ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY I'.ULLETIX 



77 



SPINV UmSTKR. 



BERMUDA FISHES 



HOW THKY ARK BROUGHT TO THK AQUARIUM 



BY I'ROFKSSOR CHARLES L. BRISTOL, 



LM Till-; NKW YORK L' N IVEKSIT V. 



13 I':RHAPS no feature of tlie New York 

 Ai|uarinm difFercntiates it from the 

 iitlicr larLje a<|uariunis of tlie world more 

 tliaii the witle area from which it draws its 

 specimens. While those of Europe draw 

 their supplies from the nearby coast waters, 

 this one covers the Atlantic Coast from Flor- 

 ida to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and draws 

 upon the fresh waters of the Alleghany slope, 

 the Great Lakes, and the valley of the Mis- 

 sissippi River. This extensive area includes 

 wide variations in temperature, of habitat, and 

 (')ther conditions that influence the life of its 

 fauna, yet the Xew York Aquarium provides 

 for all these, from the salmon that requires 

 water at a temperature of 55° F. to the trop- 

 ical fishes that require a temperature of 70° F. 

 The tropical fishes brought from Bermuda 

 attract the attention of every visitor to the 

 .\(|uarinm liy their rich colors and graceful 



forms. They bring the brilliancy of the coral- 

 reefs to these sombre northern latitudes and 

 open out a new range of beauty quite differ- 

 ent to that of our familiar coastwise fishes. 



Besides the novelty of form and brilliancy 

 of color, another feature, that of rapid and 

 wide change of color, adds to their charm. 

 -Stand in front of the groupers a few moments 

 and study one inilividual. He will, jjrobably, 

 change from a plain even-colored gray to 

 bands of black and white : the blue parrots 

 make similar changes, and the yellowtails 

 change so completely and so suddenly as to 

 look like totally different fishes. 



The angel fishes are, ]ierhaps, the most 

 noticeable, with their long yellow streamers 

 floating back from a sky-blue body ; the 

 squirrels, in bright scarlet livery and huge 

 eves, contrast strangely with the angels. 

 The hinds hug the bottom, and well repay a 



