Report of the Museum of Natural History 



The Museum of Natural History is gratified to report for the past 

 year an increase over the previous year in general attendance, in at- 

 tendance at meetings of classes and clubs, and at lectures given under 

 the auspices of the museum. The total number of visitors for the year 

 is 31,302; 6803 of these came for instruction through class or club work, 

 lectures, story-telling or field excursions. 



Girls' and Boys' Clubs 



Girls' and boys' clubs have met regularly. The Daughters of Nature 

 at the end of a season's work proved by tests their ability to identify 

 correctly most of the minerals and rocks of this region. The Junior 

 Museum club of boys has done as well, with an additional feature which 

 was the conduct of meetings by members. A boy of fourteen years 

 gave a talk worth hearing about his hobby, which is forestry. The 

 study of moths and butterflies was directed by the president of the club. 

 All of this work is entirely voluntary; and the spirit of the club is evident 

 in the changed attitude of some of the museum's most problematic 

 visitors. 



Hobby Exhibits 



For these and other children, opportunity has been given for display 

 of their collections of woods, shells, minerals, and insects, and there 

 has also been shown the recent work of our young artists. 



Museum Games 



Question papers and picture puzzles have proved popular. The 

 former are sets of five questions to be answered on detachable slips. 

 The following is an example: 



From what mineral are leads for lead pencils made? 



From what is plaster of Paris made? 



From what is sugar obtained? 



What fort once stood in Springfield? 



Where did that fort stand? 

 Many labels and specimens must be scanned for answers to these 

 questions which are, of course, suitably graded for children of different 

 ages. During the inclement Saturdays of the past winter many young 

 persons have been attracted to the bright, warm, museum where 

 twenty to thirty children might be seen with question papers, while as 

 many more were putting together dissected puzzles designed to teach 

 facts about animals or plants; story-telling has interested other groups. 



Prize Contests 



Through the kindness of Mr. Robert 0. Morris interest in bird study 



