ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



»^Stf-J 



NATIVE CORAL. 



SOME MARINE INVERTEBRATES 



OF TUIC 



NEW YORK REGION 



BY ALFRED GOLDSBOROUGH MAYER, 



CURATOR IN THE MUSEUM OF THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



ALTHOLTGH many of the most inter- 

 esting and beautiful of marine creat- 

 ures are invertebrates, the Aquarium has up 

 to the present been obliged to confine its 

 exhibits almost exclusively to the fishes. 

 This is due to the fact that the water with 

 which the Aquarium is supplied is less than 

 one-half as salt as sea water, and while many 

 fishes will thrive in brackish water, only a 

 few of the marine invertebrates can survive 

 in it. 



As soon as possible the salt water supply 

 of the Aquarium will be improved by the 

 storage of pure sea water, and then it will 

 become possible to display some of the most 

 interesting and remarkable creatures of the 

 ocean for the pleasure and instruction of 

 thousands of people. 



The most beautiful of such creatures live 

 in tropical seas, and will be obtained chiefly 

 from the Bermudas ; but meanwhile a little 



account of a few of the invertebrates which 

 haunt our own coast, and with which all 

 lovers of the ocean beach are familiar, may 

 not be amiss, especially as the collector of 

 the Aquarium will be able to get most of 

 them in abundance. 



We all know that some of our birds are 

 winter visitors, others are with us in sum- 

 mer, and that still others remain throughout 

 the year, yet few of us realize that the same 

 may be said of our marine animals. 



However, during the summer the south- 

 erly winds cause a whole host of southern 

 creatures to be drifted upon our coast, so 

 that in August we find all along the southern 

 coast of Long Island a large number of ani- 

 mals who are wanderers from the warm wa- 

 ters of the Gulf Stream, or whose home is 

 ofif the coral-girt shores of Florida. 



Such is the white ghost crab (Ocypoda 

 arcnaria) which lives upon the Florida 



