FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 135 



any other existing aquarium. The ideal aquarium has not yet 

 appeared in any country. 



Such an argument is illogical in view of the fact that the 

 field of marine zoology is infinitely greater than any other zoo- 

 logical field, and at the same time is less understood. There are 

 more zoologists at work in this field to-day than ever before and 

 marine biological stations are multiplying throughout the civil- 

 ized world. The most important zoological investigations of the 

 future will have to do primarily with marine life. Science has 

 no greater opportunity than could be found in the building of a 

 marine museum, as no such special institution exists to-day, ex- 

 cept the small but beautiful one now being built by the Prince of 

 Monaco, and no city has a better reason for creating such an in- 

 stitution than the city possessing the New York Aquarium. 

 The public is demanding it and the Aquarium's public consists of 

 as good classes of people as those patronizing the other museums. 



Large zoological gardens, natural history and art museums 

 are common institutions in all countries, while public aquariums 

 are small affairs everywhere except in New York. The small 

 aquarium of Naples has made Naples famous. The small aquar- 

 ium in the small city of Detroit attracts large crowds. With 

 the four millions of people that are already crowding the Aquar- 

 ium, it is absolutely necessary that we provide another entrance 

 before next summer. 



The temporary aquariums, maintained by the U. S. Fish- 

 eries Bureau at each of our American expositions since the 

 World's Fair at Chicago, furnished impressive lessons to city 

 governments and museum managers generally. 



Having been detailed for duty at several of these govern- 

 ment aquariums, I can speak with authority as to their wonder- 

 ful popularity. At no American industrial Exposition has any 

 art building or other exhibit, ever attracted one-fifth of the 

 visitors that thronged the temporary aquarium. 



With increased office space the Aquarium would naturally 

 come into closer relations with the great fishery industries cen- 

 tered at New York City. 



During his connection with the U. S. Fisheries Bureau, your 

 Director originated the monthly bulletin of fishery information 

 setting forth the fishery business of Boston and Gloucester 

 which is worth several million dollars a year. These bulletins 

 are now posted monthly in public places in the fishery centers 

 of New England. 



