ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLKTIX 



we gel a merry hail to come abroad and trans- 

 fer the catch to our tank. We separate the 

 various sorts into different tanks or cars at 

 our dock, for unless we respect "compatibili- 

 ties" we shall have a high mortality rate dur- 

 ing the first twenty-four hours. One angel 

 among thirty other fishes will play havoc with 

 the lot. We have learned after sad experi- 

 ence just what kinds will live in harmony, yet 

 every now and then some especially vigorous 

 individual will undertake to "master" the lot 

 to our sorrow. One very notable instance of 

 this was an angel fish not very large, that 

 killed every fish put in with him. He was a 

 beauty, and lived four years in confinement. 

 After selecting only the most vigorous and 

 perfect individuals we lose about 20 per cent. 

 of all we buy, for a scared fish is usually a dead 

 fish at the end of the third day. This sort- 

 ing, however, insures good stock for the voy- 

 age and for the .\quarium, and in the end is 

 profitable. 



While they are awaiting shipment they are 

 well fed. some grow strong and hearty, while 

 Others show weaknesses, and are culled out. 



When sailing day comes it means a hard 

 day's work before breakfast for all hands. 

 The shipping-tanks are given a final clean- 

 ing, the stock is critically e.xamined. the trans- 

 fer to the tanks, now loaded on a launch, is 

 made with care, we steam across the harbor 

 and come alongside the steamship, where the 

 mate hoists the tanks and stows them on 

 deck, while the carpenter blocks them snugly 

 against a possible storm. The engineer has 

 set his puiup going, a stream of salt water is 

 carried to each tank, and continues to flow 



until the shi]j is tied alongside the dock at 

 New York. Some of the fishes, strange to 

 say, show evidences of sea-sickness on the 

 first day out, but recover quickly. Every- 

 one on the steamer takes an interest in the 

 live cargo, and not a little of our success is 

 due to the officers of the Quebec Steamship 

 Company's boats, who have co-operated with 

 us at all times. The whole work is so well 

 systematized now that the loss in transporta- 

 tion rarely exceeds two per cent, of the 

 cargo. This is the more remarkable when it 

 is realized that the boat leaves the warm wa- 

 ters of the Gulf Stream about two hundred 

 miles before it reaches port, and the ocean 

 temperature then suddenly drops 20° F. 

 Nothing but first-class hearty stock can sur- 

 vive the sudden change. The director of the 

 .•\quarium has provided an air pump for future 

 shipments, so that aeration can be supplied 

 without the pumping in of cold water. 



It is interesting testimony to the superior- 

 ity of the backboned animals that we have 

 never been able to bring any of the inverte- 

 brates in good condition to the Aquarium, 

 though we have tried repeatedly. The sud- 

 den drop in temperature is too much for 

 them. The curious "Bermuda Lobster," 

 really a gigantic crayfish, lives for a week or 

 so, but in a sluggish, half-hearted way. It 

 should be a source of gratification to the 

 members of the Xew York Zoological Society 

 that plans will be put into operation this sea- 

 son which promise to make it possible to 

 show in the .\quarium some of these exceed- 

 ingly beautiful and hitherto unknown animals 

 without backbones. 



