82 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



ways ; their colors fade and they do not feed well. An increase 

 in density has a good effect on the entire salt-water collection. 



The following table, giving the monthly mean density of the 

 water used at the New York Aquarium during the past year, will 

 serve to show at a glance the conditions under which the salt- 

 water fishes have been living there. With the density of fresh 

 water at 1.000 and the density of the open ocean at 1.028, it will 

 be seen that under average conditions the water was at least half 

 fresh, while at times it became almost entirely so. 



MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURES AND SPECIFIC GRAVITIES AT THE 



NEW YORK AQUARIUM DURING THE YEAR I9O3. 



(From the daily observations made by Mr. W. DeNyse.) 



Months. Temperature g }fic . 



of water. r • * 



February 37 1.010 



March 40 1 .008 



April 46 1 .009 



May 56 1.014 



June 61 1013 



July 66 1.013 



August 68 1.013 



September 68 1-013 



October 62 1.011 



November 52 1.014 



December 40 1.014 



The above table shows only the monthly means. Observations 

 were made daily. During the month of March the densities were 

 frequently as low as 1.006, on one occasion reaching 1.005. The 

 highest densities recorded' during the year, were late in May and 

 early in June, when the densities were steadily recorded at 1.016. 

 The most trying times come in March, when for days the density 

 may be 1.006 or 1.007.* 



It would be very interesting to determine just what freshness 

 of water fishes from the Bermuda region could endure. A few 

 hardy species have lived through all the changes that they have 

 been subjected to, and are still in excellent condition. 



Labels. — Transparent labels have been placed over all the wall 

 tanks on the ground floor, and will be placed over those on the 

 gallery at an early date. The labels are in good-sized letters and 

 can be read with comfort. The information which they contain 

 is useful and is condensed to a few lines. 



♦ Density observations were made with samples of water brought to the uniform 

 temperature of 6o° Fahr. 



