NEWS NOTES 13 
From Mr. James R. Keene, the skeleton of his famous race horse 
“ Sysonby;”’ 
From Mrs. F. K. Sruraeis an additional contribution for the purchase of 
Birds of Paradise; 
From Mr. Francis R. AppLeton for exploration for fossil horses; 
From Mr. A. C. Crarxson, the library and entomological collection of 
the late Mr. Frederick Clarkson. 
Proressors J. A. ALLEN AND Henry F. Osporn represented the 
Museum at the autumn meeting of the National Academy of Sciences 
which was held in Boston on November 20-22 in the new buildings of 
the Harvard Medical School. At this meeting Professor Osborn pre- 
sented two papers, one on “Section of American ‘Tertiaries,”’ and the 
other on “‘A Complete Mounted Skeleton of the Finback Lizard Nao- 
saurus of the Permian.” Among the extensive series of exhibits dis- 
played at the conversazione held in connection with the meeting there 
were the following by Professor Osborn: (1) Recent restorations of 
extinct horses of North America, executed by Charles R. Knight, under 
direction of Henry F. Osborn, water-colors, photographs; (2) first com- 
plete section of the American 'Tertiaries,— a preliminary study. 
Upon receipt of the telegrams announcing the “farthest north” 
attained by Commander Robert E. Peary, U.S. N., the Arctic ex- 
plorer, a temporary exhibit was installed pertaining to Mr. Peary’s 
Arctic work. One of his sledges harnessed to four mounted specimens 
of the dogs which he used on one of his earlier expeditions together with 
a figure dressed in Arctic clothing showed the means of transportation 
employed by the explorer. On the sledge was one of the sleeping-bags 
so essential to existence in the Arctic regions. On a neighboring table 
were shown photographs of Peary’s steamer, the ‘‘ Roosevelt,” together 
with photographs of the explorer and his party. The question as to 
how Peary determined his position was answered by the display of a 
sextant for determining latitude and a chronometer for determining 
longitude used by General Greely in his famous polar work and aban- 
doned by him at Fort Conger. On a section of a globe nearby illustrat- 
ing the north polar regions, Peary’s route to the farthest north position 
was shown by means of colored cord. 
AMONG recent acquisitions to the Department of Mineralogy special 
mention should be made of a large series of nuggets and coarse gravel 
