REPORT OF THE SECRETARY: NATIONAL MUSEUM 77 



region in east-central British Columbia, reaching Mount Selwyn on 

 the Peace River on July 17 and Hudson Hope on August 1. The 

 Sukunka River, which drains the mountains just south of Pine Pass, 

 was investigated to its source, and a grizzly bear was collected. The 

 expedition, difficult and arduous, terminated at the railroad at 

 Dawson Creek, and was highly successful in its collections, which 

 included a moose, a grizzly bear, mountain goats, wolves, red fox, 

 marten, weasels, marmots, rabbits, squirrels, and various smaller 

 mammals. 



EDUCATIONAL WORK 



The National Museum during the year continued its customary 

 activities in educational lines. Our exhibition halls display great 

 series of objects so arranged as to demonstrate facts of many kinds, 

 on subjects ranging from the tools and dress of primitive man to 

 complicated modern machinery, examples of the life of strange lands, 

 of the elements that compose the earth, fossil animals and plants 

 of former ages, and many other things. Descriptive labels accom- 

 pany all these, and there is constant change to keep them properly 

 arranged and up to date. The whole serves as a compendium of 

 reference to the student or as an attractive display to the one of more 

 casual interest, from which all may profit according to their desires. 



In addition, the Museum is constantly active in the dissemination 

 of knowledge in response to many hundreds of inquiries that come 

 by mail or from visitors. Classes from the city schools are guided 

 through the halls, and groups of students from a distance are given 

 similar service. Although the Museum does not maintain regular 

 series of lectures, members of the staff are called on regularly to 

 address meetings. Students throughout the country interested in 

 definite problems come to work with our collections and libraries, 

 and frequently workers from abroad are engaged in investigations 

 here that sometimes continue for months. Thus it may be seen how 

 widely varied is the range of our educational activities and how 

 extensive the field that they cover. 



VISITORS 



The Museum buildings were open to visitors during the year on 

 week days from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:30 to 

 4:30 p.m., except the Aircraft Building, which was open only on week 

 days. All the buildings were closed all day on Christmas and New 

 Year's Days, and part of the day on December 24, 26, and 31, Jan- 

 uary 2, and March 4. 



The total number of visitors to the various Museum buildings 

 during the year was 1,427,358, or 202,072 less than during 1931-32, 

 a decrease clearly reflecting economic conditions throughout the 



