■54 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



NOTES. 



The total number ri{ teachers and students visiting 

 the laboratory of the Aquarium for nature study, 

 during the year igoj, was 2,620. They came from 

 high schools, training schools for teachers, the Nor- 

 mal College, universities and private schools. There 

 were teachers also from Massachusetts, New Jersey, 

 Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and Kentucky, and 

 one from both Switzerland and Porto Rico. Eighty- 

 three institutions were represented in all. 



Dr. Cyrus W. Field. Jr., made extensive experi- 

 ments in the laboratory on behalf of the New York 

 City Board of Health, relative to the possibility of 

 infecting oysters with the bacillus of typhoid fever. 

 It was proven that oysters living in aquaria are 

 easily infected when cultures of Bacillus typho- 

 sus are planted in the water. This shows the danger 

 of fattening oysters in creeks containing sewage. 

 The results of his observations will be published in 

 full in the Annual Report of the Zoological Society. 



It is expected that the increase in light in the 

 .\quarium building, by means of enlarged skylights, 

 will have a wholesome efifecl on the colors of fishes 

 exhibited there. Many of the more brilliant fishes 



from the tropics lose their high colors very rapidly 

 after coming to the Aquarium ; the majority of the 

 species becoming faded. This is true to a similar 

 extent with our native fresh water fishes. The 

 surroundings of the specimens also have considerable 

 to do with their colors while on exhibition. Speci- 

 mens placed in tanks lined with white tiles are many 

 degrees paler than specimens of the same species 

 kept in tanks with dark backgrounds. The nature 

 of the food and the character and temperature of 

 the water are also factors in causing loss of color. 



There are 2y striped-bass, which have been in 

 the Aquarium 10 years. These specimens have been 

 kept continuously in a pool lined with white tiles, 

 and with one exception have become so bleached out 

 that at present they have little of their original 

 color left. It is a remarkable fact, the only speci- 

 men in this tot of fishes which retains its original 

 color undiminished is totally blind. Sunfishes are 

 very quickly affected by their environment, losing 

 perhaps four-fifths of their color when placed in 

 tanks having light backgrounds. 



THE FISH HATCHERY. 



The fish hatchery at the Aquarium is again in 

 active operation. Early in the year it was stocked 

 with eggs of the following species: Rainbow 

 trout, brook trout, lake trout, brown trout, Cali- 

 fornia salmon. .Atlantic salmon, landlocked salmon, 

 and white-fish. 



The California, or Quiniiat salmon eggs, have al- 

 ready hatched and the fish will be reared at the 

 •Aquarium for exhibition purposes, as this is a 

 species seldom seen here. Most of the other young 

 fish, with the exception of the white-fish, will be 

 distributed in New York waters. Last year the 

 output of the hatchery was over 2,000,000 fish, repre- 

 senting about one dozen diflferent species. A good 

 series of each was retained for exhibition. 



Owing to the difiiculty usually experienced in the 

 Government fish hatcheries in raising white-fish in 

 confinement, nearly all those hatched at the Aquari- 

 um were sent to Lake George. The few individuals 

 retained were given special care, and the results 

 warrant a serious attempt at raising all of this year's 

 fry. We now have specimens 6 inches long. 



The white-fish now hatching will all be retained 

 and reared for exhibition, as fishes born in captivity 

 are much better for ]iermanent exhibition than wild 

 specimens. 



