MUSEUM NOTES 



583 



With the object of promoting the active 

 protection and increase of wild life and for- 

 ests in the United States, a new society en- 

 titled the "National Educators Conservation 

 Society" has been organized. Among its hon- 

 orary vice presidents are Elmer E. BroAvn, 

 president of New York University, John 

 Grier Hibben, president of Princeton Univer- 

 sity, and George E. Vincent, president of 

 the University of Minnesota. 



As a part of the educational work of the 

 American Museum, an exhibition of designs 

 inspired by Museum siiecimeus, suitable for 

 the decoration of textiles, wall paper, and 

 ceramics, will be held in the American Mu- 

 seum the latter half of December. During 

 the last year more than three thousand stu- 

 dents have made use of the specimens in 

 their work, and the Museum authorities be- 

 lieve that the exhibition will be the means 

 of bringing this rich field to the attention 

 of an even larger number. 



The skin of the pygmy elephant, Congo 

 (representative of the type of Elephas pu- 

 milw), which lived several years at the New 

 York Zoological Park, is being prepared by 

 Mr. James L. Clark for exhibition in the 

 American Museum. In contrast with the 

 bull elephant of enormous proportions which 

 will occupy the central position in Mr. Carl 

 E. Akeley's elej^hant group, Congo stands 

 only six feet high at the shoulder. 



At a meeting of the National Association 

 of Audubon Societies held in the auditorium 

 of the American Museum on the evening of 

 October 29, some splendid views of oceanic 

 bird life, made by Mr. Eollo H. Beck in the 

 course of the Brewster-Sanford Expedition 

 to South America, Avere thrown on the screen, 

 and Mr. Beck gave fascinating descriptions 

 of the circumstances under which the pic- 

 tures Avere taken. Following these was ex- 

 hibited a series of motion pictures of west- 

 ern animal life taken in the Yellowstone 

 National Park by Mr. Norman McClintock 

 and not previously shown. Bands of elk, 

 deer, and mountain sheep appeared in their 

 natural surroundings, and were shown al- 

 most to have lost all fear under the protec- 

 tion whicli tliey receive from the government. 



The American Museum Liberty Loan Com- 

 mittee reports a total subscription of $13,- 

 250 for the first bonds and $9100 for the 



second issue. The American Museum has 

 purchased also $20,000 worth of the second 

 bonds for its endowment fund. The insti- 

 tution has been enabled to receive bond sub- 

 scriptions in installments from its employees 

 through the generosity of Mr. Adrian Iselin 

 and Mr. Felix M. Warburg, members of the 

 board of trustees. 



The American Museum War Relief Asso- 

 ciation has increased the scope of its activi- 

 ties by the organization of a class in the 

 preparation of surgical dressings. This class 

 meets Tuesday evenings and is largely at- 

 tended. Through the assistance of friends 

 of the association, a musicale was held on 

 the evening of November 12, to which Pro- 

 fessor Bertrand de Bernyz and his Artist 

 League gave their services. The entertain- 

 ment Avas given in the ballroom of the Hotel 

 Majestic, which the hotel management gen- 

 erously donated. The affair was a success 

 not only artistically, but also in a financial 

 way, netting to the association $309. This 

 fund is to be used for the maintenance of 

 the Avar relief Avork carried on by the vari- 

 ous committees. The posters used in adver- 

 tising the musicale Avere made by artists in 

 the Museum and are noAv exhibited near the 

 entrance of the Avest assembly hall. 



The large collection of birds and mam- 

 mals obtained as a result of the American 

 Museum's Asiatic Zoological Expedition to 

 China, conducted by Mr. Roy C. AndreAVs, 

 has been placed on disjjlay just as it Avas 

 received instead of first putting it through 

 the processes of preparation. This collection 

 comprises hundreds of skins of beautiful 

 tropical birds, including neAvly discovered 

 pheasants and peacocks. Small bright-hued 

 jungle foAvls are interesting as the ancestors 

 of the present barnyard foAvl Avhich is play- 

 ing such an important part in the food prob- 

 lem at the present time. For thousands of 

 years this original type has existed in the 

 heart of China. Unusual rodent forms are 

 represented in the black flying squirrels, 

 four feet long, together Avith huge rats, in- 

 cluding the rare bamboo rat, scores of mice 

 of strange appearance, and odd variations 

 of the mole. The chipmunks include several 

 varieties hitherto undescribed by zoologists. 

 Skins of seroAvs and gorals, strange animals 

 intermediate betAveen the goat and the sheep, 

 are also included in the exhibit. 



