馬偕除了傳教、行醫和辦學等成果之外，他也是最早的臺灣博物學家之一。由於受到西方博物學觀念的影響，馬偕在臺灣佈教途中，經常四處採集動、植、礦物和文物標本；其中尤其珍貴的是許多北部平埔原住民的文物，以及信徒丟棄的漢式神像等。隨著他所採集的標本越來越豐富，後來馬偕在住家後面設立了一間小型博物館存放這些藏品。馬偕對於身為傳教士，為何進行標本文物收藏採集，他有自己的理由和解釋。

In addition to being a missionary, doctor and educator, MacKay also had a fruitful career as one of the earliest naturalists in Taiwan. He was influenced by western naturalists, so when he preached and traveled in Taiwan, he collected specimens of animals, plants, minerals and cultural objects all along his trips. The most precious ones among them are the cultural objects belonging to the Plains Aborigines in northern Taiwan and the Han Chinese’ divine statues abandoned by their worshippers. Accumulating more and more specimens, MacKay built a small museum behind his own residence to store them. As a missionary, MacKay had his reasons for collecting specimens and cultural objects.