exercise. 

As  this  institution  is  a  new  one,  and  excites  great  interest 
among  the  friends  of  education,  I  will  give  here  a  notice 
of  its  operations,  prepared  from  official  documents  in  Novem- 
ber, 1861. 

VITAL    STATISTICS    OF   THE    STUDENTS  AT    AMHERST 
COLLEGE. 

The  Gymnasium  at  Amherst  College  has  now  been  in  full 
operation  more  than  a  year,  and  the  results  on  the  health, 
and  the  consequent  intellectual  vigor  of  the  students,  have 
more  than  realized  the  anticipations  of  the  friends  of  the 
enterprise.     A  committee  of  the  Trustees,  consisting  of  Dr. 


AMlfEllST  COLLEGE.  17 

Allen  of  Lowell,  Dr.  Paine  of  Ilolden,  and  Dr.  Alclen  of 
Randolph,  recently  visited  Amherst  to  observe  the  practical 
working  of  the  physical  department,  and  they  expressed 
themselves  very  highly  pleased  with  the  good  effects  pro- 
duced in  so  short  a  time.  During  the  past  term,  since 
Dr.  Edward  Hitchcock,  Jr.,  has  had  the  charge  of  this 
department,  everything  connected  with  the  Gymnasium  has 
been  reduced  to  exact  system,  and  a  full  and  accurate  rec- 
ord of  the  vital  statistics  of  the  students  has  been  kept. 
The  report  for  the  term  has  just  been  made  out,  and  it 
embraces  many  flicts  which  will  be  of  the  highest  interest 
to  all  who  are  concerned  in  the  subject  of  physical  culture 
in  our  institutions  of  learning:. 

A  physical  examination  is  made  of  every  student  on 
entering  college,  similar  to  the  examination  of  volunteers 
for  the  army,  only  not  so  thorough,  the  main  object  being 
to  ascertain  whether  he  has  any  imperfections  so  great  as 
to  impede  his  usefulness  as  a  professional  man.  This  ex- 
amination is  repeated  twice  each  year  during  the  course, 
and  the  statistics  are  made  out  class  by  class  and  posted  up 
in  the  gymnasium  for  constant  reference,  so  that  every  stu- 
dent is  at  once  able  to  compare  himself  with  others,  and 
ascertain  whether  or  not  he  is  keeping  up  to  the  average 
standard.  Each  student  is  required  to  spend  half  an  hour 
in  the  gymnasium  on  four  days  of  the  week,  and  absence 
from  this  exercise,  tardiness,  and  indecorum,  are  marked 
the  same  as  at  the  intellectual  exercises  of  the  college.  In 
addition  to  this  half  hour,  about  two  thirds  of  the  students 
spend  as  much  more  time  in  exercise  every  day  in  the 
week  of  their  own  accord.  This  compulsory  exercise  has 
been  objected  to  by  some,  but  experience  shows  that  punc- 
tual attendance  here  is  no  more  irksome  than  at  any  other 
of  the  college  exercises.  Moreover,  it  is  the  constant  aim 
of  the  Professor  in  this  department  to  have  as  great  a  vari- 
ety in  the  exercises  as  possible,  so  that  not  only  shall  every 
muscle  be  called  into  play,  but  also  that  fun  may  be  added 
for  the  students,  which  is  considered  almost  as  necessary  as 
exercise  itself.  The  bowling  alleys  are  the  most  constantly 
used  of  any  of  the  means  of  exercise,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  tl\e  hours  for  meals  and  recitations,  the  balls  are 
2* 


IS  VISITORS     GVlbE. 

constantly  on  the  move»  No  betting  is  allowed,  nor  has 
there  ever  been  a  disposition  to  indulge  in  it.  A  military 
drill  with  muskets  has  also  been  a  regular  weekly  exercise 
for  the  past  term.  This,  however,  has  not  been  entered 
into  with  the  alacrity  which  these  war  times  would  seem  to' 
inspire^  and  the  other  exercises  of  the  gymnasium  are  deci- 
dedly preferred,  because  they  are  less  monotonous.  The 
students  all  wear  a  suitable  uniform,  of  a  material  and  make 
which  is  much  better  adapted  to  a  free  motion  of  the  body 
than  ordinary  clothing.  The  uniform  of  each  class  is  dif- 
ferent, and  when  the  members  of  a  class  are  all  exercising 
together,  the  uniformity  of  dress  is  very  pleasing. 

The  design  of  the  physical  department,  is  not  to  make 
accomplished  gymnasts  and  acrobats,  but  simply  to  secure 
to  scholars  an  amount  of  exercise  that  shall  tend  to  develop 
the  physical  man,  in  order  that  the  intellectual  man  may 
more  perfectly  accomplish  his  purpose.  And  it  has  been 
found  that,  as  a  general  rule,  the  best  students  intellectually 
are  the  best  in  the  gymnasium.  Accidents  in  the  gymna- 
sium have  thus  far  been  few  and  far  between.  It  appears 
by  the  health  record  kept  by  Dr.  Hitchcock  during  the  past 
term,  in  which  are  noted  all  absences  for  a  longer  period 
than  two  days  on  account  of  sickness,  that  the  whole  num- 
ber on  the  sick  and  injured  list  for  the  term  was  only  seven, 
and  only  two  of  these  were  injured  in  the  gymnasium,  while 
these  two  were  absent  only  four  days  each.  One  case  only 
of  typhoid  fever  has  occurred,  and  this  appeared  on  the 
first  day  of  the  term.  This  exemption  from  sickness,  in  a 
community  embracing  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  is  of 
itself  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the  physical  training 
which  has  been  adopted  in  this  institution.  The  following 
is  a  tabular  view  of  the  vital  statistics  of  the  students  in 
college,  as  ascertained  by  the  last  examination,  and  recorded 
by  the  professor  of  the  physical  department : 

Girth  Girth  Girth 

Age.  Weight.  Higlit.         chest.  arm.  forearm.    Average 

Years.  Pounds.  Feet.         Inches.         Inches.         Indies,    strength. 

Seniors  22.816  133.3.59  5.570  34.559  11.050  10.593  9.440 

Juniors  20.992  131.441  5.662  34.976  11.372  10.967  9.953 

Soph's  21.186  138.627  5.751  35.325  11.500  10.767  8.300 

Fresh.  20.022  126.946  5.563  33.946  10.860  10.666  6.760 

^^'•,^^^  j  21.261         132.643      5.636      34.701       11.147       10.750      8.613 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  19 

The  oldest  man  in  college  is  thirty-one  years  and  four 
months  old  ;  the  youngest,  fourteen  years  and  ten  months ; 
the  heaviest  man  in  college  weighs  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
one  pounds  ;  the  lightest,  eighty  pounds  ;  the  tallest  man 
in  college  is  six  feet  three  and  one  half  inches  high ;  the 
shortest,  five  feet  high ;  the  number  of  years  lived  by  all 
college  is  four  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-three,  and 
the  weight  of  all  college  is  twenty-nine  thousand  and  six- 
teen pounds,  or  fourteen  and  one  half  tons. 


THE  ASTRONOMICAL  OBSERVATORY. 

The  Astronomical  Observatory  consists  of  two  parts,  the 
telescope  towei*  and  the  transit-room.  The  transit-room  is 
on  the  right,  after  entering  the  outer  door.  It  contains  the 
transit  circle  and  sidereal  clock.  These  instruments  are  for 
observing  the  exact  moment  when  the  sun,  or  any  star  or 
other  heavenly  body,  crosses  the  meridian,  and  also  the  alti- 
tude at  the  same  moment.  The  transit  circle  is  mounted 
on  two  stone  piers,  which  stand  on  solid  masonry  beneath, 
and  do  not  touch  the  building.  The  telescope  attached  to 
this  circle  can  be  turned  so  as  to  point  to  every  part  of  the 
meridian  from  north  to  south ;  and  the  walls  and  roof  can 
be  opened  for  this  purpose.  The  clock  is  hung  upon  a  sep- 
arate stone  pier,  and  keeps  sidereal  time.  Two  small  tele- 
scopes, of  portable  size,  are  usually  kept  in  the  same  room. 

The  large  telescope  is  at  the  top  of  the  tower,  beneath 
the  dome,  and  a  spiral  stair-case  leads  to  it.  The  tube  of 
this  telescope  is  made  of  paper ;  the  object-glass  is  seven 
and  one  fourth  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  focal  length  of 
the  instrument  about  nine  feet.  By  the  use  of  several  dif- 
ferent eye-pieces,  the  magnifying  power  can  be  varied  from 
fifty  to  five  hundred  in  diameter.  By  opening  the  window, 
and  revolving  the  dome  on  the  iron  balls,  the  telescope  can 
be  pointed  to  any  part  of  the  sky.  A  clock  is  let  into  the 
side  of  the  stone  pier,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  motion  to 
the  telescope,  in  order  that  it  may  keep  up  with  the  diurnal 
motion  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 


20  visitors'  guide. 


THE  CABINET  OF   NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY. 

The  principal  part  of  this  collection  is  in  No.  3,  Chapel 
building ;  but  as  the  articles  have  become  too  numerous  to 
be  accommodated  conveniently  in  that  room,  a  few  addi- 
tional cases  are  erected  in  No.  7. 

If  the  visitor,  on  entering  room  No,  3,  turns  to  the  left, 
and  goes  to  the  east  end  of  the  room,  he  will  find  two  cases 
filled  with  apparatus  for  illustrating  the  principles  of  Me- 
chanics. Beginning  near  the  recitation-room  door,  and 
moving  to  the  left,  he  will  observe  in  the  first  case  Atwood's 
machine,  occupying  the  whole  height  of  the  case,  used  for 
illustrating  the  laws  of  falling  bodies.  The  same  case  con- 
tains several  models  of  the  simple  machines,  —  as  pulleys, 
levers,  weighing  instruments,  gearing,  etc.  In  the  second 
case  are  articles  for  experimenting  on  the  collision  of  balls, 
the  centre  of  gravity,  compound  motion,  and  friction ;  also 
models  of  machines,  such  as  the  capstan,  tread-wheel,  crane, 
etc. 

Still  moving  to  the  left,  the  two  cases  on  the  north  side, 
between  the  corner  and  the  door  of  entrance,  contain  most 
of  the  apparatus  for  Pneumatics.  In  the  first  is  a  large  air- 
pump,  and  a  variety  of  small  articles  in  brass  and  glass  for 
pneumatic  ex^eFiments.  The  narrow  case  by  the  door  con- 
tains the  air-condenser,  barometers,  and  articles  for  air- 
pump  experiments. 

Passing  the  door,  the  visitor  finds  two  cases,  a  narrow 
and  a  wide  one,  in  which  the  Hydrostatic  apparatus  is  kept. 
In  the  narrow  case  he  will  observe  models  of  water-pumps, 
syphons,  and  apparatus  for  making  fountains,  and  for  ex- 
perimenting on  hydrostatic  pressure.  In  the  second  and 
wide  case  are  the  hydrostatic  balance  (Masson's)  and  other 
instruments  to  illustrate  water  pressure,  a  hydraulic  press, 
and  models  of  the  water  ram,  Barker's  mill,  Archimedes' 
screw,  a  fire-engine,  and  other  instruments. 

Oil  turning  the  corner,  to  the  west  end  of  the  room,  the 
two  first  cases  are  filled  with  apparatus  for  Optics.  The 
first  contains  microscopes,  perspective  instruments,  revolv- 
ing apparatus  for  vision,  a  magic  lantern,  and  a  frame  and 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  21 

lenses  for  the  extempore  construction  of  telescopes.  The 
second  (or  middle)- case  has  numerous  optical  articles,  as  con- 
vex and  concave  mirrors,  and  lenses  ;  also  prisms,  variously 
mounted,  Biot's  and  Soleil's  polariscope,  instruments  for 
experimenting  on  vision,  the  heliostat,  etc.  The  third  case 
is  appropriated  both  to  Optics  and  Acoustics.  It  contains  a 
sonometer,  bells,  organ  pipes,  small  organ  bellows,  and  many 
other  pieces  for  experimenting  on  sound.  But  the  articles 
of  chief  interest  in  this  case  are  the  wave  instruments,  for 
illustrating  water-waves,  waves  of  sound,  and  waves  of  light, 
invented  by  Prof  Snell. 

There  is  one  other  case,  on  the  wall  of  the  room,  a  wide 
one,  situated  between  the  windows.  The  articles  in  this 
are  somewhat  miscellaneous.  There  is  a  large  sectional 
model  of  a  steam-engine,  a  small  working  model  in  a  glass 
case,  and  other  articles  for  experiments  on  steam  ;  also 
apparatus  for  showing  the  laws  of  the  pendulum,  of  rotary 
motion,  etc. 

The  double  case  in  the  centre  of  the  room  is  occupied 
with  the  apparatus  for  Electricity  and  Magnetism.  In  the 
east  end  of  it  is  the  electrical  machine,  the  plate  of  which 
is  twenty -five  inches  in  diameter.  There  is  a  battery  of 
nine  jars,  another  of  three  jars,  and  a  great  variety  of  single 
Leyden  jars,  for  different  experiments,  beside  a  full  assort- 
ment of  other  apparatus  for  illustrating  the  properties  of 
electricity.  The  magnetical  apparatus  is  at  the  west  end  of 
the  case. 

WOODS  CABINET  AND  LAWRENCE 
OBSERVATORY. 

Upon  the  hill  west  of  the  Chapel  Row  are  the  Woods 
Cabinet  and  Lawrence  Observatory,  in  one  general  building. 
It  is  quite  a  relief  to  see  on  the  hill  one  set  of  buildings 
different  from  the  plain  rectangular  forms  elsewhere  on 
the  grounds,  some  of  which  are  erected  in  accordance  with 
the  Yankee  order  of  architecture. 

The  first  suggestion  that  led  to  the  erection  of  this  build- 
ing, was  the  ofter  of  Professor  Charles  U.  Shepard  to  de- 
posit his  cabinet  at  Amherst  College,  provided  a  fire-proof 


22  visitors'  guide. 

building  could  be  built  for  its  reception.  This  led  to  a  vote 
of  the  Trustees,  in  August,  1846,  for  the*  erection  of  such  n 
building,  provided  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  should 
be  secured  by  subscription  ;  and  the  President,  Hon..  David 
Mack,  Hon.  Samuel  Williston,  Deacon  Andrew  W.  Porter, 
and  Hon.  Josiah  B.  Woods  were  appointed  a  Building- 
Committee  :  which  gentlemen  have  had  the  oversight  and 
direction  of  the  work  to  its  completion.  The  Trustees  also 
appropriated  to  this  object  a  fund  left  as  a  legacy  to  the  Col- 
lege by  Mr.  Samuel  Stone,  of  Townsend,  which  originally 
amounted  to  five  hundred  dollars,  and  which  was  specifi- 
cally directed  to  be  applied  to  the  erection  of  new  buildings. 

In  the  winter  of  1846-7,  the  architect  (Mr.  Henry  A. 
Sykes,  of  Springfield)  drew  a  plan  of  the  building ;  but  it 
was  not  till  the  next  summer  that  any  efiicient  movement 
was  made  to  procure  funds.  Hon.  Josiah  B.  Woods  then 
undertook  the  work,  and  it  was  mainly  by  his  judicious  and 
persevering  efforts  that  the  requisite  sum  was  procured. 

The  following  list  contains  the  names  of  all  the  subscrib- 
ers to  the  building,  with  the  amount  contributed,  save  a' 
few  days'  work,  each  by  several  of  the  citizens  of  Amherst, 
in  preparing  the  ground.     These  names  are  engraved  upon 
a  marble  slab  in  the  vestibule  ; 

Hon.  Abbot  Lawrence,  Boston, .   $1,000 

Samuel  Stone,  Esq.,  Townsend, 920 

Hon.  Josiah  B.  Woods,  Enfield, 400 

John  Tappan,  Esq.,  Boston, 300 

Andrew  W.  Porter,  Esq.,  Monson,       ......  300 

R.  P.  Waters,  Esq.,  Salem, 300 

Hon.  John  Dickinson,  Amherst, 2.')0 

James  T.  Ames,  Esq.,  Cabotville, 2-50 

Justin  Ely,  Esq.,  West  Sprino-fi eld,      .         •        ....  200 

Thomas  IBond,  Esq.,  Sprino;field, 200 

Dea.  Ichabod  Washburn,  Worcester,  .        .        .        .        .        .  200 

Hon.  Daniel  Safford,  Boston, 200 

Samuel  Lawrence,  Esq.,  Lowell,  .        .        .   "     .        .        .        .  200 

Wells  Southworth,  Esq.,  West  Springfield, 200 

O.  M.  Whipple,  Esq.,  Lowell, 200 

C.  B.  BigeloAV,  Esq.,  Lowell, 200 

Hon,  Samuel  Williston,  Easthampton, 200 

Hon.  Alexander  De  Witt,  Oxford, 200 

Samuel  A.  Hitchcock,  Esq.,  Brimfield, 200 

George  H.  Gilbert,  Esq.,  Ware,  _ 200 

Enos  Dickinson,  Esq.,  Amherst,  .        .        .        .        .        .        .  200 

Luke  Swectser,  Esq.,  Amherst, 200 


AMHERST   COLLEGl!]. 


At) 


Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.,  New  York  City, 

Henry  A.  Sykes,  Springfield,    . 

George  Gill,  New  Haven,      .         .        .        ♦ 

William  W.  Stone,  Esq.,  Boston,     . 

Hon.  Joseph  Avery,  Conway, 

Professor  Charles  LT.  Shepard,  New  Haven, 

Joseph  Walker,  New  York  City,  . 

Robert  Cutler,  Amherst,    .... 

William  B.  Godfrey,  Amherst,      . 

William  C.  Anderson,  Esq.,  New  York  City, 

Alfred  Edwards,  Esq.,  New  York  City, 

Gerard  Hallock,  Esq.,  New  York  City,    . 

Rev-  Samuel  Worcester,  D.D.,  Salem, 

Professor  Aaron  Warner,  Amherst, 

Hon.  Edward  Dickinson,  Amherst, 

William  Dickinson,  Esq.,  Worcester, 

Hon.  John  Leland,  Amherst, 

J.  S.  &  C.  Adams,  Amherst, 

Thomas  Jones,  Esq.,  Amherst, 

Leonard  M.  Hills,  Esq.,  Amherst,     . 

William  Kellogg,  Amherst, 

Rev.  John  Sanford,  Amherst,  . 


$200 

.     150 

150 

.    100 

100 

.     100 

100 

.     100 

100 

.     100 

50 

.      50 

50 

.      50 

50 

.      50 

50 

.      50 

50 

.      25 

25 

.      17 


The  total  cost  of  the  Cabinet  and  Observatory  was  nine 
thousand  dollars.  The  money  was  all  subscribed  before  a 
finger  was  lifted  towards  the  construction  of  the  walls.  The 
Geological  Lecture-Room  and  the  Nineveh  Gallery  were 
added  subsequently,  the  first  in  1855  and  the  last  in  1857. 
The  lower  cabinet  is  called  the  Woods  Cabinet,  in  honor 
of  Hon.  J.  B.  Woods,  of  Enfield,  Mass.,  whose  generous 
efforts  in  procuring  funds  for  the  erection  of  the  building, 
entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of  the  public.  The  Shepard 
Cabinet  derives  its  name  from  Professor  C.  U.  Shepard, 
who  owns  everything  exhibited  in  it.  The  Lawrence  Ob- 
servatory receives  its  name  from  the  late  lamented  Abbot 
Lawrence,  of  Boston,  whose  name  heads  the  subscription 
list.  The  Dickhison  Nineveh  Gallery  receives  its  name 
from  Enos  Dickinson,  Esq.,  of  South  Amherst,  who  liber- 
ally supplied  the  means  for  its  erection. 

Outside  of  the  building  are  several  large  specimens  illus- 
trative of  geological  phenomena.  The  most  striking  is  a 
large  boulder,  having  inscribed  upon  it  "  Class  of  1857." 
It  is  covered  with  scratches  upon  four  of  its  six  sides,  and 
the  strire  are  nearly  all  parallel  to  each  other.  Two  of  its 
sides,  the  one  upon  which  is  the  inscription,  and  its  opposite, 
are  not  striated.     The  boulder  must  have   been  crowded 


24  VlSiTOKS^    GUIDE. 

by  an  iceberg,  and  moved  along  some  distance  beneath  it, 
in  order  to  have  produced  these  marks.  It  was  dug  up 
in  the  road  near  the  residence  of  Hon.  Edward  Dickinson. 
The  class  of  1857  had  it  transported  to  its  present  posi- 
tion, and  delivered  an  oration  and  poem  over  it  when  it 
reached  its  resting-place.  Dr.  Stearns  made  some  remarks 
about  this  removal  which  we  will  present  here,  as  charac- 
teristic of  both  the  persons  alluded  to,  the  speaker,  and  the 
one  spoken  of.  The  remarks  were  made  in  the  presence 
of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Sci- 
ence, at  their  visit  to  the  Cabinet  in  1859  :  — 

"  To  the  energy  and  perseverance  of  Dr.  Hitchcock  they 
were  indebted  for  that  boulder  at  the  door.  (Applause.) 
He  (Dr.  H.)  had  known  of  its  existence  time  out  of  mind. 
He  says  it  came  down  from  Pelham,  years  ago,  when  time 
was  young,  (Renewed  laughter,)  before  Pelham  existed 
in  the  divine  decrees.  He  got  hold  of  it,  and  then  the 
elements  began  to  move.  One  rainy  day,  when  the 
President  was  out  of  town,  he  and  the  boys  took  it  into 
their  heads  to  have  a  play-day ;  accordingly,  thirty- two 
oxen  yoked  themselves  up,  the  trees  broke  themselves 
down,  the  dogs  barked,  the  students  shouted,  the  little  boys 
entailed  themselves  upon  the  crowd,  sixty-four  students 
became  sons  of  Erin,  the  boulder  turned  itself  over  and 
came  up  the  hill,  turned  itself  over  once  more  at  the  col- 
lege door,  and  established  itself  as  curator  to  the  cabinets 
for  all  coming  time.  It  had  been  a  long  time  on  its  way 
from  Pelham,  and  had  had  some  hard  rubs  and  many 
scratches,  which  had  not  healed  to  this  day.  Some  of  the 
students,  forgetful  of  reverence,  had  therefore  misnamed  it 
the  "  old  scratch."  (Loud  laughter.)  But  he  could  bear 
testimony,  nevertheless,  that  it  had  done  its  duty  as  a  valued 
teacher.  He  was  amazed  when  he  saw  it  upon  its  return, 
and  he  asked  himself,  What  next  will  Dr.  Hitchcock  do  ? 
When  he  woke  up  in  the  morning,  Mount  Holyoke  or 
Mount  Tom  might  be  standing  at  the  college  door ! " 

Near  the  Nineveh  Gallery  is  a  large  block  of  stone,  filled 
with  several  bodies  made  up  of  concentric  rings,  and  are 
apparently  remains  of  zoophytes,  of  the  genus  Stromato- 
pora,  a  variety  of  ancient  corals.     It  is  from  the  Lower 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  25 

Silurian  Limestone,  near  Saratoga,  N.  Y.  Another  boulder 
has  a  small  trap-dike  cutting  through  it,  and  looks  upon  the 
outside  like  a  ribbon  stretched  around  the  stone,  though  inr 
terrupted.  It  is  from  Pelham.  Near  it  are  two  large  spec- 
imens of  gray  silicious  limestone,  from  Colerain,  Mass.,  in 
which  are  exceedingly  beautiful  tortuous  veins  of  white 
granite.  Other  specimens  about  the  door,  are,  two  large 
columns  of  green  stone  from  Mount  Tom  ;  two  potholes ;  a 
large  fucoid  from  Glreentield;  trap-dikes  from  Pelham; 
boulders  striated  by  a  plough,  and  marked  by  worms,  to 
show  the  difference  between  these  markings  and  the  stria3 
of  drift,  as  may  be  seen  upon  the  large  boukler ;  and  speci- 
mens of  conglomerated  syenite  from  Northampton.  The 
latter  specimens  illustrate  the  theory  of  the  metamorphism 
of  rocks,  showing  that  portions  of  a  coarse  conglomerate 
may  be  changed  to  syenite  before  the  obliteration  of  the 
sedimentary  character  of  the  rock. 

Within  the  vestibule  of  the  building  are  several  interest- 
ing specimens.  Upon  the  left  wall  are  polished  specimens 
of  the  beautiful  verde-antique  serpentine  from  Roxbury, 
Vt.,  presented  by  the  class  of  1859,  and  of  the  "  Winooski 
marble,"  or  dolomitic  marble  of  the  Potsdam  group,  from 
Colchester,  Yt.  Other  specimens  of  the  Roxbury  and  Cav- 
endish serpentine  are  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  vesti- 
bule. The  other  specimens  here  are  two  large  trunks  of  ■ 
fossil  trees  from  Portland,  Ct.,  taken  from  the  Connecticut 
river  sandstone. 

THE  WOODS    GEOLOGICAL  CABINET. 

A  large  part  of  the  specimens  in  this  Cabinet  are  ar- 
ranged in  cases  standing  against  the  walls.  We  will  sup- 
pose the  visitor,  on  entering  the  room,  to  turn  to  the  left, 
when  he  will  meet  the  following  collections,  as  he  passes 
around  the  Cabinet,  arranged  in  the  wall  cases  ;  and  we 
advise  him  to  examine  these  first,  around  the  whole  room, 
before  he  turns  his  attention  to  the  collections  in  the  central 
parts  of  it. 

3 


26  visitors'  guide. 

I. THE  ROCKS  OF  CONTINENTAL  EUROPE. 

The  first  collection  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  door, 
beneath  the  gallery,  consists  of  six  hundred  specimens  of 
rocks  and  petrifactions,  exhibiting  the  entire  series  of  rock 
formations  on  the  Continent  of  Europe,  particularly  of  Ger- 
many, and  arranged  according  to  the  system  of  Professor 
Von  Leonhard,  a  distinguished  geologist.  The  specimens 
are  usually  three  inches  by  four,  and  behind  them  are  sus- 
pended printed  labels  in  three  languages,  viz.  the  German, 
French,  and  English.  The  fossils  amount  to  about  one 
third  of  the  whole,  and  are  those  most  characteristic  of  the 
several  formations.  Several  of  the  rocks,  fully  represented 
in  this  collection,  do  not  occur  in  this  country,  at  least  not 
with  the  same  characters,  —  for  instance,  the  Chalky  Oolite, 
Lias,  etc., —  and  hence  they  are  studied  in  this  collection  to 
much  advantage. 

The  visitor  conversant  with  the  rocks  of  the  Connecticut 
valley,  will  be  struck  with  the  resemblance  between  them 
and  many  specimens  of  the  Red  Sandstone  Group  in  this 
collection.  The  impression  of  fossil  fishes  (No.  319)  can 
indeed  scarcely  be  distinguished  from  those  found  at  Sun- 
derland, Cabotville,  and  South  Hadley  canal. 

It  would  amuse  the  literary  man  to  observe  some  of  the 
translations  from  the  German  and  French  into  English, 
which  a  part  of  the  labels  exhibit.  For  instance.  No.  172, 
is  sand  ;  and  No.  173  has  this  :  '^Sand  of  the  Brown  Goal 
Formation.  It  appears  likewise-how  that  of  the  preceding 
nummer." 

Beneath  the  windows  in  the  Cabinet,  are  placed  such 
large  specimens  as  could  not  be  got  into  the  glazed  cases. 
In  the  first  window  may  be  seen  a  curious  specimen  from 
the  river  Nazareth,  in  Western  Africa,  sent  by  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Walker,  of  the  Gaboon  Mission.  It  is  mounted 
upon  pivots,  so  that  by  rotation  all  sides  of  the  specimen 
may  be  readily  seen.  It  probably  has  a  concretionary  or 
geodic  structure,  to  discover  which  would  require  the  des- 
truction of  the  specimen.  This,  with  a  few  other  smaller 
specimens,  were  the  only  stones  seen  over  the  whole  of  a 
plain  three  hundred  miles  in  diameter. 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  27 


II. THE    MISSIONARY  COLLECTION,  CHIEFLY   FROM  ASIA. 

Beyond  the  first  window  the  rocks  of  Continental  Europe 
occupy  most  of  the  first  tier  of  cases.  They  are  followed 
by  a  few  tertiary  fossil  from  the  Paris  Basin.  They  were 
presented  by  Mons.  E.  Desor.  Two  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  species  of  molluscs  are  represented  from  this  basin, 
which  is  classic  ground  for  the  geologist. 

Immediately  following  them,  the  visitor  will  find  a  'col- 
lection of  more  than  twelve  hundred  specimens,  sent  mostly 
by  American  missionaries.  The  following  are  the  names 
of  the  missionaries  who  have  gratuitously  furnished  these 
specimens :  — 

Rev.  Justin  Perkins,  D.D.,  at  Oroomiah,  Persia. 
Story  Hebard,  at  Beiroot,  Syria. 
Benjamin  Schneider,  at  Broosa,  Asia  Minor. 
Pliny  Fisk,  Palestine. 
Oliver  P.  Powers,  at  Broosa,  Asia  Minor. 
O.  P.  Allen,  at  Broosa,  Asia  Minor. 
Plenry  Holmes,  at  Constantinople. 
Cyrus  Hamlin,  at  Constantinople. 
Henry  J.  Van  Lennep,  at  Constantinople  and  Tocat. 
J.  J.  Robertson,  D.D.,  at  Constantinople  and  Athens. 
James  L.  Merrick,  at  Tabreez,  Persia. 
George  E.  Whiting,  at  Abeih,  Mount  Lebanon. 
Daniel  Bliss,  at  Mount  Lebanon. 
Joel  S.  Everett,  at  Smyrna,  Asia  Minor. 
Daniel  Poor,  at  Ceylon. 
Nathan  Ward,  M.D.,  at  Ceylon. 
Rev.  Elijah  C.  Bridgman,  D.D.,  at  Canton,  China. 
Henry  Lyman,  at  Sumatra. 
Ebenezer  Burgess,  at  Ahmednuggar,  India. 
Joseph  Goodrich,  at  Sandwich  Islands. 
Ephraim  Spaulding,  at  Sandwich  Islands. 
Alonzo  Chapin,  M.D.,  at  Sandwich  Islands. 
Mr.  Alexander  G.  Paspati,  at  Constantinople. 
Mr.  Hornan  Hallock,  at  Malta  and  Smyrna. 
Mrs.  Susan  Champion,  at  Cape' of  Good  Hope. 
Rev.  H.  P.  Herrick,  at  Western  Africa. 
The  following  gentlemen,  having  obtained  specimens  from 


28  visitors'  guide. 

the  same  region  as  the  missionaries,  have  presented  them  to 
the  College,  and  they  are  included  in  this  collection :  — 

Professor  Edward  Robinson,  D.D.,  in  Palestine. 

Professor  Sylvester  Hovey,  in  Italy. 

Professor  ISTathan  W.  Fiske,  in  Greece,  Syria,  and  Pal- 
estine. 

Professor  J.  A.  Pichards,  in  Egypt. 

When  we  consider  the  feeble  health  of  Professor  Fiske, 
and  how  entirely  his  previous  habits  seemed  to  unfit  him 
for  the  work,  it  is  surprising  what  large  and  valuable  addi- 
tions he  has  made  to  the  cabinet :  not  less  than  two  hun- 
dred specimens. 

It  increases  the  interest  in  this  collection  to  know  that 
two  thirds  of  the  above-named  gentlemen  were  graduates 
of  Amherst  College.  And  the  value  of  the  collection  is 
enhanced,  when  we  consider  the  difficulty  and  danger  often, 
of  procuring  specimens  in  barbarous  and  unfrequented  re- 
gions, where  travelling  must  be  performed  on  horseback, 
and  where  every  movement  of  a  stranger  is  watched  Avitli 
great  jealousy.  The  picking  up  and  carrying  away  speci- 
mens of  the  ore  of  arsenic,  exhibited  by  No.  985,  from  the 
mountains  of  Kurdistan,  is  said  to  have  been  a  principal 
cause  of  the  assissination  of  the  traveller  Schulz.  In  one 
instance,  Dr.  Perkins  brought  on  a  fever  by  his  efforts  to 
obtain  specimens  from  the  top  of  one  of  the  peaks  of  the 
Ararat  range ;  and  when  other  means  of  packing  speci- 
mens failed,  on  a  journey  upon  horseback  of  seven  hundred 
miles,  he  used  one  or  two  pairs  of  pantaloons  and  other 
parts  of  his  wardrobe  for  the  purpose  ;  and  they  came  hither 
thus  freighted.  What  a  pity  that  they  were  not  preserved 
unemptied,  and  hung  up  as  a  trophy  and  a  memento  ! 

The  collection  under  consideration  is  arranged  geograph- 
ically ;  that  is,  by  countries.  The  following  countries 
are  represented  by  the  number  of  specimens  attached  to 

eacn  :  Specimens. 

