MUSEUMS. 29 



The Director of Museums, accompanied by the Taxidermist, 

 Mr. Cutmore, in conjunction with Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, of the 

 British Museum, left towards the end of October last on a Zoological 

 Expedition to Sokotra, an island about 400 miles beyond Aden. 

 Information has since been received that the expedition had already 

 collected some specimens on the wav out and was safely landed in 

 Sokotra. with the members all well. It is expected to return early in 

 the year, when a special report will be issued on the results. 



II.— Visitors. 

 During the year there has been a considerable increase in the number 

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

 the following table : — 



1897. 1898. 



(261 Days) (264 Days) 



Total Visitors in the Year .. .. 337,838 354,114 



Weekly Average 6,496 . . 6,809 



Daily Average 1,294 .. 1,341 



These figures compare most favourably with the attendances at the 

 British Museum (Natural History). In 1896 the total attendance on 

 week days at the National Museum was 417,033, or an average daily 

 attendance of about 1,336 persons ; in 1897 the total attendance on 

 week days was 372,867, or an average daily attendance of nearly 1,203. 

 The average daily attendance at the Liverpool Museum for 1898 is 

 1,341 persons, or 5 in excess of the daily attendance at the British 

 Museum (Natural History) during 1896 and 138 in excess of the daily 

 attendance during 1897. The 1898 figures for the British Museum are 

 not yet to hand. The attendance of schools, taking advantage of the 

 clause in the Education ('ode, whereby time devoted to instruction 

 imparted in Museums reckons as school attendance, has been well 

 maintained — considerably over 1,000 children, under the charge of 

 teachers, having visited the Museums in order to receive lessons from 

 the specimens on exhibition. The value of this system is seen in the 

 great interest aroused in the children, as shown by their increased 

 attendance, independently and with their parents, during the school 

 holidays. This has become quite a marked feature, and plays no incon- 

 siderable part in the advance of the total attendances year by year. 



