MUSEUM BULLETIN 



OF THE 



i>iatnt Jslaito Association of Arts auo BtmxtsB 



EDITED FOR THE PUBLICATION COMMITTEE 



BY CHARLES LOUIS POLLARD, CURATOR-IN-CHIEF 

 No 47. Published Monthly at New Brighton, N.Y. JUNE. 1912. 



As announced in the May BULLETIN, the American Association of 

 Museums held its sessions in New York during the week of June 3rd, 1912. 

 Meetings took place at the American Museum of Natural History, the Metro- 

 politan Museum of Art, the Museum of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and 

 Sciences, the New York Zoological Park, the New York Botanical Garden 

 and the Museum of the Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences. The 

 visitors to Staten Island, numbering over twenty-five, were given a tour about 

 the Island in automobiles and later in the afternoon were welcomed at the 

 museum building in Stuyvesant Place and served with refreshments. An in- 

 spection of the museum followed. 



Two new exhibits have recently been installed in the museum, of which 

 the one showing " Mosquitoes of Staten Island and Vicinity " should be of 

 special interest to Staten Islanders. Containing both drawings (showing the 

 insects much enlarged) and actual specimens mounted on points, as well as 

 some " wigglers " or mosquito larvae in alcohol, this exhibit points out that 

 there are about twenty-five different species of mosquito on Staten Island. 

 Fortunately, however, the descriptive label explains that not all of these need 

 be feared by man. Only one species (Anopheles) carries the malaria germ. 



The second exhibit should appeal to those who visit the museum in 

 quest of the curious and unusual. It consists of a large series of longicorn 

 or longhorn beetles, the gift of Mr. Charles W. Leng. These insects are so 

 distinctive in appearance as to attract attention at once, being spotted, striped 

 and barred with various bright colors and possess great diversity of size and 

 shape, some being quite small while others have bodies nearly three inches 

 in length. Some of the antennae or " feelers " are fully three or four times 

 the length of the body — thus giving rise to the name " longhom." In two or 

 three cases these antennae are adorned with grotesque patches of bristles or 

 hairs ; others are curved back in such a manner as to present the appearance 

 of a ram's head. 



1913 PRIZE ESSAY CONTEST. 



The subject and conditions of the annual prize essay contest, open to all students in Curtis 

 High School, are set forth below : — 



AN ESSAY of not less than 1000 words upon the physical geography and biology of any local 

 geographic feature, accompanied by specimens of rocks, soils, plants, insects, etc., collected in 

 connection with the features described. 



CONDITIONS. * 



(a) The essay must be written in ink, on one side of the paper only, not rolled or folded, 

 and must be handed to the principal of Curtis High School on or before June 15th, 1913. 



(b) Each specimen must have some relation to the subject matter described or discussed 

 in the essay and such relationship must be clearly expressed in the text. 



(c) Each specimen must be accompanied by a suitable label, giving the scientific name or 

 common name, locality where collected, habitat, etc. 



(d) All specimens to be submitted should be suitably prepared under the general in- 

 structions of the teacher of nature study in the school. 



( * Further suggestions may be obtained at the museum.). 



During the past month the following have been elected to membership 

 in the Association : Leland Wincapaw, Princes Bay, and Irving W. Smith, 

 Port Richmond. 



Accessions have come from :— Howard R. Bayne, H. H. Cleaves, Ameri- 

 can Museum of Natural History, William T. Davis, E. C. Delavan, Jr., R. P. 

 Dow, Alexander Forsyth, Serafmo Fratello, Michael Grae, Peter Herman, 

 Dr. Jacob Hirsch, Arthur Hollick, Charles Kipper, Alexander Light, Wm. J. 

 Quinlan, D. M. VanName and Frank Watson. 



Entered as second-class matter in the Postoffice at New Brighton, N. Y., under Act of Congress of July 16. 1894 



