ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLKTIN 



165 



to the nitiocinatioiis of a kingfisher, his tocksurc- 

 iH'ss is fairl\' sulilime. 



The objectionable point of all this lies in the fat t 

 that Mr. Long continually and persistently con 

 veys to the minds of people who know little of 

 Nature, totally false impressions of the mental 

 capacity of wild animals. To those who think 

 this is ])roper and right, 1 have nothing to say; 

 but to those who wish to know of animals only 

 the things that arc true, I would say, prove 

 all things, and hold fast that which is good. 



Let it nut be understood, howe\er, that I (on 

 denin the lution stories of animals that openly 

 stand as fiction. On the contrary, such wild- 

 animal hero-tales a.s "Mooswa" and "The Out- 

 casts," by W. W. Fraser, are not only harmless, 

 but decidedly healthful and beneficial, especially 

 to the young. They do not pose as true stories, 

 and even the youngest child i> not betrayed into 

 false conclusions. w. x. n. 



NKW M.\X.\TF.ES AT THK AQLARIUM. 



The .\quarium has received a ])air of manatees 

 from Lake Worth, Florida. The larger s|)ecimen 

 — a female — is eight and one half feet long. They 

 were captured by Alligator Joe of Palm Beach, 

 and were taken in a large drag seine. Trials 

 were made at different times for nearly a month. 

 at least .seven manatees breaking through the net 

 before a cajjture was made. The largest one ob- 

 served was over ten feet long. Both animals have 

 already made themselves cjuite at home in the 

 large pool in which they have been placed. They 

 appear to be atTectionate, usually keeping close 

 together, and fre(|uently rubl)ing noses. 



The female has a trick that is entirely new to 

 the .\ciuarium men. When the water is drawn 

 from the pool for tank-cleaning, she ])roniptly 

 rolls upon her back, remaining in that position 

 until the water returns. She is (juite large and 

 heavy, and is probably more comfortable on her 

 back, considering the weight of her bones. All 



members of the sea-cow group have the densest 

 and lK'a\iest bones known among mammals. 



LAWRENCE \V.\RBI.ER BREEIJING IN THK 

 ZOOLOCKAL PARK. 



Thp most interesting wild bird which has been ob- 

 served Ijreeding in the Zoological Park is the Lawrence 

 Warbler (Helminlliophila /uTcrcHcc/, Herrick). On June 

 I Uh of the present year Dr. Wiegmann and myself found 

 a male Lawrence Warbler mated with a female Blue- 

 winged Warbler (H.pinus), both birds carrying food to 

 a brood of si.\ young birds in a ground nest. The young 

 birds all left the nest in safety on June 16th. This is the 

 twelfth Lawrence Warbler to t)c placed on record, and 

 the first recorded instance of its breeding. 



Details of this record will l)e given in the ne.xt issue of 

 the Bullelin. C. William Beebe. 



The impending departure of Dr. Mayer for his new field 

 of activity rendered it necessary for the trustees of the 

 BrooklynInstituteof.\rts and Sciences to select and appoint 

 a new director for its museums. The choice fell upon 

 Mr. Frederic .\. Lucas, who for twenty-two years has been 

 one of the most prominent members of the staff of curators 

 in the United States National Museum. As a specially 

 trained and experienced museum-builder, Mr. Lucas 

 stands in the first rank of curators, and has few equals, 

 either in this country or any other. His specialty is com- 

 parative anatomy and paleontology, but besides that he is 

 an all-around naturalist, with the general l^rcadlh of 

 knowledge which is imperatively necessary in the director 

 of a museum which embraces all branches and classes of 

 Nature. 



Mr. Lucas' two very entertaining and breezy books, en- 

 titled ".-Vnimals of the Past" and ".Animals Before Man 

 in .\merica," afford an excellent index of his keen sym- 

 pathy with the general public, and his success in reaching 

 tlie unscientific reader with the facts and figures of science. 

 It is gratifying that the loss of so good a man as Dr. Mayer 

 has been compensated by the selection of so good a man as 

 Mr. Lucas. 



FEES FOR MEMBERSHIP. 



The fees for membership in the New York Zoological 

 Society are as follows : 



.\nnual membership $ 10.00 



1 .ife membership 200.00 



Patron's fee r.ooo.oo 



I-'ounder's fee ^,000.00 



Benefactor's fee 25,000.00 



Information and blank forms for membership may be 

 obtained at the Service Building, at all entrances to the 

 Zoological Park, and at the Secretary's Office, No. 11 

 Wall Street, New York City. 



