374 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



Dr. Carlos de la Torre of the University of Havana, Cuba, has made a very- 

 interesting and valuable addition to the collection of conchology in the department 

 of invertebrate zoology. This material was secured by Dr. F. E. Lutz in his recent 

 visit to Cuba and consists of land shells, many of which are described by Dr. La Torre. 

 The genus Urocoptis forms the larger number of these and the cotypes which accom- 

 pany them add immensely to their immediate interest. There are many specimens 

 of the round-mouthed shells, a number of Helicidse and some very interesting and 

 striking examples of Cerion. The gift embraces 139 species and 655 specimens. 



A series of three lectures has been planned for the classes of blind children that 

 visit the Museum. In the first of these on December 18, Admiral Robert E. Peary 

 will recount some of the experiences of his memorable Arctic journey which resulted 

 in the attainment of the North Pole. 



On December 31, Professor Henry Fairfield Osborn will read a paper on "Final 

 Results of the Phylogeny in the Titanotheres " before the American Society of 

 Palaeontologists 



A series of three lectures has been planned for the classes of blind children that 

 visit the Museum. In the first of these on December 18, Admiral Robert E. Peary 

 will recount some of the experiences of his memorable Arctic journey which resulted 

 in the attainment of the North Pole. 



On December 31, Professor Henry Fairfield Osborn will read a paper on "Final 

 Results of the Phylogeny in the Titanotheres" before the American Society of Palae- 

 ontologists. 



A panel recently completed in the tertiary mammal hall of the American Mu- 

 seum shows the geographical distribution of rhinoceroses, past and present. These 

 animals now surviving only in the Oriental and Ethiopian regions were abundant in 

 the Tertiary over all the northern continents. Skulls of the principal types, existing 

 and extinct, are arranged in the four sections of the panel representing North America, 

 Asia, Europe and Africa. Their evolutionary history in this continent from then- 

 first appearance in the Eocene to their extinction in the Pliocene is also set forth. 



The American Anthropological Association and the American Folk-Lore Society 

 will hold their annual meetings at the Museum, December 29-31. 



The thirty-first stated meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union, held at the 

 Museum from November 11 to 14, was one of the most largely attended in the history 

 of the association. The one hundred and twenty members who registered repre- 

 sented twelve states, and several Canadian members were also present. Illustrated 

 papers of especial interest were those on "Birds of the Bogota Region of Colombia" 

 by Dr. F. M. Chapman; "Crossing the Andes of Peru," by Dr. Wilfred H. Osgood; 

 and "Birds of the South Atlantic," by Mr. Robert C. Murphy. By the courtesy 

 of Mr. Robert W. Priest of the Gaumont Company there was a special exhibition of 

 the Scott motion pictures showing the animal life of the Antarctic. The next 

 meeting will be held in Washington, D. C, during April, 1914. 



Dr. W. D. Matthew has been invited to contribute to the series of Silliman 

 Lectures at Yale University, commemorative this year of the centenary of the birth 

 of James Dwight Dana. His subject will be the "Tertiary Sedimentary Record 

 and its Problems," the dates of the lectures, December 18 and 19. 



A new group in the reptile series that is being constructed under the supervision 

 of Miss M. C. Dickerson, will be opened to the public at about Christmas time. 

 The new group pictures a rocky island with desert plants and hot sunshine, off the 