Italy, .88 

Malta,  .         .         .         .         ,         .  19 

Greece,     .         .         .         .         .         .         .       11 

Grecian  Archipelago,    .  .         .         .  125 

■    Northern  Asia  Minor  and  Turkey  in  Europe,   250 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  29 


Syria  and  Palestine, 


400 
50 

136 
58 
70 
27 
10 
60 
7 
26 
9 


Egypt, 

Armenia, 

Persia, 

India, 

Ceylon, 

Cape  of  Good  Hope, 

Western  Africa,     . 

China, 

Sandwich  Islands, 

Java,        ... 
In  the  Missionary  Collection,  probably  a  large  part  of  the 
specimens   will  interest  most  from  the  sacred  or  classiciil 
localities  where  they  were  obtained ;  yet,  as  a  whole,  they 
do  give  important  knowledge  of  the  rocks.     In  the  coun- 
tries around  the  Mediterranean,  for  instance,  we  find  abun- 
dant evidence  that  the  prevailing  rock  is  limestone,  either 
soft  or  chalky,  or  hard  and  compact.     A  great  number  of 
specimens  might  be  referred  to,  to  illustrate  this  statement. 
Nos.  87,  88,  92,    and  520,    are    chalky  limestone,  the 
common  rock  of  Malta. 
(Nos.  152,  153,  154,  Mars  Hill,  Athens,  Greece. 
No.  89,  Malta :  the  specimen  having  an  acute  point.    On 
the  label  Mr.  Hallock  has  written,  in  sportive  allusion  to 
the  rage  among  Papists  for  relics  :  *'  The  very  'point  against 
which  St.  Paul  was.wrecked!" 

The  following  are  from  Syria  and  Palestine  :  — 
No.  552,  west  side  of  Anti-Lebanon  ;  No,  454,  Beyroot ; 
No.  588,  Damascus  ;  No.  592,  from  the  Inn  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  ;  No.  595,  Mount  of  Olives  ;  No.  760,  from  the 
Pyramid  of  Cheops  in  Egypt.  All  these  are  made  up 
mainly  of  microscopic  shells,  called  Poly thalamia.  No.  1213, 
Gibeon. 

Nos.  557  and  571,  from  one  of  the  stones  in  the  founda- 
tion of  Solomon's  Temple,  known  from  the  peculiar  style 
in  which  it  is  wrought ;  No.  1200,  Gethsemane  ;  No.  1214, 
Mount  Carmel;  No.  1226,  from  the  Tomb  of  Zachariah  ; 
No.  1241,  Gibeon  ;  No.  763,  from  the  Protestant  Burying- 
Ground  on  Mount  Zion  ;  No.  767,  from  the  spot  where 
Siloa's  font  first  gushes  up,  and  flows  away  in  a  subterra- 
3* 


30  .  TISITOHS^    GUIDE. 

nean  cliannel ;  No.  768,  probably  the  rock  on  which  the 
Palaee  of  David  was  built,  on  Mount  Zion  ;  No.  770,  Mount 
Zion,.  over  against  Hinnom ;  No.  774,  from  a  rock  in  the 
Mosque  of  Omar,  which  stands  upon  the  site  of  the  Jewish 
Temple. 

Sometimes  this  compact  limestone  is  red,  or  striped,  as  in 
the  following  examples  :  No.  556,  Anti-Lebanon  ;  No.  559, 
Abraham's  Tomb,  Hebron  ;  Nos.  572  and  764,  Jerusalem  ; 
Nos.  772  and  773  (striped,  red),  Jerusalem;  No.  775,  Mt. 
of  Olives. 

The  preceding  numbers  exhibit  the  predominant  rocks  of 
Syria  and  Palestine,  extending  also  into  Egypt.  Other 
interesting  rocks,  however,  occur  in  connection  with  the 
chalky  and  compact  limestones.  Nos.  638  to  647,  show  va- 
rious ferruginous  sandstones  from  Mount  Lebanon  ;  No.  623 
is  a  limestone  pebble  from  the  Jordan  where  Christ  was 
baptized ;  No.  584  is  granular  limestone,  from  Aceldama ; 
Nos.  566,  569,  570,  show  a  very  peculiar  black  bituminous 
limestone,  containing  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  bitumen,  from 
the  west  shore,  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  the  Sea  of  Galilee  :  it 
is  wrought  into  various  useful  and  ornamental  articles. 

No.  616  is  a  coarse,  porous  limestone,  with  petrified  shells 
from  Beyroot,  obtained  by  Professor  Fiske  from  the  yard 
of  a  Moslem,  where  it  was  brought  for  building.  The  label 
accompanying  it  is  too  curious  to  be  withheld :  — 

"The  noise  of  breaking  this,  specimen,"  says  he,  "as  I 
was  but  a  few  feet  from  the  door  of  the  house,  brought  out 
an  old  woman,  in  a  filthy  Arab  dress.  She  drew  her  man- 
dil  (mantle)  down  over  her  forehead,  holding  it  with  her  left 
hand  under  her  chin,  leaving  her  right  hand  free  for  ges- 
tures, and  her  lips  at  liberty  for  speech,  and  with  a  little 
fierce-looking  black  eye,  and  sallow,  shriveled  face,  she 
came  at  me  with  a  tremendous  volley  of  Arabic,  in  a  shrill 
screech,  frightful  enough  to  make  one's  hair  stand  on  end. 
Not  a  single  word  could  I  understand ;  only  I  used  my 
Yankee  faculty  of  guessing  that  she  was  scolding  the  impu- 
dent and  thieving  Frank,  and  that  if  I  did  not  somehow 
silence  her  noise  the  whole  neighborhood  would  be  roused, 
and  what  woes  might  then  betide  me  not  even  a  Yankee 
could  guess.     I  had  no  Arabic  to  explain,  or  apologize,  or 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  31 

entreat ;  but  for  my  good  luck,  I  had  that  very  morning 
learned  Arabic  enough  to  say,  SJioo-hi-dah,  what  is  that  ? 
and  this  was  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  my  vocabu- 
lary. So  I  put  my  right  hand,  first  on  my  breast,  then  to 
my  forehead  (the  Arabic  mode  of  salutation),  and  with  a 
smile  and  tone  as  gracious  as  I  could  make,  held  out  my 
specimen,  and  pointing  to  one  of  the  little  shells  in  it,  said, 
'  Shoo-hi-dah  ?  Shoo-hi-dah  ? '  She  raised  her  eyebrows, 
relaxed  a  little  her  grasp  of  the  mandil,  and  looked  at  the 
shell,  and  cried,  Allah,  Allah,  hi-dah  hwah.  O  God,  God, 
that  is  bwaJc  1  then  resumed  her  furious  scolding  and  yelling. 
I  carefully  laid  down  the  stone  on  a  block,  and  picking  up 
a  little  pebble,  held  it  out  and  said,  Shoo-hi-dah,  etc.,  etc., 
and  thus  finally  calmed  her  down,  and  made  my  escape. 
Had  I  known  Katyr,  Khyr  ok,  I  certainly  should  have 
closed  with  it. 

"  A  day  or  two  after,  I  walked  through  the  same  yard, 
and  found  my  specimen  lying  where  I  laid  it  down,  and  I 
then  quietly  put  it  in  my  pocket."     Feh.  1,  1847. 

Most  of  the  limestones  of  Syria  and  Palestine  have  been 
referred  by  geologists  to  the  chalk  formation ;  and  as  we 
should  expect,  we  find  flint  in  it,  as  No.  654,  from  Anti- 
Lebanon ;  No.  656,  Mount  of  Olives;  No.  657,  Mount 
Carmel ;  No.  1231,  Mount  Scopes  (Mount  of  Olives  con- 
tinued) ;  Nos.  1228,  1229,  1230,  Beyroot.  This  flint  and 
hornstone  often  form  fine  agates,  as  Nos.  1323,  1324,  from 
Lebanon  ;  No.  661,  near  Tyre ;  No.  655,  from  Gethse- 
mane.  No.  662  is  a  large  geode  of  chalcedony  from  Safed; 
and  Nos.  663,  664,  are  beautiful  geodes  of  crystalized 
quartz,  which  are  very  abundant  at  Babda  on  Mount 
Lebanon,  from  the  size  of  a  hen's  <igg  to  that  of  a  man's 
head. 

Mount  Lebanon  abounds  with  petrifactions  ;  and  by  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Hebard  and  Professor  Fiske,  who  have  sent 
mo.>t  of  the  specimens  from  Syria  and  Palestine,  our  col- 
lection is  rich  in  these  relics  of  ancient  animals.  All  the 
specimens  from  No.  665  to  719,  and  from  No.  1265  to  1322, 
amounting  to  109,  are  of  this  description  ;  embracing  fish, 
echlnoderms,  molluscs  (shells),  encrinites,  corals,  and  a  few 
plants.     Nos.  1278  a.nd  1279,  are  aggregated  remains  of 


32  visitors'  guide. 

the  Hippurite,  a  very  peculiar  shell,  no  longer  existing 
alive,  yet  abundant  in  the  waters  that  deposited  Mount  Leb- 
anon. No.  1279  is  nearly  a  foot  in  diameter,  made  up  of 
these  same  shells,  converted  into  quartz.  Among  other  sorts 
of  shells,  we  find  the  Ostrea  (Nos.  686,  657,  and  1269  to 
1271,  from  Aleck,  4000  feet  above  the  sea),  Isocardia,  Ve- 
nus, Area,  Ammonites,  Strombus,  etc.  No.  1310,  Pycno- 
dus,  a  genus  of  fishes. 

In  a  letter  from  Professor  Fiske,  after  putting  up  a  box 
of  these  fossils,  we  find  the  following  amusing  remarks  :  — 

"  In  this  trip  (from  Beyroot  to  Abeih  and  Bhamdun)  I 
have  gathered  oysters  and  clams,  and  I  cannot  tell  what 
other  fish,  cooked  (you  perhaps  know  when)  in  old  Pluto's 
or  Vulcan's  kitchen,  pickled  down  (or  rather  up,  for  I  found 
some  of  them  on  summits  thousands  of  feet  high)  and  pre- 
served by  the  help  of  Neptune,  and  for  aught  I  know  the 
mermaids  too  ;  for  all  which,  the  geologists  will  thank  them ; 
more  grateful,  I  imagine,  than  the  poor  donkeys,  whose  bur- 
dens are  often  increased  by  not  a  few  pounds,  weight  of 
these  ante-mundane  delicacies.  At  Abeih,  I  boxed  for  you 
what  a  Carolinian  would  call  a  '  mighty  big '  lump,  weighing 
less  than  a  ton.  It  will  doubtless  prove  a  Jactalite  (a  rock 
to  be  thrown  away)  should  it  ever  reach  you.  All  I  shall 
ask  of  you,  provided  it  thus  terminate,  is,  that  you  will 
bestow  on  the  innocent  fishes  a  decent  burial  beneath  the 
turf." 

Although  all  marble  is  limestone,  and  the  compact  lime- 
stone above  referred  to  seems  to  have  been  employed  for 
common  buildings  in  Jerusalem,  and  other  parts  of  Syria 
and  Palestine,  yet  the  marbles  employed  for  public  struc- 
tures are  of  a  different  character,  and  were  brought  from 
abroad.  A  large  number  of  these,  from  interesting  locali- 
ties, are  in  this  collection.  They  are  mostly  granular,  white, 
or  gray;  resembling,  in  fact,  very  closely,the  marbles  found 
in  the  western  part  of  Vermont,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut, 
and  from  the  same  range  extending  southwesterly  through 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia.  The 
following  specimens  will  afford  the  visitor  good  samples. 

Nos.  14,  15,  16,  Antiques,  Italy  ;  No.  107,  froni  the  Col- 
osseum, Pome  ;  No.  155,  Temple  of  Victory,  Athens  ;  No. 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  3 


Q 


156,  Acropolis,  Athens;  No.  1G4,  Minerva  Polias  Carya- 
tides, Athens  ;  Nos.  151,  160,  161,  from  the  Propylea, 
Athens;  No.  159,  Parthenon,  Athens  ;  No.  281,  Temple  of 
Juno,  Samos;  Nos^.  284,350,  and  351,  Temple  of  Apollo,  Cni- 
dus  ;  No.  357,  Colossae  ;  No.  359,  Theatre  of  Ephesus  ;  No, 
364,  Thyatira;  No.  451,  Jewish  Cemetery,  Smyrna;  No. 
452,  Amphitheatre  at  Smyrna,  where  Poiycarp  suffered 
martyrdom  ;  No.  455,  Temple  of  Esculapius,  Smyrna  ;  No. 
463,  Gate  of  ancient  Nice ;  No.  498,  Pavement  of  ancient 
Carthage  ;  Nos.  604  and  605,  Temple  of  the  Sun,  Baalbec; 
No.  603,  Tombs  of  the  Kings,  Jerusalem  ;  No.  606,  Church 
of  St.  Johns,  Samaria;  No.  609,  red,  Baalbec ;  No.  742, 
Mount  Moriah,  Jerusalem;  Nos.  743,  744,  745,  Mount 
Zioa  ;  Nos.  746,  747,  Mount  Zion,  near  the  tomb  of  David; 
Nos.  748  to  756,  Jerusalem;  No.  757,  Mount  Ophel,  the 
highest  part  of  Mount  Zion ;  No.  759,  Valley  of  Jehosa- 
phat;  No.  760,  a  triangular  piece,  —  worked  out  probably 
by  some  one  waiting  for  the  moving  of  the  waters,  —  fished 
up  from  the  Pool  of  Siloam ;  No.  761,  Tower  of  Ramleh, 
Jerusalem ;  Nos.  998,  989,  argillaceous,  from  the  ruins 
of  Persepolis,  Persia,  wrought  so  as  to  look  like  petrified 
shells. 

One  notices  with  melancholy  interest  the  numerous  speci- 
mens in  this  collection  from  Mouiit  Zion,  when  it  is  known 
that  they  were  collected  by  Professor  Fiske,  only  three  or 
four  weeks  before  he  Avas  himself  laid  there,  in  the  Protes- 
tant burying-ground,  near  the  Tomb  of  David. 

The  ancients  were  in  the  habit  of  breaking  up  the  com- 
pact limestones  above  described,  into  little  square  pieces  of 
different  colors,  and  arranging  them,  and  bedding  them  in 
mortar,  so  as  to  form  pavements  or  floors.  Several  exam- 
ples of  this  kind  occur  in  this  collection,  along  with  examples 
of  their  stucco  and  plaster,  which  have  resisted  decompos- 
ing agencies  for  thousands  of  years,  and  which,  therefore, 
are  interesting  to  the  geologist,  as  well  as  the  builder. 

]^o.  65,  sMcco  from  a  column  of  a  temple  in  Pompeii ; 
No.  65,  plaster  from  the  interior  of  a  house  in  Pompeii ; 
Nos.  67  and  502,  mosaic,  Baio3,  Italy;  Nos.  368,  369,  mo- 
saic, Island  of  Delos  ;  No.  496,  mosaic,  near  Smyrna;  Nos. 
501  and  637,  mosaic,  Beyroot ;    No.  503,  mosaic,  pavement 


34  visitors'  guide. 

of  ancient  Carthage ;  No.  630,  Roman  cement,  from  a  cis- 
tern, Beyroot ;  No.  632,  Roman  cement,  ruins  of  Citium; 
No.  867,  mosaic,  from  a  church  in  Trebizond  ;  No.  990, 
mortar  glazed,  ruins  of  a  Mosque,  Tabree'z  ;  No.  1117,  plas- 
ter, from  the  summit  of  the  Tower  of  the  great  heathen 
temple  in  Madura,  India  ;  "  struck  by  lightning,"  says  the 
missionary,  at  the  time  the  missionaries  arrived,  —  an  ex- 
pression, it  is  said,  of  the  displeasure  of  the  goddess ;  No. 
1118,  mortar  from  an  old  fort  in  the  district  of  Jaffna,  Cey- 
lon ;  No.  1166,  cement  from  the  top  of  the  pyramid  of 
Gizeh  in  Egypt. 

From  No.  162  to  247,  are  numerous  fossil  shells  of  the 
Tertiary  strata,  sent  by  Mr.  Van  Lennep,  from  the  Island 
of  Rhodes.  The  seventy-eight  specimens,  from  No.  372  to 
450,  are  from  Mount  Olympus,  near  Broosa,  sent  by  Mr. 
Schneider,  and  they  are  almost  the  only  ones  in  the  collec- 
tion that  correspond  at  all  to  the  rocks  of  New  England, 
containing  granular  limestone,  calcite,  tufa,  gneiss,  horn- 
blende slate,  mica  slate,  granite,  epidote,  garnet,  etc.  Nos. 
801  to  936,  sent  by  Dr.  Perkins,  exhibit  a  full  suite  of  the 
rocks  of  ancient  Armenia,  from  Trebizond  to  Ooroomiali  in 
Persia.  A  large  proportion  are  limestones,  like  those  in 
Syria  and  Palestine,  of  a  dirty  yellow  color.  No.  857,  from 
the  western  branch  of  the  Euphrates,  is  beautiful  white  ala- 
baster, used  in  Armenia  for  mortar,  but  might  be  wrought 
into  ornaments,  as  it  is  in  Italy.  No.  939  is  an  equally  fine 
example  from  the  plain  of  Ooroomiah,  mountain  of  Bizov, 
where  it  is  abundant.  No.  785  is  a  similar  alabaster,  used 
for  building  the  Pasha's  palace  in  Egypt.  Nos.  944  to  954 
show  the  rocks  at  Mount  Seir,  the  health  retreat  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, near  Ooroomiah.  No.  955,  marble  from  the  mon- 
ument on  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Grant,  Ooroomiah.  Nos. 
978  and  979  show  the  famous  Tabreez  marble,  or  alabas- 
ter, deposited  by  hot  springs,  and  semi-transparent ;  very 
few  examples  of  such  deposits  occur. 

The  vast  regions  from  which  the  specimens  above  referred 
to  have  been  derived,  exhibit,  in  some  parts,  evidence  of 
volcanic  agency,  so  that  lava  is  not  unfrequently  met  Avith. 
Unstratified  rocks,  indeed,  of  every  age,  —  that  is,  such  as 
have  been  some  time  or  other  melted,  —  occur.  The  fol- 
lowing are  examples  :  — 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  85 

Nos.  19  to  64  exhibit  a  full  collection  of  lavas  from  Italy, 
especially  Vesuvius  ;  Nos.  370,  507,  and  484,  from  the  fa- 
mous Katakekaumena,  or  Burnt  District  of  Asia  Minor,  not 
far  from  Philadelphia ;  Nos.  477,  478,  479,  487,  488,  489, 
trachyte,  Smyrna ;  Nos.  726,  729,  lava,  west  shore  of  the 
Dead  Sea ;  No.  725,  lava,  ruins  of  Jericho  ;  No,  738,  lava, 
from  an  ancient  crater  near  Safed ;  Nos.  734,  740,  lava, 
west  side  of  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  ;  Nos.  731,  739,  trap, 
Anti-Lebanon  ;  No.  788,  famous  red  granite,  or  syenite, 
from  Syene  in  Upper  Egypt;  No.  1173,  syenite,  taken  from 
Cleopatra's  Needle,  Egypt ;  Nos.  786,  787,  antique  red 
porphyry,  ruins  of  Alexandria,  Egypt;  Nos.  1262,  1263, 
lava.  Mount  Ophel  (Mount  Zion),  not  native  there  ;  Nos. 
868,  869,  874,  lava,  from  Mount  Ararat ;  No.  875,  obsi- 
dian, Armenia. 

Nos.  1016  to  1082  show  a  fine  collection  of  trap  rocks 
(similar  to  those  of  Mount  Holyoke),  with  several  rich  min- 
erals, such  as  chalcedony,  amethyst,  thompsonite,  apophyl- 
lite,  etc.,  from  near  Ahmednugger  in  India,  sent  by  Rev. 
E.  Burgess. 

Nos.  1141  to  1165  show  a  good  collection  of  lavas  from 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  mainly  from  the  great  volcano  of 
Kilauea.  No.  1155  is  volcanic  glass,  called  by  the  natives 
Pele's  Hair ;  Pele  being  the  goddess  of  the  volcano. 

No.  970  is  beautiful  rock  salt,  dug  from  Red  Mountain, 
near  Tabreez  ;  Nos.  847  and  863,  the  same,  from  Armenia ; 
No.  794,  the  same,  from  Mount  Sinai,  where  the  Israelites 
turned  to  encamp  by  the  Red  Sea ;  No.  548  is  rock  salt, 
from  a  hill  several  miles  long,  of  the  same  substance,  on  the 
southwest  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea,  near  the  site  of  ancient 
Sodom. 

No.  795  is  pure  yellow  sand,  from  the  deserts  of  Arabia, 
collected  by  a  Mohammedan  pilgrim,  on  his  way  from  Per- 
sia to  Mecca,  from  the  moving  sand  hills  of  that  country. 

No.  722,  water  of  the  river  Jordan  ;  No.  723,  water  of 
the  Pool  of  Siloam ;  No.  724,  water  of  the  Dead  Sea; 
Nos.  859,  860,  water  from  mineral  springs  near  Trebizond; 
No.  992,  water  from  Lake  Ooroomiah ;  Nos.  9^93,  994, 
water  from  the  Caspian  Sea. 


36  ViSMORS^   GUIDE. 


UNITED    STATES    COLLECTION* 

To  the  right  of  the  entrance  to  the  Nineveh  Gallery  com- 
mences a  collection  of  the  rocks  and  fossils  of  the  United 
States,  excepting  those  States  represented  largely  in  sepa- 
rate collections.  At  the  time  of  the  preparation  of  this 
"  Guide  Book,"  the  specimens  belonging  here  have  not  been 
arranged  fully,  or  even  catalogued.  About  two  thousand 
have  been  catalogued,  and  a  few  particulars  can  be  given 
of  them,  while  the  rest  must  be  noticed  in  very  general 
terms.  This  collection  is  not  owned  by  the  College,  but  is 
deposited  by  Professor  E.  Hitchcock,  Sen.,  and  the  Curator. 

It  is  prefaced  by  twenty-seven  specimens  of  the  simple 
minerals  constituting  rocks,  forming  the  alphabet  of  Geol- 
ogy. From  twenty-seven  to  ninety-nine,  represent  Allu- 
vium; among  which  is  a  tooth,  found  in  Amherst  (No.  42), 
of  the  fossil  horse,  much  larger  than  the  present  species, 
that  once  lived  in  this  country,  a  contemporary  of  the  Mas- 
todon. No.  60  is  a  tooth  of  the  mastodon  from  Ohio.  No. 
59  is  a  part  of  the  contents  of  the  stomach  of  the  great 
mastodon  found  in  Newburg,  in  1845  ;  and  No.  58,  a  por- 
tion of  one  of  his  tusks.  On  the  table  in  front  of  the  case, 
is  the  remnant  of  one  of  these  tusks  several  feet  long;  in  a 
glazed  case,  and  standing  upright,  are  wooden  models  of 
both  the  tusks  of  the  largest  mastodon  ever  found.  No. 
63  is  a  cast  of  a  fossil  elephant's  tooth  (the  mammoth) 
found  in  Homer,  New  York. 

Nos.  100  to  173  are  Drift.  Among  them  are  very  fine 
specimens  of  grooves  and  strise,  produced  by  the  drift  agency. 
Some  of  these,  lying  upon  one  of  the  tables  in  the  room, 
are  two  or  three  feet  across  ;  from  the  shores  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  from  South  Hadley,  Greenfield,  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
and  Fall  River,  Mass.  In  the  case  are  specimens  from 
Christiana  in  Norway  (Nos.  163  to  165),  from  Copenhagen 
(No.  156),  and  from  the  Alps  (Nos.  167  to  173)  ;  some  of 
them  were  produced  by  glaciers,  and  the  whole  collection 
is  unusually  instructive  ;  nor  do  I  know  of  a  similar  one. 

From  No.  201  to  381  we  have  rocks  and  fossils  of  the 
Tertiary  strata.  Nos.  225  to  360  are  fossil  shells,  etc., 
mostly  from  the  Southern  States.    Among  these  specimens, 


AMHERST  COLLEaE,  37 

may  be  seen  (No.  329)  the  vertebra  of  a  small  whale ; 
the  cast  of  the  head  of  a  fossil  porpoise  (No.  359) ;  do. 
of  the  humerus,  or  arm-bone  of  the  huge  Oryctotheriiim 
from  Oregon  (No.  360)  ;  No.  326  is  an  enormous  shark's 
tooth,  five  inches  long  and  four  inches  broad,  which  must 
have  belonged  to  an  animal  not  improbably  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  feet  long!  Such  were  the  sharks  that  lived 
in  the  Tertiary  period. 

Tlie  Cretaceous  formation  is  represented  by  only  a  few 
specimens.  But  tlie  Oolitic  Coal  Formation  of  eastern 
Virginia  exhibits  eighty  specimens  (Nos.  440  to  521),  from 
a  shaft  seven  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  deep,  at  the 
Mid  Lothian  pit,  near  Richmond,  presented  by  Major  A. 
S.  Woldridi^e.  From  No.  562  to  565  is  exhibited  the  Red 
Indian  pipestone,  from  the  Coteaux  des  Prairies,  in  the 
Sioux  country,  which  rock  is  regarded  with  superstitious 
reverence  by  the  natives. 

The  Carboniferous  system,  or  true  coal  formation  of  the 
United  States,  covering  in  all  over  two  hundred  thousand 
square  miles,  or  nearly  thirty  times  the  size  of  Massachu- 
setts, is  represented  by  Nos.  655  to  806.  A  large  part  are 
the  vegetable  impressions  peculiar  to  this  formation.  The 
Bristol  county  coal-field,  of  Massachusetts,  is  represented 
here ;  and  specimens  of  the  coal,  of  a  superior  quality,  may 
be  seen  in  Nos.  801  and  802,  also  the  Worcester  anthracite, 
Nos.  804_,  805. 

The  Silurian  system  of  the  U.  S.  is  exhibited  by  nearly 
five  hundred  specimens,  most  of  which  are  petrifactions. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  spend  time  to  describe,  in  this  brief 
account,  the  non-fossiliferous  rocks  of  this  collection,  which 
must  be  studied  in  detail  in  order  to  pi'ofit  by  them.  The 
clay  slate  is  represented  by  Nos.  1417  to  1463.  A  full 
suite  of  the  gold  formation  in  North  Carolina,  is  sliown 
from  Nos.  1497  to  1526.  No.  1519  is  a  fine  example  of  the 
Itacolumite,  or  flexible  sandstone,  which  contains  the  dia- 
mond in  South  America,  as  well  as  in  North  Carolina. 

The  specimens  in  the  gallery  over  these  cases  belong  to 
the  United  States  Collection,  except  a  few  claystone  con- 
cretions which  are  connected  with  the  Vermont  Collection. 
They  are  mostly  litliological  specimens.  To  this  collec- 
4 


38  visitors'  guide. 

tion  belong  also  the  specimens  upon  the  north  raid  south 
sides  of  the  upright  cases  in  the  middle  of  the  room. 
Upon  the  north  side  thej  consist  of  a  large  number  of  fos- 
sil fishes  from  the  Connecticut  river  sandstone,  and  a  series 
of  fossils  from  New  York.  Upon  the  south  side  of  the 
south  case  are  specimens  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 
largely  from  Virginia  and  the  Territories. 

To  this  collection  properly  belong  two  horizontal  cases 
of  coal  plants  near  the  entrance,  both  upon  the  left  and 
right  hand  side.  Those  upon  the  right  are  mostly  from 
Pennsylvania,  while  those  upon  the  left  are  mostly  from 
the  New  England  coal  basin.  Other  large  specimens  of 
fossils  (coal  plants  chiefly)  are  attached  to  the  ends  of  the 
central  upright  cases.  A  large  horizontal  case  at  the 
west  side  of  the  room,  contains  fossil  plants  from  the  Con- 
necticut river  sandstone.  Conspicuous  among  them  is  the 
Clathropteris  rectiusculus  from  Mount  Tom.  The  finest 
specimen  of  this  fern,  however,  lies  on  the  table  adjoining 
the  horizontal  case.  It  is  large,  and  shows  distinctly  the 
radiation  of  the  fronds,  so  characteristic  of  tropical  ferns. 
In  the  case  may  also  be  seen  two  species  of  remarkable 
undescribed  Aroid  plants,  the  larger  from  Portland,  Ct., 
and  the  smaller  from  Turner's  Falls. 

MASSACHUSETTS  COLLECTION    OF    ROCKS  AND    MINERALS. 

This  collection  was  made  by  President  Hitchcock,  during 
the  Geological  survey  of  the  State,  between  the  years  1830 
and  1840.  Quite  a  number  of  additions  have  been  made 
to  it  since,  more  particularly  of  the  footmarks  on  stone,  fos- 
sil plants  and  fishes  of  the  Connecticut  river  sandstone ; 
insomuch  that  a  whole  room  has  been  devoted  to  the  for- 
mer, and  a  horizontal  and  vertical  case  to  the  latter.  The 
collection  is  intended  fully  to  illustrate  all  the  rock  forma- 
tions in  the  State,  as  well  as  their  fossils. 

A  collection  similar  to  this,  and  the  only  other  one  in 
existence  that  will  compare  with  this,  is  exhibited  in  the 
Agricultural  Rooms  at  the  State  House  in  Boston.  The 
original  arrangement  of  both  these  collections  may  be  found 
in  the  final  report  upon  the  Geology  of  Massachusetts.  But 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  39 

partly  owing  to  the  progress  of  science,  and  partly  to  a 
defective  arrangement  of  the  numbers,  the  whole  collection 
was  classified  anew  and  rearranged  in  1859  ;  and  the  new 
catalogue  was  published  in  1859,  in  the  annual  volume 
upon  agriculture  issued  by  the  Government  for  1858.  For 
the  minute  .details,  the  visitor  will  find  this  published  cata- 
lojrue  convenient  for  reference. 

The  collection  is  located  in  the  cases  occupying  the  whole 
space  between  the  two  windows  upon  the  north  side  of  the 
room.  In  the  gallery,  in  the  first  apartment  on  the  left- 
hand  side,  are  placed  the  specimens  illustrating  Alluvium. 
There  are  two  sets  of  numbers ;  the  first  consists  of  152 
specimens  of  soils,  the  greater  part  of  which  have  been 
analyzed.  (See  Geological  Report).  The  second  set  em- 
braces the  clays,  sands,  marls,  peat,  ochres,  and  drift,  in 
all  nearly  300  specimens.  Near  by  the  last  specimens  under 
alluvium,  are  some  lightning  tubes,  or  Fulgurites,  from 
Montague,  They  are  short,  irregular  tubes  of  sand,  glazed 
on  the  inside.  They  appear  to  have  been  formed  by  the 
melting  of  sand  as  the  electric  currents  left  the  ground  to 
unite  with  the  current  meeting  them  from  the  clouds.  They 
were  discovered  and  presented  to  the  Cabinet  by  Dr.  A. 
Cobb,  of  Montague. 

Directly  under  these  shelves,  and  beneath  the  gallery,  may 
be  seen  specimens  illustrating  the  Miocene  Tertiary.  These 
embrace  the  hematites,  or  iron  ores  and  clays  of  Berkshire 
county,  from  which  a  great  amount  of  pig-iron  is  constantly 
manufactured.  No  fossils  occur  in  this  deposit  in  Massa- 
chusetts ;  but  its  geological  age  was  determined  from  the 
beautiful  fruits  found  in  connection  with  these  ores  in  Bran- 
don, Yt.,  which  are  noticed  in  the  Vermont  collection.  This 
formation  is  illustrated  by  30  specimens.  The  next  101 
specimens  illustrate  the  Eocene  Tertiary  (or  possibly  cre- 
taceous) strata  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  consisting  of  green- 
sands,  Kaolin  clays,  lignites,  clay,  iron  ores,  and  various 
marine  fossils. 

The  Connecticut  River  Sandstone  formation  is  represented 
by  over  300  specimens  in  the  cases.  The  various  conglom- 
erates, sandstones,  shales,  limestones,  and  minerals  of  the 
group  do  not  need  special  notice,  nor  the  plants  and  fossil 


40  VISITORS     GUIDE, 

fishes  in  detail.  Part  of  them  are  in  the  same  case  with 
the  Tertiary  rocks,  and  the  rest  follow  on  in  the  top  of  the 
next  case  to  the  right,  beneath  the  gallery.  Among  these 
specimens  we  would  call  attention  to  the  Glathrojjteris  rec- 
tiusculus,  E.  H.,  Jr.,  (Nos.  294,  295,  etc.)  a  characteris- 
tic of  the  Connecticut  River  Sandstone  in  this  country, 
and  of  the  upper  Trias  and  Lias  of  Europe.  Another  spe- 
cimen worthy  of  notice,  is  a  mass  of  native  copper,  weigh- 
ing two  and  a  half  pounds.  It  was  discovered  in  Whateiy, 
near  the  church,  and  presented  to  the  Cabinet  by  Rufus  and 
Dennis  Dickinson.  It  would  seem  to  be  indicative  of  a 
larger  mass  of  the  same  mineral  in  the  vicinity.  Another 
specimen,  weighing  a  pound,  may  be  seen  in  the  collection 
of  simple  minerals  from  the  same  locality. 

