118 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



and also to add and properly display collections of invertebrates 

 and aquatic plants, both marine and fresh-water, for the instruc- 

 tion and entertainment of the public. 



Further, it has become necessary to increase the office and 

 filing space, and the only room available for this purpose was the 

 laboratory room, which has for a long time been at the service of 

 the pubhc school teachers, their classes and others especially in- 

 terested. This room was equipped with balanced aquaria con- 

 taining many smaller animals which could not, under existing 

 conditions, be exhibited in the hall open to the public. The labo- 

 ratory was also used as a monthly meeting place by the Aquarium 

 Society, and occasionally by such scientific bodies as the American 

 Fisheries Society, the National Association of Shellfish Commis- 

 sioners, etc. The devotion of this room to administration pur- 

 poses makes it impossible in the future to extend such courtesies 

 to scientific societies or to provide for teachers and their classes, 

 except as they can make use of the public exhibition hall. 



Constantly growing demands are being made on the Aquar- 

 ium for assistance in scientific matters and laboratory facilities 

 and material for carrying on scientific research. Unfortunately 

 the most of these requests must be refused or met in an imperfect 

 manner. The Aquarium has already become a sort of general in- 

 formation bureau on all things aquatic as well as other matters 

 of a scientific nature, not only locally, but for the world at large. 

 Until now the entire scientific staff of the Aquarium has consist- 

 ed of the Director, who has managed all the affairs of the insti- 

 tution, who has been responsible for its development along cor- 

 rect lines, who has planned and overseen all the work of improve- 

 ment to the building and equipment and the collections and looked 

 after the finances, besides attending to a constantly growing cor- 

 respondence. While thus overwhelmed with a multiplicity of 

 duties in connection with the administration of the Aquarium, 

 the Director has nevertheless undertaken to prepare two of the 

 New York Zoological Society BullefAns with Aquarium items each 

 year and publish various papers of scientific value. All of this 

 work has been carried on with the aid of a single clerk. 



The addition of an Assistant Director, who will devote a 

 portion of his time to the Aquarium, and of a Scientific Assistant, 

 to the administrative staff will, after the return of the Director, 

 relieve the congestion somewhat and permit the completion of a 

 greater amount of scientific work. But the development of a 

 scientific institution cannot depend entirely upon the work of one 

 or two men, however efficient they might be, and if the New York 



