General Guide to the Exhibition Halls of The
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AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY k PFLHAn a. J ,v Pnwy HOW TO REACH **7 Rft« ~ ^163' THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF 163.9 N.yui I IbO J ^^r '77 NATURAL HISTORY *""?' '" -1 gf ? 174" I SomovicvAvr. '^''l»S' ,474 u«*««*^ _^ ElDlg AH. express MTEDtrtji INDEPENDENT iUBWAV SVSTEM l^njianTAvt •'^9 3166 —•——^^_ B.M.T. 5IJ&WAV I.INE6 ST l6/« .''y,^ tONCVOOO AVt ••.^...•.•...•.0««« i.R.T 6u&WAy Lir<e& • III. 0"<"> ELEVATED I.INE& ua 6 lie. ./ :< o 15503"! CROOK A MAIN AT. «LAVf. n^vsHma BM // FLUSHING 135 '«|0 ,25, 1 ApT \ViatTS PoiMT 'eiVo. ; W : \S >? i.. 1 • ; CORONA' <I6# 116 <i ] IK. A-«l \ 103 L.-'^ 105 4N JACKSON/ .'^ ••./^jmniim aiva ^^ 1 . :o«w ' U if' , 1 1 ,»ii'>:- "<^:.v^.c^';osT.;^^' t I 96*-: .^jX ICEIMTRAU •;.- w*\ THE 860' ^^V ?W • 81 AMERICAN : ^>- i:r ^^9 ST. MUSEUM tJ I •^ 0/ 77g» i74 TORCST ' o; NATURAL 72 : HILLS n HISTORY ,.;: i„ ' Park ] "'J : >-«^—**jrs7^ >i « W i t. ?^ 1+ Vfi*, CMflJTOPHy "^^ "Vl ^: % "\ tj.*. VPPER BM; . PROSPECT _.rtt*f ^ ' - * The Museum is located on Central Park West from 77th Street to 8ist Street and on 77th Street to Columbus Avenue. It may be reached as follows: Bj' Buses—%x}n Avenue or Columbus Avenue lines or 8ist Street crosstown. By Subivay—^xfc^ and 8th Avenue to 8ist Street (Museum) station. 7th Avenue to 79th Street station. Lexington Avenue to 771!! Street station. Take crosstown bus from East 79th Street to 8ist Street and Central Park West. The Main Entrance is on Central Park West at 79th Street. The Soutii Entrance is on 77th Street. Telephone: ENdicott 2-8500. if General Guide to the Exhibition Halls of the American Museum of Natural History SCIENCE GUIDE NO. ii8 LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ¥i]th Edition Published by Division of Publications, Department ot Education The American Museum of Natural History NEW YORK 24, N. Y. 1949 COPYRIGHT 1945 BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IMPORTANT NOTE TO VISITORS As THIS guide goes to press, the first of a number of changes in the halls of the Museum will be started. On November ist, 1948, the present Darwin Hall and the Hall of Forestry on the first floor will be closed to the public and work begun on the new halls of Forestry and Landscape which will occupy these areas. Selected specimens from the extensive shell col- lection in the balcony of the Hall of Ocean Life will be incorporated into the invertebrate exhibits from Darwin Hall which will occupy that balcony. The visitor will therefore find references in the fol- lowing pages to halls that no longer exist or that are temporarily closed to the public. Until such a time as the new exhibits are completed, it is felt that these descriptions should remain, since many of these ma- terials will be used in the new halls. (Ed.) ) 1 Table of Contents MAP HOW TO REACH THE MUSEUM INSIDE FRONT COVER THEODORE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL 6 GENERAL INFORMATION lo BEHIND THE SCENES 14 ENTERING THE MUSEUM • 14 INDEX TO FIRST FLOOR 16 INDEX TO SECOND FLOOR 17 INDEX TO THIRD FLOOR 18 INDEX TO FOURTH FLOOR 19 ASTRONOMY AND PLANETARIUM 20 GEOLOGY 24 HALL OF GEOLOGY AND INVERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY 24 HALL OF PETROLOGY 26 MINERALS AND GEMS 29 HALL OF MINERALS AND GEMS 29 GEOLOGY AND MINERALS OF NEW YORK STATE 3 I PALEONTOLOGY 35 FOSSIL INVERTEBRATES 36 FOSSIL VERTEBRATES 38 FOSSIL FISHES 39 FOSSIL REPTILES 39 HALL OF JURASSIC REPTILES 4 CORRIDOR OF MARINE REPTILES 42 HALL OF CRETACEOUS REPTILES 42 HALL OF MONGOLIAN VERTEBRATES 45 FOSSIL MAMMALS 46 OSBORN HALL OF THE AGE OF MAMMALS (TERTIARY 46 OSBORN HALL OF THE AGE OF MAN (QUATERNARY) 5 I FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION 54 LIVING INVERTEBRATES 56 D.ARWIN HALL 56 CORAL REEF GROUP 62 PEARL DIVERS GROUP 62 GALLERY OF SHELLS 65 INVERTEBRATES OF NEW YORK STATE 67 INSECTS 67 HALL OF INSECT LIFE 67 INSECTS IN A SUBURBAN YARD 69 1 LIVING FISHES 71 HALL OF LIVLNG FISHES 7 LIVING REPTILES 77 HALL OF LIVING REPTILES 77 AMPHIBIA AND REPTILES OF NEW YORK STATE 80 LIVING BIRDS 8i WHITNEY WING 8 WHITNEY MEMORIAL HALL ' 8 HALL OF BIOLOGY OF BIRDS 88 GALLERY OF BIRD ART 88 AUDUBON GALLERY 88 BIRDS OF THE WORLD HALL 88 HALL OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRD GROUPS 92 LOCAL BIRDS 96 LIVING MAMMALS ' 97 THE HORSE UNDER DOMESTICATION 48 HALL OF NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS 97 AKELEY MEMORIAL HALL OF AFRICAN MAMMALS I02 VERNAY-FAUNTHORPE HALL OF SOUTH ASIATIC MAMMALS 107 HALL OF NORTH ASIATIC MAMMALS I I 3 OCEANIC MAMMALS I 16 SYNOPTIC HALL OF MAMMALS II9 MAMxMALS OF NEW YORK STATE I20 MAN AND HIS ORIGINS • 121 HALL OF PRIMATES 12 1 HALL OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MAN 12 1 THE SKELETON FROM FISH TO MAN