92 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



the building numerous framed posters advertising the need of 

 men for the Naval Service. 



Fourth Liberty Loan. — The general committee in charge of 

 the work of soliciting subscriptions came to the Aquarium on two 

 occasions, accompanied by a Naval band. 



Employes. — Two members of the Aquarium staff who volun- 

 teered for military service in 1917, are still in the Army, and a 

 third was granted a year's leave of absence without pay, in order 

 to take a position at the shipyards. 



The number of employes is now reduced to twenty-three, as 

 compared with twenty-eight at the commencement of the war in 

 1914. Two employes of the Aquarium, who had been many years 

 in the service, were pensioned, having become incapacitated. 



Illustrated Guide to the Aquarium. — The manuscript and 

 illustrations for a guide to the Aquarium have been placed in the 

 hands of the printer. The preparation of a guide was com- 

 menced several years ago. It was taken up later and set aside 

 for several reasons. There were difficulties to be surmounted 

 before suitable photographs could be made. These were finally 

 overcome after prolonged experimentation. The building being 

 too dark for the use of the instantaneous shutter, methods of arti- 

 ficial lighting had to be worked out. 



The photographing of objects moving in water and behind 

 glass presented other difficulties, so that the accumulation of a 

 large series of really good pictures took considerable time and 

 involved the rejection of a large number of photographs which 

 were too dim or out of focus. 



Meanwhile it was hoped that improvements in the equip- 

 ment of the building, which were very slowly being made, would 

 result in increasing the variety of species exhibited, so that a 

 really comprehensive account would be possible. 



The improvements are still far from complete, but with a new 

 water system and larger tanks the collections have been made 

 as representative as is possible in the one hundred tanks avail- 

 able. It is still quite impossible to keep most of the invertebrates 

 of local waters, and will remain so until a cold sea-water system 

 is provided. Under present limitations the exhibits of the Aqua- 

 rium must consist chiefly of fishes. 



