i893. SCIENCE AT THE CHICAGO EXHIBITION. 339 



long, and 48 ft. in girth, the tent used by Lieut. Peary on his present 

 Arctic expedition, and the Aquaria. In these latter the foreigner will 

 probably be most attracted by the fresh-water fish of America ; while, 

 as Mr. Dall remarks, the visitor from the Western States will learn 

 much about the salt-water fish so unfamiliar to him. Certainly, it 

 was round the sea tanks that crowds congregated. The fresh-water 

 tanks have, unfortunately, suffered from virulent attacks of Saprolegnia, 

 the fish fungus. " This exhibit, as a whole, is that of tanks of water 

 with fish in them, and not aquaria in the strict sense of the word, 

 which implies a balance of conditions between the water plants and 

 the animals, as in a state of nature." 



" Many of the States show more or less dilapidated stuffed fishes 

 as a part of their faunal exhibit, but California has an excellent series 

 of models, by Denton's method, of her chief economic species. These 

 are well coloured and properly labelled. New South Wales has a 

 good series of alcoholic fishes, in the same excellent order as the rest 

 of her exhibits," as well as a striking set of coloured drawings. 



" The shell-fisheries are almost unrepresented in the Exposition 

 except by the canned product. A few unlabelled and poorly-preserved 

 shells appear in the Brazilian exhibit, a few oysters and pearl shells 

 in the collections of New South Wales and Mexico ; Wisconsin 

 shows a pretty series of fresh-water pearls in (of all places) the Mining 

 Building ; and Tiffany has a fine series of pearls in their natural 

 state, beside those worked into ornaments — but this is about all that 

 is visible in this line, excepting the series of shells contained in the 

 Ward exhibit in the Anthropological Building," 



In the Government Building the Bureau of Animal Industry has 

 an admirable exhibit, which shows how well science maybe combined 

 with practice. Part shows the distribution of animal life according 

 to elevation, and part animals which are either beneficial or injurious 

 to agriculture. Most noticeable here is the exhibit of the Entomo- 

 logical Bureau. " Probably no portion of the whole Exposition 

 better illustrates the scientific modern method of presenting such 

 matters to the public eye. The insect is shown fully labelled in all 

 its stages and varieties, with its food plant and cocoons, with illus- 

 trations of its ravages when injurious, or beneficial methods of work 

 when useful, supplemented by a small map showing its geographical 

 range, and often, when of economic importance, accompanied by 

 enlarged anatomical models. Nothing more clear, instructive, and 

 satisfactory can be imagined. The experiment stations of the several 

 States in the Agricultural Building show a collective exhibit which is 

 very creditable, though less efficiently displayed than that made by 

 the Government ; and there are the usual miscellaneous collections 

 of attractive butterflies, etc., to be found in many of the State 

 exhibits and in those shown by foreign Governments." 



The exhibits and collections hitherto alluded to fall, for the most 

 part, under the head of semi-scientific. Those of deeper scientific 



z 2 



