136 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



ispatched to Etah to bring back the 

 Crocker Land party. 



Captain Pedersen was of opinion that if 

 the motor boat did not return soon, it would 

 be impossible for the "Cluett" to get home 

 in the fall of 1915. In this case however, 

 there need be no fear for Dr. Hovey and 

 the other members of the expedition, who 

 would receive assistance from Mr. Freuchen, 

 (the manager of Mr. Rasmussen's station 

 at North Star Bay) or could get provisions 

 by sledge from Upernavik, where the Danes 

 would be glad to make welcome the members 

 of both expeditions. 



Mr. M. p. Skinner has presented to the 

 American Museum valuable motion-picture 

 films and photographs of animals of the Yel- 

 lowstone Park, obtained during his twenty 

 years' experience in that region. Mr. Skinner 

 is a member of the American Museum and 

 has been working in the Museum building 

 during the winter on a book on the birds of 

 the Yellowstone Park. He is an authority on 

 the animal life of the Yellowstone and has 

 rendered much service to the United States 

 Biological Survey in connection with a census 

 of the park. 



The animals of the Yellowstone, described 

 in the present issue of the Journal, are well 

 represented in the North American mammal 

 hall of the Museum by a series of unusually 

 large and well executed group studies, showing 

 the animals as they appear in their natural 

 environment. Specimens of the American 

 bison, in all stages of development, and in 

 summer and winter coats, are shown pawing 

 the Kansas prairie where they formerly 

 ranged in countless herds. Several moose, 

 with adults and young of both sexes, are 

 shown in a second-growth forest — their 

 favorite feeding ground. There are three 

 fine specimens of the elk, or wapiti, formerly 

 so abundant in the mountains and foothills 

 of the northern and western states and now 

 comparatively rare; also groups of mule 

 deer, Virginia deer, mountain sheep and 

 pronghorn antelope. The rapidity and com- 

 pleteness with which the advance of civiliza- 

 tion has wijjed out of existence the vast herds 

 of these wild creatures that once owned the 

 hills and plains of this continent, makes the 

 sanctuary the Yellowstone affords to the 

 surviving remnants an incalculable advantage 

 to the cause of natural history — as well as 



adding to the value of the groups in the Ameri- 

 can Museum. 



The annual meeting of the Board of 

 Trustees of the American Museum of Natural 

 History was held at the residence of Mr. 

 Ogden Mills, on February 7, 1916. Mr. 

 Henry P. Davison was elected a trustee in 

 the class of 1917 to fill the vacancy caused 

 by the death of Dr. Daniel Giraud Elliot. 

 Messrs. Arthur Curtiss James, Walter B. 

 James, J. P. Morgan, Percy R. Pyne and 

 John B. Trevor, trustees in the class of 1916, 

 were reelected in the class of 1920. The 

 trustees were the guests at dinner of Mr. 

 Ogden Mills. 



Owing to ill health Mr. Charles Lanier 

 has resigned his position as treasurer of the 

 American Museum of Natural History. 

 At the recent meeting of the Board of 

 Trustees of the Museum, a resolution was 

 passed accepting his resignation with regret 

 and expressing appreciation for the service 

 he has rendered the institution in serving as 

 treasurer for the past twenty-five years. Mr. 

 Henry P. Davison was elected treasurer 

 for the year 1916. 



In view of their generous contributions and 

 genuine interest in the growth of the Museum 

 the trustees have passed a special resolution 

 electing Messrs. Cleveland H. Dodge, Arthur 

 Curtiss James and Archer M. Huntington, 

 Benefactors of the Museum; Mrs. John 

 B. Trevor and Mr. Felix M. Warburg, 

 Associate Founders; Dr. Bashford Dean and 

 Messrs. James B. Ford and Henry C. Swords, 

 Patrons; Mrs. Herbert L. Satterlee, a Fellow, 

 and Mrs. M. Orme Wilson and Messrs. 

 Lincoln Ellsworth and Alexander Smith 

 Cochran, Life Members of the Museum. 



Owing to the fact that a number of higher 

 classes of membership in the American Mu- 

 seum have recently been created by the 

 trustees and that many former contributors 

 now dead would have been elected to these 

 higher memberships had such degrees been 

 in existence during their lives, it was resolved 

 at the recent annual meeting of the Board 

 of Trustees to place the names of such con- 

 tributors in the respective classes of member- 

 ship to which their contributions would have 

 made them eligible. In accordance with 

 this resolution the names of Mrs. Robert L. 



