260 
down the coast in a gasolene launch to El 
Real, began to ascend the Tuyra River, a 
river several miles across at the mouth. In 
the lower part of the river they were obliged 
to leave the launch and take to canoes, travel- 
ing in this way as far as the foothills of the 
mountain. There they got natives for pack- 
ers and carried their outfit for three days’ 
journey to the foot of Mount Tacarcuna, 
from which point most of the work was done. 
Later camp was made at the very highest 
point on the mountain where there was any 
water. From this site on the mountain range 
that forms the boundary between Panama and 
Colombia, the Atlantic could be seen in the 
distance. The region, probably because of its 
inaccessibility, has never before been explored 
biologically. Indeed the Indians there had 
never seen a Northern white man before. 
Its fauna presents an important scientific 
problem because it seems to indicate that the 
mountain range which forms the Isthmus of 
Darien was at one time connected with the 
western Andes of northern Colombia. 
In 1913 Dr. Wiliam T. Hornaday, advo- 
cate of wild life protection, decided that the 
cause could not be adequately supported 
through annual subscriptions. He deter- 
mined upon the creation of what is now 
known as the ‘‘Permanent Wild Life Protec- 
tion Fund,” for nation-wide campaign work 
during the next one hundred years, the “in- 
come only for use on the firimg-line.” The 
wild life protective principles are formulated as 
follows: Stop the sale of wild game; promote 
laws to prevent unnaturalized aliens from 
owning or using rifles and shot-guns; stop all 
spring and late-winter shooting; stop all 
killing of insectivorous birds for food, and of 
all birds for millinery purposes; increase the 
number of game preserves; oppose the use 
of all extra deadly automatic, auto-loading and 
“pump” guns in hunting, and secure the pas- 
sage of laws against them; secure perpetual 
close seasons for all species of wild life that 
are threatened with extinction from our fauna. 
The plan has already received a remarkable 
series of indorsements. The minimum fixed 
upon was $100,000, and up to date $73,050 
has been subscribed. This is the second 
largest endowment fund in existence for the 
benefit of wild life. The Banking Trustees 
of the Fund are Messrs. Clark Williams and 
A. Barton Hepburn. Dr. Hornaday, as the 
ampaigning trustee, expends the annual 
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
income of the Fund in accordance with the 
principles originally formulated. A rather 
novel feature of the plan provides that the 
names of all persons who make large sacrifices 
for the formation of the Fund shall be known 
as Founders, and that their names shall 
be permanently associated with the Fund 
and its results. The most important work 
to be undertaken in the immediate future 
under the auspices of this Fund, is the 
promotion of a very comprehensive plan 
for the creation of game sanctuaries in 
national forests. This campaign will begin 
on September first and will be prosecuted 
with much vigor until complete success is 
achieved. 
THROUGH interest created by the Roosevelt 
South American expedition, the Museum has 
received six hundred birds and fifty mammals, 
presented by the Goeldi Museum of Para, 
through its director of zodlogy, Dr. Emilie 
Snethlage. The members of the North 
American expedition when passing through 
Pard in May, 1914, called on Dr. Snethlage 
to examine the rich collections of Amazonian 
fauna which she, and her predecessor Doctor 
Goeldi, have amassed. Dr. Snethlage writes 
that shortly after the Roosevelt party passed 
through Parad she herself embarked on an 
expedition into the unexplored portions of 
the Upper Xingt, on which she was absent 
seven months. Unfortunately, within a 
month after her departure from Parad, the 
middle finger of her right hand was bitten off 
to the base by a piranha, the small man-eating 
fish of South America. 
AN exhibit to illustrate the principles of 
Mendelian heredity has recently been in- 
stalled in the Darwin hall and is temporarily 
labeled. As at present exhibited, there are 
five panels showing as many instances of 
inheritance in plants and animals: first the 
classical case of the seed color of the common 
pea, based on Mendel’s original experiments; 
second, complex inheritance as illustrated by 
the colors of the sweet pea, based on the 
experiments of Bateson; and third, three 
panels to illustrate the inheritance of coat 
color in the common rat, namely, the effect 
on the third generation of crossing one, two 
and three varieties of unit characters respec- 
tively. A more detailed account of this 
exhibit will be given in a future issue of the 
JOURNAL. 
