srcDY (•nLi.i:("rin\s 



13 



How These 

 Purposes Are 

 Carried Out 



Lectures 



'I'lu* Museum Dot only manitiiiiis (>xhil)its "foi- (he ('dificiilioii of llic 

 public." l)Ut sui)i)l{'in(Mits \\\v cducjitioDal work pci-loiiiicd 

 !)>• tlu'S(> and tlicir acc()in])anyin<»; labels hy lectures and 

 publications of a poi)ular natui'c. A coui'se of e\'enin<!; 

 lectures is «>;iv(Mi every Sprin«»; and V'dW foi' the Members, to 

 which admission is to be liad l)y ticket; also courses of 

 Science Stories are <»;iven on Saturday mornings for the 

 chiUlren of M(*nil)ers. Another sc^ries of lecturers, free to the })ublic, is 

 gWvn in conjiniction with the Board of Education on Tuesday and 

 Satunhiy evenings. Still another series, luider the direction of the 

 ]\Iuseuni's D(^]iartnient of PubHc Education, is given for the cliildren in 

 the Public Schools, and there are special lectures for the blind provided 

 for by the Thorne Memorial Fund. The educational work of the 

 Museum is carried still farther by means of its circulating collections 

 for illustrating nature study which are sent free to the schools of (Ireater 

 New^ York. The extent to which these collections are used is shown 

 by the following statistics for the last five years: 





1911 



1912 



1913 



1914 



1915 



Number of Collections in use 



512 



537 



.597 



675 



671 



Number of Schools of Greater 

 New York Supplied 



486 



491 



501 



470 



473 



Number of Pupils Studying 

 the Collections 



1,2.53,43.5 



1,275,890 



1,378,.599 



1,273,853 



1,238,581 



Study 

 Collections 



The scientific side of the work of the Museum is based upon its 

 explorations and study collections. 



The Study Collections, as the name implies, are not only for the 

 benefit of students but preserve a record of our vanishing 

 animal life and of the life and customs of our own and other 

 primitive peoples. 

 In the case of Natural History the vast majority of the specimens are 

 in the study series, not only because they w^ould ultimately be ruined by 

 exposure to light but because the display of all material w-ould only con- 

 fuse the visitor. Moreover, no museum has room to show everything, 

 and a careful selection is made of objects of the greatest educational 

 value and these are so displayed as to enhance their interest and attrac- 

 tiveness. 



The Study Collections are, briefly, as follows: 



