NINTH ANNUAL REPORT. 95 



the Government cars. It included species that have not been 

 seen at the Aquarium for several years, notably the grayling, 

 red snapper and spade-fish. 



Four large sturgeons secured early in the summer, are in good 

 condition at the present time. 



The usual summer shipments of tropical fishes from the Ber- 

 muda Islands were received through the assistance of Professor 

 Charles L. Bristol, of the University of the City of New York. 

 The exhibit of brilliantly colored tropical species is always an 

 attractive feature of the Aquarium. 



An efifort was made to secure specimens of the white-whale 

 for the large central ])ool, and a bid to furnish them was accepted 

 from parties on the St. Lawrence River. The season passed, 

 however, without any being captured. This pool was then sup- 

 plied with four sharks, each nine feet long, none of these ani- 

 mals surviving more than a few days, and it was stocked with 

 small sand sharks, large drumfish. sturgeon and loggerhead 

 turtles. Harbor seals were finally secured for one of the side 

 pools. 



Important specimens of game fishes were presented by the 

 Tuxedo Club and the Southside Sportsmans Club. A large 

 specimen of the hawksbill turtle was presented by Capt. Wm. 

 H. Blake. 



Mosquito Exhibit. — During the summer and autumn a small 

 aquarium was kept supplied with the larvae of mosquitoes, for 

 the purpose of showdng the hatching of mosquitoes in still water. 



A label was provided stating the facts that mosquitoes breed 

 only in stagnant water, and are the only known distributers of 

 the germs of malaria and yellow fever. Attention was called to 

 the danger caused by unprotected rain-barrels, cisterns and ponds, 

 and the necessity of obliterating the breeding places of mos- 

 quitoes, in order to avoid the disease and annoyance caused by 

 their bites. At all times when the building was open to the 

 public this valuable object-lesson was being studied by interested 

 visitors. As an exhibit of aquatic insect life, appropriate to a 

 public aquarium, it was a decided success. 



The American Mosquito Extermination Society held one ses- 

 sion of its annual convention in the Aquarium lecture room, on 

 December 15, icx)4. for the purpose of viewing a special collec- 

 tion of living fishes useful as destroyers of mosquito larvae. 



Aquatic Insects. — The small tank of mosquito larvae kept on 

 exhibition during the summer, having proved of great interest 

 to visitors, a display of water beetles, and other a(|uatic insects 



