MUSEUM NEWS NOTES 53 
TuroucH the generosity of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan the Museum 
is receiving as fast as issued the magnificent series of volumes on “The 
North American Indian” now in process of preparation and publication 
by Mr. Edward S. Curtis, who is so well known for his studies and 
photographs of the descendants of the aboriginees of North America. 
This work is to consist of twenty quarto volumes of text profusely 
illustrated with photogravures and accompanied by as many supple- 
mentary volumes of folio plates. Thus far five volumes of text with 
their supplementary volumes of plates have been issued and delivered, 
Last month the modeled mount of the hippopotamus ‘ Caliph”’ 
was placed on exhibition in the Department of Mammalogy. Caliph 
was a familiar sight to the visitors at the menagerie in Central Park, 
where he was one of the chief attractions for about thirty-five years. He 
was the largest hippopotamus in captivity on record and probably was 
as large as any known. He died in January, 1908, of acute indigestion, 
and his body was presented to the Museum by the Department of Parks. 
ON the afternoon of Saturday, January 15, Miss Mary Lois Kissell 
of the Department of Anthropology began a series of talks in the Acad- 
emy Room upon “Basketry Weavings of Primitive Peoples” illustrated 
with examples of the different styles selected from the extensive material 
in the Museum collections. ‘The second lecture of the series was given 
January 29. ‘The third and last will be delivered February 5, when the 
“Technic of Basketry” will be considered and a scheme of classification 
will be presented by means of which the work of various tribes may be 
recognized. 
THE restaurant upon the third floor of the Museum has been discon- 
tinued and a new one opened at the foot of the elevator in a series of 
rooms which have been fitted up expressly for the purpose and which 
have been built and decorated after the style of the prehistoric edifices 
of Mitla, Mexico, giving a vivid idea of the interior of those ancient struc- 
tures in their prime. 
