*REPORT OF THE 

 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE AQUARIUM 



TO THE BOARD OF MANAGERS 



PLANS FOR IMPROVING AND ENLARGING THE AQUARIUM BUILDING 



IN the Report of the Director for 1909 considerable space was 

 devoted to outhning the need of a building and equipment com- 

 mensurate with the work of an institution occupying the position 

 of the New York Aquarium. These needs have been nowise les- 

 sened during the past year, but on the other hand they have been 

 considerably augmented. 



The exhibition space, although as great as the present build- 

 ing will allow, is crowded to the limits of its capacity by the col- 

 lections now on hand; a condition that has existed for several 

 years. While in the past the Aquarium has of necessity confined 

 itself almost entirely to the exhibition of fishes, other groups of 

 aquatic animals offer attractive and instructive material for dis- 

 play. The very interesting exhibit of the Naples Aquarium con- 

 sists largely of invertebrates, while our collection of lower forms 

 is limited to the few that can be accommodated in small, portable 

 aquaria placed on the coping of the floor pools and supplied with 

 the harbor water. While the conditions of lighting are as good 

 as can be provided in the present building, we are unable to keep 

 aquatic plants successfully for the reason that they do not re- 

 ceive sufficient sunlight. We are thus limited absolutely to our 

 present classes of exhibits with no opportunity for improvement 

 or growth. 



Although our present Aquarium contains the largest collec- 

 tion of living fishes in the world, our work is necessarily very 

 one-sided. With sufficient space, in the form of an addition to 

 our present building, we should be able to exhibit more of the 

 larger species of fishes, together with reptiles and amphibians. 



*The ofBce of Assistant Director has been made permanent, and Mr. Chapman 

 Grant, B. A. (Williams 1910), was appointed Scientific Assistant. Editor. 



