8 



MUSEUMS. 



II. — Visitors. 



During the year there has been a slight increase in the number of 

 visitors to the Museums over that of the previous year, as shown by the 

 following table : — 



1896. 1897. 



(245 Days) (261 Days) 



Total Visitors in the Year . . . . 298,516 . . 337,838 



Weekly Average 0,002 . . 6,496 



Daily Average 1,218 1,294 



It may be of interest, for the sake of comparison, to point out that 

 the attendance at the British Museum (Natural History) for 1896 was 

 417,033 on week days, or a daily average of about 1,336 persons : that 

 is, a difference in favour of the National over the Liverpool Museum of 

 42 persons daily, which must be considered very satisfactory. This year 

 the attendances of schools that have taken advantage of the section in 

 the Education Code, under which the time devoted to instruction 

 imparted in Museums reckons as school attendance, have greatly increased. 

 Sixty-three teachers and 1,366 pupils have visited the Museums on 46 

 occasions, in order to receive Lessons from the specimens on exhibition ; 

 while many parents have personally brought their children, for the 

 purpose of giving them special lessons. 



Persons desirous of employing the Museums for the purpose of 

 research, reference or sketching, can. on giving satisfactory references, 

 obtain, by application to the Director, tickets enabling them to enter on 

 Fridays, when there are special facilities afforded them for study ; a room 

 is devoted to their accommodation, where particular objects of study may, 

 with the approval of the Director, be brought for their convenience from 

 the cases. Tickets were issued, as usual, during the year (chiefly) to 

 Artists and Students of Natural History, Osteology and Dental Anatomy, 

 who have made extensive use of the collections on the days the Museums 

 were otherwise closed to the public. 



The Museums were open on twenty-five Monday evenings during the 

 periods of January to March, and October to December, when the total 

 attendances were 9,838, giving an average of 393 each evening, which 

 is an increase on the previous year's attendance. 



During the year many Zoologists and Anthropologists have inspected the 

 collections, among whom may be mentioned Professor Haddon, Dublin ; 

 Sir Henry Howarth, K.C.I.E., P.R.S., London ; Professor S. J. Hickson, 



