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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



of the Atlantic known as the Sargasso Sea, 

 where the drifting gulfweed comes to rest, 

 scattered loosely about or forming great 

 yellow fieldlike masses. The blue shark, 

 which grows to a length of about ten feet, 

 is perhaps the commonest surface shark of 

 the open ocean. It is a beautiful blue above, 

 matching the color of the sea, and a dazzling 

 white below, slender and graceful in all its 

 lines. Many problems of lighting had to be 

 contended with in this group, to make a sat- 

 isfactory view below the surface of blue off- 

 shore waters. When seen from below, the 

 surface of the w'ater is an almost perfect 

 mirror. By introducing an actual mirror a 

 more realistic effect has been obtained than 

 could have been produced in any other way. 

 Material is being assembled for an adjoin- 

 ing group designed to show protective adaj)- 

 tations of smaller pelagic fishes, many of 

 which hide in the drifting gulfweed, -which 

 they resemble so closely as to be almost in- 

 visible, or seek protection about the powerful 

 stinging tentacles of a bright-colored "Por- 

 tuguese man-of-'war.'" 



Six beautiful specimens, three of opal and ' 

 three of tourmaline, have been added to the 

 gem collection of the American Museum 

 through the generosity of Mr. J. P. Morgan. 

 The three opals, which glow with shades of 

 green, red, and blue, are from Humboldt 

 County, Nevada. Two of the tourmaline 

 specimens, of the rose red or pink variety, 

 are from Minas Geraes, Brazil; the third, a 

 large uncut piece, is from San Diego County, 

 California. 



The entire series of carved ivories col- 

 lected by Mr. Herbert Lang during the Amer- 

 ican Museum's Congo Expedition is now dis- 

 played in the gem hall of this Museum, where 

 it occupies a twenty-eight foot wall case. The 

 exhibit is fittingly placed in this hall, as the 

 ivories are in the nature of crown jewels to 

 the African chiefs. Whenever a native shows 

 aptitude for carving he is immediately at- 

 tached to some chief and uses his talent for 

 him alone. The size and importance of the 

 collection made during a chief 's lifetime are 

 an indication of his rank. When he dies the 

 carvings are destroyed, which accounts for 

 the fact that no very old objects are to be 

 found. The exhibition includes large carved . 

 and etched horns, ornamental hair combs, 

 arm bands, weapons, bowls or cups, knives 

 and forks, mortars and pestles, fine ivory 



pins, and ceremonial objects — all showing 

 remarkable skill in carving and many of 

 them exceedingly rare. 



Russell J. Coles, who has spent several 

 weeks on the coast of southwest Florida in 

 reconnaissance of the possibilities of winter 

 shark and ray fisheries, tells us that these 

 large fish, formerly wasted, are now being 

 shipped from that field to northern markets. 

 He looks forward to great expansion of the 

 shark and ray output along our entire coast 

 within the next few months, and a signifi- 

 cant addition from this source to the na- 

 tion 's food, leather, and oil supplies. 



Mr. Roy Chapman Andrews, associate 

 curator of mammalogy in the American Mu- 

 seum of Natural History, was elected corre- 

 sponding member of the Zoological Society 

 of London at its meeting on December 19, 

 1917. 



Dr. Edmund Otis Hovey represented the 

 American Museum at the annual meeting of 

 the Geological Society of America, in St. 

 Louis, December 27-29. The meeting was 

 well attended considering the disturbed con- 

 dition due to the war, and many papers of 

 scientific interest and some of direct bearing 

 on the relations of geology and geologists to 

 the conduct of the war were presented. 

 After the meeting Dr. Hovey visited the im- 

 jjortant new lead and zinc mining district of 

 northeastern Oklahoma, and made arrange- 

 ments for the collection and transfer to the 

 American Museum of material illustrating 

 the beautiful grotto developments of the 

 ores growing in the mines there. 



Dr. Bashford Dean of the Metropolitan 

 Museum of Art and the American Museum, 

 now Major of Ordnance in the United States 

 Army, returned from Europe in .January. 



Dr. C-E. a. Winslow, of the department 

 of public health of the American Museum, was 

 awarded a presentation medal by the Na- 

 tional Institute of Social Sciences at its 

 meeting on December 18, for his services to 

 the cause of public health. 



Mrs. Elsie Clews Parsons, who for sev- 

 eral years has been carrying on independent 

 investigations in the social organization and 

 ceremonies of the Zuiii and other Pueblo 

 Indians, has signified her willingness to be- 



