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useum 



Notes 



Daniel Giraud Elliot, noted zoologist 

 and writer, died on December 22, 1915, at 

 his home in New York City. Dr. ElHot 

 shared with the late Professor Albert S. 

 Bickmore the honor of being one of the two 

 scientific founders of the American Museum 

 of Natural History, and it was through his 

 knowledge, gifts and purchases that the 

 Museum was able to obtain what are now 

 some of its most valuable collections. Dr. 

 Elliot's own collection of birds supplied the 

 Museum with the group of extinct Labrador 

 duck, one of the most valuable bird groups 

 in the Museum, and his extensive travels 

 enabled him to bring to the Museum many 

 other important acquisitions. 



Dr. Elliot was the author of many scientific 

 works, a traveler and collector of unusual 

 range and experience, and he will long be re- 

 membered as one of the most distinguished 

 naturalists of his time In recognition of his 

 services to the American Museum he was 

 elected a member of the Board of Trustees 

 in November, 1915 



The New York Zoological Society is 

 developing in Georgetown, British Guiana, 

 a new zoological idea. On January 22, Mr. 

 C. William Beebe, curator of birds in the New 

 York Zoological Park, sailed for Demarara 

 to establish there a tropical zoological station 

 for the study of the evolution of birds and the 

 life histories of important South American 

 species. Mr. Beebe was accompanied by 

 three assistants, Mr. G. Inness Hartley as 

 research associate; Mr. Paul G. Howes, an 

 expert in micro-photography and the inten- 

 sive study of invertebrates, and Mr. Donald 

 Carter as collector. 



One of the first bird species to be studied 

 exhaustively in its native haunts will be the 

 rather elusive hoatzin, which thus far never 

 has been shown alive in captivity, and which 

 even at this late day is a livmg challenge to 

 ornithologists. The life histories of the vast 

 majority of tropical birds are yet to be 

 learned, and the new zoological station, 

 equipped with expert knowledge and all 

 necessary facihties, will enter and exploit 

 a rich and extensive field. 



The Government of British Guiana is offer- 

 ing the new enterprise cooperation, and ter- 

 minal facilities of great practical value. The 

 Trinidad Steamship Company has joined in 



promoting the enterprise in many ways. The 

 entire fimd for the first year's work of the new 

 Tropical Zoological Station has been furnished 

 by five members of the Board of Managers 

 of the New York Zoological Society, Messrs. 

 Cleveland H. Dodge, Mortimer L. SchifT, C. 

 Ledyard Blair, James J. Hill, and George J. 

 Gould. Not the least important function of 

 the new station will be the gathering and 

 forwarding of regular supplies of living verte- 

 brates for the New York Zoological Park. Ar- 

 rangements have also been made for coUectmg 

 reptiles in alcohol for the department of rep- 

 tiles of the American Museum, for which 

 facilities have been provided well in advance. 



Through the interest of the Honorable 

 F. M. B. Fisher, of Wellington, New Zealand, 

 the Museum has been presented by the 

 Minister for Internal Affairs of the New 

 Zealand Government, with two of the five 

 live specimens of Sphenodon forming part of 

 the New Zealand exhibit at the Panama- 

 Pacific International Exposition. This al- 

 most extinct lizard-like reptile is now found 

 only on certain rocky islets in the Bay of 

 Plenty, Northern Now Zealand, and although 

 specimens preserved in alcohol have reached 

 this country in small numbers, no Uving 

 example has before been seen here, much less 

 studied. Great scientific interest attaches 

 to these seemingly insignificant creatures, 

 owing to the fact that this species {Sphenodon 

 punctatum) is the sole surviving representative 

 of the whole order of Prosauria, or primitive 

 reptiles, and is thus practically a " living 

 fo.ssil." The "tuatara" as it is locally called, 

 is now protected by law in New Zealand, 

 having been formerly hunted for food. 

 Models and casts are being made from the 

 living tuataras at the Museum by the sec- 

 tion of reptiles, preliminary to the construction 

 of a habitat group. 



Since the last issue of the Journal the fol- 

 lowing persons have become members of the 

 Museum: 



Life Members, Mrs. Adolf S. Ladenburg 

 and Messrs. Robert Woods Bliss and 

 Alphonse H. Kursheedt. 



Sustaining Members, Mrs. Thomas A. 

 Edison and Hon. Lispenard Stewart. 



Annual Members, Mrs. James Brite, 

 Mrs. Morgan Dix, Mrs. T. E. Harden- 



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