328 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



scientific papers, an inspection of the ornithological laboratories of the American Mu- 

 seum, and a visit to the Zoological Park and Aquarium at the invitation of the New 

 York Zoological Society. The members of the Union will be the guests of the Lin- 

 nsean Society of New York each day for luncheon at the Museum. 



Mr. N. C. Nelson, having returned from his explorations of Puente Viesgo, 

 almost immediately proceeded to resume his archseological reconnaissance in the 

 Southwest. 



The first of a series of science stories for children of members of the Museum will 

 be given on Saturday morning, November 1. Through the courtesy of Mr. Robert 

 W. Priest of the Gaumont Company, Limited, of London, the Museum has secured 

 the privilege of showing in this lecture the motion pictures taken by Herbert G. 

 Ponting, F. R. G. S., on the last expedition of Captain Scott to the South Pole. The 

 pictures give a marvelous revelation of the habits of the seals, penguins and gulls of 

 the Antarctic, which having no acquaintance with man, have in consequence no fear 

 of him, so that Mr. Ponting was able to approach within a few feet of them in taking 

 the pictures. 



The fourth annual exhibition of the New York Aquarium Society was held at 

 the Museum from October 6 to 12. The exhibition consisted for the most part of 

 tropical fresh-water fishes which were attractively displayed in aquaria and looked 

 as though they were swimming in quiet streams among the fine vegetable life of their 

 natural habitat. Among the representatives of the Characin family were the rare 

 Myletes which look like silver coins, the Leporinus with their long vertical stripes and 

 the Gasteropelecus, an extraordinary-looking fish with a deep bladelike breast. There 

 were various species of the Cichlids, the most notable of which were the Pterophyllum 

 scalare, a little-known fish with elongated fins, which was brought from the interior 

 of Brazil and exhibited in this country for the first time this year, and the "mouth- 

 breeder" of Africa which carries its eggs in its mouth until they are hatched. The 

 Tetrodon cutcutia which had never before been exhibited in the United States is 

 especially rare and interesting. It has a hard beak like a parrot and is called a 

 "blow-fish" from its habit of swelling up to intimidate its enemies. This is one of 

 the few fresh-water representatives of an abundant salt-water group. The tooth 

 carps family was represented by many forms, among them the rare Fundulus gularis, 

 the male of which has a brightly colored tail, and the Belonesox which, more than any 

 other species in the family, shows a close resemblance to the pickerel in feeding habits. 

 Other rare and equally interesting fish were exhibited and much credit is due to the 

 Society for its success in assembling a collection so unique. 



The annual fall exhibition of the Horticultural Society of New York opened for 

 private view at the American Museum on the evening of October 31 and continued 

 for public view both day and evening through November 4. The display which was 

 visited by some 170,000 people, was the most splendid of recent years, including 

 several bush chrysanthemums fourteen feet in diameter and bearing two thousand 

 or more flowers each. One of the minor exhibits occupying a small alcove in the hall 

 of the Indians of the Plains was presented by the Park Department of Manhattan and 

 Richmond on the work of the Bureau of Children's School Farms. Descriptions of 

 the shop work and the garden work, photographs of the children at work in the 

 garden plots and samples of the vegetables and fruits grown in the gardens went far 

 toward convincing the visitor that probably in no better way than this can the chil- 

 dren of a great city be taught elementary agriculture and forestry, manual training, 

 physical culture, and even sanitation and hygiene. 