The  next  formation  represented,  following  the  sandstones, 
is  the  Carboniferous,  or  Coal  formation.  The  collection 
includes  a  large  number  of  specimens  of  coal  plants,  etc., 
from  Rhode  Island  as  well  as  Massachusetts.  These  fossils 
have  been  named  for  us  by  L.  Lesquereux,  of  Columbus, 
Ohio,  and  Dr.  J.  W.  Dason,  Principal  of  McGill  College, 
Montreal.  The  former  gentleman  has  described  several  new 
species  of  ferns  from  these  specimens,  drawings  and  des- 
criptions of  which  will  appear  in  a  great  work  upon  the  Car- 
boniferous Flora  of  North  America  which  he  is  preparing. 
Many  of  the  specimens  illustrating  the  coal  formation  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, are  Azoic  rocks,  and  the  strata  contain  no  beds  of 
coal.  This  is  the  case  with  a  belt  of  schists  and  slates  ex- 
tending from  Worcester  county  down  the  Merrimac  river  to 
its  mouth.  The  metamorphic  agencies  in  the  earth,  long  be- 
fore man  lived,  seem  to  have  greatly  changed  these  stores  of 
fuel.  This  process  seems  to  have  commenced  in  the  beds 
of  anthracite  coal  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State,  and 
in  Rhode  Island,  and  the  coal  has  been  made  hard  and 
stony  and  of  course  not  so  easily  burnt. 

Next  succeed  some  30  specimens  illustrating  the  Devon- 
ian, or  Old  Red  Sandstone  rocks  of  the  State  ;  and  then  170 
specimens  of  the  Silurian  and  Cambrian  rocks,  which  in- 
clude most  of  the  clay  slates.  To  this  group  is  assigned 
the  slates  in  Braintree,  containing  the  Paradoxides  Ilarlani, 
green,  and  the  taconic  roofing  slates  of  Berkshire  county. 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  41 

The  next  formations  are  the  Azoic  Limestones,  mostly  tlie 
Eolian  limestone  of  Berkshire,  and  the  quartz  rock,  wliich 
occurs  mostly  in  the  same  county.  A  few  dendrites  in  this 
collection  are  worthy  of  notice.  There  are  200  specimens 
of  the  limestones,  and  118  of  the  quartz  rock. 

The  Mica  Schists  embrace  231  specimens,  the  Talcose 
Schists,  150.  Near  the  end  of  the  latter,  are  specimens  illus- 
trating a  section  of- the  rocks  from  Greenfield  to  Berlin, 
N.  Y.,  passing  along  the  route  of  the  Troy  and  Boston 
Railroad.  Quite  a  number  of  specimens  show  the  nature 
of  the  rocks  through  which  the  famous  Hoosac  Tunnel  has 
been,  and  is  to  be,  excavated.  60  specimens  of  serpentine 
show  tlie  characters  of  that  rock,  particularly  a  set  of  ele- 
gant polished  specimens  of  precious  serpentine  from  New- 
bury. 100  specimens  illustrate  the  Hornblende  Schist,  and 
last  of  the  stratified  rocks  are  250  specimens  illustrating 
the  Gneiss  formation  with  its  minerals.  These  two  will  be 
found  in  the  gallery,  in  the  cases  to  the  right  of  the  one  con- 
taining the  soils,  etc. 

The  Unstratified  Rocks  occupy  the  rest  of  the  shelves. 
These  are  :  Greenstone,  150  specimens  ;  Porphyry,  150 
specimens  ;  Syenite,  175  specimens  ;  and  Granite,  240  spe- 
cimens. Among  the  porphyries  are  a  large  number  of 
beautifully  smoothed  pebbles  of  different  colors,  from  North 
Scituate.  Among  the  granites  w^ill  be  noticed  with  inter- 
est two  specimens  (Nos.  62,  63)  from  the  Pilgrim  Rock  in 
Plymouth,  the  rock  upon  which  the  first  settlers  of  the 
State  landed  in  1620.  These  relics  are  the  more  valuable, 
since  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  more  specimens  from  the 
original  locality,  in  consequence  of  legal  enactments.  The 
visitor  will  also  find  several  fine  beryls  from  South  Roy- 
alton  (Nos.  214  to  221). 

The  total  number  of  specimens  in  the  Massachusetts  Collec- 
tion is  3200.    They  are  owned  by  Prof.  Hitchcock,  Sen. 

Beneath  the  window,  north  of  the  iron  door,  are  seyeral 
large  specimens  illustrating  stratification  ;  but  particularly 
a  small  pot-hole,  worn  by  water.  It  was  taken  from  Con- 
necticut river  at  Holyoke,  by  Consul  B.  Cutter,  when  the 
water  was  shut  off  for  a  time  by  the  accumulation  of  the 
water  above  to  the  summit  of  the  dam. 
4# 


42  visitors'  guide. 

Between  this  window  and  the  door  are  two  collections 
beneath  the  gallery,  of  which  we  would  saj  a  word. 

COLLECTION  OF  THE  ROCKS  OF  ENGLAND. 

In  the  next  case  beyond  the  window,  near  the  bottom, 
commences  a  series  of  the  rocks  of  England,  amounting  to 
nearly  six  hundred  specimens.  The  specimens  are  much 
smaller  than  in  the  German  collection,  and  some  of  the  for- 
mations are  scarcely  represented.  Yet  they  give  an  instruc- 
tive view  of  some  formations,  entirely  unlike  anything  in 
this  country ;  e.  g.  the  Chalk  Formation,  and  the  Wealden 
Group,  which  is  fully  represented.  This  is  a  fresh  water 
formation,  occupying  a  wide  space  in  the  southeast  part  of 
England,  which  appears  once  to  have  been  the  estuary  of  a 
large  river,  that  has  disappeared  beneath  the  ocean. 

On  the  banks  of  this  river  once  lived  enormous  reptiles, 
such  as  the  iguanodon  ;  a  few  of  whose  bones  may  be  seen 
in  the  collection  (Nos.  816  to  828).  This  collection  is  owned 
by  Professor  E.  Hitchcock,  Sen. 

COLLECTION   FROM   THE    WEST    INDIES. 

This  was  obtained  by  Professor  Hovey,  mainly  in  the 
islands  of  St.  Croix  and  Antigua.  The  first  thing  in  the 
collection  of  special  interest,  is  the  large  number  of  fossil 
shells  and  corals  (Nos.  1  to  136)  belonging  to  the  most  recent 
of  the  formations.  They  seem,  in  fact,  to  correspond  very 
nearly  to  the  molluscs  now  occupying  the  West  Indian 
seas. 

The  fine  and  numerous  specimens  of  wood  converted  into 
silex,  is  another  point  of  interest  in  this  collection  (Nos.  137 
to  156).  The  change  is  most  complete,  and  yet  the  most 
delicate  vessels  of  the  wood  are  preserved ;  and  even  the 
mosses  that  once  covered  the  decaying  trunks  present  a 
natural  appearance,  even  as  to  color.  Several  of  the  speci- 
mens are  finely  polished,  and  they  form  the  most  beautiful 
agates  which  nature  furnishes. 

No.  165  is  a  piece  of  the  recent  limestone  rock  from 
Guadeloupe,  in  which  at  least  two  human  skeletons  have 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  43 

been  found ;  and  are  now  deposited,  one  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum in  London,  and  the  other  in  the  Royal  Cabinet  in 
Paris.  This  rock  is  very  hard  ;  yet  it  is  constantly  form- 
ing by  the  action  of  the  sea,  and  the  skeletons  are  supposed 
to  be  those  of  Caribs. 

COLLECTIONS    IN    THE    CENTRE. 

As  the  visitor  enters  the  room  he  is  at  once  struck  by 
the  beautiful  example  of  plicated  strata,  or  folia,  opposite 
the  door.  It  was  taken  from  the  bed  of  Deerfield  river, 
at  Shelburne  Falls,  Mass.,  and  is  one  of  the  most  attractive, 
as  well  as  instructive,  specimens  in  the  room.  Beyond  it  is 
a  cast  of  the  head  of  the  Megatherium,  a  gigantic  sloth  of 
the  later  geological  periods.  In  the  centre  of  the  room,  in 
a  square  case,  is  a  collection  of  five  hundred  specimens  of 
fossils  from  Europe,  which  is  an  interesting  one  for  study. 
Above  them  is  a  glazed  box,  containing  specimens  of  calcite 
from  Weyer's  Cave  in  Virginia;  also  gypseus  alabaster 
from  the  Mammoth  Cave  in  Kentucky.  Between  this  case 
and  the  door  is  a  horizontal  case  filled  with  claystones, 
largely  .from  Massachusetts. 

Upon  the  other  side,  no  one  can  pass  by  the  immense 
cast  of  the  head  of  the  Deinotherium,  the  largest  quadru- 
ped that  ever  lived.  It  was  like  an  elephant  in  general 
structure,  but  had  two  tusks  below,  which  may  have  served 
as  an  anchor,  to  prevent  the  animal  from  floating  away  when 
asleep  ;  for  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  aquatic  in  his  hab- 
its, like  the  hippopotamus.  Its  size  may  be  conjectured  by 
comparing  this  head  with  that  of  the  Mastodon  gigantius, 
suspended  from  the  ceiling,  almost  over  the  Deinotherium. 
Tiie  mastodon  was  larger  than  the  elephant.  The  two 
models  of  large  tusks  of  the  mastodon  came  from  the  great 
Newburg  mastodon,  now  exhibited  at  Dr.  Warren's  Museum 
in  Boston.  All  that  remains  of  the  orio'inal  tusk  is  in  a 
glazed  box  at  the  foot  of  one  of  the  models,  as  already 
noticed. 

The  specimens  in  the  upright  cases,  facing  the  Deinothe- 
rium head,  are  European  and  Asiatic.  Those  upon  the 
north  side  are,  an  economic  collection  from  Europe,  num- 


44  visitors'  guide. 

bering  three  hundred  specimens  :  fossils  of  the  Permian 
group,  specimens  from  Bordeaux,  France,  and  fossils  of  the 
carboniferous  limestone  of  Ireland.  Upon  the  south  side  is 
a  fine  collection  of  fossil  plants  and  fishes  of  Europe.  The 
Asiatic  specimens  are  to  the  left  of  the  fossils,  and  are 
chiefly  from  Asia  Minor  and  Syria.  On  top  of  these  up- 
right cases  are  models  of  large  European  specimens  of  Sau- 
rians,  etc.  They  are  the  Plesiosaurus,  Mystriosaurus,  Ich- 
thyosaurus, Pentremites,  or  Lily  Enerinite,  the  Labyrintho- 
don,  Zeuglodon,  jaw  of  a  mastodon,  from  Missouri,  etc. 

SPECIMENS    UPON    THE    TABLES. 

Four  tables  are  filled  with  large  specimens.  Upon  the 
one  facing  the  Missionary  Collection,  are  columns  of  trap 
from  the  Giant's  Causeway  in  Ireland,  and  Mount  Tom  in 
Massachusetts  ;  also  septaria,  or  turtle  stones.  Upon  the 
next  table  is  a  very  fine  specimen  of  the  clathropteris,  show- 
ing the  I'adiating  top  of  the  tree  ;  specimens  illustrating 
veins  in  rocks  and  fossils,  from  the  Black  river,  and  chazy 
limestones  of  Vermont.  The  table  north  of  this,  is  filled 
with  specimens  illustrating  drift  strias,  mostly  from  Ver- 
mont. Upon  the  table  facing  the  Massachusetts  Collection 
are  many  United  States  fossils,  waterworn  masses  of  rocks, 
and  interesting  hippurites  from  Mount  Lebanon  in  Syria. 

COLLECTION    OF    POLISHED    MARBLES,   ALABASTERS, 
PORPHYRIES,    ETC. 

These  amount  to  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  specimens, 
three  inches  square,  sunk  into  a  slab  of  white  marble,  and 
separated  by  narrow  slips  of  black  marble.  They  were  put 
up  at  Rome,  and  exhibit  many  of  the  most  beautiful  rocks 
used  in  Europe  for  ornamental  work,  as  well  as  many  that 
are  antiques  ;  that  is,  found  only  in  the  old  ruins.  The  slab 
is  suspended  at  the  farther  end  of  the  upright  case,  south 
of  the  Deinotherium's  head.  The  specimens  are  arranged 
in  nine  perpendicular  rows,  or  columns  ;  or,  if  we  reckon 
crosswise,  in  fifteen  rows.  The  first  vertical  row  consists 
almost  enth'ely  of  alabasters.     The  next  four  columns  ex- 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  45 

liibit  a  great  variety  of  the  most  esteemed  marbles,  among 
which  the  Breccia  marbles  predominate.  Others  are  the 
famous  Cipolin,  Brocatellas,  Parian,  Pentelic,  Carrara, 
Egyptian,  and  other  antiques.  In  column  sixth,  we  have 
Jasper  and  numerous  Diaspores.  In  column  seventh,  are 
various  Granites  and  Porphyries.  In  number  eight,  are 
Serpentines,  Petrified  Wood,  Basalts,  Verd-Antique,  Ma- 
lachite, Lapis  Lazuli,  etc.  This  slab  was  obtained  in  Rome 
by  Professor  Hovey,  at  an  expense  to  the  College  of  about 
sixty  dollars. 


DICKINSON  NINEYEH  GALLERY. 

Attached  to  the  Woods  Cabinet  is  a  small  room  contain- 
ing ancient  sculptures  from  Nineveh.  The  specimens  were 
procured  by  Rev.  Henry  Lobdel,  M.  D.,  late  missionary  of 
the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  to  Mosul.  The  room  was  built  by  the 
liberality  of  Enos  Dickinson,  Esq.,  of  South  Amherst. 
Besides  the  sculptures  are  several  fresco  paintings,  nearly 
of  natural  size,  of  the  most  interesting  objects  from  Nine- 
veh, described  by  Layard. 

Most  persons  know  that  Mr.  Layard,  an  English  gentle- 
man, now  a  member  of  Parliament,  at  two  several  times, 
a  few  years  since,  spent  many  months  in  exploring  the 
numerous  ruins  oh  the  banks  of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates, 
in  Mesopotamia,  especially  at  Kouyunjik  opposite  Mosul, 
and  at  Niraroud,  nearly  twenty  miles  further  south,  both  of 
which  places  Mr.  Layard  regards  as  probably  within  the 
limits  of  ancient  Nineveh.  The  sculptures  are  from  these 
two  localities.  Mr.  Layard  disinterred  a  great  number  of 
the  rooms  of  tlie  old  palaces  in  these  ruins,  and  sent  such 
as  he  pleased  to  the  British  Museum  in  London,  where  is 
an  immense  collection.  But  he  did  not  need  them  ail ;  and 
being  a  personal  friend  of  the  American  missionaries  at 
Mosul  and  Ooroomiah,  allowed  them  to  select  and  send 
away  to  this  country  a  large  number.  These  specimens 
were  forwarded  to  Amherst  at  two  different  times. 

The  sculptures  are  upon  slabs  of  gypseous  alabaster. 
They  had  to  be  sawed  into  slabs  about  two  inches  thick  and 


46  visitors'  guide. 

several  feet  square,  so  that  they  might  be  conveyed  over 
500  miles  across  Asia  ]Minor,  on  the  backs  of  camels,  to 
Scanderoon.  The  boxes  weighed  about  280  pounds 
each.  It  is  no  wonder  that  they  were  somewhat  broken 
when  they  arrived ;  but  fortunately  none  of  the  cracks 
passed  through  the  most  delicate  parts  of  the  figures. 
The  slabs  are  set  in  the  walls  of  the  gallery,  and  are  situ- 
ated nearly  as  they  were  in  their  original  walls.  We 
are  fortunate  to  be  able  to  present  a  notice  of  these  sculp- 
tures from  the  pen  of  Mr.  John  Avery,  Mathematical  Tutor 
in  the  College,  who  has  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  in  study- 
ing the  sculptures  and  the  cuneiform  characters  engraven 
upon  them.  . 

Description  of  the  Figures. 

The  ancient  sculptures  presented  to  Amherst  College  by 
Dr.  Lobdel,  of  Mosul,  and  deposited  in  the  Nineveh  Gal- 
lery, are  six  in  number.  They  are  in  the  best  and  earliest 
styles  of  Assyrian  art,  which  was  marked  by  variety  and 
elegance  of  form  ;  and  belong  to  a  period  as  early  as  930 
B.  C.  As  indicated  by  the  inscriptions  and  the  bas-reliefs, 
they  were  all  taken  from  the  northwest  palace,  Nimroud. 
This  palace,  built  by  Sardanapalus,  was  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  yet  discovered  in  Assyria.  It  was  360  feet  in 
length,  and  300  in  breadth,  standing  on  a  raised  platform 
overlooking  the  Tigris.  It  consisted  of  a  long  central  hall, 
surrounded  by  numerous  ceiled  chambers,  whose  sides  and 
floors  were  covered  with  alabaster  slabs,  upon  which  were 
depicted  scenes  of  every  variety.  The  present  position  of 
the  slabs  conforms  as  much  as  possible  to  their  original 
situation. 

No.  1  represents  an  eagle-headed  divinity,  probably  a 
type  of  the  Supreme  Deity;  and  he  may  be  identified  with 
Nisroch  of  Scripture,  in  whose  temple  Sennacherib  was 
slain  by  his  sons.  He  w^ears  the  flowing  robe  of  the  Assyr- 
ians, secured  at  the  waist  by  a  girdle  terminating  in  cords 
and  tassels  reaching  to  the  feet.  The  border  of"  the  robe 
is  fringed  and  elaborately  embroidered.  Upon  the  neck  is 
a  necklace,  and  upon  the  arms  and  wrists  are  armlets  and 
bracelets.     The  right  hand  is  plucking  a  cone  from  the 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  47 

sacred  treC)  while  the  left  carries  a  square  metallic  vessel. 
In  the  girdle  are  two  daggers. 

No.  2  is  a  winged  figure,  probably  a  demi-god,  and  in 
dress  and  posture  does  not  differ  essentially  from  No.  1. 
The  head  is  covered  with  a  circular  helmet.  The  beard 
and  hair  are  very  long,  and,  as  in  all  of  the  figures,  elab- 
orately platted.  There  are  sandals  of  wood  or  leather  on 
the  feet,  ear-rings  in  the  ears,  and  three  daggers  in  the 
girdle. 

No.  3  differs  from  No.  2  only  in  the  ornament  of  tRe 
helmet,  and  the  varied  and  beautiful  embroidery  of  the  robe. 
Some  of  the  patterns  are  the  mystic  honey-suckle,  alterna- 
ting with  the  lotus  or  pine-cone,  and  winged  figures. 

No.  4  is  Sardanapalus,  who  built  the  palace,  and  whose 
deeds  are  recorded  in  the  inscriptions.  He  has  returned 
from  war  victorious,  and  is  offering  thanks  to  his  gods.  Plis 
left  hand  grasps  a  bow,  and  his  right  holds  a  censer  or  basin 
of  holy  water.  His  head  is  covered  with  a  helmet,  pecu- 
liar to  a  king,  surrounded  by  a  band  from  which  cords  and 
tassels  extend  down  the  back.  This  king  was  a  great  con- 
queror, and  styles  himself  the  "one  who  has  reduced  under 
his  authorities  all  countries,  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to 
the  going  down  thereof" 

No,  5  is  another  winged  priest  or  divinity.  The  right 
hand  is  uplifted  in  the  act  of  devotion,  and  the  left  holds  a 
sacred  flower.  The  head  has  no  helmet,  but  is  encircled  by 
a  garland. 

No.  6  is  an  eagle-headed  divinity,  differing  from  No.  1 
only  in  a  few  points  of  dress. 

All  the  slabs  bear  inscriptions,  reading  from  left  to  right, 
which  are  precisely  identical,  and  refer  to  the  king  who 
built  the  palace.  They  are  written  in  the  cuneiform  char- 
acter, which  was  the  monumental  writing  of  the  Assyrians, 
while  an  entirely  distinct  form  was  used  for  private  docu- 
ments. In  the  first  line  is  found  a  genealogical  list  of  three 
kings, .  which  may  be  read  thus :  Sardanapalus  .  .  .  son 
of  Tiglathi-Nin  .  .  .  son  of  Iva-lush  II.  [built  this  palace.] 
Between  each  proper  name  are  numerous  titles.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  inscription  is  probably  taken  up  with  an 
account  of  the  building  of  the  palace  and  the  exploits  of  the 
king.     Nos.  2  and  o  only  contain  the  entire  inscription. 


48  VISITOHS'   GtjlDE. 

There  are  also  in  the  gallery  five  bricks  bearing  inscrip- 
tions, three  from  the  centre  palace,  Nimroud,  one  from  the 
N.  W.  palace,  and  one  from  Babylon.  The  bricks  from  the 
centre  palaces  bear  the  same  inscription,  in  which  we  find  the 
names  and  titles  of  three  kings  in  genealogical  order,  which 
read :  Shalmaneser  .  .  .  son  of  Sardanapalus  .  .  .  son  of 
Tiglathi-Mn  [built  this  palace].  The  characters  were 
generally  formed  by  a  sharp  instrument  before  the  bricks 
were  baked.  The  inscription  on  the  Babylonian  brick  is 
iiiteresting  as  exhibiting  an  approach  to  modern  printing, 
for  the  characters  were  impressed  with  a  stamp.  They  are 
so  minute  and  indistinct  as  to  be  hardly  legible. 

FRESCO    PAINTINGS. 

The  fresco  paintings  on  the  walls  are  taken  from  sculp- 
tures abounding  in  the  ruins  of  Assyria. 

No.  7  is  a  winged  human-headed  lion.  Pairs  of  these 
mythic  forms  are  often  found  guarding  the  portals  of  Assyr- 
ian temples.  The  body  of  a  lion  and  the  head  of  a  man 
denote  a  union  of  physical  with  intellectu£i,l  power. 

'No.  8  represents  Sennacherib  at  the  seige  of  Lachish. 
Beneath  is  an  inscription  v/hich  reads  as  follows  :  "  Senna- 
cherib, the  mighty  king,  king  of  the  country  of  Assyria, 
sitting  on  the  throne  of  judgment  before  the  city  of  Lachish. 
I  give  permission  for  its  slaughter." 

No.  9  is  a  fish-god.  The  head  of  the  fish  forms  a  mitre 
above  that  of  the  man,  while  the  scaly  back  and  tail  fall 
like  a  cloak  behind.  This  figure  may  be  identified  v-ith 
the  sacred  "man-fish,"  wdio,  according  to  tradition,  issued 
from  the  Persian  sea,  and  taught  the  Chalda3ans  the  arts 
and  sciences,  Dagon  of  the  Philistines  was  vs^orshipped 
under  this  form. 

No.  10  is  a  Sphynx.  The  body  is  that  of  a  lion;  the 
head  is  beardless,  the  cap  is  square  and  highly  ornamented 
at  the  top ;  a  pair  of  wings  supported  a  platform  which  may 
have  been  used  as  an  altar,  or  place  tO  receive  tribute. 

Nos.  11,  12,  and  13  represent  an  Assyrian  spearman, 
archer,  and  slinger.  Their  difterent  styles  of  dress  show 
them  to  be  mercenaries  from  various  nations  in  the  Assyrian 
army. 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  49 

No.  \4z  is  a  eunuch.  This  class  seems  to  have  been 
invested  with  somewhat  of  a  sacred  character,  and  are  con- 
spicuous in  religious  ceremonies. 

No.  15  is  a  winged  figure  in  a  circle,  a  symbol  of  deity. 
In  the  early  sculptures  it  is  the  only  emblem  of  divinity 
which  the  king  worships.  It  is  usually  represented  as 
watching  over  the  monarch,  shooting  arrows  at  his  enemies 
in  battle,  and  when  triumphant,  as  here,  uplifting  the  right 
hand,  and  holding  in  the  left  an  unbent  bow.  This  figure 
may  have  suggested  to  Ezekiel  "  a  wheel  in  the  middle  of 
a  wheel." 

No.  16  is  a  fish-god,  similar  to  No.  9. 

No.  17  is  a  winged  horse,  from  which  the  Greeks  may 
have  derived  their  idea  of  Pegasus. 

No.  18  is  a  gryphon.  It  has  the  body  of  a  lion  with 
the  wings  and  head  of  an  eagle. 

No.  19  is  an  Indian  monkey,  which  an  attendant  secures 
by  a  heavy  chain. 

No.  20  is  a  wild  bull  from  India.  The  Assyrians  often 
brought  home  foreign  animals  from  their  distant  campaigns. 

OTHER    COLLECTIONS    IN    THE    NINEVEH    GALLERY. 

For  want  of  room  elsewhere,  a  large  collection  of  Ver- 
mont claystones  are  placed  in  this  room.  They  illustrate 
beautifully  many  phases  of  these  very  curious  bodies.  An- 
other case  contains  lignites  from  Brandon,  Vt.,  and  Mount 
Lebanon  in  Syria^The  latter  is  traversed  by  a  vein  of 
quartz.  It  was  presented  by  Kev.  Daniel  Bliss,  American 
missionary  on  Mount  Lebanon,  who  sportively  remarked 
in  sending  it :  "  This  is  one  of  the  trees  that  Hiram  did  not 
send  to  Solomon." 

The  other  two  cases  contain  several  articles,  mostly  in 
fragments,  from  Nineveh  and  Babylon  ;  also,  modern  arti- 
cles of  dress  and  ornament  from  the  same  region,  such  as 
shoes,  bracelets,  lamps,  pipes,  spoons,  caps,  etc. 

A  fine  collection  of  coins,  mostly  ancient,  and  other 
objects  of  virtu  have  been  on  exhibition  in  the  Nineveh 
Gallery.  But  they  present  so  strong  attractions  to  the 
unprincipled  ^urloiner  as   to  need  some  special  means  of 

5 


50  visitors'  guide. 

security,  an  therefore  the  Curator  has  withdrawn  tnem 
from  exhibition  until  the  Trustees  shall  order  otherwise,' or 
fit  up  an  Archeeological  room,  to  be  accessible  only  in  special 
cases.  Such  a  room  is  greatly  needed,  and  it  would  con- 
tain the  following  collections  ;  — 

1.  One  of  polished  and  engraved  gems,  seals,  and  cylin- 
ders from  Nineveh  and  Babylon. 

2.  Coins  of  gold,  silver,  and  copper,  mostly  ancient, 
Greek,  Roman,  Cufic,  Persian,  Russian,  Hindoo,  etc.,  in 
number  1000,  commencing  with  those  of  Alexander  the 
Great ;  found  chiefly  in  Mesopotamia. 

3.  Sulphur  casts  of  the  medals  struck  by  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  during  his  reign,  185  specimens. 

4.  Plaster  casts  of  the  heads  of  illustrious  men  mostly 
ancient,  48  specimens. 

5.  Copper  Medals  struck  by  the  government  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  84  specimens. 

6.  The  Indian  relics  consist  of  arrow-heads,  spear-heads, 
bowls,  pipes,  pottery  work,  etc.,  of  the  North  American 
Indians,  mostly  of  those  who  lived  formerly  in  the  Con- 
necticut river  valley.  More  than  1100  specimens  are 
embraced  in  it,  which  were  collected  and  presented  by  Pro- 
fessor Edw.  Hitchcock,  Jr.,  and  by  him  presented  to  the 
College.  These  are  now  on  exhibition,  temporarily,  in  hor- 
izontal cases  in  the  Zoological  room. 

THE  GALLERY. 

Many  of  the  specimens  in  the  gallery  have  already  been 
noticed,  as  they  are  the  continuation  of  collections  below,  as 
the  United  States  and  Massachusetts  collections.  Two  others 
remain  to  be  noticed  :  the  Simple  Minerals,  and  the  Con- 
necticut Collection  ;  the  former  presented  by  Prof.  Edward 
Hitchcock,  and  the  latter  by  Prof.  C.  A.  Shepard. 

The  simple  minerals  are  arranged  according  to  the  chem- 
ical classification,  as  drawn  out  in  Dana's  Mineralogy. 
There  are  1900  specimens  in  all.  An  appendix  to  this 
collection,  in  the  first  case  to  the  right  of  the  window,  con- 
sists of  specimens  illustrating  the  scale  of  hardness,  the 
luster,  refraction,  and  the  crystalline  form  of  minerals. 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  51 

The  Connecticut  Collection,  of  800  specimens,  was  col^ 
lected  by  Prof.  Shepard,  when  exploring  the  geology  of 
the  State  under  legislative  authority.  It  consists  of  two 
parts  :  the  geological  part,  showing  the  different  rocks  de- 
veloped in  the  State ;  and  the  mineralogical  part,  display- 
ing in  scientijfic  order  the  different  minerals  occurring  in 
Connecticut. 

GEOLOGICAL  LECTURE-ROOM. 

Attached  to  the  Woods  Cabinet  is  an  octagonal  Lecture- 
E-oom,  whose  entrance  is  through  the  Nineveh  Gallery,  as 
well  as  from  abroad.  Besides  the  ordinary  paraphernalia  of 
a  lecture-room,  there  are  several  objects  here  of  interest. 
First,  are  three  embossed  maps,  or  maps  showing  the  con- 
figuration of  the  surface  by  actual  elevations  and  depres- 
sions. They  are  of  Europe,  North  America,  and  the  Alpine 
region  of  Europe.  The  white  parts  represent  the  region 
covered  with  perpetual  snow,  and  glaciers.  They  are  excel- 
lent aids  to  the  study  of  physical  geography. 

Upon  the  walls  are  rough  sketches  of  three  extinct  ani- 
mals, intended  to  be  of  the  natural  size.  The  one  upon  the 
left,  however,  is  too  small,  as  may  be  seen  readily  by  com- 
paring its  head  with  the  model  of  the  skull  of  the  Deino- 
therium  giganteum  in  the  Woods  Cabinet.  The  middle 
one  is  intended  to  represent  the  Megatherium.  It  was  an 
immense  sloth,  one  of  the  Edentate  mammals,  preserving 
the  characteristics  of  our  modern  sloths.  The  third  is  a 
sketch  of  the  largest  species  of  Pterodactyle,  or  flying  rep- 
tile, that  has  ever  been  brought  to  light.  The  length,  from 
tip  to  tip  of  its  expanded  wings,  must  have  been  twenty  feet. 
This  animal  had  the  head  and  neck  of  a  bird,  the  mouth  of 
a  reptile,  the  wings  of  a  bat,  and  the  body  and  tail  of  a 
mammal.  It  could  fly,  creep,  walk,  and  swim  ;  thus,  like 
Milton's  fiend,  qualified  for  all  services  and  all  elements. 

VERMONT    COLLECTION. 

A  large  upright  case  on  one  side  holds  the  Vermont  Col- 
lection of  rocks,  minerals,  and  fossils,  which  was  obtained 


52  visitors'  guide. 

by  Professor  C.  B.  Adams,  President  Hitchcock,  and  the 
Curator,  when  engaged  in  the  official  survey  of  the  State. 
Only  those  specimens  procured  by  Professor  Adams  belong 
to  the  College;  the  others  are  deposited. 

The  following  are  the  groups  of  rocks  represented  in  this 
collection  ;  also  the  order  in  which  they  are  placed,  com- 
mencing at  the  top  and  proceeding  downwards  :  — 

I.  Unstratified  Hocks.  —  Granite,  Syenite,  Protogine, 
Trap,  Porphyry. 

II.  Azoic  Stratified  Hocks. —  Gneiss,  Mica  Schist,  Calcif- 
erous  Mica  Schist,  Talcose  Schist,  Serpentine,  Quartz  Rock, 
Clay  Slate. 

III.  Fossiliferous  Stratified  Rochs.  > —  Potsdam  Group, 
embracing  the  Quartz  Rock  mostly,  Georgia  Slate,  and  the 
Red  Sandstone  series  ;  Calciferous  Sandrock,  Talcose  Con- 
glomerate, Talcoid  Schists,  Eolian  Limestone,  Chazy  Lime- 
stone, Bird's-eye  Limestone,  Black  river  Limestone,  Tren- 
ton Limestone,  Utica  Slate,  Hudson  river  group,  Upper 
Helderberg  Limestone,  Miocene  Tertiary,  and  Alluvium. 
A  large  number  of  claystones  really  belong  to  this  collec- 
tion, but  they  are  exhibited  elsewhere. 

