BUFFALO SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCES 59 



Building. Erected in 1893 at a cost of $100,000, of which $75,000 

 was the gift of Matthew Lafiin, and $25,000 the gift of the commis- 

 sioners of Lincoln Park, who also provided the site for the building. 

 About 12,530 square feet of floor space is available for exhibition pur- 

 poses, and 10,540 for offices, workrooms, etc. 



Administration. By a curator-in-charge, who is responsible to 

 a board of trustees. 



Scope. The efforts of the academy are especially directed toward 

 an exposition of the natural resources of Illinois and the adjoining 

 portions of the Mississippi Valley. The material gathered by the natur- 

 al history survey of the academy, organized in 1892, is a notable 

 feature of the local collections. As aids to the instruction of the general 

 public, there are exhibits illustrating the home life and habits of ani- 

 mals, and the economic uses of natural materials ; also the employment 

 of numerous descriptive labels, pictures, and models; and the giving 

 of courses of popular lectures. Public school work is aided by loan 

 collections of specimens and slides, by lectures to school children, and 

 by instruction of school teachers. Exploration and research are car- 

 ried on by the staff, the present subject of investigation being 

 fresh-water and post-glacial mollusca, deep-well borings of Chicago, 

 flora of the Chicago region, and paleontology of the Niagara limestone. 



Library. 29,778 books and pamphlets of a general scientific 

 character, intended for use of the staff and members of the academy. 

 The public may consult the library under certain restrictions. 



Publications, (i) Early Proceedings, 1 volume issued. (2) 

 Transactions, 2 volumes issued. (3) Bulletins, 3 volumes issued. (4) 

 Bulletins of the Natural History Survey, 7 volumes issued. 



Attendance. Open free to the public on week-days from 9 to 

 5 and on Sundays from 1 to 5. The attendance for the year 1909 was 

 over 300,000. It is noteworthy that the academy is said to hold third 

 place in this respect, its museum attendance being exceeded only by 

 the American Museum of Natural History in New York and by the 

 United States National Museum in Washington. 



CHICAGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY. (Dearborn Avenue and 

 Ontario Street.) 



This society maintains a historical collection including relics of 

 the mound builders and Indians ; portraits of discoverers and explor- 

 ers of the Mississippi Valley and the "Old Northwest" territory, 

 Indian chiefs, pioneers, state governors, early residents of Chicago, and 

 members of the society; historical models; paintings, prints, and photo- 



