114 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



the treatment of tisli injuries has so far not been very 

 effective. When diseased fishes are of species easily pro- 

 cured, it is best to throw them away and get fresh ones. 



On the whole, the necessity of doing everything tinder 

 water, and pure water at that, is what makes aquarium 

 work difficult. Taking fishes entirely out of water, even 

 for short periods, is about as risky as putting men entireh' 

 into it. 



As to fighting among fishes, a number of "bullies" may 

 harass the life out of their smaller companions, and tank 

 space, in our crowded aquarium cannot always be afl'ordei 1 

 for separating such individu.als. Amiable species are necess- 

 arily housed together. The angel-fish for instance, is often 

 anything but angelic in its bearing. One rowd}- mav do 

 irreparable damage in a single night. 



The New York Aquarium maintains four distinct water 

 systems ; warm and cold for ocean species, and nHdiuni 

 and cold for fresli water types. In mid-w inter the water 

 f(jr tropical forms is daily heated from 38 to 70 degrees, 

 and in summer a refrigerator system is put into operation 

 for the benefit of the trout and salmon grou]is. 



The salt-water collections in the Neu \iirk Ac|n.niuin 

 have always been maintained under unusu.d oimlitinns. a> 

 the water of New York Bay, which is kept constanlh- 

 flowing through the tanks, has a very low saline densit\'. 

 During the winter months, when the river is higli, the sn- 

 called sea water in the Aquarium is four-fifths fresh. Even 

 in summer when it is at its best, it is never more than Iialf 

 the density of the open ocean. While a fair proportion of 

 ocean fishes gradually adapt themselves to these conditions, 

 it is almost impossible to keep the more delicate inverte- 

 brates. .Some kinds of star-fishes, crabs, and sea-anemones 

 can stand it, but such quantities of the more delicate forms 

 have been lost, that attempts to introduce them have been 

 discontinued. Recently a member of the Society offered to 

 assume the cost of an exhibit of octopus. The Director 

 procured several specimens, but not one survived more than 

 a few hours after being placed in the brackish water of the 

 Aquarium. The floods of the Hudson River saturate and 

 roil the waters of the Bay, and destroy more or less sea life 

 in the Aquarium every winter. 



When the construction of the proposed salt-water reser- 

 voir provides the Aquarium with a good supply of pure 

 water from the open ocean, many beautiful creatures from 

 along our coasts can be introduced. 



Except in the case of the hardiest species, no aquarium 

 collection ever amounted to anything that had not intelligent 

 and faithful care. The luxury of blunders cannot be in- 

 dulged in — it is too expensive. Eternal vigilance and 

 considerable money are what make a public aquarium 

 possible. C jj J 



WHITE HERON. 



lection in the Zoological Park. This is the 

 Great White Heron (Ardca occidciilalis And), 

 of whose habits little is known. It is said to 

 inhabit Cuba, Jamaica, and the southern ex- 

 tremit\' of Florida. In the latter locality it 

 is very wary and difficult of approach, even 

 during the nesting season. Unlike most 

 herons it is a solitary bird, its nest being built 

 away from others of its kind ; generally placed 

 in a mangrove tree, on some small isolated 

 coral island, or "kev." 



THE WHITE HERON. 



A fine specimen of the largest and rarest 

 of all our dozen species of North American 

 Herons, has been recently added to the col- 



BIRD PROTECTION IN SOUTH 

 AMERICA. 



From " White Herons and Red /dties," translated from the Portuguese 



by It'm. Clifford, and arranged for the Bulletin 



by C. William Beebe. 



There is little duubt that tlie appropriateness 

 of the term, the Dark Continent, has been lifted 

 from Africa and transferred to our own hemi- 

 sphere. The interior of South America is one of 