"We  would  call  attention  only  to  a  few  of  these  specimens, 
viz.  to  the  concretionary  granites,  or  "  petrified  butter- 
nuts ; "  the  specimens  illustrating  the  change  from  sedimen- 
tary conglomerate  to  granite  ;  the  series  of  traps  from  Shel- 
burne ;  the  numerous  specimens  illustrating  the  calciferous 
mica  schist ;  the  fossils  of  the  Lower  Silurian  series,  par- 
ticularly of  the  Potsdam  and  Trenton  groups,  and  the  typi- 
cal series  of  Miocene  Tertiary  fruits  from  Brandon,  which 
were  named  by  Leo  Lesquereux,  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  The 
latter  are  the  most  valuable  portion  of  the  whole  collection. 
The  character  of  the  trees  of  that  period  is  indicated  by 
the  fruits  better  to  the  botanist,  than  by  the  large  fragment 
of  a  trunk  in  the  adjacent  room.  This  specimen,  when  sent 
to  Amhei'st,  was  labelled,  "  A  piece  of  flood-wood,  from 
Noah's  Ark." 

LARGE     SPECIMENS. 

Quite  a  number  of  large  specimens  are  exhibited  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  case.     Among  them  are  a  number  of 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  '  5^ 

elongated  and  distorted  pebbles,  from  Rhode  Island  and  ' 
Vermont,  which  are  a  unique  collection,  and  of  very  great 
value  in  learning  the  true  mode  of  the  singular  sietamor- 
phic  j)rocess  through  which  the  stratified  rocks  are  i\\l  pass- 
ing. Other  specimens  are,  the  Stromatopora  from  near 
Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  an  extinct  coral.  A  large  number  of 
models  of  extinct  animals  are  also  placed  here,  particularly 
of  the  Iguanodon,  Ichthyosaurus,  Labyrinthodon,  Plesio- 
saurus,  Pterodactyle,  Labyrinthodon,  and  foot  of  the  Palap- 
teryx.  They  are  mostly  constructed  upon  the  scale  of  an 
inch  to  the  foot. 

THE  SHEPARD  CABINET. 

DESCRIBED   BY   PROFESSOIl   C.    U.    SHEPARD. 

This  cabinet  occupies  the  second  floor  of  Wood's  edifice, 
a  fire-proof,  octagonal  structure  that  forms  the  central  por- 
tion of  several  connected  buildings,  crowning  the  most 
beautiful  eminence  on  the  college  grounds.  The  apart- 
ment, which  is  lighted  from  the  roof  and  has  a  gallery,  is 
forty  feet  in  diameter.  The  entrance  is  from  a  small  ante- 
room on  the  east,  pierced  on  its  south  side  with  a  circular 
window,  from  whence  is  obtained  a  view  of  South  Amherst, 
Hadley,  and  the  Holyoke  range,  that  has  been  pronounced 
equal  in  picturesque  beauty  to  any  landscape  in  New  Eng- 
land. This  room  contains  along  one  of  its  walls  the  larger 
specimens  of  a  collection  of  shells,  the  smaller  being  ar- 
ranged in  drawers.  It  represents  more  than  5000  species. 
On  entering  the  cabinet,  the  visitor  perceives  that  the 
arrangement  of  the  mineralogical  collection  commences  on 
his  left  with  the  front  side  of  the  top  shelf,  the  specimens 
proceeding  in  rows  to  the  rear,  and  again  from  front  to 
back,  and  so  on,  in  the  same  order,  to  the  end  of  the  case 
(behind  each  glazed  door  or  pair  of  doors,  secured  by  a 
single  lock) ;  it  then  returns  to  the  shelf  below.  The 
spectator  is  thus  conducted  nearly  round  the  room,  before 
reaching  the  completion  of"  the  system.  The  collection  is 
systematically  disposed  upon  the  two  upper  shelves  only  : 
those  below  are  reserved  for  the  reception  of  larger-sized 
specimens,  and  for  the  thinning  out  of  the  collection  where 
5* 


54  visitor's  guide. 

the  samples  above  become  so  numerous  as  to  interfere  with 
the  convenient  inspection  of  the  species.^  The  principle 
of  classification  is  the  Natural  History  method  adopted  in 
the  proprietor's  Treatise  on  Mineralogy,  3d  edition,  New 
Haven,  1856.  The  last  three  glazed  doors,  however,  are 
devoted  to  a  chemical  classification,  a  single  specimen  being 
placed  to  represent  each  species.  Here  each  specimen 
bears  a  printed  label,  giving  its  name  and  the  chemical 
formula  for  its  composition.  Below  the  chemically  arranged 
collection,  is  one  consisting  of  imperfectly  determined  spe- 
cies. A  third  collection,  arranged  in  three  horizontal  cases, 
placed  upon  cabinets  in  the  room,  illustrates  the  natural 
properties  of  minerals,  each  specimen  having  a  printed  label 
affixed,  pointing  out  the  particular  property  intended  for 
illustration.  A  fourth  collection,  in  a  vertical  case  on  the 
western  side  of  the  room,  contains  polished  and  artificially 
wrought  minerals.  A  fifth  vertical  case  (glazed  on  both 
sides),  placed  directly  in  front  of  the  entrance,  contains  on 
the  side  next  to  the  door,  books,  catalogues,  etc.,  mostly 
relating  to  the  collections ;  while  its  opposite  is  devoted 
(with  the  exception  of  a  few  large  specimens  of  crystalized 
minerals  lying  together)  to  the  meteoric  cabinet.  A  por- 
tion of  this  much  prized  collection,  however,  is  usually 
kept  in  an  iron  safe,  placed  contiguous  to  the  upright  cab- 
inet. The  two  great  blocks  of  African  meteoric  iron,  and  a 
third  from  Mexico,  occupy  glazed  cases  on  the  right  and 
left  of  the  lecture-table.  A  narrow  horizontal  case,  filled 
with  models  of  crystals,  is  placed  upon  the  lecture-table, 
while  the  remainder  of  the  models,  together  with  goniom- 
eters, balances,  and  other  instruments  of  mineralogical  re- 
search, are  now  removed  to  Professor  Shepard's  lecture- 
room  under  the  Johnson  Chapel. 

The  meteoric  case  is  surmounted  with  a  cabinet,  con- 
taining an  herbarium  of  above  6000  species,  the  majority 
of  which  were  collected  in  the  United  States. 

The  gallery  is  appropriated  to  the  geological  collection. 
Commencing  on  the  left  (as  with  the  mneral  cabinet  below), 
the  first  case  is  partly  devoted  to  the  British  provinces  in 

^  The  sashes  iu  front  of  the  two  upper  shelves  arc  glazed  with 
plate-glass. 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  55 

North  America.  After  this,  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States 
of  the  Union  follow  in  geographical  order  to  Florida,  the 
States  of  Connecticut,  New  York,  the  Carolinas,  and  Geor- 
gia being  the  most  fully  illustrated.  Next  follow  the  West 
Indies,  England,  France,  and  Continental  Europe,  conclud- 
ing with  partial  series  of  rocks  from  more  distant  regions. 
It  is  intended  to  arrange  the  specimens  systematically  under 
each  of  these  geographical  regions  ;  but  thus  far,  time  only 
has  been  at  command  to  commence  the  work.  For  the 
same  reason,  the  ticketing  has  not  been  more  fully  carried 
out.     The  collection  contains  about  600j)  specimens. 

The  visitor  who  views  these  collections  may  desire  to 
have  his  attention  called  to  a  few  points,  believed  to  be 
worthy  of  his  particular  notice.  Of  these  the  complete- 
ness of  the  mineralogical  series  is  one.  Few  collections 
surpass  it  in  this  respect.  Much  attention  has  also  been 
given  to  a  representation  of  many  of  the  species  in  all 
their  varieties,  especially  those  of  crystalline  form.  The 
specimens  being  scrupulously  protected  against  handling, 
dust,  and  excess  of  light,  they  exhibit  their  colors  and 
lustre  to  unusual  advantage.  The  visitor  will  remark  that 
no  specimen  is  admitted  into  the  systematic  series  that  has 
been  artificially  modified  in  any  of  its  properties.  The 
main  collection  is  intended  to  show  the  contents  of  the 
entire  mineral  kingdom  in  their  most  important  relation- 
ships, and  in  their  unmodified  condition.  All  minerals  that 
have  suffered  artificial  alterations  will  be  found  in  the  tech- 
nological collection.  The  greatest  number  of  specimens 
are  ticketed  with  printed  labels,  attached  directly  to  their 
upper  surfaces.  The  general  catalogue,  however,  with  full 
notices  of  the  localities  is  not  yet  made  out.  The  number 
of  specimens  in  the  various  mineralogical  collections  is  over 
10,000.  The  visitor  will  find  the  following  species  worthy 
of  especial  notice,  viz.,  Calcite,  Fluor,  Barytes,  Witherite, 
Apatite,  Troostite,  Triplite,  Liroconite,  Atacamite,  Diop- 
tase,  Mendipite,  Matlockite,  Pyromorphite,  Anglesite,  Mica, 
Apophyllite,  Harmotome,  Scolezite,  Lazulite,  Feldspar, 
Spodumene,  Pyroxene,  Opal,  Garnet,  Quartz,  Boracite, 
Axinite,  Tourmaline,  Zircon,  Beryl,  Chrysoberyl,  Topaz, 
Spinel,  Corundum,  Brookite,  Rutile,  Columbite,  Cassiterite, 


56        1  visitors'  guide. 

Ilmenite,  Manganite,  Tetradymite,  Chalcopyrite,  Pyrites, 
Galena,  E-edruthite,  Harrisite,  Bournonite,  Tetrahedrite, 
and  Blende. 

The  meteoric  collection  has  been  in  the  process  of  form- 
ation since  1828,  and  now  contains  examples  from  170 
authentic  localities,  with  a  total  weight  of  about  1000  Ibs.-"^ 
The  oldest  stone  present  whose  fall  is  exactly  known,  is 
that  of  Ensisheim,  France,  November  7,  1492,  and  was 
purchased  from  the  celebrated  collection  of  the  late  Sir 
Francis  Chan  trey.  The  newest  stone,  of  53  pounds  weight, 
is  from  Ohio,  May^  1860.  The  large  blocks  of  meteoric 
iron  from  Africa,  from  Mexico,  from  Kuff's  Mountain, 
South  Carolina,  and  Putnam  county,  Georgia,  together  with 
large  stones  from  Bishop sville.  South  Carolina,  from  Linn 
county,  Iowa,  and  from  Cabarras  county.  North  CaroUna, 
may  be  considered  worthy  of  especial  notice. 

Among  the  geological  series,  the  most  interesting  groups 
are  the  Tertiary  fossils  of  the  Southern  States,  the  aurifer- 
ous rocks  of  the  same  section,  the  impressions  of  fishes,  and 
the  foot-prints  of  the  Connecticut  valley,  the  coal  fossils  of 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  the  Silurian  fossils  of  England, 
those  from  the  chalk,  oolite,  lias,  and  coal  of  the  same  coun- 
try, together  with  the  reptilian  fishes  of  Birdie-house  near 
Edinburgh,  the  mountain  limestone  of  Ireland,  and  the 
Triassic  and  Jura  series  of  Germany.  It  will  be  borne  in 
mind,  however,  that  the  entire  geological  cabinet  has  but 
very  recently  been  distributed  to  the  cases  in  the  gallery. 
Much  time  will  be  required  to  perfect  the  arrangement, 
and  to  render  the  collection  fully  intelligible  by  labels. 

CHARLES  UPHAM  SHEPARD. 
Amherst,  Feb.,  1862. 

ICIINOLOGICAL    CABINET, 

OR  THE  CABINET  OF  FOSSIL  FOOTMARKS. 

This  occupies  the  most  of  the  lower  story  of  the  Apple- 
ton  Cabinet.  The  principal  room  is  one  hundred  feet  long 
and  thirty  feet  wide,  and  one  of  the  side  rooms,  twenty-two 

'■  Tho  most  y;\1  liable  collection  of  meteorites  is  that  in  the  Impcnfil 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  67 

bj  eleven  feet,  is  also  filled  with  specimens  ;  the  three  other 
side  rooms  being  used,  one  of  them  as  a  duplicate  room 
for  ichnology,  another  for  zoology,  and  a  third  for  botany. 
Several  large  slabs  have  also  lately  been  placed  in  the 
Zoological  Lecture-room,  for  want  of  room  elsewhere.  The 
Ichnological  rooms  are  nearly  as  full  as  they  ever  ought  to 
be,  containing  not  less  than  nine  thousand  tracks,  by  far  the 
largest  collection  of  this  sort  in  the  world.  Indeed,  as  yet 
we  know  of  no  cabinet  but  this  exclusively  devoted  to 
footmarks.  Great  care  has  been  taken  by  the  position 
of  the  tables,  sometimes  horizontal  and  sometimes  inclined, 
and  especially  by  the  position  of  the  large  slabs  on  their 
edges,  to  make  the  light  fall  on  them  most  advantageously. 
Without  experiment  most  persons  would  suppose  that  the 
gallery  ought  to  run  along  the  south  side  of  the  main  hall, 
rather  than  the  north  side,  for  the  best  exhibition  of  the 
specimens.  But  it  is  not  so.  The  main  principle  of  the 
arrangement  was  to  place  the  specimens  so  that  the  light 
should  fall  obliquely  upon  their  faces. 

The  following  historical  notices  respecting  this  cabinet 
are  copied  from  some  private  notes  handed  us  by  Dr. 
Hitchcock,  who  made  this  collection  :  — 

"  My  collection  of  fossil  footmarks  was  begun  in  1835. 
For  as  soon  as  I  had  turned  my  attention  to  Ichnology  (the 
science  of  tracks),  I  commenced  the  accumulation  of 
specimens,  and  from  that  day  to  the  present  I  have  never 
ceased  to  gather  in  all  which  I  could  honestly  obtain.  For 
no  other  part  of  the  cabinets  have  I  labored  so  hard,  or 
encountered  so  many  difficulties.  True,  for  some  years  at 
first,  I  had  the  field  essentially  to  myself,  and  had  I  then 
been  fully  aware  of  its  richness  and  extent,  I  might  have 
secured  a  large  amount  of  specimens  at  a  reasonable  rate. 
But  as  a  consequence  of  what  I  published  on  the  subject, 
prices  ere  long  became  fabulously  high.  Dexter  Marsh, 
however,  who  had  been  moit  successful  as  a  collector,  ere 

Cabinet  at  Vienna.  Fi'om  a  paper  on  this  subject  by  W.  Haidino;cT, 
read  before  the  Mathematical  and  Natural  History  section  of  tlie 
Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  Jan.  7,  1859,  it  appears  that  the  collec- 
tion numbered  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  localities  ;  since  which 
date  others  have  been  added,  making  as  the  present  g-rand  total  one 
hundred  and  seventy-three,  Avith  a  total  weight  of  about  GOO  pounds. 


58 


visitors'  'GUIDE. 


long  died,  and  his  executors  offered  his  specimens  at  auc- 
tion. I  could  not  see  that  fine  collection  scattered  through 
the  country  without  an  effort  to  obtain  some  money  to  pur- 
chase some  of  them,  and  I  adopted  this  plan.  By  working 
seventeen  years,  even  without  much  money,  I  had  got 
together  a  collection,  which  so  good  a  judge  as  Prof.  C.  U. 
Shepard  pronounced  worth  three  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  whose  cash  value  would  not  be  less  than  two 
thousand  dollars.  In  a  circular  to  several  benevolent  gen- 
tlemen, I  offered  to  present  this  to  the  College,  if  others 
would  furnish  me  with  six  or  seven  hundred  dollars  with 
which  to  attend  Marsh's  auction.  John  Tappan  first  re- 
sponded by  a  subscription  of  five  hundred  dollars ;  David 
Sears  followed  with  an  equal  amount ;  Gerard  Hallock 
with  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ;  and  several  others  with 
one  hundred  dollars  ;  so  that  I  went  to  the  auction  with 
nearly  two  thousand  dollars  in  hand ;  and  secured  many 
fine  specimens.  Moreover,  the  stream  of  benevolence 
which  was  thus  opened  continued  to  flow  for  many  years, 
till  the  beginning  of  the  war  in  1861,  in  fact,  and  the  whole 
amount  received  was  as  much  as  three  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred dollars.  Had  John  Tappan's  subscription  been  fifty 
dollars  instead  of  five  hundred,  I  think  the  maximum 
amount  would  hardly  have  gone  over  five  hundred  dollars. 
As  it  is,  I  have  been  enabled  to  spend  nearly  four  thousand 
dollars,  besides  my  own  initial  subscription.  The  following 
is  a  complete  list  of  the  donors.  The  donation  of  Samuel 
Appleton  for  the  whole  building  was  ten  thousand  dollars  ; 
and  as  the  footmarks  occupy  nearly  all  its  lower  story,  I 
place  five  thousand  dollars  against  his  name. 


Hon.  Samuel  Appleton,  Boston, 
Edward  Hitchcock,  in  specimens,    . 
John  Tappan,  Esq.,  Boston, 
Hon.  David  Sears,  Boston, 
Mi's.  Abbott  Lawrence,  Boston, 
Eoswell  Field,  Esq.,  in  specimens,  #11, 
Gerard  Hallock,  Esq.,  N.  Y., 
William  Miles,  Esq.,  N.  Y.,      . 
Hon.  E.  P.  Prentice,  Albany, 
John  Clarke,  Esq.,  Northampton,   . 
Hon.  Edward  Dickinson,  Amherst,     . 
William  Dickinson,  Esq.,  Worcester, 
John  M.  Doubleday,  Esq.,  N.  Y., 


$5000 
2000 
,500 
500 
300 
300 
250 
200 
150 
100 
100 
100 
100 


AMHERST   COLLEGE. 


59 


$100 
50 
50 
50 
50 
50 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 


James  H.  Welles,  Esq.,  N.  Y.,    .... 
Hon.  Jonathan  Phillips,  Boston, 
Hon.  Samuel  Williston,  East  Hampton,     . 
Hon.  Albert  H.  Porter,  Niaj2;ara  Falls,     . 
Prof.  Edward  Tuckerman,  Amherst, 
George  Meriam,  Esq.,  Springfield,  . 

Hon.  John  Gray,  Boston, 

Dr.  Nathan  Allen,  Lowell,        .... 
WiUiam  Ropes,  Esq.,  Boston,     .... 
Hon.  Horatio  G.  Knight,  Easthampton, 
J.  P.  Williston,  Esq.,  Northampton, 
Edward  Barrett,  Northampton, 
Gilbert  A.  Smith,  Esq.,  South  Hadley,  in  specimens, 
Pliny  Moody,  Esq.,  South  Hadley,  in  specimens, 
Rev.'  Plinius  Moody,  Esq.,  South  Hadley,  in  specimens, 

$10,175 
"  This  is  a  noble  list,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  have  such 
names  to  endorse  this  enterprise.  But  these  are  only  a 
select  few  out  of  the  many  whom  I  addressed ;  so  that  the 
work  has  been  a  laborious  one,  yet  far  more  successful  than 
I  ever  expected.  I  remember  such  a  case  as  that  of  Mrs. 
Lawrence,  the  only  lady  on  the  list,  with  much  pleasure. 
I  was  almost  afraid  to  state  the  case  to  her,  and  I  suggested 
that  one  hundred  dollars  was  the  maximum  of  my  expec- 
tations ;  but  the  check  returned  was  for  three  hundred 
dollars. 

"  But  the  labor  and  difficulty  were  only  begun  Avhen  the 
money  was  obtained.  In  no  othor  enterprise  of  my  life 
have  I  been  obliged  to  work  so  hard  and  to  exercise  so 
much  strategetic  skill,  to  avoid  paying  exorbitant  prices, 
and  even  to  avoid  defeat.  The  high  prices  paid  at  the 
auction  (one  slab  sold  for  three  hundred  and  seventy-five 
dollars)  produced  an  impression  of  the  great  value  of  these 
relics  throughout  the  valley,  and  if  I  only  expressed  an 
interest  in  a  particular  specimen,  the  presumption  was  that 
it  was  rare,  and  the  price  went  up  accordingly.  I  was 
obliged,  therefore,  to  exercise  a  good  deal  of  prudence  and 
show  some  sang  froid,  or,  with  my  small  means,  I  could  not 
make  much  headway.  I  worked  as  quietly  as  possible,  with 
my  plans  locked  up  in  my  own  breast,  yet  with  inflexible 
resolution  and  perseverance,  looking  constantly  to  God  for 
help,  I  felt  a  conviction  that  such  a  collection  would  illus- 
trate a  curious  chapter  in  his  providence  towards  our  globe, 
and  that  the  larger  the  collection  the  more  fully  would  it  be 


60  VISITORS^    GUIBE. 

illustrated.  I  expected  myself  to  be  able  to  make  only  a 
beginning ;  but  I  wanted  to  provide  the  means  for  my  suc- 
cessors to  carry  forward  the  work,  which  they  could  not  do 
if  the  specimens  were  scattered,  no  one  could  tell  where, 
and  the  different  varieties  were  not  gathered  together  in 
some  one  cabinet.  Large  as  the  collection  now  is,  I  have 
often  been  pained  to  see  very  fine  specimens  taken  out  of 
my  hands  by  those  who  could  pay  more  for  them  than  I 
could,  and  carried  I  know  not  whither. 

"  In  such  circumstances  I  have  tried  to  be  as  economical 
as  possible  in  the  use  of  the  money  in  my  hands  for  this 
purpose.  Whenever  I  could,  I  have  myself  gone  to  the 
localities  and  dug  out  the  specimens.  When  not  too  large, 
I  have  transported  them  on  my  own  business  wagon.  Again 
and  again  have  I  entered  Amherst  upon  such  a  load,  gen- 
erally, however,  preferring  not  to  arrive  till  evening,  be- 
cause, especially  of  late,  such  manual  labor  is  regarded  by 
many  as  not  comporting  with  the  dignity  of  a  Professor. 
I  have  not,  however,  in  general,  paid  much  attention  to  such 
a  feeling,  except  to  be  pained  by  seeing  it  increase,  because 
its  prevalence  is  changing  the  character  of  the  College,  and 
driving  away  those  who  are  obliged  to  do  their  own  work. 

"  But  though  this  has  been  a  laborious  work,  it  has  been 
intensely  interesting,  or  I  should  long  since  have  abandoned 
it  as  not  worth  incurring  so  much  of  misrepresentation, 
opposition,  and  hostility  as  I  have  met.  It  was  emphati- 
cally a  new  field,  scarcely  entered  upon  by  European  natu- 
ralists, and  in  this  country,  although  far  richer  in  materials, 
no  one  had  gone  before  me.  But  as  I  pried  open  one  after 
another  the  folded  leaves  of  this  ancient  record,  it  revealed 
a  marvellous  history  of  the  early  Fauna  of  this  valley.  It 
was  a  new  branch  of  PaljEontology,  whose  title  page  had 
been  written  in  Europe,  but  I  had  stumbled  upon  materials 
enough  to  almost  fill  the  volume.  Up  to  the  present  time 
I  have  been  trying  to  spell  out  the  hieroglyphics  ;  but  even 
now  I  presume  the  work  is  only  begun.  Success  to  those 
who  come  after  me  ;  and  may  they  find  in  the  cabinet, 
which  I  leave  them,  many  curious  archives  which  they 
shall  decipher. 

"  A  few  words  of  ichnological  history  may  here  be  de- 
sirable. 


AMHjERS'r  COLLEGE.  61 

"  The  first  tracks  in  stone  noticed  anywhere  on  the  globe, 
so  far  as  I  know,  were  ploughed  up  by  Pliny  Moody,  in 
South  Hadley,  in  1802,  while  a  boy.  This  slab  is  now 
in  our  cabinet  (No.  V)-  But  though  the  impressions  were 
then  spoken  of  as  <  the  tracks  of  poultry,'  and  of  '  Noah's 
raven,'  no  account  of  them  was  given  to  the  pubUc,  nor  the 
attention  of  any  scientific,  man  called  to  them  ;  and  it  was 
only  after  I  had  been  for  some  tune  investigating  the  sub- 
ject, that  I  accidentally  learnt  of  the  existence  of  this  slab, 
and  purchased  it  of  the  heirs  of  the  late  Dr.  Dwight,  of 
South  Hadley.  But  it  was  undoubtedly  dug  up  earlier 
than  any  fossil  footmark  on  the  globe  that  has  been  pre- 
served. 

"The  first  scientific  account  of  fossil  footmarks,  and 
therefore  the  first  real  discovery ^  according  to  Dr.  Paley, 
who  says,  *he  alone  discovers  who  proves,'  was  given 
by  Hev.  Dr.  Duncan,  of  Edinburgh,  in  1828,  of  tracks  at 
Annandale  in.  Scotland.  In  1831,  Mr.  Scrope  found  and 
described  a  few  in  England,  of  Crustaceans,  and  in  1834 
Prof.  Kaup  described  those  of  the  Chirotherium  in  Ger- 
many. 

"  It  now  seems  to  be  settled  beyond  reasonable  doubt,  that 
the  Connecticut  river  tracks   were   brought  into  notice  as 
follows :  In  March,  1835,  Mr.  W.  W.  Draper,  of  Green-= 
field,  walking  home  from  church  with  his  wife,  noticed  on 
some  slabs   of  flagging  stone,  lying  by  the  side-^walks,  im- 
pressions, which  he  thus  described  to  William  AVilson,  in 
front  of  whose  house  the  slabs  lay.     '  Here  are  some  tur- 
key tracks,  made  3000  years  ago.'     Mr.  Wilson  soon  after 
showed  them  to  Dr.  James  Deane,  who  described  them  to 
me  by  letter  the  same  week,  as  '  the  tracks  of  a  turkey  in 
relief,'  and  offered  to  secure  the  slabs  for  me  if  I  wished, 
which  he  did,  and  they  are  now  suspended  in  a  frame  table 
(Nos.  Y-  antl  ^-)  so   as  to  turn  on  an  axis,  and  show  both 
sides.     I  studied  the  subject  through  the  summer  of  1835, 
and  in  January,  1836,  published  in  the  American  Journal 
of  Science  and  Art  an  account  of  seven  species  of  tracks. 
In  the  six  following  years,  including  the  paper  just  named, 
,1  published  five  papers  in  the  Journal,  containing  over'  a- 
hundred  pages  and  twenty-six   plates,  describing?  thirty-two 
G 


62  -visitors'  guibb. 

species.  Up  to  that  time  (1842)  no  one  else  had 
described  a  single  species.  I  took  the  ground  that  these 
tracks  were  made  by  birds,  and  hence  called  them  orni- 
thichnites,  or  stony  Urd-trachs.  But  my  views  were  not 
generally  received  by  scientific  men,  even  so  far  as  to  allow 
the  impressions  to  be  tracks  at  all.  Yet  in  1841,  five  emi- 
nent geologists,  who  had  been  appointed  to  examine  the 
subject  by  the  American  Association  of  Geologists  and 
Naturalists,  reported  that  '  the  evidence  entirely  favors 
the  views  of  Professor  Hitchcock.'  A  few  years  more 
and  there  was  a  general  acquiescence  in  those  views. 

"Up  to  this  time  (1862),  I  have  published  about  five 
hundred  and  fifty  pages,  three  hundred  and  sixty  of  them 
quarto,  with  one  hundred  and  sixteen  plates,  on  the  Ichno- 
logy  of  the  Connecticut,  in  eleven  communications  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Science,  one  in  the  Transactions  of 
the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  two 
Reports  to  the  Government  of  Massachusetts.  In  my  first 
paper,  I  "described  seven  species  ;  in  my  Final  Report  on 
the  Geology  of  Massachusetts,  twenty-seven  species ;  in 
my  paper  before  the  American  Academy,  fifty-two  species  ; 
and  in  my  Report  on  the  Ichnology  of  New  England,  in 
1858,  one  hundred  and  nineteen  species.  Other  writers, 
also,  particularly  Dr.  James  Deane,  Dr.  John  C.  Warren, 
William  C.  Redfield,  Esq.,  and  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  have 
given  descriptions  and  illustrations  of  these  objects  ;  but  as 
they  have  not  attached  names  to  the  species,  I  cannot  say 
how  many  they  have  described." 

With  these  preliminaries  from  Dr.  Hitchcock's  notes,  we 
now  proceed  to  notice  such  of  the  interesting  specimens  as 
can  be  understood  and  appreciated  without  too  much  scien- 
tific detail.  Such  as  would  be  glad  to  understand  all  the 
curious  things  in  this  cabinet,  will  find  them  detailed  in  the 
Report  on  Ichnology,  whose  publication  by  the  Govern- 
ment of  Massachusetts  in  such  superior  style,  whatever  be 
its  merits,  is  a  fine  illustration  of  the  liberality  of  the  State 
towards  scientific  objects.  How  this  act  is  appreciated  in 
Europe  may  be  seen  in  a  review  of  the  Ichnology  in  the 
North  British  Review. 

As  he  enters  the  cabinet,  the  visitor  had  better  pause  at' 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  63 

the  entrance,  and  take  a  general  view  of  its  contents.  He 
will  see  several  large  slabs,  and  some  small  ones,  placed 
on  their  edges,  crosswise  of  the  room,  all  covered  with 
tracks  of  various  sizes.  He  will  here  get  a  good  idea  of 
their  appearance  in  the  quarries  whence  they  came.  He 
will  see,  however,  that  on  some  slabs  all  the  tracks  are 
raised,  or  in  relief,  and  all  on  others  depressed,  and  he  may 
not  at  first  see  the  reason  of  it ;  for  he  would  perhaps 
expect  that  all  tracks  would  be  depressed.  But  suppose 
an  animal,  as  it  trod  on  the  soft  mud  (and  thus  the  tracks 
must  have  been  made),  bent  down  the  layers  to  the  depth 
of  several  inches,  and  that  mud  should  be  hardened  into 
stone,  and  these  layers  be  split  apart.  The  under  side, 
if  turned  up,  would  show  the  tracks  in  relief,  correspond- 
ing to  the  depression  on  the  other  side.  And  sometimes 
several  layers  of  stone  may  be  split  apart  in  this  manner, 
and  thus  a  stony  volume  be  formed  having  several  leaves  to 
it,  which  may  be  fastened  together  on  the  back,  and  open 
as  a  book.  Quite  a  variety  of  this  kind  of  literature  may 
be  seen  in  the  cabinet,  from  the  ponderous  folio  down  to 
the  tiny  24mo. 

The  tables  and  the  upright  and  horizontal  cases  in  these 
rooms  are  numbered  from  one  to  fifty ;  and  these  numbers 
form  the  numerators  of  fractions,  while  the  individual  speci- 
mens on  the  tables  form  the  denominators  in  the  descrip- 
tion and  in  the  Report  on  Ichnology.  The  numbering  of 
the  tables  commences  at  the  east  or  farther  end  of  the  hall, 
and  proceeds  westerly  ;  then  the  upright  cases  on  the  left- 
hand  side  of  the  gallery  are  numbered  the  other  way  ;  then 
we  come  back  again  to  the  side  room  and  pass  around  the 
walls,  and  finally  into  the  lecture-room,  where  are  a  few 
large  slabs.  This  order  is  somewhat  irregular,  but  as  the 
different  animals  that  made  the  tracks  did  not  walk  along 
according  to  any  zoological  system",  it  is  impossible  to  con- 
form the  arrangement  of  the  tables  to  any  such  system. 
Upon  every  row  of  tracks,  and  for  the  most  j)art  upon  every 
individual  track,  the  name  of  the  animal  by  which  it  was 
made  is  given  in  print.  And  though  in  many  cases  its 
nature  is  quite  uncertain,  yet  the  name  is  so  constructed  as 
to  be  equally  good,  whatever  its  nature  turns  out  to  be. 


64   '  VISITORS^   GUIDE. 

All  the  animals  that  made  the  tracks  are  comprehended 
in  the  New  England  Ichnology,  under  the  general  term 
Lithichnozoa ;  which  means  stone-track  animals.  These 
are '  sub-divided  into  ten  groups,  corresponding  essentially 
to  the  great  classes  of  animals,  vertebrate  and  invertebrate, 
as  described  by  zoologists.  Some  of  the  groups,  however, 
are  modified  in  name  to  correspond  to  a  curious  fact,  found 
to  be  true  as  to  most  of  the  old  fossil  animals,  viz.  that  they 
were  intermediate  in  character  between  two  and  sometimes 
three  or  four  of  the  existing  classes.  Thus,  our  fourth 
group  is  called  Ornithoid  Lizards,  or  Batrachians,  which 
means  that  though  upon  the  whole. they  were  probably 
lizards  or  batrachians,  they  had  some  characters  now  found 
in  birds.  "We  will  now  refer  to  specimens  in  the  cabinet, 
where  the  visitor  will  see  examples  of  the  different  classes. 

Some,  however,  may  visit  the  cabinet  who  doubt  whether 
these  impressions  are  tracks  at  all.  We  advise  such  to  go 
first  to  the  east  part  of  the  room,  and  look  into  the  side 
case.  No.  40,  where  they  will  see  numerous  specimens  of 
the  tracks  of  man,  the  dog,  the  crow,  the  snipe,  etc.,  as  well 
as  rain-drops  on  hardened  clay,  from  the  banks  of  Con- 
necticut river,  in  Hadley.  In  fact,  we  have  on  the  clay  a 
full  counterpart  of  the  tracks  on  stone. 

