122 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



to. The repairs to the roof and ceihng and the placmg of the. 

 skyhghts, were paid for out of the Improvement Fund. 



In order to make possible the night opening of the Aquar- 

 ium, additional electric and gas lighting was installed as follows : 

 an additional row of gas lights on the gallery columns to illumin- 

 ate the labels on the tanks; a double cluster of electric lights on 

 the inner face of each of the central row and a single light on 

 each of the outer row of columns on the main floor, and a cluster 

 of electric lights in the vestibule. An electric sign with the word 

 "Open" was also placed on the front of the building. 



A partition across the laboratory room, which has been 

 used chiefly by the public school teachers and their classes, has 

 made additional space for oflice purposes. This change affords 

 room for the clerk's oflfice as well as storage space for library, 

 office supplies, etc. A large wall case has been constructed in 

 this room for storage purposes. A wire partition has been built 

 in the lower offices, enclosing a space to be used as a coat room for 

 classes visiting the Aquarium. 



The offices on both floors and the women's retiring rooms 

 on the ground floor have been repainted. Some painting was 

 also done on the balcony columns, and the service galleries and 

 wall space behind the tanks have been given a fresh coat of 

 white-wash, increasing the light reflecting capabilities of this 

 area. 



An improvement which seems to have met with the ap- 

 proval of our visitors is a cabinet for exhibiting smaller animals 

 behind large reading glasses. Four of these have been built and 

 various smaller living species were shown which could not other- 

 wise have been well exhibited. The number of visitors waiting 

 for an opportunity to look through the lenses, indicates that the 

 public is just as much interested in the smaller as the larger 

 forms, when they can be properly seen. 



A touch of color has been added to the main hall by the in- 

 troduction of palms and bay trees around the copings of the floor 

 pools and within the entrance. 



COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITS 



The addition of specimens to the Aquarium collections has 

 gone on steadily during the year with the result that the exhibits 

 are at present as complete as at any time during the history of 

 the institution. All the space that could be utilized for the pur- 

 pose has been crowded in the attempt to exhibit these collections. 



As a result of the continued experience of our Aquarist, the 



