THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



publications and is especially rich in early numbers of many 

 periodicals now entirely out of print. 



The books and periodicals of both libraries are available to the 

 public in the Reading-room, which is open from nine to five daily 

 except Sundays and holidays. 



THE CIRCULATING LOAN COLLECTIONS OF NATURAL 

 HISTORY SPECIMENS. 



I HE work of providing the Public Schools with col- 

 lections to assist in nature study, which was 

 begun in December, 1903, has been continued 

 through the school year. In this period of six 

 months, more than one hundred collections have 

 been in circulation and have been used in one hundred schools in 

 Greater New York. They have been delivered throughout the 

 boroughs of IManhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Richmond. 



For general information a record has been kept which shows 

 the itinerary of each collection and the number of pupils that 

 have studied it in each school. These numbers are furnished by 

 the principals, and the records show that the collections were 

 studied by the following number of pupils: 



_,. , [ Spring, 42,227 1 



Birds \ J .. ^' ^ / 96,594 



[Fall, 54-367 J 



Insects . 34,071 



Mollusks 10,870 



Minerals 10,094 



Crabs 7,428 



Starfish 6,523 



Sponges. 2,393 



Total 167,973 



Thus in the six months that the collections have been in 

 circulation they have been studied by 167,973 pupils. Their 

 usefulness is attested by the many letters of thanks and appre- 

 ciation which have been received from teachers and pupils, with 



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