While  in  this  part  of  the  cabinet  the  visitor  will  do  well 
to  look  into  the  next  case,  No.  39,  where  he  will  see  sev- 
eral varieties  of  rain-drops  on  stone,  and  some  on  bricks, 
for  comparison.  Larger  specimens  may  be  seen  in  other 
parts  of  the  room,  especially  in  the  side  room.  Some  of 
these  are  in  relief,  and  others  depressed,  just  like  the  tracks. 

We  advise  the  visitor,  if  he  have  time,  to  move  about 
the  cabinet  with  a  view  of  looking  at  some  'of  the  numer- 
ous rows  of  tracks  on  the  slabs,  as  for  instance  No.  -f-Q  and 
f .  These  rows,  with  right  and  left  feet,  produce  generally 
a  strong  conviction  that  they  were  made  by  the  tread  of 
animals  over  soft  mud. 

If  the  visitor  goes  back  to  the  west  door,  and  looks  in- 
ward, he  will  have  just  before  him  a  specimen  on  its  edge, 
and  others  lying  near  by,  with  the  label.  Nature's  Hiero- 
glyphics. These  are  probably  examples  of  mud  cracked 
by   drying,  and   the   cracks   subsequently  filled  by  similar 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  65 

mud.  They  are  from  New  Jersey  and  Turner's  Falls. 
A  little  to  the  right  stands  a  table  covered  with  glazed 
frames  in  the  form  of  a  roof,  and  nearly  filled  with  fossil 
volumes,  such  as  have  been  described,  and  the  whole,  there- 
fore, labelled  the  Stony  Library.  Most  of  the  volumes 
are  two-leaved,  but  some  have  three  or  four  leaves,^and  one 
even  five.  This,  at  the  south  end  of  the  case,  and  spread 
open,  shows  two  tracks  extending  through  five  layers  of 
stone,  each  nearly  an  inch  thick.  It  is  the  most  remarka- 
ble example  known,  and  cost  some  $35  at  auction. 

Just  beyond  the  stony  library  stands  a  wooden  frame 
with  the  two  slabs  (Nos.  Jj^-  and  -^g®-),  from  Montague.  That 
first  called  Dr.  Hitchcock's  attention  to  Ichnology.  They 
form  a  huge  folio  with  two  leaves  and  four  pages. 

A  little  beyond  stands  a  small  centre-table  with  a  single 
track  of  Brontozoum  giganteum  upon  it,  in  two  leaves 
(No.  -\8-).  This  is  the  only  case  in  the  cabinet  where  the 
counterparts  of  this  gigantic  track  are  seen.  No.  ^^-,  how- 
ever, shows  one  almost  as  large  of  Tridentipes  ingens. 

In  contrast,  may  be-  seen  in  the  side  case.  No.  36,  a  sin- 
gle example  of  a  volume  of  two  leaves  of  an  insect  track, 
almost  too  small  for  the  naked  eye.  We  have  no  other 
specimens  of  this  sort. 

Other  volumes  of  various  sizes  will  be,  seen  in  various 
parts  of  the  cabinet,  some  bound  and  some  unbound. 

GROUP   I. MARSUPIALOID    ANIMALS. 

Marsupials,  such  as  the  kangaroo  and  the  opossum,  are 
the  lowest  in  organization  among  existing  quadrupeds  or 
mammiferous  animals,  and  these  were  the  earliest  quadru- 
peds that  appeared  on  the  globe.  Marsupialoid  animals 
are  animals  that  resemble  marsupials,  but  may  not  be  such. 
Out  of  the  fifty -five  four-footed  animals  whose  tracks  are 
in  the  cabinet,  only  five  are  called  in  the  Ichnology  Mar- 
supialoids.  One  variety  is  called  Cunoid  Mai^sujnaloids 
(No.  -2^-),  because  the  tracks  considerably  resemble  those 
of  a  dog.  A  second  variety  is  the  Ornitfioid,  or  bird-like 
Marsupialoids.  Of  these  there  are  two  species,  Anomoe- 
pus  major  and  minor. 

6* 


Q6  VISITORS     GUIDE. 

To  bring  out  the  characters  of  these  last  tracks,  has  cost 
more  labor  than  those  of  any  other  in  the  cabinet.  Nearly- 
all  the  peculiarities  are  exhibited  on  a  remarkable  slab  in 
the  side-room,  No.  -Y-.  At  first  view  the  slab  seems  cov- 
ered over  with  the  tracks  of  a  three-toed  bird,  in  four  or 
five  distinct  rows,  showing  the  right  and  left  feet ;  but  on 
one  of  the  rows,  after  a  succession  of  several  three-toed 
tracks,  without  heels,  suddenly  two  long-heel  traces  appear, 
attached  to  two  of  them,  which  are  nearly  opposite  to  each 
other,  as  if  the  animal  had  stopped  and  brought  to  the 
ground  its  long  heels.  Besides,  a  little  in  front,  are  two 
much  smaller  five-toed  tracks,  showing  that  the  animal  had 
small  fore  feet  not  usually  employed  in  walking.  After 
resting  on  its  fore  feet  and  heels,  it  resumed  its  usual  mode  of 
walking  on  the  toes  of  its  hind  feet,  leaving  tracks  exactly 
like  those  of  a  bird.  Occasionally  there  is  the  trace  of  a  tail. 
Moreover,  in  another  place  on  the  slab  the  animal  seems  to 
have  gone  forward  by  a  leap  with  its  hind  feet ;  so  that  it 
seems  to  have  had  several  modes  of  moving  forward. 
Other  specimens,  such  as  ^-,  -^f,  and  ||,  confirm  these 
conclusions. 

Anomoepus  major  (No.  \  and  ^)  is  remarkable  for  the 
striking  resemblance  of  its  hind  foot,  independent  of  the 
heel,  to  a  bird's  foot,  and  for  a  peculiar  tail  trace,  which 
consists  of  a  heart-shaped  impression,  that  is  repeated  at 
intervals  (No.  -\'^-),  as  if  the  animal  lifted  up  a  blunt  ap- 
pendage at  each  step  or  leap,  and  brought  it  down  again. 

The  Loricoid  Marsupialoids,  or  such  as  have  feet  on  the 
plan  of  the  crocodile,  have  left  numerous  small  and  beau- 
tiful tracks  in  great  abundance,  such  as  Nos.  '^f-^  ^-^-,  -f-f,  |-f . 
The  specimens  on  the  wall  of  the  side  room,  Nos.  ^^-,  ^^-,  ^/-, 
show  beautiful  rows  of  these  tracks,  nearly  on  a  right  line, 
to  make  which  must  have_  required  a  long-legged  animal, 
and  could  hardly  have  been  made  by  a  lizard  or  batrachian 
such  as  now  live. 

If  the  preceding  were  marsupials,  and  not  lizards  or 
batrachians,  then  probably  some  of  the  other  twenty-five 
species  in  the  cabinet  with  unequal  feet  were  also  marsu- 
pials, as  is  made  probable  in  a  paper  published  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement 
of'Science  for  1800,  p.  154. 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  67 


GROUP    II. THICK-TOED    BIRDS. 

Fourteen  species  of  them  are  described  in  the  Ichnology 
whose  tracks  vary  in  length  from  two  and  five-tenths  inches 
to  eighteen  inches.  The  toes  are  not  only  thick,  but  ex- 
hibit several  rounded  expansions,  corresponding,  it  is  sup- 
posed, to  the  phalanges  of  the  toes ;  and  their  number  (two 
on  the  inner,  three  on  the  middle,  and  four  on  the  outer) 
corresponds  to  those  of  birds.  We  have  been  led  of  late 
to  doubt  whether  there  is  not  a  mistake  as  to  this  matter ; 
but  if  not,  the  argument  is  quite  strong  to  prove  these  four- 
teen animals  to  have  been  birds.  And  even  if  this  argument 
should  fail,  we  think  this  conclusion  would  still  be  probable. 

Brontozoum  giganteum,  or  the  giant  Brontes,  shows  the 
largest  of  these  tracks,  and  the  cabinet  abounds  with  them. 
l  and  j;  show  rows  of  them  from  Northampton.  Table  15 
has  numerous  single  tracks  upon  it.  No.  Y-  ^^^^^  ^  gallon 
of  water.  \^  was  the  first  track  of  this  species  that  was 
discovered,  and  was  at  first  thrown  away  because  it  was  not 
thought  possible  that  so  large  a  track  could  exist.  But 
this  specimen  was  afterwards  figured  in  the  American  Jour- 
nal of  Science,  and  in  Dr.  Buckland's  Bridgewater  Treatise. 
Some  good  single  tracks  of  this  species  may  be  seen  on 
the  walls  of  the  side  room.  Its  stride  was  from  thirty  to 
sixty  inches ;  its  height  not  less  than  twelve  feet ;  and  its 
weight  from  four  hundred  to  eight  hundred  pounds.  Table 
No.  7  shows  the  largest  tracks  and  the  longest  stride  of 
this  species. 

Near  the  middle  of  the  room  there  is  suspended  from 
the  ceiling  the  leg  of  the  great  Moa,  or  dinornis,  lately 
discovered  in  the  alluvium  of  New  Zealand,  where  it  may 
have  hved  within  a  few  hundred  years.  The  two  upper 
bones,  the  femur  and  the  tibia,  are  wooden  models  of  bones 
in  other  cabinets.  But  the  lower  piece,  the  tarso-meta- 
tarsal  anclf  the  foot,  excepting  three  of  the  phalanges,  are 
true  bone,  from  New  Zealand.  Not  far  distant  hangs  the 
model  of  an  egg  of  a  still  larger  bird,  the  Aepyornis,  from 
Madagascar  ;  the  original  of  which  is  in  Paris.  Both  these 
birds  must  have  been  nearly  as  large  as  the  brontozoum. 


68  visitors'  guide. 

The  smaller  species  of  this  group  = —  some  of  them  not 
much  smaller  —  are  scattered  bj  hundreds  through  the 
cabinet.  They  are  the  most  common,  and  upon  the  whole 
the  most  perfect,  of  all  the  tracks  in  the  valley.  Yet  in  the 
thousands  that  have  been  found,  neither  a  fourth  toe  nor  a 
fore  foot  have  been  noticed.  Hence  the  conclusion  seems 
very  fair  that  the  animals  must  have  been  three-toed  bipeds. 
In  the  most  perfect  specimens,  also,  the  toes  show  a  definite 
number  of  expansions,  as  already  mentioned,  correspond- 
ing to  the  G-rallatores  among  birds.  The  finest  slabs  for 
showing  these  parts  are  Nos.  -^^  and  ^^-.  The  first  shows 
forty-eight  tracks  of  Brontozoum  Sillimanium,  sis  of  Bron- 
tozoum  exsertum,  and  three  trails  of  an  Annelid.  The 
distinctness  of  the  claws  and  phalangeal  impressions  is  re- 
markable. It  was  from  Middletown,  Ct.,  where  it  has  lain 
sixty  years  in  the  sidewalk ;  it  cost  one  hundred  dollars,  and 
is,  perhaps,  the  gem  of  the  cabinet.  No.  ^-  was  from  Tur- 
ner's Falls,  and  shows  the  phalanges  finely ;  cost  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars.  The  Amblyonyx  on  this  slab  seems 
to  have  had  winged  claws. 

On  No.  ^  is  an  interesting  row  of  Grallator  cursorius, 
exceedingly  resembling  the  tracks  of  a  long-legged  wading 
bird.     It  is  apt  to  be  overlooked. 

There  are  a  few  examples  in  the  cabinet  where  even  the 
delicate  strias  and  papillce  on  the  animal's  foot .  are  visible 
on  the  track.  One  of  them  is  on  a  single  track  from  Weth- 
ersfield,  Ct.,  of  Brontozoum  giganteum.  No.  |^,  where  both 
stride  and  papilla?  are  shown.  No.  ^-  exhibits  distinctly 
the  minute  strias  running  across  the  ball  of  a  boy's  foot, 
on  clay  from  Hadley.  But  perhaps  the  best  specimen 
is  upon  several  tracks  of  the  Anomoepus,  on  slab  No.  ^^-. 
These  specimens  show  how  minute  and  exact  is  the  infor- 
mation conveyed  by  these  impressions. 

Supposing  the  thirteen  animals  of  this  group  to  have 
been  birds,  and  to  be  now  tracking;  alono;  the  shores  of  the 
Connecticut,  the  smallest  of  them  as  large  as  a  turkey,  and 
the  largest  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high,  two  or  three 
times  as  large  as  an  ostrich !  Would  that  we  only  had 
them  in  our  cabinet !  Yet  they  were  once  living  contem- 
poraries  in   this   valle3^      Nay,  the  largest  of  them  once 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  69 

walked  in  flocks  along  the  river's  bank  in  Northampton,  as 
is  shown  by  their  parallel  rows  of  tracks. 

GROUP    III. NARROW-TOED    BIRDS. 

Seventeen  species  of  narrow-toed  birds,  with  three  or 
four  toes,  are  represented  in  the  cabinet  according  to  the 
Iclmology.  The  evidence  of  their  having  been  birds  is  not 
as  strong  as  in  respect  to  the  last  group,  because  no  pha- 
langeal impressions  remain.  Still  some  of  the  tracks  can- 
not be  distinguished  from  those  of  living  birds  ;  and  if  there 
were  thick-toed  birds  in  those  ancient  times,  there  were, 
doubtless  narrow-toed  ones,  as  in  existing  nature. 

The  largest  tracks  of  this  group  may  be  seen  on  slabs 
Nos.  V-  ^i^cl  -1/-,  which  shows  Argozoum  redfieldianum,  and 
Nos.  If  and  K^-,  which  is  Tridentipes  ingens. 

The  slabs  of  the  Argozoum  show,  also,  specimens  of  the 
fecal  remains  of  the  animal,  usually  called  coproiite.  Some 
detached  specimens  of  the  same  may  be  seen  in  Nos.  f  |, 
f  f ,  and  f  I  of  the  upright  cases.  These  are  the  only  other 
relics  of  the  Lithichnozoa  besides  their  tracks  that  have  yet 
been  found.  For  although  we  have  two  examples  of  skel- 
etons from  the  sandstone,  they  were  found  so  far  from  any 
strata  containing  tracks,  that  there  may  have  been  no 
connection  between  the  two  facts. 

Other  slabs  of  supposed  narrow-toed  birds,  of  smaller 
size,  may  be  seen  on  slabs  Nos.  I,  Tridentipes  insignis  ;  -V- 
and  V-^  Tridentipes  elegans  ;  ||,  Platypterna  deaniana ; 
-\9 ,  Platypterna  gracilior ;   and  ^-,  Ornithopus  gracilior. 

GROUP   IV. ORNITHOID    LIZARDS    OR   BATRACHIAKS. 

The  most  remarkable  of  these  is  the  Gigantitherium 
caudatuum,  on  slabs  |  and  x%.  This  track  shows  three 
huge  fore  toes,  with  a  small  lateral  one  coming  out  from 
the  heel,  and  the  animal  walked  nearly  on  a  right  line. 
We  should  suppose  it  a  huge  four-toed  bird.  But  there  is 
a  distinct  tail  trace,  showing  that  it  ceuld  not  have  been  a 
bird.  Yet  no  fore  foot  has  been  found.  It  may  have  been 
a  biped  lizard  or  batrachian,  or  one  with  very  small  fore 
feet,  which  were  seldom  brought  clown  to  the  ground. 


70  visitors'  guide. 

"  What  shall  we  say  of  such  a  giant,"  observes  Dr. 
Hitchcock,  "  combining  perhaps  the  characters  of  most  of 
the  vertebrate  kingdom ;  especially  if,  as  yet  appears,  he 
was  a  biped !  What  being  has  been  brought  to  light  on 
the  globe,  or  I  might  almost  say  in  the  dreams  of  mythol- 
ogy, more  extraordinary  than  this  ancient  inhabitant  of 
Massachusetts?"     (Ichnology,  ^.  107.) 

Nos.  -^  and  ^^-  show  rows  of  Hyphepus  fieldi ;  the  lat- 
ter, eleven  tracks  with  a  tail  trace.  The  tracks  have  the 
same  form  as  the.  Gigantitherium,  but  appear  to  have 
had  a  web.     The  foot  is  decidedly  ornithoid  in  appearance. 

No.  ^-,  in  the  side  room,  shows  the  hind  and  fore  feet 
of  Tarsodactylus,  which  had  unequal  feet,  and  its  toes 
dragged  as  it  walked,  as  did  also  the  tail,  all  of  which  are 
seen  on  the  slab.     Its  hind  feet  resemble  those  of  a  bird. 

Still  more  so  do  the  stout  hind  feet  of  the  Apatichnus,  a 
good  specimen  of  which  may  be  seen  on  slab  No.  ^£-  in 
a  row  of  twelve  tracks.  The  small  fore  foot  is  so  seldom 
seen  that  it  was  long  entirely  overlooked,  and  the  animal 
supposed  to  be  a  bird ;  but  it  turns  out  to  be  only  ornithoid, 
and  was  probably  a  lizard  or  batrachian. 

Still  more  like  a  bird  was  the  Plesiornis,  as  its  name 
implies,  seen  on  slabs  Nos.  ^^-  and  i|.  Here  the  three 
principal  toes,  both  of  the  hind  and  fore  feet,  very  closely 
resemble  those  of  a  bird ;  but  the  fore  feet  are  somewhat 
smaller  than  the  others.  The  toes  of  the  hind  feet  of 
No.  ^rf-  are  also  terminated  by  pellets  instead  of  claws,  like 
most  frogs.  Hence  we  call  the  animal  an  ornithoid  batra- 
chian. 

In  this  place  is  introduced  an  anomalous  track,  quite 
unlike  that  of  any  living  animal.  It  is  Typopus  abnormis, 
shown  on  slabs  Nos.  ^^-,  \^-,  \%,  and  |-f .  The  name  means 
type-foot,  from  its  resemblance  especially  to  some  Oriental 
languages,  say  the  Syriac.  Every  other  track  in  our  spec- 
imens is  turned  aside  from  the  line  of  direction,  some  fif- 
teen degrees  more  than  its  alternate.  "  I  was  once,"  says 
Dr.  Hitchcock,  "  showing  the  specimens  to  an  eminent 
Boston  physician,  and  inquired  of  him  how  he  could  ex- 
plain this  fact.  '  The  animal,'  he  replied,  '  had  its  leg 
broken,  and  there  were  no  good  surgeons  in  those  days  to 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  71 

set  it.'  This  was  just  the  reply  I  expected ;  since  the 
same  thought  had  been  forced  upon  myself."  {Ichnology^ 
p.  106.) 

GROUP    V.  —  LIZAKDS. 

Probably  some  of  the  seventeen  specimens  of  lizards 
described  in  the  Ichnology  as  being  in  the  cabinet  by  their 
tracks,  may  turn  out  to  be  batrachians ;  for  it  is  not  easy 
to  distinguish  between  them  by  their  tracks.  Indeed,  in 
the  community  generally,  living  lizards  are  not  always 
distino-uished  from  batrachians.  The  crocodiles  and  alliga- 
tors  are  regarded  as  no  more  lizards  than  the  newts  and 
salamanders,  although  the  naturalists  call  the  latter  batra- 
chians. 

The  largest  lizard  designated,  by  its  tracks  is  the  Pole- 
marchus,  Nos.  f |,  ff,  and  f f,  which  means  a  leader  in 
war ;  as  he  might  have  been  if  in  other  respects  as  well 
armed  as  his  feet  were.  The  track  somewhat  resembles 
that  of  a  crocodile,  but  was  much  larger.  It  may  have 
been  the  giant  crocodile  of  Chicopee ;  for  there  was  the 
track  found. 

The  tracks  of  other  and  smaller  lizards  may  be  seen  on 
Nos.  If,  -|§,  f  f ,  and  f  |,  which  are  Plectropterna  minitans  ; 
ISros.-\2-j  If,  -\i-,  and  -%!-,  Plectropterna  gracilis  ;  Nos.  ||,  f  |, 
|§,  If,  and  II,  Plectropterna  augusta  ;  Nos.  ||,  |f ,  and  ||, 
Plectropterna  lineans  ;  Nos.  -^g^-,  %\  to  |J-,  and  |^  to  ||-,  Tri- 
senopus  leptodactylus  ;  Nos.  f  ^  to  f  |,  and  -S^^-,  Xiphopeza 
triplex ;  Nos.  f  and  -^g^-,  Orthodactylus  floriferus,  a  beautiful 
species  ;  Nos.  ^^^  ^.^-,  and  J^^-,  Antipus  bifidus,  a  singular 
but  doubtful  species  ;  Nos.  ^.^  ^^-^  f  ^,  h]-,  and  f  J-,  Chimcera 
barrattii,  etc. 

GROUP    VI. BATRACHIANS. 

Such  specimens  are  arranged  in  this  group  as  show  a 
resemblance  to  the  frog  tribe.  The  singular  and  beautiful 
specimens  shown  on  slabs  f,  f|,  f  |,  y^^,  j%,  ^^3,  f,  etc.,  and 
which  attract  every  one's  attention,  have  been  supposed  to 
be  the  mud-nests  of  tadpoles,  which  are  frogs  in  a  larva 


72  visitors'  atjiBE. 

state.  That  tadpoles  at  this  day  do  make  precisely  such 
holes  in  mud  l?eneath  the  water,  is  proved  by  Nos.  ^-^-  and 
^^-,  which  are  dried  mud,  hardened  by  glue,  scooped  up 
from  the  bottom  of  a  small  pond  in  Hadley  meadows, 
inhabited  by  tadpoles.  The  specimens  in  rock  are  from 
South  Hadley  Falls. 

Nos.  f ,  f ,  f ,  I,  f  and  -j^^^  exhibit  the  most  gigantic  of  all 
the  tracks,  those  of  the  Otozoum  moodii.  They  are  twenty 
inches  long  and  thirteen  to  fifteen  inches  broad,  covering 
more  than  a  square  foot  of  surface,  and  probably  there  was 
ti  web  extending  even  beyond  the  toes.  The  long  slabs, 
f  and  f ,  show  a  succession  of  the  right  and  left  feet,  one 
row  depressed  and  the  other  in  relief.  The  foot  had  four 
toes  and  they  were  terminated  by  pellets  instead  of  claws. 
One  slab,  No.  j\,  shows  that  the  animal  had  small  five-toed 
fore  feet,  though  usually  it  walked  like  a  biped  on  two 
hind  feet.  It  also  most  probably  had  a  tail.  It  may  have 
been  a  marsupial ;  but  the  pellets  of  its  toes  look  more  like 
a  batrachian.  It  was  probably  intermediate.  Most  of  the 
specimens  are  from  South  Hadley,  but  the  animal  lived 
also  at  Portland  in  Connecticut,  and  at  Turner's  Falls. 

"  Imagine  now  a  collection  of  Otozoums  walking  or  sport- 
ing along  the  muddy  shore ;  animals  approaching  the  ele- 
phant in  size,  yet  allied  to  the  frog  tribe,  or  perhaps  the 
salamanders.  At  a  little  distance  you  can  imagine  a  grouj^ 
of  the  Gigantitherium  family  :  and  still  further  on,  a  group 
of  Brontozoums.  Which  of  these  giants  would  be  acknowl- 
edged as  entitled  to  the  first  place,  we  cannot  decide.  But 
should  a  contest  have  arisen  at  any  time  for  the  supremacy, 
and  these  several  leaders  should  have  summoned  the  nu- 
merous lesser  tribes  around  them  to  their  aid,  it  would 
require  another  Milton  to  describe  the  scene."  [Ichnology, 
p.  184.) 

The  Selenichnus,  or  moon-track,  so  called,  from  its  cres- 
cent shape,  is  well  shown  on  Nos.  ^^-,  -\^-,  and  f  f.  Only 
the  hind  feet  are  distinct;  but  a  small  fore  foot  of  the 
S.  breviusGulus  is  shown  on  one  specimen.  '  This  track  is  re- 
markable for  the  distinctness  of  the  tail  trace  and  the 
lunate  form  of  the  hind  track. 

If  the  visitor  wishes  to  see  other  good  examples  of  tail 


traces),let  him  look  at  Nos.  -^^-,-^^%  and  -%%  in  the  lecture- 
room* 

GROUP   VII.  -—  CHELOIflANS    OR   TORTOISES. 

There  are  no  very  striking  tracks  in  this  group,  nor  is 
their  chelonian  origin  very  certain^  The  fore  and  the  hind 
feet  of  Ancyropus  are  shown  on  the  different  leaves  of  the 
volumes,  Nos.  -2f  ^^^  f  I?  in  the  stony  library.  Nos.  || 
and  t^  are  delicate  tracks  of  the  genus  Exocampe.  Nos. 
:2|i^  jJi,  and  */-  show  little  more  than  the  trails  of  the  shell 
and  feet  of  what  are  supposed  to  have  been  tortoises. 

GROUP  viii.  — ^  fisSes» 

Living  fisheS)  as  they  swim  near  the  bottom  sometimes 
strike  their  fins  against  the  mud  or  sand  and  leave  furrows, 
sometimes  striking  only  the  crests  of  ripple  marks.  Nos.  -2/- 
and  If  look  as  if  made  in  the  same  way.  Kirby  mentions 
a  fish, "  perhaps  a  Loricaria,  which  has  a  bony  ray  before  the 
ventral  as  Well  as  pectoral  fins,  and  which  creeps  on  all 
fours  on  the  bed  of  the  rivers,  perhaps  even  when  they  are 
dry.  These  little  quadruped  fishes  must  cut  a  singular 
figure  upon  their  four  stilts."  The  siluroid  fishes  are  well 
known  for  such  habits,  s5raetimes  coming  out  of  the  water 
and  passing  over  the  dry  land,  and  having  a  cavity  in  their 
heads  for  holding  a  supply  of  water.  Perhaps  Nos.  %«-,  -%^, 
If,  and  f  §  had  such  an  origin,  though  no  great  confidence 
because  its  track  can  be  felt  in  such  an  opinion. 

GROUP   IX. CRUSTACEANS,    MYRIAPODS,  AND    INSECTS. 

At  present  it  seems  useless  to  attempt  to  distinguish  be- 
tween thos^  different  classes  of  animals  by  their  tracks. 

No.  ^^-  may  have  been  a  crustacean,  like  a  lobster.  We 
cannot  doubt  that  it  was  made  by  some  animal.  This 
specimen  Dr.  Hitchcock  took  out  of  the  sidewalk  in  Green- 
wich street.  Now  York.  We  call  the  animal  Harpagopus, 
resembles  a  harrow,  or  drag. 

No.  J^'i  (Stratipes  latus)  is  a  larger  animal  of  a  similar 
kind,  perhaps,  from  Turner's  Falls.  Its  two  rows  of  tracks 
7 


74  visitors'  guide, 

are  twenty  inches  apart,  and  the  width  of  the  trackway 
twenty-seven  inches.  Though  arranged  as  a  huge  crusta- 
cean, the  true  nature  of  this  animal  is  quite  doubtful. 

No.  ff  (the  Hamipes)  is  a  smaller  but  very  distinct 
track,  with  bifid  extremities,  like  the  stratipes.  Nos.  f  |, 
vh  f  95  -If>  14 J  li  and  f f,  may,  in  popular  language,  be 
called  the  tracks  of  insects.  Yet  none  of  them  seem  to 
have  had  more  than  four  feet,  while  insects  have  six.  No. 
f  f  is  the  smallest  track  in  the  cabinet ;  hence  called  Bifur- 
culapes  elachistotatus,  —  that  is,  less  than  the  least,  —  a 
Greek  phrase.  These  are  so  small  that  most  persons  would 
not  notice  them,  though  looking  attentively  at  the  slab.  Yet 
the  specimen  shows  four  rows  of  tracks  as  distinct  as  any 
of  the  larger  ones,  which  is  true  of  nearly  all  these  insect 
tracks.  Whether  they  were  made  by  insects,  or  crusta- 
ceans, or  myriapods  (allied  to  crustaceans),  may  be  doubtful. 
But  Nos.  f I,  ff  (Lithographus),  f  f,  f |  (Hexapodichnus), 
and  f  f  (Copeza),  show  six  feet,  and  were  therefore  probably 
insects. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  state,  that  at  length  numerous 
specimens  of  an  insect  in  the  larva  state  have  been  discov- 
ered near  Turner's  Falls,  by  Roswell  Field.  It  is  figured 
and  described  in  the  Ichnology,  on  page  8,  under  the  name 
of  Mormolucoides  articiilatus,  which  Prof.  Dana  has  lately 
changed,  with  Dr.  Hitchcock's  approbation,  into  Palephe- 
mera  mediaevus.     See  specimens  Nos.  -\**-,  -*2^-. 

GROUP   X. ANNELIDS,    OR    WORMS. 

These  embrace  such  animals  as  the  earth-worm,  or  angle- 
worm, and  many  of  the  fossil  specimens  '  might  easily  be 
mistaken  for  modern  ones,  were  they  upon  mud.  Such 
are  the  Unisulcus,  shown  on  Nos.  VS  ||,  and  |f .     Other 

tinrl<?     QTin'wn    nn     ISTn^s    3.5.     3_6_     36_      3.3.     _9_      3.3     3_Q.    Qi-irl    3.6. 
JVlllUfe,     bUUWll     on     ±>IUO.     j^c),    40?    495      35?      14?     365    36?    '*'"^     1  5 » 

are  most  of  them  very  peculiar,  and  much  unlike  existing 
Annelids. 

"  Such,"  says  Dr.  Hitchcock,  in  his  Ichnology,  "  was  the 
fauna,  of  sandstone  days,  in  the  Connecticut  valley.  What 
a  wonderful  menagerie  !  Who  could  believe  such  a  regis- 
ter lay  buried  in  the  strata  ?     To  open  the  leaves,  to  unroll 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  75 

the  papyrus,  lias  been  an  intensely  interesting  though  diffi- 
cult work,  having  all  the  excitement  and  marvellous  devel- 
opments of  romance.  And  yet  the  volume  is  only  partly 
read.  Many  a  new  page,  I  fancy,  will  yet  be  opened,  and 
many  a  new  key  obtained  to  the  hieroglyphic  record.  I 
am  thankful  that  I  have  been  allowed  to  see  so  much  by 
prying  between  the  folded  leaves.  At  first  men  supposed 
that  the  strange  and  gigantic  races  which  I  had  described, 
v\^ere  mere  creatures  of  the  imagination,  like  the  gorgons 
and  chimteras  of  the  ancient  poets.  But  now  that  hun- 
dreds of  their  foot-prints,  as  fresh  and  distinct  as  if  yester- 
day impressed  upon  the  mud,  arrest  the  attention  of  the 
sceptic  on  the  ample  slabs  of  our  cabinets,  he  might  as 
reasonably  doubt  his  own  corporeal  existence  as  that  of 
these  enormous  and  peculiar  races." 

FOREIGN    SPECIMENS. 

The  cabinet  .contains  several  specimens  from  other  parts 
of  our  country  and  Europe,  which  may  interest  the  visitor. 
One,  No.  -^^S  from  the  Devonian  rocks  along  Hudson  river, 
has  been  already  referred  to.  No.  f  f  is  a  specimen  of  the 
Batrachopus  primasvus,  found  by  Dr.  King  in  the  carboni- 
ferous formation  of  southwestern  Pennsylvania ;  evidently 
an  animal  approaching  the  frog  tribe  in  structure.  Nos. 
11  to  f  5-,  are  specimens  of  the  Prototicbnites  discovered 
by  Sir  William  Logan  in  the  Potsdam  sandstone  of  Beau- 
hairnois,  in  Canada.  These  were  doubtless  crustaceans, 
and  occur  in  what  is  usually  thought  to  be  in  our  country 
the  oldest  fossiliferous  rocks.  Nos.  ff,  fa ^ and  f|,  are 
specimens  of  the  famous  Chirotherium  from  Ilildburg- 
hausen  in  Saxony,  discovered  just  about  the  same  time  as 
the  tracks  in  the  Connecticut  valley.  Nos.  §§  and  |^-  arc 
specimens  of  the  same  kind  of  tracks  from  the  Storeton 
quarries,  near  Liverpool  in  England. 


THE  ADAMS  ZOOLOGICAL  CABINET. 

For  this  cabinet  the  College  is  mainly  indebted  to  the 
exertions  of  the  lamented  Professor  C.  B.  Adams.     At  the 


T6  visitors'  guide. 

time  of  his  death  the  Appleton  Cabinet  was  not  thought  of, 
and  these  collections  were  scattered  through  three  different 
rooms  in  the  Chapel  biiilding  ;  but  so  perfect  was  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  specimens,  that  their  order  remains 
essentially  the  same  as  it  was  when  Professor  Adams  left 
them. 

Before  describing^  the  specimens,  or  their  an-angement, 
we  will  notice  the  history  of  the  collection ;  using,  first, 
some  notes  prepared  by  Professor  Adams  in  1848. 

