ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



703 



SHIPPING JAR WITH SPECIMEN. 

 The upper third of the jar contains pure oxygen. 



The fi'esliwater fishes are exceptionally well 

 represented. A splendid series of the hlaek 

 basses showing the growth by years, from tlit 

 fingerling stage to the fourth year, is the gift of 

 the Pennsylvania State Fisli Commission 

 through the kindness of Commissioner W. E. 

 ^Feehan, wlio also contributed a good collection 

 of yearling yellow perch. All of these were 

 reared in the state hatcheries of Pennsylvania. 

 An unusual dis|)lay of albino lake trout wa.s pre- 

 sented by the New York Forest, Fish and Game 

 Connnission, tlirough Dr. T. H. Bean, State 

 Fish (ulturist. and formerly director of the 

 Aquarium. The South Side Sportsman's Club 

 has contributed a fine lot of highly colored brook 

 and rainbow trout. The freshwater series has 

 been still further augmented by exchange with 

 the Detroit Aquarium and by local collections. 



The local saltwater fishes have been increased 

 by our own collectors. Particular mention may 

 be made of the orange file-fish, {Alutera 

 srhoepfi). as an unusually large number of these 

 weird fishes was taken during the summer. 

 Some of the specimens were nearly pure orange, 

 whereas in the ordinary coloration the upper 

 half of the body is heavilj' mottled with brown. 

 Forty more of the peculiar and interesting little 

 sea-horses were obtained by purchase from 

 Atlantic City, N. J., to add to those already on 

 linnd, making eighty-five on exhibit. These un- 

 fish-like little creatures form such an attraction 

 for visitors that two tanks are kept stocked with 

 tliem in different parts of the building. Some 

 of our present specimens have lived in the 

 A(|uarium more than two years. 



The exhibit of Bermuda fishes has been 

 greatly increased by several shipments during 

 tile past sunnner so that they now form a most 

 attractive display. 



Among the Amphibia a rather unusual feature 

 is a tank of small frogs, sixteen months old from 

 the egg or four montlis from the tad]jole, which 

 were reared in the Conneaut I-ake Hatchery as 

 a part of an ex|)eriment in frog culture, and 

 presented to the A(|uarium by Commissioner 

 Meelian of Pennsylvania. Judging by the ap- 

 pr.ir.inee of these specimens the experiment bids 

 t'.iir to be eminently successful. 



The three specimens of the nearly extinct 

 West Indian seal, Monachus fropicalis (Gray). 

 wliich were received at the Aquarium June 11. 

 1 909, appear to be in the best of condition. The 

 two younger ones have nearly doubled in size 

 since they came. All three shed their coats 

 during the summer and were quite ragged look- 

 ing for a time, but are now as sleek as usual. 

 They are fed twice a day on herring and cod, 

 the smaller fishes being fed whole. 



The large .striped bass, Rocciis liiieatiis 

 (Bloch), of wliich fifty-five specimens were 

 ))laced in the Aquarium May It, 1894, are still 

 represented by seven specimens. These fishes 

 were approximately two years old when they 

 were placed in the pool, and i\\ey are thus more 

 than eighteen 3-ears old. Although they have 

 been well fed all the time, they have not attained 

 nearly so large a size as they are known to 

 reach in the open sea, probably due to confine- 

 ment in limited quarters. Tlic largest that have 

 (li((l measured thirty-five ineiies and weighed 



