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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



Central and Soutli America. Among the in- 

 stitutions Dr. Eastman expects to visit are 

 the following: Museu Nacional and Jardin 

 Zoologico, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Museu 

 Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Universidad 

 Nacional, Asuncion, Paraguay; Museo Na- 

 cional, Montevideo, Uruguay; and Museo 

 Nacional de Historia Natural, Buenos Aires, 

 Argentina. Dr. J. D. Haseman and other 

 collectors have sent back to the Carnegie 

 Museum of Pittsburgh sufficient fresh-water 

 material from the regions that Dr. Eastman 

 will visit to demonstrate the presence there 

 of diagnostic forms, but they do not seem to 

 have exhausted the possibilities, and it is 

 hoped that interesting unknown species will 

 be brought to light. As regards marine 

 fishes, those of northern South America be- 

 long to the well-known West Indian fauna; 

 the fishes of the east coast farther south, on 

 the other hand, are comparatively little 

 known, and a collection of them should not 

 only contain many interesting species, but 

 also furnish desirable data on the distribu- 

 tion of marine fishes in general. The work 

 already done on fossil fishes in Brazil has 

 been carried on by Agassiz, Woodward, and 

 Jordan. Dr. Eastman expects to make col- 

 lections of Ganoids from the Cretaceous of 

 the state of Ceara, and Clupeoids from the 

 east coast of Brazil. 



Mr. James L. Clark, who is cooperating 

 with Mr. Carl E. Akeley in the work of 

 mounting the large African mammals ob- 

 tained for the American Museum by the 

 Congo Expedition, returned during the sum- 

 mer from an expedition to western Alberta. 

 This trip was made for the purpose of study- 

 ing the grizzly, black, and brown bears so 

 abundant in that section, and the early sea- 

 son was chosen because at that time one is 

 more likely to find bears feeding on the 

 young grass, and also because their coats are 

 in their fullest and finest condition. The 

 anatomy of the animal was studied from 

 slain specimens, and characteristic attitudes 

 and habits were watched through field glasses. 

 Mr. Clark's immediate work is the mounting 

 of the third white rhino for the African hall, 

 one adult specimen and a calf already being 

 finished. This animal, with its huge bulk and 

 headlong method of attack, reminds one of 

 nothing so much as that invention of modern 

 warfare, the British "tank." Further work 

 of interest for the Museum is the remounting 

 of the Atlantic walrus group, the old and 



faulty methods used having caused these 

 valuable specimens to deteriorate to a point 

 where they would shortly be useless. The 

 method now used is the one evolved by Mr. 

 Akeley, which, says Mr. Clark, "revolutionizes 

 the mounting of pachyderms." 



Recently thirty-five girls from one of the 

 largest of New York's department stores 

 visited the Museum to study the various 

 techniques in weaving and in decorating tex- 

 tiles, and especially to see the beautiful cloth 

 of the prehistoric Peruvians, and the primi- 

 tive looms in the South American gallery. 

 It is the intention of this firm that other 

 parties shall follow until all their employees 

 in the textile departments have taken ad- 

 vantage of the educational facilities of the 

 Museum in this line. 



The annual competitive exhibition of the 

 Aquarium Society was held in the west as- 

 sembly room of the American Museum from 

 October 12 to 14. Of especial interest were 

 the different species of Barb us shown this 

 year, one from Japan with prettily mottled 

 back-fin being notable. This genus comprises 

 many closely related small fishes of the carp 

 family, most numerous in southern Asia. 

 Their small size, activity, beautiful colors, 

 and distinguished markings render them at- 

 tractive for aquarium culture. 



The annual exhibit of the New York Hor- 

 ticultural Society will be held in the foyer 

 and adjacent halls of the American Museum 

 from November 9 to 11. An unusually fine 

 display is planned, which will include chrys- 

 anthemums of great size and beauty, unique 

 orchids, and some new varieties of roses. A 

 private view of the exhibit Avill be given on 

 the evening of November 8. 



The first lecture of the children's course, 

 which w'as given on the afternoon of Octo- 

 ber l.j, was the occasion of the formal open- 

 ing of the newly reconstructed and redeco- 

 rated auditorium of the American Museum. 

 President Henry Fairfield Osborn extended 

 a hearty welcome to the large number of 

 school children present, and Mr. George H. 

 Sherwood, curator of the department of edu- 

 cation, outlined in a brief address the fea- 

 tures of the course. The lecture of the after- 

 noon, on "Mexico and Central America," was 

 delivered by Mr. Charles H. Rogers of the 

 department of ornithology. 



