21 8 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



duties July 6. She has been occupied throughout the year chiefly in the 

 preparation of the museum and library catalogues, in clerical and secre- 

 tarial work, and in attending to visitors and supplying information. My 

 own time has been largely occupied with administrative details, with corre- 

 spondence and reports and with attention to visitors. This interferes 

 considerably with the important work of preparing, mounting and labeling 

 specimens, which ought to proceed with little interruption in order to 

 secure the best results. The Museum cannot, therefore, be expected to 

 show the same degree of progress that would be possible with an additional 

 scientific assistant. For the same reason I have hitherto undertaken no 

 research work, but during the coming summer I expect to carry on some 

 studies in heredity of hybrid characters, using for this purpose a number 

 of species of our American silk moths, which are easily bred from the 

 egg. The results of this study will be offered to the Association for pub- 

 lication and the specimens, which are my own property, will be presented 

 to the Museum and used for exchanges with other institutions. 



With the exception of the Museum Assistant, the staff remains the same 

 as last year : Curator-in-chief, Mr. Charles Louis Pollard ; Museum Assist- 

 ant, Miss Agnes L. Pollard; Honorary Curator of Zoology, Mr. William 

 T. Davis; Honorary Assistant in Ornithology, Mr. James Chapin; Hon- 

 orary Curator of Botany, Dr. Philip Dowell; Honorary Curator of Geol- 

 ogy and Paleontology, Dr. Arthur Hollick ; Honorary Assistant in Anthro- 

 pology, Mr. Alanson Skinner. 



Museum Activities 



During the year three courses of Saturday afternoon talks for the 

 benefit of children in the medium and upper grades of the public schools 

 were given in the Museum. The speakers were all members of the Mu- 

 seum staff, and the lectures were in general well attended. 



Date Speaker Number in attendance 



December s, 1908 Miss Agnes L. Pollard 96 



December 12, 1908 Miss Agnes L. Pollard 71 



December 19, 1908 Miss Agnes L. Pollard 46 



December 26, 1908 Miss Agnes L. Pollard 20 



233 



106 



66 



40S 



