SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 101 



Conservation Commission, through Dr. T. H. Bean, State Fish 

 Culturist. Three of these have been donated to the new Phila- 

 delphia Aquarium. The Commission also presented thirty 

 short-nosed sturgeons, raised in fresh-water ponds. 



Dr. C. B. Davenport presented a young specimen of the rare 

 redfish, (PseMdopriacanthiis) , caught at Cold Spring Harbor, 

 Long Island. Since its arrival last summer it has lived in the 

 sea-horse tank, thriving on the small Gammarus crustaceans used 

 as food for those fishes, and has nearly trebled in size. A com- 

 plete list of gifts to the exhibits and to the library will be found 

 under heading of Accessions. The exhibits of the Aquarium as 

 a whole, are purchased through funds provided by the New York 

 Zoological Society. 



The Aquarium still has two of the striped bass (Roccus line- 

 atus) which were supposed to be three years old when the Aquar- 

 ium was opened in 1896. Neither specimen weighs more than 

 twenty pounds. The California sea-lion has been in the building 

 over four and a half years, and has nearly doubled its size. It is 

 a remarkably healthy and lively animal. An elephant seal nearly 

 two years old was lost through the mischief of a visitor who gave 

 the animal a lead pencil to play with. The pencil was swallowed 

 and lodging in the intestines caused its death. 



The keeping of seals in a building as warm as it is neces- 

 sary to keep the Aquarium in winter, has not been attended with 

 very satisfactory results. The seal pools will probably be stocked 

 with other animals better adapted to an indoor life, until accom- 

 modations can be provided that will insure the welfare of the 

 seals. In a larger building it would be quite possible to arrange 

 quarters for seals where they could have the lower air tempera- 

 ture that is necessary for such warm-blooded animals. 



The collection of local fishes and invertebrates was main- 

 tained in good condition through the efforts of our regular col- 

 lector and through seining trips made by the Aquarium employ- 

 ees to the lakes of the various parks in Greater New York. Many 

 specimens were also brought in from the off-shore fishing banks 

 by the fishing steamer TauTiis. 



The fish-hatchery was kept in operation during the winter 

 and spring months for the public exhibition of the methods in 

 use in the artificial hatching and rearing of fishes. The United 



