MUSI-JLM SUTES 



155 



(•(line a voluntfor worker uinlcr tlio ilircctinii 

 of the (leiuirtinoiit of aiitliiopolo^i.v of tlu' 

 AiiuM-ican Museum. She will jjivo particular 

 attention to the important ceremonies of the 

 In.lians, in order to determine how far these 

 may have lieen inlluenced by Spanish ru\- 

 ture, ]tarti<iil;irly liy the teachiiiy:s of I lie 

 church fathers. Mrs. Parsons is now on her 

 way to Zuni to l)Ogin this work. 



Till'; New York Aiiiiiiriuni, iiihlcr the di 

 rectorship of Dr. Charles 11. Towiisend, has 

 increased its attractiveness, as well as its 

 usefulness, by the enlarfjemont of several of 

 the jjlass froided exhibition tanks on the 

 ;;round tloor of the l)uildin),'. The orijjinal 

 tanks, built of heavy masonry, were only 

 seven feet long and four feet from front to 

 back. By removin<x the partitions between 

 some of these small tanks larger ones were 

 made, averaging fifteen feet in length. The 

 rear walls of the tanks wore then extendnl 

 to the outer walls of the building, giving a 

 depth of twelve feet. Thus space was ob- 

 tained in which could Ik' shown a laiger 

 number of species for eacli tank ; also 

 sharks and sturgeons, formerly kept in large 

 jiools on the central floor of the A(|ua 

 rium, could be exhilnted behin 

 glass. The greater watei 

 space in the new tanks 

 produces an undersea 

 effect which the smaller 

 tanks did not ailord, 

 and adds much to 

 the appearance of 

 the exhibit, be- 

 sides greatly 

 improving con- 

 ilitions of life 

 for the occu- 

 jiants. In or- 

 der to make 

 two of the en- 

 larged tanks 

 of the fresh- 

 water series 

 availaV)le for 

 salt-water exhil)- 

 its, an extension 

 of piping was 

 made. When cold 

 weather came, an un 

 used wooden storage 

 tank was converted into 

 a water heater, which (;i()uii(l iilan 



made it possiV)lc to ex- position 



hibit in this water system many local sea 

 lishes not to be found along our shores in 

 wilder. This imiirovement is especially valu- 

 abU>, as marine sjtecii's of fishes and inver- 

 tebrates are nnudi nmre numerous than fresh- 

 water species, and should be given a larger 

 re)iresentation in the collection than has 

 hitherto been possible. Due to Dr. Towns- 

 fiid 's |>ersonal initiative and clVort in the 

 woik, idevcii of tlir ni'w eniai'gcd taid\s aic 

 ahc'idy o|ifii tor rxliiiiition and an addi- 

 tional four are under construction. 



A PAi'Kii by Mr. G. K. Noble, ready for 

 publication, covers the Nicaragua amphibian 

 collections ot' the American Museum, Of the 

 twenty-seven species two are described as 

 new, and four others are reported for tlie 

 first time from Xicaiagua. Many of the 

 species are rare in colici-tions. Iljila hoiilcn- 

 t/i ri, whicli foinierly was known only from 

 liir type, is icpresented l>y three specimens. 

 It is interesting that one of the new species, 

 a semi-arboreal salamander, should have 

 b<'en taken at several widely sejiarated lo- 

 calities. The Nicaragua Ornithological Ex- 

 pedition, liUT, coilecteil one specimen on Mt. 



of tlio .Vcw York Aqiiariuni, sliowing 

 of till' iiilarj,'('il cxliiliition tanks 



