98 Staten Island Association of xA.rts and Sciences 



is in this way that the insect collection has grown in two years from 

 practically nothing to a total of nearly 8000 specimens. 



But neither gifts nor exchanges obviate the necessity for the occasional 

 purchase of material, and one of the greatest needs of the museum is a 

 fund that shall be devoted exclusively to this purpose. In preparing 

 special exhibits the lack of a single specimen to complete a given series 

 is often fatal to the success of the exhibit ; and frequently the only way 

 to obtain such a specimen is to buy it. Likewise we can only hope to com- 

 plete some of our local collections by the purchase of specimens to repre- 

 sent species now extinct in this vicinity. 



Respectfully submitted, 



Charles Louis Pollard, 

 Curator-in-chief. 



Record of Attendance from May 18, 1909, to May 21, igio 



Month 



May 18-29, 1909 10 



257 4992 



Average per month for year 416 



Average per day for year 19 



Special Occasions 



Borough President's reception, May 25, 1909 14 



Section of Art reception, December 27, 1909 100 



Bristow Adams' lecture, March 12, 1910 90 



R. T. H. Halsey's lecture, April 23, 1910 35 



239 



The highest attendance was on October 2, 1909, 157; the lowest on 

 blizzard day, January 14, 1910, when for the first time since the museum 

 was opened, no visitors were recorded. 



No special record has been kept of visits of teachers with their classes, 

 but at least 10 such visits have been made; one teacher, from school 34, 

 at Fort Wadsworth, having made three trips to the museum, bringing 

 different children each time. 



