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a state whose mammalian fauna was not fairly well represented by specimens gratuitously bestowed upon the museum by public-spirited collectors, either spontaneously or in response to requests from the officers of the Institution.

In a few instances the establishment equipped and sent out expeditions of its own to regions which had escaped the attention of or were inaccessible to other collectors.

At the close of this decade, in 1860, the record-books devoted to mammals showed that fully 4000 skins had been received, while of skeletons and skulls the number reached about 2800.  In addition there were several hundred specimens in alcohol.

The growth of the collection, aside from the osteological [[guess]] section, is fairly indicative [[guess]] in the following table of entries made each year in the register devoted to the mammalia: