TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT 115 
fishes. Much of the descriptive matter has already been pre- 
pared by the Director, who constantly supervised the work of 
the artists. 
Information Circulars.—Three circulars were added to the 
list of “Information Circulars” published by the Aquarium. 
These three- to six-page leaflets are useful in handling the cor- 
respondence of the institution, as they relate to subjects about 
which there is frequent inquiry. Those issued were: The Care 
of Salamanders and Frogs in Captivity, by Ida M. Mellen; The 
Care of Small Salt Water Aquaria, by Ida M. Mellen; and The 
Administration of the Public Aquarium, by C. H. Townsend. 
Annual Reception.—The annual reception at the Aquarium 
on April 30, to members of the Zoological Society, was attended 
by 318 persons. The building was specially illuminated, and was 
decorated with plants loaned by the Park Department and the 
Zoological Park. Music and refreshments were provided and 
there were interesting motion pictures of aquatic life. The en- 
larged tanks, with their greatly increased living exhibits, at- 
tracted much favorable comment. 
Reception to Museums’ Association.—On the evening of May 
22, the American Association of Museums, then meeting in 
New York, was invited to the Aquarium. Nearly one hun- 
dred persons were present. A part of the evening was devoted 
to an address by the Director on The Administration of the Pub- 
lic Aquarium, which has since been published as one of the In- 
formation Circulars of the New York Aquarium (No. 6). This 
Association has over three hundred members, representing one 
hundred and fifty museums in the United States and Canada. 
Attendance.—Soon after the commencement of the war in 
Europe, the attendance at the Aquarium began to decline, and 
in 1915 the number of visitors was 1,538,831. In 1916 the at- 
tendance was still less, being 1,499,667. The decline was attrib- 
uted to the decrease in steamship travel, both immigrant and 
tourist, between this country and Europe. During the past year 
the number of visitors to the Aquarium increased by 95,451 as 
compared with 1916. 
The total attendance for 1917 was 1,595,118, a daily average 
of 4,370 persons. 