HISTORY. 

The  materials  with  which  the  Zoological  Museum  of 
Amherst  College  has  been  commenced,  were  obtained  from 
the  following  sources :  1.  A  legacy  of  Sylvester  Hovey, 
formerly  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy 
in  tliis  College.  Tins  legacy  consisted  of  about  700  spe- 
cies of  shells,  with  numerous  duplicates ;  and  by  exchang- 
ing the  latter,  the  number  of  species  was  raised  to  1000,  all 
of  which  were  therefore  virtually  the  gift  of  Prof.  Hovey. 
2.  Donations  of  a  few,  or  of  individual  specimens  from  the 
students,  alumni,  and  other  friends  of  the  college.  One  of 
the  most  valuable  was  the  large  Dolium  melanostomura,  pre- 
sented by  the  late  Hon.  William  Kichards,  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands.  Of  this  magnificent  shell  but  one  other  specimen, 
so  far  as  the  writer  can  learn,  is  known  to  science.  Another 
valuable  donation  was  a  box  of  the  large  and  beautiful  in- 
sects of  Batavia,  by  Capt.  Samuel  R.  Gerry,  of  Marble- 
head  ;  also  a  collection  of  corals  and  shells  from  Ceylon, 
by  Rev.  John  C  Smith,  of  Ceylon,  through  Professor  Snell. 
These  corals  are  mostly  of  large  size,  and  all  of  them  are 
in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation  of  all  the  details  of  sculp- 
ture. President  Hitchcock  has  also  presented  a  fine  collec- 
tion of  sea-fans,  sponges,  etc.,  of  a  great  variety  of  forms, 
which  were  collected  at  Key  West,  by  Dr.  Blodget^  formerly 
of  this  town.  A  few  skins  of  foreign  birds  were  presented 
by  Rev.  Henry  J.  Van  Lennep,  of  Constantinople.  3.  The 
collections  which  belonged  to  Professor  Adams,  and  which 
had  been  made  during  a  period  of  twelve  years  by  personal 
collection,  exchanges,  and  purchases* 


AMIIEllST   COLLEGE.  77 

These  collections  included  the  foUowinf^  materials :  — 

m    ZOOLOGY. 

Of  Vertehraied  Animals :  A  few  stuffed  specimens  of 
mammals  and  of  birds. 

About  200  specimens  of  reptiles  and  fishes,  mostly 
from  the  United  States  and  Jamaica,  embracing  about  GO 
species. 

Of  Mollusca :  A  series  of  the  shells  of  Jamaica,  400  spe- 
cies, containing  about  10,000  individuals. 

A  general  series  of  shells,  4400  species,  represented  bj 
about  500,000  individuals,  including  a  few  of  the  animals 
of  this  division,  with  a  manuscript  systematic  and  numeri- 
cal catalogue  of  most  of  the  names,  localities,  etc.,  and  about 
300  copies  of  a  printed  catalogue  of  the  European  and  North 
American  species. 

Duplicates  for  Exchanges  :  1.  Of  Jamaica  shells,  an  in- 
definite number,  perhaps  a  million  individuals,  of  which 
about  10,000  are  of  species  which  are  in  great  demand  for 
exchanges.  2.  Several  hundred  thousand  of  North  Amer- 
ican shells.  3.  Several  hundred  of  European  shells.  4. 
Exotic  shells  (i.  e.  neither  European  nor  North  American), 
about  3000  specimens. 

Of  Insects:  770  British  species,  mostly  Coleoptera,  named 
by  Edward  Doubleday,  Esq.,  Entomologist  of  the  British 
Museum. 

About  150  species  North  American  Cincindelidee  and 
CarabidjB,  named  by  Dr.  T.  AV.  Harris. 

Three  hundred  species  of  miscellaneous  Coleoptera,  named 
by  Dr.  J.  G.  Morris. 

About  10,000  S])ecimens  of  North  American  insects  not 
named  or  arranged. 

About  10,000  specimens  of  North  American  insects  placed 
in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Harris  to  be  named. 

Of  Crustacea:  About  100  specimens  of  20  species,  mostly 
from  Jamaica. 

Of  Echinodermota :  About  100  specimens  of  20  species, 
mostly  from  Jamaica ;  a  valuable  collection. 

Several  corals,  sponges,  etc.,  mostly  from  Jamaica. 

A  Spongia  patera  from  Singapore. 
7* 


78  VISITORS*   GUIDE, 


IN    BOTANY, 


About  1000  species,  mostly  from  the  Middle  and  "Wes- 
tern States,  with  some  exotic  species,  named  and  arranged 
in  the  natural  orders. 

A  large  collection  of  British  plants,  from  E.  Doubleday, 
Esq. 

Miscellaneous  specimens  of  tropical  plants  from  Jamaica, 
for  illustrations  in  class  exercises- 

IN    PALEONTOLOGY. 

About  250  fossils,  from  Germany  and  from  the  Southern 

States. 

APPARATUS    OF   NATURAL    HISTORY. 

Eighteen  cases,  containing  372  drawers.  Insect  boxes, 
nets,  10,000  insect  pins,  etc.  Several  gross  of  vials,  tubes, 
etc.,  for  small  shells,  boxes  for  same,  with  a  dredge  for 
marine  objects. 

BOOKS    OF   NATURAL    HISTORY. 

Monographia  Apum  Anglise  ;  Hanley's  Continuation  of 
Wood's  Index  Testaceologicus,  about  $20  ;  Murchison  and 
Verneuil's  Geology  of  Russia,  $46.50  ;  Proceedings  of 
Zoological  Society,  London,  $20  ;  Owen's  Memoir  of  My- 
lodon,  $10  ;  Jones's  Animal  Kingdom  ;  Forbes's  Star 
Fishes  ;  Boston  Journal  of  Natural  History,  $24  ;  so  much 
of  Keiner's  Iconographia  of  Recent  Shells  as  has  been  re- 
ceived up  to  this  date;  this  book  has  cost  $175.  In  short, 
such  of  the  above,  and  the  remainder  of  my  books  of  Nat- 
ural History,  as  are  not  in  the  College  Library. 

The  means  by  which  this  private  collection  (valued  at 
•Mu         $5000)  was  obtained,  it  now  seems  necessary  to  describe. 

The  collections  obtained  in  person  were  made  in  this 
State,  mostly  in  the  eastern  part,  at  various  points  of  the 
coast,  from  Plum  Island  to  New  Bedford  ;  second,  in  Ver- 
mont, mostly  in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain,  a  region 
which  is  not  surpassed,  probably  not  equalled,  in  zoological 
riches,  by  any  other  part  of  the  world  in  the  same  climate ; 


AMHERST  COLLEGE.  79 

and  third,  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica.  Small  collections  were 
also  made  in  Maine,  New  York,  Missouri,  etc.  All  the 
insects,  with  the  exceptions  above  specified,  all  the  Jamaica 
shells,  and  most  of  the  North  American  marine  shells,  were 
obtained  by  this  means. 

Collections,  by  exchanges,  have  been  made  in  a  corres- 
pondence with  about  fifty  naturalists  and  collectors  in  Eng- 
land, Bremen,  Bavaria,  Baden,  France,  Sicily,  Greece, 
Persia,  Hindostan,  thp  Sandwich  Islands,  in  Jamaica,  and 
in  ten  of  the  United  States.  The  most  valuable  additions 
have  been  made  by  the  University  of  Heidelburg,  through 
Professor  H.  J.  Bronn,  the  distinguished  palasontologist.  In 
exchanging  North  American  for  European  shells,  with  this 
university,  the  rule  of  exchange  has  been  for  each  party  to 
send  an  equal  number  of  species,  and  in  the  total  of  speci- 
mens not  exceeding  over  twenty-five  specimens  in  any  one 
species.  The  value  of  this  exchange  is  due  to  this  rule,  in 
connection  with  the  long  standing  of  the  correspondence. 
The  most  common  species  have  been  exhausted  long  since, 
and  those  which  are  more  rare  are  now  requisite  in  its  pro- 
gress. By  this  means  have  been  obtained  nearly  all  the 
species  of  the  shells  of  the  southern  half  of  Europe  which 
exist  in  the  cabinet  of  that  university,  in  addition  to  the 
numerous  others  received  from  other  correspondents. 
Another  valuable  correspondent  has  been  that  prince  of 
collectors,  H.  Cuming,  Esq.,  of  London,  whose  personal 
collections  along  the  western  shores  and  islands,  and  in  the 
western  countries  of  South  America,  in  the  Philippine  Isl- 
ands, etc.,  mostly,  although  not  exclTlsively,  of  shells,  have  not 
only  not  been  equalled  by  those  of  any  other  naturalist,  but 
have  doubled  the  whole  number  of  species  previously  known 
to  science.  To  Mr.  C.'s  liberality  in  exchange,  the  collec- 
tion was  indebted  for  the  most  beautiful  and  valuable  part 
of  the  land  shells,  viz.  most  of  the  Philippine  species  of  the 
genera  Buhmus  and  Helix.  An  excellent  print  of  this 
gentleman  may  be  seen  on  the  south  side  of  the  Zoological 
Cabinet. 

Mr.  Doubleday,  the  Entomologist  of  the  British  Museum, 
has  been  mentioned,  from  whom  the  fine  collection  of  British 
Coleoptera   was   obtained,  in   exchange  for  a  suite  of  the 


80  VISITORS     GUIDE* 

shells  of  Jamaica.  Mr,  Henry  Dimond,  of  Honolulu  in 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  has  also  been  a  very  liberal  and  valu- 
able correspondent,  having  furnished  such  an  extensive 
series  of  the  shells  of  those  islands  as  none  but  an  experi- 
enced collector  and  naturalist  could  have  procured,  with 
such  numbers  of  duplicates  as  not  only  to  enrich  the  collec- 
tion with  numerous  varieties  of  each  species,  but  also  to 
furnish  materials  for  other  exchanges.  For  the  deep-sea 
species  of  the  shells  of  New  England  we  have  been 
indebted  to  J.  W.  Mighels,  M.  D.,  formerly  of  Portland, 
now  of  Cincinnati,  who  furnished  a  series  scarcely  equalled 
in  value  by  his  own.  To  J.  G.  Anthony,  Esq.,  of  Cincin- 
nati, Col.  A.  Bourne,  of  Chillicothe,  O.,  Lieut.  John  H.  Allen, 
formerly  of  Chillicothe  and  now  of  Baltimore,  and  espe- 
cially to  Rev.  J.  B.  Lindsley  of  Nashville,  Prof.  Adams 
was  indebted  for  the  means  of  illustrating  most  of  the 
beautiful  and  numerous  species  of  the  shells  of  the  Western 
States,  with  very  numerous  varieties  of  each.  Did  our 
limits  permit,  we  should  be  happy  to  mention,  wdth  high 
commendation,  numerous  other  correspondents. 

A  large  portion  of  the  shells  of  the  East  Indies,  and 
many  from  the  Polynesian  Islands,  were  obtained  by  pur- 
chases from  dealers,  and  from  seamen  and  their  friends. 
Formerly  great  numbers  were  brought  home  by  seamen, 
and  by  them  given  away  or  sold  for  small  sums.  But  for 
several  years  past  the  number  brought  in^has  greatly  dimin- 
ished, owing  in  part,  it  is  said,  to  the  extravagant  sums 
paid  for  these  objects  by  officers  in  the  French  and  espe- 
cially in  the  English  na\^. 

The  donations  made  to  this  collection  while  it  was  private 
were  inconsiderable,  and  bear  no  proportion  to  those  which 
were  made  from  it. 

Subsequently  to  the  original  offer  of  this  collection,  — 
and  before  the  opening  of  the  Zoological  Museum,  by 
about  seven  hundred  species  of  the  Coleopterous  insects, 
named  ,by  Di'-  J-  E.  LeConte,  of  New  York  City,  whose 
well-known -accuracy  and  extent  of  knowledge  in  this  most 
difficult  branch  of  Natural  History  has  thus  greatly  in- 
creased the  value  of  this  portion  of  the  collection, —  the 
lanje  and  valuable  collection  of  insects  which  had  been  for 


AMHERST   COLLEaE.  81 

several  years  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Harris  for  a  similar  pur- 
pose, was  obtained,  with  a  few  of  the  species  named,  but  a 
large  portion  had  entirely  perished.  With  duplicates  in 
the  above  collections  the  Curator  has  procured  seventy 
specimens  of  sixty-six  species  of  Massachusetts  birds  from 
Dr.  Simeon  ShurtlefF,  of  Westfield,  an  alumnus  of  the  class 
of  '32.  These  were  prepared  and  mounted  by  Dr.  S.,  in  a 
style  which  requires  no  other  praise  than  exhibition.  The 
usual  processes  of  exchange  have  also  resulted  in  the  addi- 
tion of  a  few  hundred  species  of  shells. 

CONDITIONS  OF  PROFESSOR  ADAMS'S   GIFTS. 

Several  important  conditions  accompanied  this  valuable 
gift  of  Professor  Adams,  which  are  presented  in  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  President  Hitchcock :  — 

MlBDLEBURY,  Vt.,  Oct.  7,  1847. 

Eev.  and  Dear  Sir:  —  On  the  23d  of  Auo:ust  last  I  prepared  for 
you  a  statement  of  my  collection  of  books  and  specimens  in  natural 
history,  which  I  propose  to  give  to  Amherst  College,  on  certain  condi- 
tions; Avhich  conditions  were  to  be  subsequently  matured.  Having 
reflected  further  on  this  subject,  I  now  make  the  otfer  of  the  prop- 
erty named  in  that  communication  as  a  gift  to  Amherst  College,  on 
the  following  conditions :  — 

1.  A  fund  not  less  in  value  than  the  above-mentioned  gift,  viz. 
$5000,  or  more,  shall  be  established. 

2.  The  income  of  this  fund,  and  such  additions  as  may  be  made  to 
it,  shall  be  used  forever  for  increasing  the  collections  of  books  of  nat- 
ural history  and  of  specimens  in  natural  history  belonging  to  Amherst 
College. 

3.  This  expenditure  shall  be  made  by  myself  during  my  official 
connection  with  the  college;  and  subsequently  by  the  officer  or  offi- 
cers of  instruction  who  shall  have  the  charge  of  the  department  of 
natural  history,  and  shall  be  subjected  to  such  regulations  as  the 
Trustees  of  the  College  may  deem  requisite  to  secure  its  faithful 
appropriation  to  the  objects  specified  above. 

4.  The  words  "increase  of  books  and  specimens"  are  not  intended 
to  include  the  care  and  exhibition  of  the  same;  but  this  may  be  inclu- 
ded in  case  the  general  treasury  of  the  college  shall  be  embarrassed 
with  debt. 

5.  So  much  of  the  income  as  shall  not  be  expended  within  three 
years  after  it  accrues  shall  be  added  to  the  principal. 

6.  This  fund  shall  be  established  on  the  first  day  of  February,  A.  D. 
1848. 

The  gift,  with  these  conditions,  is  made  with  a  view  to  contribute  in 
some  small  degree  to  the  exhibition  of  the  glorious  plan  of  creation, 
especially  of  organic  beings,  as  this  exists  in  the  mind  of  the  Creator. 

C.  B.  ADAMS. 
Kev.  Edward  Hitchcock,  LL.D., 

President  of  Amherst  College. 


82  '  visitors'  guide. 

SUBSEQUENT  HISTORY. 

Professor  Adams,  in  1847,  removed  to  Amlierst,  and 
immediately  began  to  labor  for  the  increase  of  the  Zoologi- 
cal Cabinet.  Every  spare  moment  ^Yas  devoted  to  this  ob- 
ject with  an  untiring  energy.  The  greatest  exertion  was 
spent  upon  perfecting  the  conchological  part  of  the  cabinet; 
and  he  succeeded  so  well  that  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
1853,  it  was  considered  one  of  the  finest  collections  in  the 
country.  Indeed  it  is  only  recently  (1861)  that  a  similar 
notice  of  it  has  been  made,  in  a  history  of  American  Con- 
chology,  by  George  W.  Tryon,  Jr.,  member  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia.  The  following  ex- 
tract from  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts 
(March,  1862),  will  give  the  substance  of  this  notice  :  — 

"  The  splendid  collection  [of  moUusca]  belonging  to  Am- 
herst College  is  a  noble  monument  of  the  unflagging  assi- 
duity and  scientific  attainments  of  the  late  Professor  C.  B. 
Adams,  who  formed  it.  It  embraces  types  of  all  his  species, 
and  full  suites  of  the  shells  of  the  various  West  India  Isl- 
ands and  of  Panama.  It  is  esteemed  by  competent  judges 
the  most  valuable  collection  for  study  in  the  United  States." 

The  number  of  new  species  of  mollusca  described  by 
Prof.  Adams  was  seven  hundred. 

Besides  the  ordinary  exchanges,  Professor  Adams  made 
an  excursion  to  Panama  and  Jamaica,  subsequent  to  his 
connection  with  the  College,  and  brought  back  with  him 
large  scientific  treasures.  This  was  in  the  winter  of 
1849—50,  and  the  results  of  his  investigations  upon  the 
Panama  shells  were  published  in  the  Annals  of  the  Nev/ 
York  Lyceum  of  Natural  History,  an  octavo  volume  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty-five  pages.  During  six  weeks' 
exploration  there  he  collected  forty-one  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  thirty  specimens  of  five  hundred  and  sixteen 
species  of  mollusca,  besides  many  radiate  animals.  His 
collections  made  in  Jamaica  w^ere  no  less  extensive. 

Another  excursion  to  the  West  India  Islands  was 
planned,  and  Prof.  Adams  had  begun  to  collect  upon  the 
the  Island  of  St.  Thomas,  but  his  early  sickness  and  death 
put    an    end   to   his    work.       By    this    date    (1853)  the 


AMHERST   COLLEaE,  83 

collection  of  mollusca  had  attained  the  number  of  eight 
thousand  species. 

After  Professor  Adams's  death  the  zoological  depart- 
ment was  transferred  to  Professor  W.  S.  Clark,  who  labored 
efficiently  for  its  weal,  so  far  as  his  time  and  the  means  at 
his  command  would  permit.  All  the  larger  stuffed  speci- 
mens of  the  mammalia,  as  well  as  the  botanical  collec- 
tions, and  many  other  specimens,  were  procured  by  him. 
During  his  administration  the  specimens  were  removed 
from  the  three  rooms  in  the  Chapel,  in  which  they  had  been 
exhibited,  and  placed  in  their  present  location.  Professor 
Clark  also  placed  upon  the  w^alls  of  the  Zoological  Cabinet 
and  the  lecture-room  various  large  paintings,  designed  to 
illustrate  botany  and  zoology. 

In  1858  the  present  curator  was  appointed  to  take  charge 
of  the  department  of  zoology,  and  the  results  of  his  labors 
have  been  ah'eady  noticed  in  his  Preliminary  Report. 

METHOD  OF  ARRANGEMENT. 

There  are  two  sorts  of  cases  in  the  Zoological  Cabinet, 
the  horizontal  and  the  upright.  The  former  contain  only 
the  insects  and  shells  of  the  mollusca.  The  latter  contain 
specimens  of  all  the  branches  of  the  animal  kingdom, 
arranged  in  scientific  order,  except  where  a  departure  is 
made  for  the  convenience  of  accommodating  large  speci- 
mens. 

The  specimens  in  the  upright  cases  are  arranged  accord- 
ing to  the  following  system  of  classification.  The  lowest 
orders  begin  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  room,  and  in 
proceeding  w^estwardly  the  observer  will  inspect  the  next 
higher  classes  in  regular  succession. 

I.  PROTOZOA. 

Class  1.  Amorphozoa,  the  sponges ;  Class  2.  Forami- 
nifera,  the  rhizopods ;  Class  3.  Infusoria,  including  most  of 
the  animalcules.     These  are  all  confined  to  the  first  case. 

II.  RADIATA. 

Class  1.  Polypi,  with  two  orders  ;   (a.)  Halcyonoidse,  the 


84  visti'ORs^  atJiBSs 

sea-fans ;  (b.)  Actinoidse,  or  stony  corals  generally*     These 
two  orders  occupy  the  next  two  cases. 

Class  2»  AcalephsBj  with  three  orders  ;  (a.)  Hydroidae, 
or  fresh  water  polyps;  (b.)  Discophorse  ;  (c.)  Ctenophorae, 
—  band  (c.)  being  known  as  jelly-fishes.  Class  3.  Echin- 
odermata,  with  four  orders ;  (a. )  Crinoidea^  or  crinoids  ; 
(L)  Stellerida^  or  star-fishes  ;  (c.)  Echinidae,  or  sea-urchins  ; 
(d.)  Holothuriae»  These  two  classes  occupy  the  fourth 
case. 

III.    MOLLUSCA. 

Class  1.  Accephalata,  with  four  orders;  (a.)Bryozoa; 
(h.)  Brachiopoda  ;  (c.)  Tunicata  ;  (d.)  Lamellibranchiata. 
Class  2.  Gasteropoda,  with  three  orders ;  (a,)  Pteropo- 
da;  (5.)  Heteropoda;  (c.)  Gasteropoda  typica.  Class  3. 
Cephalopoda,  with  two  orders  ;  (a.)  Tetrabranchiata ;  (5.) 
Dibranchiata. 

In  the  horizontal  cases  the  classification  adopted  is  dif* 
ferent.  The  objects  are  arranged  according  to  the  Lamarc- 
kian  system.  The  following  is  its  outline,  beginning  at 
the  highest  part  of  the  series  and  descending  :  "- 

Class  1.  Cephalopoda,  order  (a.)  Dibranchiata  with  tWo 
families,  octopidse  and  sepiidae ;  (6.)  Tetrabranchiata  with 
two  families,  nautilidae  and  ammonitidse* 

Class  2.  Gasteropoda,  with  three  orders ;  («.)  Tracheli- 
poda  with  twenty-one  families,  viz.  cyprsedae,  mitridae, 
purpuridae,  magilidas,  conidee,  strombidee,  muricidse,  tur- 
binidse,  littorinidae,  halotidag,  vermetidee,  tornatellid^e, 
janthinidae,  naticidae,  neritidas,  melanidae,  paludinidge,  phy- 
sidae,  cyclostomidae,  helicidae,  and  limacidse  ;  (b.)  Gastero- 
poda typica  with  ten  families;  aplysiidse,  bullidse,  fissu- 
relida3,  umbrellidas,  dentalidge,  patellidee,  phyllidid^,  doridee, 
eolidse,  and  calyptrseidee ;  (c.)  Heteropoda  with  one  genu?, 
carinaria. 

Class  3.  Pteropoda,  with  two  genera,  cleodora  and  hy- 
alaea. 

Class  4.  Conchifera,  with  two  orders  ;  (a.)  Unimusculosa 
with  three  families,  ostraeidge,  pectenid^e,  and  aviculidas  ; 
{b. )  Bimusculosa  with  seventeen  families,  viz.  mytilidae, 
tridaclinidae,  hippuritidae,  chamidas,  unionidae,  arcidae,  cardi- 


AMHERST   COLLEai],  85 

idsQ,  venidas,  cyrenidae,  tellinidse,  petricolidae,  mactridce, 
thracidas,  myidse,  solenidse,  pholadidas,  and  aspergillidse. 

Class  o.  Tunicata. 

Class  6.  Brachiopoda,  with  two  orders  ;  (a.)  those  ani- 
mals having  an  articulated  hinge  to  their  shells,  and  (b.) 
those  with  an  unarticulated  hinge. 

Class  7.  Cirrhopoda,  with  two  orders ;  (a.)  Pedunculata; 
{b.)  Sessilia. 

IV.  ARTICULATA. 

Class  1.  Vermes,  or  worms,  with  three  orders  ;  (a.)  Tre- 
matoda  ;  (b.)  Nematoidea  ;   (c.)  Annelida. 

Class  2.  Crustacea,  with  five  orders ;  (a.)  Rotatoria,  or 
the  wheel  animalcules;  (b.)  Cirripedia,  or  the  barnacles; 
(c.)  Entomostraca ;  (d.)  Tetradecapoda ;  (e.)  Decapoda,  the 
more  common  crabs  and  lobsters. 

Class  3.  Insecta,  with  three  orders;  (a.)  Myriapoda,  the 
millepedes,  etc. ;  (b.)  Archnida,  the  spiders  ;  (c.)  Insectce, 
the  true  insects. 

The  two  most  northern  rows  of  horizontal  cases  contain 
Articulata,  mostly  arranged  by  Professor  Adams.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  classification  of  the  insects  adopted  by  him. 

Class  Insecta.  Orders:  (a.)  Coleopter'a,  the  beetles  ;  (b.) 
Forficulidce ;  (c.)  Orthoptera,  grasshoppers ;  (d.)  Thysan- 
optera  ;  (e.)  Neuroptera,  dragon-flies  ;  (/.)  Tricoptera, 
case-worm  flies  ;  (g.)  Hymenoptera,  the  bees,  wasps,  etc. ; 
(h.)  Strepsiptera,  the  Avasp-flies ;  (?'.)  Lepidoptera,  the 
butterflies,  etc.;  (y.)  Homoptera ;  (^\ )  Heteroptera ;  (/.) 
Diptera,  the  fleas ;  and  [m.)  Aphanoptera,  or  the  lice 
tribe. 

V.  vertebrata. 

Class  1 .  Myzontes,  with  two  orders  ;  (a. )  Myxinoida  ; 
(b.)  Cyclostomata. 

Class  2.  Fishes  proper,  with  two  orders  ;  (a.)  Ctenoids  ; 
(b.)  Cycloids. 

Class  3.  Ganoids,  with  three  orders  ;  (a.)  Coelacanths ; 
(/x)  Acipenseroids;  (c.)  Sauroids.  The  following  are  also 
placed  here  for  the  present :  the  Siluroids,  Plectognaths, 
and  Lophobranches. 


86  visitors'  guide. 

Class  4.  Selachians,  with  three  orders  ;  {a.)  Chimgeras  ; 
(h.)  Galeodes  ;   (c.)  Batides. 

Class  5.  Amphibians,  with  three  orders;  (a.)  Cseciliae; 
{h.)  Ichthyodi ;   (c.)  Anura. 

Class  6.  Reptiles,  with  four  orders ;  {a.)  Serpentes ;  (h.) 
Saurii ;   (c.)  Rhizodonts  ;   (c?.)  Testudinata. 

Class  7.  Birds,  with  four  orders  ;  {a.)  Natatores  ;  (h.) 
Grallae  ;  {c.)  Razores  j  (d.)  Insessores,  including  Scansores 
and  Accipitres. 

Class.  8.  Mammalia,  with  three  orders  ;  (ci.)  Marsupialia ; 
{h.)  Herbivora  ;    (c.)  Carnivora. 

Most  of  the  species  have  been,  and  it  is  to  hoped  that 
nearly  all  will  soon  be,  labelled.  Each  label  contains  .the 
name  of  the  species  following  the  initial  of  the  genus,  with 
citation  of  the  original  author  of  the  speciiic  name,  the 
name  of  the  place  or  region  in  which  the  specimens  were 
obtained,  and  the  name  of  the  donor.  Other  circumstances, 
of  periods  of  growth,  varieties,  etc.,  are  indicated  in  the  label. 
Each  species  has  a  separate  label ;  and  when  a  species  is 
represented  by  varieties  requiring  separate  notice,  or  by 
specimens  from  different  localities,  the  specimens  of  each 
of  such  varieties  and  localities  are  labelled. 

The  geographical  distribution  of  the  'species  is  approxi- 
mately indicated  by  eight  different  colors  of  labels,  which 
represent  eight  divisions  of  the  earth's  surface.  These 
divisions  are,  the  North  American,  the  West  Indian,  the 
South  American,  the  Pacific,  tlie  East  Indian,  the  West 
African,  the  Siberian,  and  the  European  regions.  The  col- 
ors assigned  to  each  of  these  zoological  provinces  may  be 
seen  on  a  map  of  the  world. 

Description  of  the  Speciniens. 

The  first  thing  that  attracts  the  attention  of  the  visitor  is 
the  paintings  upon  the  walls.  Upon  the  west  end  of  the 
room  is  represented  an  elephant,  in  the  midst  of  tropical 
scenery.  It  appears  to  the  best  advantage  when  viewed 
from  the  east  end  of  the  room.  So,  too,  the  representations 
of  Arctic  scenery,  and  of  a  western  buffalo  hunt,  over  the 
stairs,  appear  best  from  the  west  end  of  tlie  room.     Upon 


AMHERST    COLLEGE.  87 

the  north  side  of  the  room  are  represented  a  South  Ameri- 
can anaconda  attempting  to  "charm"  a  parrot,  and  the  huge 
African  ape,  the  gorilla,  the  nearest  approach  of  the  animal 
kingdom  to  man.  Inside  of  the  large  glazed  case,  near  the 
stairs,  is  a  representation  of  the  scenery  of  a  Northern  winter, 
in  which  a  moose  is  located.  When  this  painting  was  exe- 
cuted, only  a  solitary  moose  occupied  the  case  ;  but  now, 
since  the  accumulation  of  specimens,  the  scene  is  not  so 
appropriate. 

This  case  is  now  devoted  to  the  sub-order  Ruminantia, 
or  those  animals  that  chew  the  cud.  The  two  largest  speci- 
mens are  the  American  moose,  Alee  Americana,  Jar  dine. 
The  stuffed  skin  is  from  Connecticut  lake,  N.  IT.,  while  the 
skeleton  is  from  Ashland,  Me.,  in  the  latitude  of  Quebec. 
Th^  bones  were  procured  by  Rev.  M.  R.  Keep,  of  Ashland, 
and,  after  beino;  cleaned,  were  mounted  bv  Prof.  Edward 
Hitchcock,  Jr.,  who  has  also  mounted  the  greater  part  of 
the  skeletons  in  the  cabinet,  —  particularly  the  larger  ones, 
—  some  of  which  are  only  deposited  by  him. 

The  beautiful  deer,  the  most  common  one  in  this  country, 
the  Cervus  Virginiana,  Boddaert,  is  from  New  York.  The 
skeleton  is  from  the  West,  and  was  presented  by  A.  D. 
Phillips,  Esq.,  of  Deerfield.  A  series  of  the  horns  of  the 
deer,  showing  the  progress  from  year  to  year;  also  their 
appearance,  when  covered  with  hair  and  flesh,  in  their 
annual  growth,  are  well  shown  by  other  specimens.  Still 
other  specimens,  are  the  skull  of  the  Indian  ox  (East  In- 
dian) presented  by  Rev.  Edward  Webb,  horns  of  the 
American  buffalo,  a  musk  deer  from  Java,  etc. 

PROTOZOA    AND    EADIATA. 

In  the  first  upright  case,  to  the  left  of  the  ruminant  ani- 
mals, are  the  Protozoa,  in  which  will  be  seen  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  specimens  of  sponges,  etc.,  of  various 
forms  and  sizes.  One  very  large  bill-shaped  specimen  is 
worthy  of  special  notice.  These  sponges  have  not  yet  been 
named. 

In  the  second  case  are  the  Halcyonoid  corals,  or  the  sea- 
fans,  seventy-two  specimens.     Many  persons  would  think 


88  visitors'  guide, 

these  specimens  to  be  plants.  They  are  some  of  the  com- 
pound structures  known  as  Zoophytes,  plant  animals  ;  so 
called,  because  they  so  greatly  resemble  plants.  An  im- 
mense number  of  minute  animals  live  all  over  their  stalks 
and  branches,  which,  by  their  united  action,  deposit  animal 
and  calcareous  matter,  taking  the  shape  of  a  growing  tree, 
or  other  vegetable.  If  one  part  of  the  living  dome,  or 
house,  be  broken  off  or  injured,  all  the  animals  in  the  vicin- 
ity will  be  affected  also.  Many  of  these  fans  are  very 
beautiful,  and  exhibit  very  bright  colors.  They  are  largely 
from  the  West  India  Islands  and  the  Florida  Keys. 

In  the  third  case  are  the  Actinoid  coral  domes,  or  what 
are  commonly  known  as  coral.  There  are  also  Zoophytes, 
but  are  higher  in  the  scale  of  animals  than  the  Halcyonoids. 
The  two  hundred  and  ten  specimens  of  them  in  the  case 
exhibit  all  the  more  common  varieties,  and  some  of  them 
are  very  beautiful.  They  are  mostly  from  the  same  local- 
ities as  the  Halcyonoids. 

