374 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



MUKRIS HIGH SCHOOL, 

 A Class-room for the study of Zoology. 



AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL 

 HISTORY. 



Built anJ Maintained by the City. EndonreJ and 

 Administered by Pri'vate Citizens. 



THE American Museum of Natural His- 

 tory was founded and incorporated in 

 1869, and for eight years its temporary 

 home was in the Arsenal in Central Park. 

 The cornerstone of the present building was 

 laid in 1874, and in 1877 the first section 

 (North Wing) was completed. It is now the 

 largest municipal building in the City, and has 

 cost approximately $4,000,000. The South 

 Facade is 710 feet in length; the total area 

 of the floor space is 370,000 square feet, or 

 about 83-4 acres^ of which 260,000 square feet 

 are open to the public. 



The Museum is under the direction of a 

 Board of Trustees, of which Mr. Morris K. 

 Jesup is president ; he is well known to men of 

 science because of his personal support of ex- 

 ploring expeditions and his interest in the pro- 

 mation of science. Since 1890 Professor Os- 

 born has assisted ]\Ir. Jesup in the develop- 



ment of the Museum. The Director of the 

 Aluseum is Dr. Hermon C. Bumpus. 



The City provides funds for the maintenance 

 of the Museum (in 1907 $160,000), but such 

 appropriations are not available for the pur- 

 chase of specimens, the carrying on of field 

 work or the publication of scientific papers. 

 Appropriations for these purposes are derived 

 from the income from invested funds (Per- 

 manent Endowment in 1907, $1,013,000) and 

 from the contributions of the Trustees, ''Mem- 

 bers'' and other friends. There are over two 

 thousand who, as "Patrons," "Fellows"' or 

 "Members," regularly support the Museum. 



The total expenditures in the Museum in 

 1906 were (exclusive of new construction) 

 $295,924. The attendance in 1906 was 476,133. 

 The hours for visitors are from 9 A. M. to 5 

 P. M. daily, and from i to 5 P. M. Sundays. 

 Open two evenings each week. 



E.vplorations. The Museum exhibits are 

 partly the result of gifts and purchases, but 

 chiefly the result of e.xplorations, which have 

 been conducted on a large scale in nearly 

 everv continent. 