I 2 I FAMILY TREE AND EARLY RACES OF MAN 1 25 LIVING RACES OF MAN I 27 THE WOODLAND INDIANS I 27 THE PLAINS INDIANS I3I INDIANS OF THE SOUTHWEST 1 35 INDIANS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST 1 38 ESKIMO CORRIDOR I40 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA I40 INDIANS OF SOUTH AMERICA I50 THE PACIFIC 155 COLLECTIONS FROM PHILIPPINES AND MALAYSIA 161 ASIATIC COLLECTIONS 1 62 DRUMMOND COLLECTION OF JADE 1 62 ASIATIC ETHNOLOGY 1 63 HALL OF AFRICAN ETHNOLOGY I71 POPULAR PUBLICATIONS 174 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: BOARD OF TRUSTEES 1 75 ADMINISTRATIVE AND SCIENTIFIC STAFFS 1 75 l5l ENTRANCE HALL ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial THE Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, erected ing to an elaborate Corinthian cornice over- by the people of the State of New York arched by an octagonal coffered barrel-vault in memory of the man whose name it bears, I GO feet above the floor. The central part of forms the main entrance to the Museum on each wall is recessed and divided into three Central Park West. Its graceful architecture parts by two Roman Corinthian columns 48 follows a stately Romanesque design. feet high supporting the entablature. Three Passing through the central archway the of these recesses are adorned with great mu- visitor steps into the great Memorial Hall. ral paintings symbolic of the varied career of Above the marble mosaic floor, rise walls of Theodore Roosevelt. On the walls, quotations cream colored marble and limestone extend- from his writings are given in bronze letters. 1:63 The facade of the Memorial adorned bv four Ionic columns fiftv-four feet high representing Boone, Audu- bon, Clark, and Lew is, pio- neers in the early explora- tion of our countrv. (Right) Sculptures of ani- mals in low relief decorate the base of the columns 1:7:1 V A ^-^'r idC^ f (Above) rheodore Roosevelt stands over a Nubian lion and lioness. Several birds which completed the collections at the American Museum are included (Left) Events in old Russian history are represented here W through several historic per- Murals in Vi' sonages of the period before looo A. D. At the bottom are m^M shown the ancestors of the Roosevelt family, their names Roosevelt being incribed above them. This and the opposite mural commemorate Roosevelt's part in the Russo-Japanese peace treaty of 1905 Csn ».ji ^^^^ V i> .^^3 r-^\ {Above) In a tangle of gnarled trees, hemmed in by rocks, an African elephant is captured by a group of native hunters with shields and spears (Right) Japanese spiritual be- liefs are here represented in the figures of various gods and goddesses and in the first historic Japanese emperor, descendant of the Sun God- dess. At the bottom are the maternal ancestors of Theo- Memorial dore Roosevelt Hall l9l for the registration of instructors and stu- General dents and the convenience of Members de- siring guidance through the building by Museum instructors. Information concern- ing the exhibits or lectures may also be ob- Information tained here. Announcements of lectures and meetings of societies held at the Museum THE American Museum of Natural History may be obtained here free of charge. is located in Manhattan Square and occupies most of the space between Central Park MUSEUM BOOK AND GIFT SHOP West, Columbus Avenue, 77th Street, and The entrance to the Museum Book and Gift 8 1 St Street. The main entrances are on Shop is located near the 77th Street entrance Central Park West, through the Roosevelt to the Museum, adjacent to the elevators. Memorial, at three levels: street, vehicle Books on natural history and its allied (driveway beneath the steps), and subway. subjects by Museum authors and others in There is also an entrance on W^est 77th good standing are for sale here, as well as Street (foot and vehicle, center of block), postcards, souvenirs, and objects of interest and one on Columbus Avenue, near 77th to Museum visitors. Street (foot). (See Frontispiece.) The Planetarium may be entered from BULLETIN BOARDS West 8ist Street (vehicle and foot) and The main bulletin boards are located at the through the Museum. Cars may be parked right of Alemorial Hall in the East Corridor, at the curb on the streets surrounding the directly opposite the elevators and at the Museum square. 77th St. Guest-Services Desk. Here programs of lectures and meetings are displayed and ADMISSION also a directory to the exhibits on the various There is no charge for admission except for floors. Pictorial plans of the floors of the the Planetarium. The Planetarium, which Museum are posted near the elevators and at was constructed by Reconstruction Finance convenient points throughout the Museum Corporation funds, is a self-liquidating pro- to aid in cruidingr the visitors to the various ject, and admission will be charged until the halls.