In  the  fourth  case  are  the  Acalephs  and  Echinoderms." 
Very  few  of  the  former  are  preserved,  as  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  preserve  them.  The  "  Portuguese  man  of  war," 
on  the  upper  shelf,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  class.  Upon 
the  two  lower  shelves  are  the  Echinoderms,  largely  from 
Jamaica  and  Panama,  Few  marine  animals  appear  more 
curious,  to  persons  not  familiar  with  the  coast,  than  these 
singular  bodies,  completely  covered  with  vertical  spines. 
Those  with  the  larger  solid  spines  are  not  commonly  pre- 
served in  spirit ;  hence  the  spines  are  separated  from  the 
body.  But  one  specimen  of  this  acrocladia,  of  a  purple 
color,  may  be  seen  in  a  bottle,  which  will  give  an  idea 
of  the  original  appearance  of  the  others.  Upon  the 
middle  shelf  is  a  valuable  collection  of  Star-fish  and  Ophi- 
urans  (Stellinda),  largely  from  Jamaica  and  Panama. 
,Both  the  star-fishes  and  sea-urchins  were  named  by  Prof. 
Agassiz,  and  a  number  of  new  specimens  obtained  from 
him  by  exchange.  The  Holothuridae  appear  like  great 
clumsy  worms,  and  may  be  seen  in  bottles  upon  the  upper 
shelf.  In  this  case  are  268  specimens  of  Echinoderms,  153 
of  Star-fishes,  and  38  of  Holothuridse  and  Acalephse. 


AMIlilRST   COLLEGE.  89 


MOLLUSCA. 

The  fifth  case  is  devoted  to  the  Mollusca,  to  specimens 
of  the  animals  themselves,  in  connection  with  their  shells, 
and  to  large  specimens,  too  large  to  be  admitted  into  the 
horizontal  cases.  Upon  the  lower  shelf  are  two  valves  of 
the  great  Tridachna  gigas,  the  largest  of  all  mollusca,  and 
such  as  are  used  in  European  cathedrals  as  vases  to  hold 
holy  water.  These  specimens  are  seven  inches  deep.  Al- 
though the  two  parts  are  opposite  valves,  and  nearly  fit, 
they  are  odd  valves,  one  weighing  102^-lbs.,  and  the  other 
1251^ lbs.  The  entire  shell  to  which  the  latter  belonged, 
must,  therefore,  have  weighed  about  250  lbs.,  half  the  weight 
of  the  largest  sj)ecimen  that  has  been  seen. 

Upon  the  second  shelf  are  several  large  shells,  among 
which  is  an  unusually  large  specimen  of  the  Fusus  arua- 
nus,  which  is  the  largest  of  the  univalve  shells.  Upon  the 
third  shelf  are  a  large  number  of  molluscous  animals,  mostly 
deposited  by  Professor  Shepard ;  also  an  ornamental  basket, 
prepared  by  George  H.  Coit,  an  alumnus  of  the  class  of 
1852.  A  few  specimens  may  be  seen  here  of  the  eggs  of 
large  land  shells,  about  as  large  as  the  eggs  of  the  warblers 
among  birds,  upon  the  opposite  side  "of  the  room.  It  may 
seem  strange  to  some  that  snails  should  lay  eggs  ;  but  this 
manner  of  reproduction  is  by  no  means  confined  to  birds, 
since,  in  one  way.  or  another,  it  is  the  normal  mode  among 
all  the  classes  of  the  animal  kingdom.  Upon  the  upper 
shelf  may  be  seen  a  fev^  specimens  of  Cephalopoda,  or 
cuttle-fishes  and  squids. 

ARTICULATA. 

The  sixth  case  is  devoted  to  Articulata.  Upon  the  two 
lower  shelves  may  be  seen  specimens  of  the  nests  of  the 
hornet,  yellow  wasp,  and  Ceylonese  spiders.  The  latter 
are  the  most  interesting,  consisting  of  a  long  cylinder  of 
earth,  having  a  lid  at  the  upper  end,  vv'hich  is  closed  when- 
ever the  inhabitants  are  threatened  by  an  enemy,  or  are 
indisposed  to  receive  their  friends.  Upon  the  third  shelf 
are  numerous  dried  specimens  of  hermit  crabs  and  king  crabs. 
8* 


90  VISITORS     GUIDE. 

The  latter  (Limulus  polyphemus)  are  interesting,  because 
they  are  the  nearest  approach  of  living  animals  to  the  an- 
cient Trilobites,  so  abundant  in  the  early  periods  of  our 
planet.  Upon  the  upper  shelf  are  numerous  specimens  of 
tape-worms,  hair-snakes,  centipedes,  millipedes,  scorpions, 
spiders,  crabs,  etc.  A  specimen  of  a  crab,  in  a  glass  case, 
is  interesting  on  account  of  its  collector.  It  was  obtained 
by  Rev.  Henry  Lyman,  who  was  murdered  by  the  Battas 
in  1834.  Quite  a  number  of  other  specimens  in  the  cabinet 
were  presented  by  the  same  gentleman,  which  were  col- 
lected by  him.  among  those  inhospitable  isles. 

FISHES. 

The  next  two  cases  are  occupied  by  what  the  older  zool- 
ogists called  Fishes,  but  which  are  now  subdivided  into 
several  classes,  as  given  above.  Upon  the  lower  shelf  of 
the  seventh  case  may  be  seen  a  large  sturgeon,  a  number 
of  dried  South  Carolina  and  West  India  fishes,  the  verte- 
brae of  a  shark,  etc.  Upon  the  second  shelf  is  a  large 
number  of  dried  and  stuffed  specimens  of  American  fish, 
among  which  is  the  gar-pike ;  this,  with  the  alligator  gar 
above,  are  representatives  of  ancient  Ichthyic  animals,  now 
mostly  extinct.  They  have  the  heterocercal  tail,  or  the 
lobes  of  unequal  size,  as  was  the  case  with  all  the  fish 
earlier  than  the  Triassic  period.  The  alligator  gar  is  a 
beautiful  animal,  upon  the  third  shelf,  and  is  from  Lake 
Pontchartrain,  near  New  Orleans.  Upon  the  same  shelf  is 
a  large  number  of  Jamaica  fishes  preserved  in  spirit,  the 
sword  of  the  sword-fish  (by  whose  side  is  placed  a  small 
head  of  the  same  species,  in  order  to  illustrate  the  size  of 
the  larger  one),  the  saws  of  the  saw-fish,  pipe-fish,  large 
eels  from  the  Indian  ocean,  etc.  The  jars  upon  the  upper 
shelf  contain  Jamaica  fishes  chiefiy,  among  which  is  the 
curious  hammer-headed  shark. 

On  the  lower  shelf  of  the  eighth  case  is  a  large  number 
of  tails  of  the  sting  ray,  with  a  small  shark,  etc.  Upon 
the  second  shelf  are  sharks'  jaws,  a  shark  from  the  Indian 
ocean,  and  a  ray-fish  from  the  same  waters.  This  is  a 
small  specimen,  although  quite  large,  as  may  be  seen  by 


AMHERST   COLLEOE.  91 

comparing  its  tail  with  the  tails  of  the  sting  ray  below, 
which  came  from  a  similar  animal.  Upon  the  next  shelf 
are  more  sharks'  jaws,  among  which  is  the  jaw  of  the 
Carcharias  Atwoodi,  from  Provincetown,  an  animal  very 
rarely  found  in  our  waters,  —  the  true  man-eating  shark. 
Here  are  many  specimens  of  the  Diodon,  a  curious  animal, 
having  protuberances,  like  horns,  in  front ;  also  the  sea- 
hedgehogs,  which  must  be  very  uncomfortable  for  intimate 
friendship.  One  can,  by  examining  the  countenances  of  these 
formidable  animals,  easily  trace  resemblances  to  human  faces. 
Upon  these  two  shelves  are  many  fishes  from  Lake  Cham- 
plain  and  the  Connecticut  valley,  in  spirit,  the  former 
presented  by  Mr.  Averill,  the  generous  proprietor  of  the 
Highgate  Springs  in  Vermont.  More  Lake  Cham  plain 
fishes  appear  upon  the  upper  shelf,  in  company  with  dio- 
dons,  dog-fish,  rays,  etc.  We  should  not  forget  to  notice 
the  Echeneis  maceratus,  which  is  a  parasite  of  the  shark. 
One  can  easily  see  that  his  mouth  is  fitted  only  to  suck  out 
the  juices  of  other  animals  in  a  parasitic  way. 

AMPHIBIA    AND    REPTILES. 

The  ninth  and  tenth  cases  are  occupied  by  Amphibia 
and  Reptiles.  Upon  the  lower  shelf  of  the  ninth  case  is  a 
large  quantity  of  frogs  and  toads  in  spirit,  a  frog's  skeleton 
from  Europe,  salamanders,  the  skin  of  an  immense  boa- 
constrictor  from  southeast  Africa,  etc.  A  Menobranchus 
from  Cayuga  lake,  N.  Y.,  represents  that  extraordinary 
group  of  reptiles  which  retain  through  life  their  beautiful 
feathered  organs  of  aquatic  respiration.  Upon  the  second 
shelf  is  a  small  alligator,  with  several  of  the  young,  and  a 
couple  of  eggs ;  also  a  series  of  Amphibians  from  Penn- 
sylvania. A  large  number  of  snakes  occupy  the  third  shelf, 
among  which  is  a  beautiful  skeleton  and  stuffed  specimen 
of  the  South  Carohna  rattlesnake.  The  identical  skeleton 
belonging  to  the  stuffed  specimen  lies  by  its  side  ;  also  sev- 
eral loose  fangs.  The  shape  of  the  mouth,  also  tlie  posi- 
tion of  the  fangs,  as  well  as  their  structure,  may  be  clearly 
seen  in  these  specimens.  In  the  bottles  adjacent  are  other 
rattlesnakes,  particularly  several  from  the  vicinity  of  Am-' 


92  visitors'  guibk. 

herst.  Other  interesting  objects  are  the  heart  of  a  boa- 
constrictor,  the  black  snake,  and  one  or  two  tropical  snakes. 
Upon  the  fourth  shelf  are  snakes  enough,  one  would  think, 
to  satisfy"  almost  any  person,  except  a  naturalist,  who,  like 
a  miser,  never  has  enough  until  he  has  the  whole.  These 
specimens  are  from  all  quarters  of  the  earth,  but  most  of 
them  are  without  names.  In  due  time  they  will  all  receive 
names,  —  it  may  be  before  this  edition  of  this  "Guide 
Book"  is  exhausted. 

In  the  next  case,  upon  the  lower  shelf,  may  be  seen  a 
large  specimen  of  a  Southern  alligator,  and  by  his  side  his 
skeleton.  Upon  the  second  shelf  is  the  skeleton  and  skull 
of  the  large  green  edible  turtle,  and  near  him  preserved 
specimens  of  medium-sized  snapping  turtles,  and  terrapins 
of  various  kinds.  An  interesting  series  of  the  Nanemys 
guttata  shows  the  different  sizes  of  the  animal  at  different 
periods  of  its  growth.  Other  turtles  appear  upon  the  second 
shelf,  among  which  are  two  specimens  of  the  Psammobates 
radiata  from  Madagascar,  a  very  large  snapping  turtle, 
turtles'  eggs  from  the  temperate  and  tropical  climates,  most 
of  our  common  turtles,  a  small  specimen,  in  a  bottle,  of  the 
Sphargis,  or  leather  turtle  of  the  tropics,  etc.  Upon  the 
upper  shelf  are  numerous  specimens  of  lizards  of  all  sizes, 
and  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Among  them  are  the  so- 
called  "  horned  toads,"  from  Texas,  etc.,  which,  though  com- 
mon in  their  native  regions,  are  objects  of  curiosity  to  most 
persons.  Here  is  tlie  Scincus  fasciatus,  Linn.,  a  very  rare 
specimen.  Chameleons  from  Jamaica  and  Africa  are  nu- 
merous. Many  of  the  jars  are  crowded  with  a  hash  of 
different  kinds  of  Jamaica  lizards,  which  will  be  very  valu- 
able in  making  out  exchanges,  particularly  with  European 
museums. 

MAMMALS. 

For  convenience  the  mammals  are  placed  in  the  cases 
before  the  birds,  although  higher  in  the  scale  of  being.  In 
the  first  case  of  mammals  are  many  miscellaneous  speci- 
mens of  bones,  skulls,  teeth,  etc.  On  the  lowest  shelf  are 
three  vertebrae  of  whales,  two  pieces  of  whalebone,  the  cer- 
vical vertebrae  of  the  Delphinus  melas,  the  skin  of  a  v/ood- 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  03 

chuck,  having  remarkably  long  teeth,  etc.  Upon  the  second 
shelf  are  placed  a  number  of  bats,  mostly  dried,  but  some 
preserved  in  spirit;  as  for  example,  several  Eolian  bats, 
which  were  captured  in  a  cave  eighteen  hundred  feet  above 
the  base  of  Mount  Eolus,  in  Dorset,  Yt.,  in  1860,  when  the 
•class  of  1861  gave  the  name  to  the  mountain.  Tusks  of 
the  walrus,  the  skin  of  an  ermine,  horns  of  a  goat,  teeth  of  a 
whale,  of  the  extinct  species  of  the  horse,  of  the  wild  boar, 
etc.,  are  also  exhibited  here.  Upon  the  third  shelf  the 
variety  is  greater.  Here  may  be  seen  the  skulls  of  many 
small  animals ;  the  teeth  of  many  more,  such  as  the  whale, 
camel,  elephant,  and  hippopotamus ;  the  tail  of  an  elephant, 
the  skin  of  a  rhinoceros ;  feet  of  a  bear ;  skulls  of  monkeys ; 
daguerreotype  of  the  Aztec  children,  etc.  Upon  the  upper 
shelves  of  this  and  the  next  case  will  be  seen  modelsof  the 
heads  of  men  distinguished  for  good  or  bad  qualities,  by 
the  side  of  the  heads  of  various  wild  and  domesticated 
animals.       These    specimens    were   designed   to   illustrate 

phrenology. 

A  number  of  stuffed  mammals  appear  in  the  last  case 
upon  the  north  side  of  the  room.     Upon  the  lower  shelf  is 
a  badger  from  Minnesota,  and  a  hedgehog,  or  porcupine, 
from  Leveret.      Upon    the    second  shelf  are   two  young 
otters  from  Hadley,  and  between  them  a  skeleton  of  a  full- 
grown  otter.     Near  them  is  a  preserved  specimen  of  an 
Ornithorhynchus,  or  duck-billed  platypus,  one  of  the  most 
singular  of  all  mammals,  being  the  connecting  link  between 
mammals  and  birds.     Its  bill,  feet,  and  part  of  its  internal 
structure  are  ornithic.     The  males  have  a  spur  upon  the 
hind  legs.     Its  hair  is  intermediate  in  character  between 
hair  and  feathers.     When  this  animal  was  first  brought  to 
the  notice  of  European  naturalists,  in  the  dried  state,  it  was 
thought  to  be  an  imposition  ;  but  subsequent  examination 
has  proved  the  genuineness  of  his   existence.     Upon  the 
third  shelf  are  quite  a  number  of  small  mammals.     There 
is  an  interesting  series  of  squirrels,  the  gray  and  black  from 
Niagara  Falls,  with  varieties  of  the  same  species,  the  chip- 
munk, red  squirrel,  common  flying  squirrel,  and  the  larger 
flying  squirrel  from  Hudson's  bay.     The  winter  and  sum- 
mer dress  of  our  common  weasel,  the  one  white  and  the 


94  VISITORS     GUIDE. 

other  gray,  may  be  seen.  Other  animals  are  the  raccoon, 
muskrat,  sable,  and  woodchuck.  Upon  the  upper  shelf  are 
specunens  of  rats,  mice,  and  moles,  with  their  skeletons. 
All  will  be  interested  in  observing  the  large  spade-like  front 
feet  of  the  mole.  -  Here,  too,  is  a  three-toed  sloth  from 
Griiiana,  in  whose  construction,  as  Cuvier  says,  "  Nature 
seems  to  have  amused  herself  with  producing  something 
imperfect  and  grotesque."  No  less  curious  are  two  species 
of  armadillos  from  South  America. 

A  few  anatomical  illustrations  and  models  are  found  in 
the  very  small  case  in  the  corner. 

Commencing  at  the  right-hand  side  of  the  long  case  at 
the  west  end  of  the  room,  one  sees  first  some  monstrosities. 
One  is  a  very  fine  specimen  of  a  double  calf,  presented  by 
Dr.  Anthony  Jones,  of  Newburyport.  Another  is  a  double- 
headed  lamb,  and  the  third  is  a  calf  possessing  a  rudimentary 
porcine  snout.  Next  is  a  fine  panther,  called  also  American 
cougar,  catamount,  and  Indian  devil.  It  is  one  of  the  cat 
tribe.  Near  it  is  a  beautiful  tiger-cat,  lying  upon  its  side, 
from  Mexico.  The  most  prominent  object  here  is  a  large 
Greenland  seal ;  in  front  of  which  are  some  smaller  ani- 
mals, particularly  a  small  pig  from  New  York  City.  Be- 
yond the  seal  are  several  carnivorous  animals,  whose  posi- 
tion may  be  found  best  by  consulting  the  labels.  They  are 
a  young  Canada  lynx  from  Maine,  a  very  stout  animal  of 
the  cat  family.  Lynx  Canadensis.  A  savage-looking  wild 
cat,  Lynx  rufus,  is  worthy  of  notice,  because  it  was  killed 
recently  at  the  West  Farms  in  Northampton.  One  can 
readily  distinguish  between  the  cats  proper  and  the  lynces. 
The  former  always  have  quite  a  long  tail,  and  the  lynces  a 
very  short  one.  Near  by  is  a  fisher,  or  black  cat,  from 
Ashland,  Me.,  and  a  skeleton  of  the  same  animal  from 
Wilmington,  Vt. 

The  large  manikin  is  made  of  papier  mache,  and  is  so 
constructed  that  it  can  be  taken  to  pieces,  and  each  muscle 
and  organ  of  tlie  body  seen  in  its  proper  place.  This,  with 
the  skeleton  and  other  models  of  parts  of  the  human  body, 
are  used  to  illustrate  the  subject  of  human  anatomy  to  the 
classes. 

About  the  manikin  are  various  skeletons,  particularly 
those  of  a  small  monkey,  muskrat,  domestic  cat,  skunk,  etc. 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  95 

A  beautiful  specimen  of  the  Vulpes  lagopus,  or  white  arctic 
fox,  will  attract  universal  attention.  It  was  presented  by 
Rev.  C.  C.  Carpenter,  missionary  to  Labrador.  It  is  the 
animal's  winter  dress,  the  summer  coat  being  of  a  dark 
color.  Near  it  is  a  specimen  of  a  young  seal,  captured  off 
Minot's  Ledge,  whose  fur  is  very  smooth,  quite  the  reverse 
of  that  upon  the  larger  animal  of  his  tribe.  The  skeleton 
of  a  black  bear,  rather  young,  from  Wilmington,  Yt.,  suc- 
ceeds, which  is  followed  by  a  much  larger  specimen  of  the 
same  genus,  —  the  grizzly  bear  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  — > 
Ursus  horribilis,  Ord.,  —  the  terror  of  the  mountain  country. 
He  is  represented,  characteristically,  in  the  act  of  feeding 
upon  a  deer  recently  killed.  On  the  wall  behind  is  sus- 
pended the  skin  of  the  great  grizzly  bear  of  Asia  jMinor, 
presented  by  R-ev.  H.  J.  Van  Lennep. 

Beyond  the  bear  is  an  animal,  the  cause  of  terror  in 
quite  another  sense,  from  his  power  of  producing  strong 
odors,  —  our  common  skunk,  with  its  young.  Near  it  is  a 
fine  specimen  of  a  raccoon,  a  starved  specimen  of  our  com- 
mon fox,  with  a  skeleton,  and  an  opossum,  our  American 
representative  of  the  Marsupials.  As  this  is  a  male,  the 
pouch  in  which  the  young  are  carried  is  not  present. 

BIRDS. 

At  the  south  end  of  this  large  case  are  a  few  large  birds. 
The  American  loon,  or  northern  diver,  is  represented  as 
flying ;  a  fine  large  wild  turkey  is  near  him,  also  two  very 
large  albatross  from  the  South  Atlantic  ocean. 

In  the  upright  cases  upon  the  south  side  of  the  room  the 
birds  are  arranged,  according  to  their  natural  affinities.  So 
far  as  is  possible,  they  are  arranged  according  to  Prof. 
Baird's  system  of  classification  in  his  Ornithology.  In  the 
first  case  are  the  Acciptres,  or  the  birds  of  prey.  Upon 
the  second  shelf  are  the  golden  eagle,  three  specimens, 
several  large  hawks,  a  pair  of  snow  owls,  great  horned  owl, 
etc.  Smaller  owls  and  hawks,  with  several  skeletons,  are 
upon  the  upper  shelf. 

Upon  the  upper  shelf  in  the  second  case  are  the  wood- 
peckers, cuckoos,  parrots,  etc.  Upon  the  third  shelf  are  a 
large  number  of  v.^arblers,  orioles,  etc.,  largely  from  Ceylon. 


96  VISITOBS'   GUIJOI. 

On  tlie  second  shelf  are  larger  species,  such  as  the  scarlet 
tanager,  some  of  the  thrushes,  etc.  In  the  upper  part  of 
the  third  case  are  a  number  of  sparrows,  finches,  grossbeaks, 
cardinal-bird,  snow-bird,  etc.  On  the  lower  shelf  are  par- 
tridges, among  which  are  two  specimens  of  the  willow 
grouse,  or  ptarmigan,  from  the  arctic  zone,  meadow-lark, 
blackbirds,  crows,  raven,  etc.  One  of  the  most  singular 
varieties  are  two  specimens  having  exceedingly  long  though 
very  slender  tails.  These  are  from  Ceylon.  For  most  of 
the  specimens  from  that  country  we  are  indebted  to  Rev. 
Milan  H.  Hitchcock. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  fifth  case  are  numerous  snipes, 
curlews,  woodcocks,  plover,  etc.,  mostly  from  Massachusetts. 
Below  are  some  of  the  Grallae,  or  waders,  birds  with  very 
long  legs,  who  live  in  marshes.  Among  them  are  the  night 
heron,  green  heron,  bittern,  roseate  spoonbill,  scarlet  ibis, 
etc.  In  the  next  case  are  more  of  the  snipes,  etc.,  above, 
and  below  the  Natatores,  or  swimmers,  the  web-footed  birds. 
These  embrace  the  ducks,  geese,  auks,  etc.  Interesting 
specimens  are  Richardson's  jager,  the  nearest  approach  in 
the  collection  to  Mother  Carey's  chickens,  a  small  auk,  with 
peculiar  bill,  from  Greenland,  and  the  hooked  morgansor. 
Two  goosanders  from  North  Hadley  are  unusually  fine 
specimens  of  the  kind. 

In  the  lower  part  of  the  next  case  are  large  numbers  of 
the  eggs  and  nests  of  birds,  illustrating  the  science  of 
oology.  Interesting  specimens  are  the  eggs  and  nest  of  the 
marsh  wren,  the  humming-bird,  golden-crowned  thrush,  the 
eggs  of  the  African  and  Australian  ostrich.  Upon  the  third 
shelf  are  examples  of  the  nests  of  the  American  and  Cey- 
lonese  hanging  birds,  placed  side  by  side,  to  illustrate  the 
differences  in  the  American  and  Ceylonese  fauna.  Here 
the  birds  have  their  nests  open  at  the  top,  having  very  few 
enemies  which  cannot  be  avoided,  at  the  ends  of  the  long 
tapering  branches  to  which  they  are  suspended.  But  in 
Ceylon  such  a  mode  would  be  open  to  the  attacks  of  snakes. 
Accordingly  instinct  directs  the  parent  bird  to  have  the  en- 
trance to  the  nest  from  tlie  bottom,  and  by  this  means  the 
young  birds  are  as  secure  in  Ceylon  as  in  America.  Other 
specimens  here  are  eggs  from  Europe,  Ceylon,  etc. ;  also 


AMfiERST  COLLEGE »  '^7 

llie  skulls  of  many  American  birds*  On  the  upper  slielf 
are  portraits  of  distinguished  naturalists,  list  of  donors ;  of 
families  of  Coleoptera,  and  charts  to  illustrate  the  classifica- 
tion of  the  animal  kingdom  and  the  distribution  of  animals* 

BOTANICAL    SPECIMENS^ 

The  rest  of  the  upright  cases  on  the  south  side  of  th© 
room  are  devoted  to  botanical  specimens  ;  a  large  number, 
four  hundred  species,  of  dried  seeds  and  fruits,  with  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  smoothed  sections  of  diiferent  sorts 
of  wood,  chiefly  from  tropical  regionso  A  Nelumbium,  or 
water-lily,  from  Jamaica,  is  preserved  in  spirit,  also  a  night- 
blooming  ceres  from  a  conservatory.  There  are  specimens 
of  cotton  from  the  regions  in  the  Southern  States  where  it 
has  been  cultivated  so  successfully,  and  from  new  regions 
in  Africa,  where  its  culture  is  as  yet  experimentaL  Nu- 
merous specimens  of  branches  and  trunks  of  our  common 
trees  may  be  seen,  and  particularly  a  section  of  a  cocoanut 
tree  from  Jamaica,  and  of  the  Pendleterry  tree  from  Roan- 
eke  Isiando  Large  specimens  of  curiously  bent  branches 
and  twigs,  or  of  a  reunion  of  branches  once  separated,  and 
many  other  varieties  of  interesting  forms  of  vegetation  may 
be  seen. 

The  Herbarium  proper  is  partly  placed  in  the  drawers  at 
the  east  end  of  the  room,  and  partly  in  the  botanical-room 
below.  About  four  thousand  well-determined  and  well- 
mounted  species  make  up  the  collection.  Under  the  guid- 
ance of  Professor  Tuckerman  and  the  skilful  manipulation 
of  Mr.  Goodale,  this  collection  has  lately  assumed  a  new 
importance.  It  is  divided  into  three  systematic  collections  : 
the  Flora  normale-,  or  all  those  plants  growing  within  ten 
miles  of  the  College,  which  is  designed  especially  for  pur- 
poses of  instruction  ;  the  Flora  Americana^  embracing  all 
American  species,  which  is  nearly  complete  for  the  United 
States  species  ;  and  the  Flora  exotica^  comprising  all  foreign 
plants. 

All  persons  who  are  familiar  witli  the  progress  of  botany, 
are  aware  that  Professor  Tuckerman  has  devoted  special 
attention  to  the  Lichens^  an  order  of  cryptogamous  plants, 
9 


98  visitors'  guide, 

and  that  he  is  the  highest  authority  upon  them  in  this  coun- 
try. He  has  a  very  fine  private  collection  of  these  interesting 
plants  at  his  residence,  consisting  of  five  hundred  species  of 
American,  and  three  hundred  foreign  species,  of  lichens, 
besides  two  hundred  or  more  species  of  other  cryptogams. 

ARTICULATA. 

Having  finished  our  notice  of  the  wall  cases,  it  becomes 
us  now  to  describe  the  specimens  exhibited  in  the  horizontal 
cases.  Those  containing  the  articulate  animals  commence 
in  the  horizontal  cases  at  the  east  end,  near  the  upright 
cases  containing  the  zoophytes,  and  in  passing  to  the  west 
the  observer  will  descend  the  articulate  scale.  The  highest 
orders  are  placed  at  the  beginning  of  the  classification.  The 
first  is  the  division  of  the  Coleoptera,  or  the  beetles,  which 
is  the  best  illustrated  of  any  division  of  the  articulate  ani- 
mals. The  specimens  are  impaled  on  the  long  and  elastic 
insect  pins  of  German  manufacture,  and  are  arranged  in 
columns,  with  the  label  under  each  specimen,  with  names  of 
species,  of  locality,  and  of  donor.  The  generic  name  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  column,  and  the  name  of  each  family 
and  sub-family  of  genera  is  on  a  block  at  the  head  of  the 
family.  The  pins  are  set  in  sticks  of  pine,  which  contain  a 
groove  filled  with  cork,  the  whole  being  covered  with  white 
paper.  The  width  of  the  sticks,  1^^  inches,  allows  them 
to  be  placed  in  contact  without  interfering  with  the  labels, 
and  each  family  is  bounded  by  blank  sticks.  The  details  of 
this  part  of  the  cabinet  are  too  numerous  to  be  given  here. 
It  will  be  seen  that  there  are  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  hun- 
dred species  of  beetles  in  five  hundred  and  nineteen  genera, 
which  represent  sixty-six  of  the  seventy-three  families  of 
Coleoptera. 

The  Coleoptera  occupy  the  first  seven  of  the  horizontal 
cases.  We  would  call  attention  to  the  following  families 
and  specimens,  as  the  more  interesting  :  In  the  first  case  the 
families  Cicindelidje,  Brachinides,  and  Carabidae,  are  well 
represented.  Of  the  Brachinides,  the  large  Mormolyee 
phyllodes  from  Java  will  attract  attention,  on  account  of 
its  singular,  broad  margin.  In  the  second  case  the  families 
Dycticidse  and  Silphiadas  are  worthy  of  notice.     Some  of 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  99 

the  large  specimens  of  the  Scarabidae,  in  case  number  three, 
are  the  largest  of  all  the  beetles.  We  would  call  attention 
to  the  Scarabeeus  Hercules,  S.  Theseus,  and  Goliathus  Co- 
cicus ;  also  to  the  family  Buprestidiie.  In  the  sixth  case  all 
will  be  interested  in  examining  the  Prionidee  and  Ceram- 
bycidte,  the  latter  having  very  long  antennas.  The  Ceram- 
bjx  sericens  from  Bahia  shows  this  character  the  most  dis- 
tinctly. In  the  seventh  case  are  the  Cassodulidte  and 
Coccinelidce,  or  the  lady-bugs. 

Among  the  Orthoptera  the  Mantis  religiosa  is  interest- 
ing, from  its  singularity.  One  specimen  of  Orthoptera,  with 
large  wings  of  delicate  pink  and  bright  green  colors,  is  very 
handsome.  There  are  very  few  Neuoptera  in  the  collec- 
tion. The  Hymenoptera,  the  bees  and  the  v/asps,  in  the 
next  case,  are  more  numerous.  A  large  number  of  those 
exliibited  are  from  Georgia. 

All  will  be  interested  in  inspecting  the  Lepidoptera,  — 
the  moths,  millers,  and  butterflies,  —  which  occupy  the  two 
end  cases  of  the  first  row.  Many  of  these  specimens  are  from 
the  tropics,  and  display  well  the  rich  colors  belonging  to  the 
"  winged  flowers"  inhabiting  those  regions.  Tiie  first  case 
in  the  second  row  (at  the  west  end)  contains  the  Heterop- 
tera,  Homoptera,  and  Diptera.  A  common  example  of  the 
first  order  is  the  Cimex  lectularius,  or  commonly  kown  as 
the  bed-bug.  Those  who  have  never  seen  this  animal  will 
be  -gratified  to  be  able  to  see  him  with  a  pane  of  glass  inter- 
vening. Those  who  may  be  familiar  with  them  may  like  to 
compare  the  quality  of  the  different  breeds,  to  see  whether 
the  .animals  can  thrive  as  well  when  feasting  upon  the 
juices  of  collegians,  as  upon  others  in  the  community,  —  for 
it  must  be  confessed,  as  the  label  makes  patent,  that  South 
College  is  inhabited  by  these  wild  beasts.  If  we  may  be- 
lieve the  numerous  stories  narrated  by  collegians  of  their 
powers,  these  animals  are  both  heroes  and  giants ;  their 
superior  energies  being,  no  doubt,  implanted  by  the  higher 
quality  of  their  diet,  deriving  in  some  degree  the  energy 
and  spirit  of  those  from  whx)m  the  juices  are  extracted. 

Among  the  Homoptera,  the  most  conspicuous  objects  are 
the  Cicadas,  of  whom  the  poet  sings :  — 

"  Hnppy  tlie  cicada  lives, 
Since  they  all  have  voiceless  ivives/' 


100-  TISITOBS^   CIUIJOTT. 

The  Diptera  are  the  flies.  Many  of  those  exhibited  are 
very  large.  The  gnat  and  mosquito  belong  to  this  order ; 
also  the  black  fljy  so  troublesome  in  the  wild  lands  of  our 
continent..  The  male  mosquitos  are  perfectly  harmless,  and 
it  is  said  to  be  only  the  females  who  charm  by  their  music 
the  victims  of  their  voracity. 

In  the  second  case  in  this  row  are  miscellaneous  speci- 
m.enSy  among  which  are  scorpions,  scolopendrjs,  and  those 
curious  habitations  of  the  spider,  from '  Jamaica.  In  the 
third  case  is  a  valuable  collection  of  crabs  from  Jamaica, 
which  were  m^ide  by  Professor  Adams,  at  the  expense  of 
W^  A.  Nichols,,  in  one  of  his  visits  to  the  island,.  Many 
rare  forms  are  found  among  them.  They  have  recently 
beerb  named  at  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  In  the  fourth 
ease  is  a  fine  collection  of  Cirrhopeda,  which  are  noticed 
under  the  description  of  the  mollusca.  They  are  true  ar- 
ticulates, but  were  formerly  referred  to  the  moilusca.  In 
the  last  case  only  miscellaneous  specimens  are  now  placed, 
consisting  largely  of  duplicates.  There  is,  however,  a  curi- 
ous insect  from  Persia,  of  very  noxious  character,  presented 
by  Dr^  Perkins  of  Oroomiah.. 

