262 
phase of the instructional work of the insti- 
tution and has made many suggestions which 
have proved successful. The latest plan in 
museum extension work is the preparation of 
special museum loan exhibits. One of these 
special exhibits has just been prepared and is 
ready to be placed in the public schools, park 
houses, social settlements and branch libra- 
ries. The exhibit is entitled “ Birds Winter- 
ing in the Chicago Region.” The foreground 
is a miniature reproduction of the shore of 
Lake Michigan. Eleven birds are placed in 
the foreground and, by means of an oil paint- 
ing, the scene is carried far into the distance. 
This is a type of habitat group which will be 
distributed and loaned free of charge. In 
this way a modern piece of museum work will 
be taken to many who may not have an oppor- 
tunity to visit the main building. The ideas 
of museum extension is being taken up by vari- 
ous other organizations in the city. The 
Woman’s Club has installed civic and health 
exhibits in the public schools. The social 
settlements, the School of Civics and Philan- 
thropy, Municipal Art League, Council for 
Museum and Library Extension, are all at 
work on plans for special exhibits at educa- 
tional centers. This is a period of unusual ac- 
tivity in this field and the recent gift of Mr. 
N. W. Harris of $250,000 to the Field Mu- 
seum will make possible still larger develop- 
ment of this movement in Chicago. The 
influence of this activity within the city is 
being felt throughout the state and many calls 
are received from rural districts for museum 
loan collections. The Illinois Audubon So- 
ciety has made some provision for meeting 
this demand throughout the state. It has in 
constant use four traveling libraries, four 
bird-picture collections and two lantern-slide 
collections with accompanying lectures. 
These are distributed free of charge. The 
Chicago Child Welfare Exhibit has aroused 
wide-spread interest in the preparation of 
special exhibits for educational purposes. 
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL 
HISTORY 
Tue forty-third annual meeting of the trus- 
tees of the American Museum of Natural 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XX XV. No. 894 
History was held Monday evening, February 
5, 1912, at the Union Club, where the trustees 
were the guests of Mr. Thomas DeWitt 
Cuyler, of Philadelphia. 
The following were elected officers for the 
ensuing year: 
President—Henry Fairfield Osborn. 
First Vice-president—Cleveland H. Dodge. 
Second Vice-president—J. P. Morgan, Jr. 
Treasurer—Charles Lanier. 
Secretary—Archer M. Huntington. 
The president presented his annual report 
and announced the gift to the museum of the 
Catlin collection of Indian paintings, which 
was presented by Mr. Ogden Mills, and the 
Bailey collection of meteorites, which was the 
gift of Mr. J. P. Morgan, Jr. 
According to the president’s report, the total 
attendance for the year was 724,141, which is 
100,000 greater than the attendance of last 
year; the number of pupils studying the cir- 
culating collection was 1,253,435, an increase 
of 300,000 over 1910; the membership has been 
increased by the enrolment of 349 new mem- 
bers. 
Plans are being formulated for the celebra- 
tion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding 
of the museum, on April 6, 1919. 
A comparison of the expenditures for the 
year shows that while the city’s contribution 
was $189,757, the trustees and the friends of 
the museum contributed $216,404. 
The building plans for the future include 
the construction of an east entrance hall on 
Central Park West and an entrance hall oppo- 
site 79th Street on Columbus Avenue. The 
future exhibition halls that are under consid- 
eration are the 
Geographic Hall, East Wing, First Floor, 
African Hall, East Wing, Second Floor, 
Oceanographic Hall, Southeast Wing, First Floor, 
Whale Court, Southeast Court, First Floor, 
Ichthyology Hall, Southeast Wing, Second Floor. 
The president emphasizes the necessity of 
increasing the present endowment fund. 
Election to Membership: Mr. Ogden Mills 
was elected an associate benefactor in recogni- 
tion of his gift of the Catlin collection of 
Indian paintings. Mrs. Isaac M. Dyckman 
was elected a patron in recognition of her con- 