MOLLUSCA. 

The  splendid  collection  of  the  shells  of  Moilusca,  pre- 
sented by  Professor  Adams,  is  wholly  in  the  horizontal 
cases  to  the  left  of  those  containing  the  insects.  The  clas- 
sification commences  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  room^ 
in  the  ease  close  by  the  rapacious  birds,  and  follows  the 
south  side  of  the  case  through  the  whole  row,  when  it  turns 
back  along  the  other  side  of  the  first  row  to  its  starting 
point  -y  then  it  commences  again  upon  the  corresponding 
side  of  the  second  row  of  eases,  and  then  back  again.  In 
this  way  the  order  may  be  traced  tlirough  all  the  rows,  until 
the  lowest  species  of  mollusc  is  reached.  About  eight  thou- 
sand species  of  shells  are  exhibited.  Every  guide  to 
the  classification  which  the  visitor  needs,  will  be  found 
within  the  cases.  No  collection  in  this  cabinet  is  more 
beautifully  or  systematically  arranged  than  this.. 

The  shells  of  the  class  Cephalopoda  arc  represented  by 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  101 

several  very  large  specimens.  A  cuttle-fish  bone  is  nine 
and  one  fourth  inches  long.  The  pens  of  Loligo  resemble 
films  of  glass.  A  paper  nautilus  (Argonauta  argo),  ob- 
tained by  Professor  Hovey,  is  remarkable  for  the  manner 
in  which  a  fracture  had  been  repaired  by  the  animal,  so  as 
to  include  a  broken  piece  after  it  bad  been  turned  wrong 
side  out.  Tills  fact  corroborates  the  statement  now  generally 
admitted,  that  the  so-called  sails  of  the  animal  are  used 
only  for  enveloping  the  shell.  A  more  complete  descrip- 
tion of  this  fractured  shell  was  published  in  the  American 
Journal  of  Science  for  July,  1848.  A  Nautilus  pompilius 
may  here  be  seen,  which  is  nine  and  a  half  inches  long, 
and  seven  inches  high. 

In  the  class  Gasteropoda,  the  first  family,  Gyprceidce,  is 
represented  by  a  majority  of  its  known  species  in  the  eight 
genera.  Most  of  the  species  are  represented  by  numerous 
varieties. 

Among  its  beautiful  associates,  the  large  and  elegant 
Oliva  porphyria  is  conspicuous.  One  of  the  specimens  is 
four  inches  long.  Of  Cyprasa  pantherina  there  are  seventy 
specimens,  of  which  no  two  are  alike.  Of  the  costly  Cyp- 
raaa  mappa  there  are  seventeen  varieties,  all  but  one  of 
which  are  in  the  most  perfect  state  of  preservation.  Cyp- 
raea  reticulata  appears  with  four  distinct  groups  of  varieties. 
Several  species  of  this  genus  may  be  seen  in  their  different 
stages  of  growth,  in  form  so  unlike  that  the  uninitiated 
would  not  suppose  them  to  belong  to  the  same  group  of 
animals.  The  magnificent  specimens  of  Cyprsea  aurantium 
are  very  valuable  and  rare.  They  are  worn  as  badges  of 
office  in  some  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  com- 
mand high  price.  There  are  one  hundred  species  of  this  most 
beautiful  of  all  the  genera  ;  and  of  these,  perhaps  none  are 
surpassed  in  delicacy  of  tints  by  the  small  C.  annulata  and 
C.  gemmula.  C.  testudinaria  has  been  said  to  be  the  largest 
species  in  this  genus  ;  but  here  may  be  seen  three  large 
specimens  of  C.  tigris  of  nearly  equal  size,  one  of  which  is 
nine  and  one  eighth  and  eleven  and  two  thirds  inches  in  the 
transverse  and  longitudinal  circumference,  and  consequently 
much  exceeds  the  C.  testudinaria  in  diameter.  In  contrast 
is  a  full-grown  specimen  of  the   same  species  (C.  tigris), 

9* 


102  TisifOKS^  mimL 

wliicli  is  only  four  and  a  half  and  five  and  two  fifth  inches  in 
the  above  dimensions.  Of  Erato  cjproeoides,  the  only  two 
specimens  known  to  us  are  in  this  collection.  Many  other 
specimens  in  other  families  are  probably  unique,  but  our 
limits  will  not  permit  further  notice  of  them.  About  four 
hundred  varieties  of  fifty  species  of  Marginella  conclude 
this  most  fascinating  of  ail  the  families  of  moilusca. 

Of  the  second  family^  Mitridcs,  will  also  be  found  all  the 
known  genera,  and  a  large  majority  of  the  species.  In  the 
three  genera,  Yoluta,  Cymbium,  and  Melo,  all  the  species 
are  more  or  less  rare.  The  specimens  of  Voluta  imperia- 
lis  may  be  noticed  for  its  size,  and  V.  delessertiana  for  its 
rarity  and  beauty.  Of  the  eighty  species  of  Mitra,  several 
appear  to  be  unknown  to  foreign  collections,  and  M.  ustu- 
lata  is  said  by  Mr.  Reeve  to  be  unique  in  the  celebrated 
Norrisian  collection  (in  England)  of  this  genus.  The 
genus  Columbella  concludes  this  family  with  sixty  species 
of  small  shells,  among  which  the  rare  C.  dormitor  of  Sow- 
erby  appears,  with  several  rich  purple  specimens,  rendering 
it  probable  that  the  figure  of*  this  English  author  was  taken 
from  a  bleached  specimen. 

The  third  family,  Purpuridce,  also  appear  with  a  large 
majority  of  species  in  all  its  sixteen  genera.  Of  Buccinum, 
including  Nassa,  there  are  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
species.  Among  the  forty  species  of  Terebra,  the  T.  macu- 
lata,  ''  the  marlinspike,"  in  the  nomenclature  of  sailors,  is 
represented  by  several  fine  specimens,  one  of  which  weighs 
one  pound,  and  another  is  eight  and  one  third  inches  long. 
All  the  species  of  the  beautiful  genus  Eburna  appear  ; 
among  them,  the  specimens  of  E.  spirata  are  of  unsual  size 
and  beauty.  A  large  number  of  species  of  Eicinula  and 
Purpura  come  next,  and  many  of  the  shells  are  stained 
with  the  imperial  purple  for  which  these  animals  have  long 
been  celebrated,  but  which  is  superseded  by  the  cochineal 
insect,  that  furnishes  to  the  poor  a  luxury  once  restricted  to 
imperial  wealth  and  dignity.  In  the  next  genus  is  a  good 
specimen  of  the  rare  and  large  Monoceros  giganteum. 
Then  we  find  the  elegant  genus  Harpa,  represented  by 
forty  varieties  of  seven  species.  A  Ilarpa  ventricosa  is 
five  inches  lono;  and  tln-ee  and  a  half  inches  wide. 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  103 

Next  is  the  genus  Dolium,  coRtaining  the  great  and  rare 
Dolium  melanostomuni  before  mentioned,  wliich  is  nearly 
ten  inches  long  and  eight  wide.  In  the  genus  Cassis  is  the 
only  univalve  shell  (a  Cassis  cornuta)  which  is  too  large  to 
go  into  the  cases.  It  is  in  an  upright  case,  and  is  two  feet 
ten  inches  in  the  longitudinal  circumference,  and  two  feet 
two  inches  around  at  the  base  of  the  tubercles.  The  genus 
Oniscia  terminates  this  family. 

The  fourth  family,  Magilidce,  is  wanting. 

The  fifth  family,  Gonidcs,  consisting  of  the  single  genus 
Conus,  of  wdiich  the  collection  contains  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  species,  most  of  which  are  elegant,  and  the  group 
of  brocaded  cones  at  the  end  of  the  series  is  eminently 
beautiful. 

The  sixth  family  of  Strombidce  is  represented  by  all  the 
genera,  and  nearly  all  the  known  species.  Both  in  Strom- 
bus  and  Pterocera  the  different  forms  of  many  species  in 
diiferent  stages  of  growth  excite  not  a  little  astonishment. 
The  young  and  the  old  of  Strombus  galeatus  and  of  Strom- 
bus  gigas,  and  the  seven  stages  of  Pterocera  lambis  are 
remarkable  examples.  The  largest  specimens  of  the  great 
Strombus  gigas  were  collected  by  Prof.  Adams,  in  Jamaica. 
One  of  them  weighs  six  and  a  half  pounds  !  and  is  the 
heaviest  univalve  in  the  collection.  Perhaps  the  most  ele- 
gant species  in  this  family  is  the  Strombus.  One  of  the 
most  rare  and  least  beautiful  specimens  in  this  family  is  the 
full-grown  Chenopus  occidentalis.  This  family  takes  the 
visitor  around  the  east  end  of  the  south  row  of  cases. 

An  interesting  relic  may  be  seen  among  the  specimens 
of  Strombus  gigas.  It  is  the  veritable  conch  shell  which 
our  fathers  used  for  a  bell  upon  College  Hill,  when  the 
church  occupied  the.  place  of  the  Woods  Cabinet.  Ail  pub- 
lic meetings  of  the  town,  and  the  ordinary  meetings  of  the 
Sabbath,  were  regulated  by  the  sound  of  this  shell,  just  as 
they  now  a,re  by  the  bell.  Our  ancestors  must  have 
"  had  a  large  blow,"  since  it  is  said  that  the  reverberations 
from  this  worn  piece  of  furniture  were  often  heard  in  the 
streets  of  Old  Hadley,  four  miles  distant.  It  was  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  David  Parsons. 

Of  the  seventh  family,  MuricidcE,  we  find  a  majority  of 


10-1  VISITORS'    GUIDE. 

the  known  species.  Of  the  well-known  Triton  varlegatum, 
we  find  a  series  from  one  third  inch  to  fourteen  inches  long. 
A  Murex  ramosus  has  one  of  its  fringed  spines  four  and  a 
half  inches  long,  and  measures  ten  and  a  half  inches  be- 
tween the  most  distant  points  of  the  shell.  Several  large 
specimens  of  that  gorgeous  species,  Murex  regius,  may  be 
seen  near  the  great  specimens  of  Murex  ramosus  ;  one  of 
them  exceeds,  and  each  of  the  two  equals,  a  pound  weight. 
Perhaps  the  most  beautiful  of  this  family,  among  the  large 
shells,  are  three  specimens  of  Murex  bicolor.  In  the  genus 
Pyrula  is  one  of  the  largest  and  heaviest  specimens  of  hete- 
rostrophe  (left-sided)  shells,  a  specimen  of  Pyrula  perversa, 
eleven  and  three  fourths  inches  long,  and  weighing  three 
pounds.  In  the  genus  Ficula,  unequalled  for  graceful 
forms,  in  addition  to  the  four  species  described  by  Mr. 
Reeve,  we  find  a  fifth,  Ficula  papyratia,  of  Say.  Speci- 
mens may  be  seen  next  of  Fusus  aruanus  and  of  Fascio- 
laria  gigas,  species  which  attain  a  greater  size  than  any 
other  univalve  shells.  The  specimen  of  the  former  is 
richly  colored,  and  exceeds  seventeen  inches  in  length ;  it 
weighs  four  and  a  half  pounds.  A  larger  specimen  may 
be  seen  in  the  upright  cases.  About  ninety  species  of  Pleu- 
rotoma,  including  Mangelia,  mostly  small  shells,  terminate 
this  family,  which  otherwise  consists  chiefly  of  large  species. 
The  eighth  family,  Turhinidce,  is  represented  by  fifteen 
genera,  and  many  hundred  species.  Of  that  extraordinary 
shell,  Scalaria  pretiosa,  which  was  once  valued  at  one  hun- 
dred guineas,  but  is  now  comparatively  common  in  collec- 
tions, there  are  three  specimens.  In  this  family  is  the  least 
of  all  our  marine  shells  of  mollusca,  Skenea  serpuloides, 
weighing,  when  mature,  one  hundredth  of  a  grain,  accom- 
panied by  highly  magnified  figures  drawn  by  Mrs.  Adams. 
In  the  genus  Turbo  may  be  seen  many  solid  opercula  (eye- 
stones)  of  curious  forms.  One  of  them  is  large  enough  for 
the  eye  of  a  Polyphemus,  being  three  and  one  third  inches 
in  diameter.  A  shell  of  the  great  Turbo  marmoratus,  to 
which  species  the  Operculum  belongs,  is  six  and  three  fourths 
inches  wide.  The  collection  contains  a  large  number  of 
fine  and  rare  species  in  this  genus  (Turbo).  Passing  by 
Trochus,  Vv^e  find  three  species  of  Phorus,  celebrated  for  in- 


AJIHEnST   COLLEGE.  105 

serting  into  their  own  shells,  in  the  progress  of  growth,  small 
stones  and  other  shells,  whence  they  have  been  called  Min- 
eralogists and  Conchologists.  In  the  genus  Cingula,  some 
embryo  specimens  of  C.  minuta  do  not  exceed  one  five 
hundredth  of  a  grain. 

The  ninth  family,  LittorinidcEy  contains  a  large  number 
of  species,  with  endless  varieties.  Many  of  them,  although 
marine  shells,  are  so  amphibious  in  their  habits,  that  they 
were  found  by  Prof.  Adams  on  bushes  and  dry  sticks  and 
rocks  near  the  shores  of  Jamaica,  and  although  packed 
closely,  were  alive  in  Vermont  during  the  following  sum- 
mer. Some  of  the  most  extraordinary  forms  of  shells  are 
in  this  family,  in  the  genus  Chemnitria,  but  unfortunately 
the  shells  are  so  small  as  not  to  be  visible  in  their  curious 
details  of  form  and  structure. 

The  tenth  family,  Haliotidce,  contains  a  large  portion  of 
the  known  species,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  which 
was  recently  described  by  the  Curator,  with  the  name  of 
Haliotis  ponderosa,  the  weight  being  two  pounds  two  ounces ! 
Here  are  two  large  shells  of  this  genus  (Haliotis),  polished 
by  J.  T.  Ames,  Esq.,  of  Chicopee.  The  extraordinary 
degree  of  lustre,  combined  with  the  vivid  play  of  prismatic 
colors,  place  them  among  tke  most  elegant  products  of  na- 
ture and  art  combined.  Many  other  polished  specimens 
may  be  seen  in  the  cabinet,  and  they  are  valued  as  exhibit- 
ing interesting  properties  in  shells  ;  for  it  is  not  merely  the 
object  of  the  cabinet  to  exhibit  the  characteristics  of  species, 
but  their  entire  history,  as  far  as  practicable.  That  these 
results  of  the  unrivalled  skill  of  Mr.  Ames  will  never  be 
equalled,  we  will  not  affirm,  but  we  are  quite  confident  that 
they  never  have  been. 

Family  eleventhj  Tornatellidce,  family  twelfth,  Vermeti- 
^ce^  —  remarkable  for  its  shells  being  tubular  and  often 
intertwining  and  adhering  solidly  in  masses,  —  and  family 
thirteenth,  Janthinidcey  —  remarkable  for  its  delicate  pur- 
ple shells  that  float  in  the  open  ocean,  —  occupy  a  small 
space  after  the  large  specimens  of  Haliotis. 

Family  fourteenth,  Naticidce.  Here  is  a  gigantic  Natica 
heros,  the  largest  known,  being  four  and  one  eighth  inches 
lon^.     Here  also  is  the  singular  spawn  of  two  species  of 


106  visitors'  guide. 

this  genus,  imbedded  in  a  lamina  of  sand,  and  the  whole 
agglutinated  in  the  form  of  a  saucer,  without  the  flat  base 
of  this  utensil.  Family  fifteenth,  NeritidiE,  commences 
near  the  west  end  of  the  second  row  of  cases,  and  contains 
innumerable  varieties  of  these  beautiful  shells,  which  are 
mostly  inhabitants  of  tropical  or  warm  climates.  The 
genus  Neritina,  which  was  once  supposed  to  be  only  a 
marine  genus,  is  divided  into  two  groups,  the  marine  and 
the  fluviatile,  the  latter  ending  the  family  on  the  right. 

The  sixteenth  family,  Melanidce,  contains  a  very  numer- 
ous group,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  cases,  where  are  six  gen- 
era and  several  hundred  species.  The  first  genus,  Rissoa, 
is  remarkable  for  the  uniform  small  size  of  its  shells.  Of 
fifty  species  in  the  collection  the  largest  is  less  than  one 
eighth  inch  wide.  This  and  the  next  genus,  Cerithium,  are 
marine,  but  all  the  rest  are  from  fresh  water.  In  the  i-are 
and  extraordinary  genus  lo,  we  find  fluviatile  shells  with  a 
canal,  an  organ  which  otherwise  is  found  only  in  marine 
mollusca ;  and,  singularly  enough,  this  genus  is  limited  to  a 
single  river,  Holstein  river,  Tenn.,  the  water  of  which  is 
'made  brackish  by  salt  springs.  Melania  will  be  seen  to 
have  a  great  number  of  species,  which  are  mostly  from  the 
streams  of  the  Western  States. 

The  seventeenth  family,  Paludinidce,  are  all  from  fresh 
water.  ELere  may  be  seen,  side  by  side,  the  numerous  Pal- 
udinse  of  temperate  climates,  and  the  AmpuUariie,  which 
take  their  place  in  hot  climates.  Among  the  latter  is  one 
which  was  taken  at  Bangkok,  in  Jan.,  1842,  and  sent  to 
Professor  Adams  as  a  fossil  shell ;  but  it  contained  the  liv- 
ing animal  so  completely  protected  from  evaj)oration  by  its 
solid  operculum,  that  it  reached  Vermont  alive,  and  perished 
only  with  the  cold  of  the  following  winter. 

The  eighteenth  family,  Physadce^  also  consists  of  numer- 
ous species  of  fresh-water  shells.  Among  its  rarities  may 
be  seen  the  large  Lirana3a  megasona,  ten  specimens,  and 
the  singular  and  rare  L.  gracilis,  from  its  only  two  known 
localities  in  Lake  Champlain  and  in  Ohio,  some  of  the  lat- 
ter being  of  unusual  size. 

The  nineteenth  family,  Cyclostomidce,  is  the  commence- 
ment of  an  extensive  series  of  land  shells,  which  are  the 


AMHERSl!  COLLEGJil.  107 

favorites  of  so  many  collectors.  This  family  is  mostly 
restricted  to  tropical  climates.  Here  is  Pupina,  peculiar 
among  land  shells  for  its  brilliant  polish.  Here,  also,  are 
some  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  collections  made  by  Pro- 
fessor Adams  in  the  island  of  Jamaica,  and  several  of  the 
species  are  scarcely  known  in  other  collections.  The  pre- 
vailing color  of  the  labels  will  show  at  a  glance  how  rich 
are  the  West  Indies  in  these  beautiful  operculated  shells. 

The  twentieth  family,  Helicidce,  contains  the  rest  of  the 
land  shells,  making  the  number  upwards  of  one  thousand 
species.  Here  may  be  seen  entire  genera  mostly  or  wholly 
limited  to  comparatively  small  portions  of  the  earth's  sur- 
face. The  Achatina  perdix  from  Liberia,  the  most  gigan- 
tic of  land  shells,  may  be  seen,  six  and  a  half  inches  long 
and  four  inches  in  diameter.  A  little  further  is  the  least 
of  all  the  full-grown  shells  in  the  collection.  Pupa  milium, 
weighing  tv/o  hundredths  of  a  grain.  A  specimen  is  en- 
closed betweea  plates  of  mica  in  a  slip  of  ivory,  and  placed 
at  the  side  of  the  case  so  as  to  be  easily  seen  by  visitors. 
At  the  end  of  Bulimus  and  commencement  of  Helix  are 
the  elegant  land  shells  of  the  Phillipine  Islands,  comprising 
many  rarities.  Next  are  the  snail  shells  of  Europe,  an 
extensive  series.  Farther  on,  the  snail  shells  (Helices)  of 
the  United  States  will  be  seen  to  be  much  inferior  in  beau- 
ty to  any  of  the  other  geographical  groups  of  this  genus. 

The  twenty-first  family,  Limicidce,  exhibits  the  naked 
snails.  The  twenty-second  family,  AplysidcB,  is  represented 
by  the  internal  shells  of  these  animals. 

The  twenty-third  family,  BulUdce,  contains  the  curious 
bubble  shells  ^of  Bulla,  etc.  The  twenty-fourth  family, 
HimuUdce,  comprises  numerous  species,  Fissurella,  with  an 
opening,  often  shaped  like  a  keyhole,  in  the  summit.  The 
twenty-sixth  family,  UmhrelUdce,  is  represented  by  very 
large  specimens  of  these  rare  shells.  The  twenty-seventh 
family,  PatelUdcE,  comprises  numerous  species  of  Patella, 
limpet  shells,  and  of  Chiton  resembling  coats  of  mail. 
Families  PhylliJidoe,  Doridte,  and  Eolidse,  destitute  of 
shells,  are  not  yet  represented.  The  family  Calyptrceidce 
closes  the  Gasteropod  class. 

Commencing  in  the  next  case  with  the  class  Brachiopoda, 


108  visiTOKS^  atJiM* 

we  find  tlie  first  order  represented  by  ten  species  of  Tere- 
bratula,  and  the  second  order  hj  Orbicula,  Crania,  and 
Lingula* 

The  next  class,  Acephala,  first  order  Unimusculosa,  first 
family  OstraeidcB,  contains  the  irregular  pearly  Anomise, 
and  the  pearly  Placunas,  pulverized  and  used  for  spangling 
water  colors  by  the  Chinese,  and  closes~with  the  true  oys- 
ters, some  of  the  specimens  of  which  are  of  gigantic  size* 

The  second  family,  Peotenidce,  is  represented  by  five  of 
its  six  genera.  The  hinge  of  Spondylus  will  be  admired 
for  its  mechanism.  Of  the  great  water  Spondylus  one 
weighs  fourteen  pounds  ;  another  has  in  it  a  hole  of  the 
diameter  and  length  of  a  finger,  made  by  a  boring  shell, 
which  may  be  seen  farther  on  in  its  genus  Lithodomus. 
The  great  genus  Pecten  (scollop  shells)  will  be  admired 
for  its  beauty.  Here  is  the  Pecten  Jacobasus,  the  flat 
valve  of  which  was  worn  by  the  Crusaders  as  a  cockade,  a 
fact  thought  by  Voltaire  to  account  for  all  fossil  shells. 

Family  third,  MalleidcB,  appears  next  with  several  genera^ 
among  which  will  be  seen  the  curious  hammer  oyster  (Mal- 
leus), and  the  pearl  oyster,  Avicula  margaritifera,  with  sev- 
eral varieties  and  stages  of  growth. 

The  second  order,  Bimusculosa,  commences  with  family 
first,  Mytilidce,  and  comprises  the  muscle  shells  and  those 
large  thin  shells  the  Pinme.  The  second  family,  Tridac- 
fiidcB,  contains  the  largest  of  all  shells,  constituting  Tridac- 
na  and  Hyppopus,  of  which  many  of  the  species  are  in 
the  case.  The  only  bivalve  which  could  not  be  placed  in 
the  cases  (v/hfcli  are  seven  inches  deep),  is  the  great  T. 
gigas  in  the  upright  case.  « 

The  third  family,  Hyppuritidce^  contains  only  fossil  spe- 
cies, and  is  represented  in  the  Geological  Cabinets  The 
fourth  family,  Chamidce,  is  represented  by  many  of  the 
irregular  shells  of  Chama:  some  elegant  shells  of  deep 
red  and  delicate  yellow  will  here  be  seen  firmly  adherent 
to  each  other. 

The  fifth  family,  Unionidce  (fresh-water  clams),  is  repre- 
sented by  all  the  genera  and  a  large  majority  of  the  spe- 
cies. With  their  numerous  varieties  they  occupy  several 
cases.     Among  them  will  be  seen  the  largest  of  fresh- water 


AMHfiRSt  COLLEGE*  109 

shells,  Unio  lieros  of  the  "Western  States,  a  heavy  shell,  of 
which  one  specimen  is  eight  inches  long  and  four  and  three 
quarters  inches  high* 

The  sixth  family^  Arcidw,  contains  the  toany*toothed 
shells.  Here  is  the  largest  Nucula  limatula  known ;  the 
huge  Area  grandis,  and  the  odd  A.  tortuosa^  with  the 
Noah's  arks,  form  a  singular  group  of  shells* 

The  seventh  family,  Oardndce,  contains  many  noble 
shells.  The  Cardita  Cuvierii,  of  which  only  five  other 
specimens  are  known,  four  in  England  and  one  in  this 
country,  is  the  largest  of  the  genus.  In  Cardium  will  be 
seen  many  large  and  fine  specimens.  The  specimen  of 
C.  elatum  is  probably  not  surpassed,  being  five  and  a  quar- 
ter inches  lonp^  and  six  inches  hio-h. 

The  eighth  family,  Veuidce,  is  represented  by  an  extent 
sive  series  of  these  most  elegant  of  bivalve  shells,  com- 
mencing with  Astarte,  and  ending  with  Cyprina.  Here 
will  be  seen  an  elegantly  polished  valve  of  the  common 
quahog.  The  ninth  family,  Gyrenidm,  consists  of  fresh- 
water shells.  Here  are  four  specimens  of  the  rare  Gala- 
thea  radiata  of  Western  Africa,  at  the  beginning  of  this 
family,  which  closes  with  the  small  shells  of  Cyclas,  so 
common  in  New  England.  The  tenth  family,  Telleaidce^ 
commences  with  the  rare  and  elegantly  sculptured  Corbis 
fimbriata.  Here  may  be  seen  the  remainder  of  the  Teilen* 
ida,  ending  with  Sanguinolaria.  The  eleventh  family,  Pet'- 
ricolidce^  contains  a  few  species  of  Yernerupis,  Petricola, 
and  Saxicava. 

The  twelfth  familyj  31actridce,  is  represented  by  six  of 
its  seven  genera,  commencing  with  Amphidesma  and  end- 
ing wdth  Lutraria.  In  the  genus  Mactra  will  be  seen  large 
and  fine  species.  The  Mactra  solidissima,  polished  by  Mr. 
Ames,  exhibits  in  a  beautiful  manner  the  layers  of  growth, 
and  resembles  ash-colored  agate.  Family  thirteenth,  T/ira^ 
cidce,  is  represented  by  all  its  four  genera,  Osteoesma  to 
Anatina,  and  contains  many  rare  and  delicate  shells.  The 
fourteenth  family,  Myidce,  contains  Pandora,  Corbula,  and 
Mya.  In  the  latter  genus  will  be  seen  a  gigantic  specimen 
of  the  common  long  clam,  Mya  arenaria,  from  Chelsea 
beach  in  this  State ;  this  sliell  is  five  and  a  half  inches 
10 


110  VISITORS     GUIDE. 

long  and  three  and  a  half  inches  high.  Family  fifteenth, 
Solenid(E^  commences  with  Solemya  and  ends  with  Solen. 
In  the  former  will  be  seen  two  of  the  finest  specimens 
known  of  that  rare  and  curious  shell,  S.  borealis.  All  the 
specimens  of  Gljcimeris  were  taken  from  the  stomachs  of 
fishes.  In  Solen  will  be  seen  a  large  number  and  variety 
of  razor  shells.  Family  sixteenth,  PlioladidcE^  contains 
Pholas  and  Teredo.  A  fragment  of  a  tube  of  the  latter  is 
one  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter.  The  seventeenth  fami- 
ly, Aspergillidce,  is  represented  by  Gastrochena  (the  gapers), 
Aspergillum  (the  watering-pot  shells),  in  which  the  two 
little  valves  may  be  seen  soldered  into  the  long  tube,  and 
Fistuluria. 

In  the  class  Cirrhopoda,  the  first  order,  the  Pedunculated 
Cirrhopods,  is  represented  by  five  genera,  of  three  of 
which  the  animals  are  preserved  in  alcohol.  The  second 
order,  the  Sessile  Cirrhopods,  is  represented  by  barnacles 
of  six  genera.  Here  may  be  seen  the  great  Balanus  tin- 
tinnabulum,  which  infests  the  sides  of  ships. 

Several  large  specimens  are  exhibited  in  different  parts  of 
the  room.  Among  them  are  the  following  :  The  cranium  of 
a  hunchback  whale,  the  lower  jaw  with  the  teeth  of  a  young 
sperm  whale,  presented  by  Rev.  W.  A.  Mandell ;  the  ribs, 
vertebrae, and  jawbones- of  whales;  the  skeleton  of  the 
black-fish,  a  small  whale  or  cetacean  from  Provincetown, 
and  the  skeleton  of  a  horse.  The  blackfish,  Glolicephalus 
melas  Serson,  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  structure  of  the 
Avhale  division,  since  they  are  really  small  whales,  the  com- 
mon name  of  "  fish  "  being  inappropriate.  It  is  from  Prov- 
incetown. The  skeleton  of  the  horse  was  mounted  by 
Professor  E.  Hitchcock,  Jr.  Many  persons  mistake  the 
large  jawbones  of  the  M^hale,  under  the  Coleoptera  case,  for 
the  rilDS.  Two  of  the  ribs  are  placed  adjacent  to  the  jaw- 
bones, in  order  that  the  difference  between  them  may  be 
readily  appreciated. 

A  number  of  other  large  specimens  will  shortly  be 
placed  in  the  Cabinet,  and  will  be  seen  by  most  of  the 
possessors  of  the  Guide  Book.  They  are  beaver  skeletons, 
a  caribou  skeleton,  and  the  skeleton  of  a  female  moose,  all 
from  Ashland,  Maine,   and  procured  by  the  kindness  of 


AMHERST   COLLEGE.  Ill 

Rev.  M.  R.  Keep.  The  visitors  of  the  Zoological  Cabinet, 
and  all  who  are  interested  in  the  higher  animals,  are  great- 
ly indebted  to  this  gentleman  for  his  efforts  in  gratuitously- 
procuring  these  large  specimens  for  the  cabinet.  A  mis- 
sionary in  one  of  the  outposts  of  civilization,  with  a  salary 
reduced  to  the  starvation  point  of  the  missionary  scale  of 
reckoning,  his  love  for  natural  history  impels  him  to  cultivate 
its  practical  acquaintance,  and  assist  others  in  the  acquisition 
of  specimens.  He  has  sent  our  collectors  here  specimens 
which  cannot  be  found  in  any  other  cabinet  in  our  country, 
and  whose  value  all  told  must  now  be  estimated  at  no  less 
than  two  hundred  dollars.  His  services  in  aiding  the  Sci- 
entific Survey  of  Maine  have  also  been  of  great  value,  as 
we  can  personally  testify  after  a  difHcult  jaunt  through  the 
thickets  surrounding  Mt.  Katahdin. 

The  total  number  of  species  of  animals  and  plants  exhib- 
ited in  the  Appleton  Cabinet  cannot  be  less  than  eighteen 
thousand. 

We  cannot  better  close  this  sketch  of  the  cabinets  than 
by  quoting  some  remarks  made  by  Professor  Adams  in 
reply  to  allusions  made  to  his  cabinet  in  1848  by  Professor 
B.  Silliman,  Sen.,  at  the  dedication  of  the  Woods  Cabinet. 
They  will  show  the  spirit  which  actuated  his  arduous 
labors. 

"  The  efforts  of  naturalists  to  exhibit  the  true  order  of 
nature,  can  never  fail  to  gratify  a  correct  and  refined  taste. 
Such  order  is  of  far  higher  origin  than  mere  human  invention, 
and  is  so  perfect  as  to  harmonize  no  less  with  our  emotions 
of  beauty  than  with  our  ideas  of  fitness  and  method.  It  is 
indeed  one  of  the  most  delightful  features  of  science,  that 
the  farther  she  advances  in  a  correct  knowledge  of  nature, 
the  more  systematically  and  harmoniously  are  all  the  pow- 
ers of  the  intellect  and  the  emotions  of  beauty  and  virtue 
gratified  and  invigorated.  Nor  can  the  lesson  of  humility 
be  lost  on  the  lover  of  science,  since  his  highest  efforts  con- 
sist only  in  the  discovery  and  exhibition  of  a  beauty  and 
perfection,  which  not  only  does  not  originate  in  him,  but 
which  extends  far  beyond  the  most  distant  flights  of  his 
imagination.     A  feeble  beginning  has  been  made  here  in  the 


112  visitors'  guide. 

exhibition  of  the  divine  plan  of  nature.  That  it  should  meet 
the  approbation  of  one  whose  life  has  been  a  long  series  of 
eminent  services  rendered  to  science,  is  truly  gratifying. 
We  are  encouraged  to  hope  that  what  has  been  done  is  in 
harmony  with  the  highest  truths,  when  it  is  regarded  with 
satisfaction  by  one  who  has  been  accustomed,  in  the  diffu- 
sion of  science,  ably  and  happily  to  illustrate  the  infinite 
glories  of  the  great  Author  of  nature.'* 


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