L_92 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



ZOOLOGICAL 

 SOCIETY BULLETIN 



EDITED BY THE DIRECTOR 



Elwin R. Sanborn, Asst. Editor. 



PuMislmi at the Office of the Society, It IVall St., New York City. 



Copyright, J (fob, by tite Nc;v Vor/c Zoological Society. 



No. 22. JULY, 1906 



Subscription price, 50 cents for tour numbers. 



Single numbers, I 5 cents. 



MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS. 



©ffitrrs of tbc ^otittp. 

 pccsiftcnt : 



HO.\. Lli\ 1 1'. MiiRTOX. 



•JEpccutitiE <tommittce : 



Charles T. Barney, Cliaiiman, 

 John S. Barnes, Madison Grant, 



Philip Schuyler, William White Niles, 



Samuel Thorne, Henrv Fairfield Osborn, 



Levi P. Morton, c.x-officio. 



•(©Enetal <©fficctis: 



Secretary, Madison Grant, 11 Wall Street. 



Treasurer, Percy R. Pvne, 62 Wall Street. 



Director, William T. Hornaday, Zoological Park. 



Director of the Aquarium, Charles H. Townsend, Battery Park. 



The honorary degree of Doctor of Science was 

 conferred on our Director by the Western Univer- 

 sity of Pennsylvania on June 12th, Director Will- 

 iam J. Holland, of the Carnegie ^Museum at Pitts- 

 burg, representing him. With this honor comes 

 the welcome news of Dr. Hornaday's recoverv' from 

 his recent severe illness, which for many weeks has 

 kept him from his accustomed place among us. 

 Convalescence is so favorable and rapid that visits 

 to the Park have now become possible, and there 

 is every indication of a complete return to his former 

 vigorous working strength. E. R. s. 



METHODS OF EXHIBITING REPTILES. 



In procuring and arranging the specimens in the 

 Reptile House our plan has not been limited to the 

 mere exhibition of a collection provided with labels 

 giving popular and technical name and the habitat. 

 Reptiles are so little known that such a course 

 would result in the mere display — attended with 



little significance — of many apparently unassuming 

 yet most important species. To produce an ar- 

 rangement at once appealing to teachers and 

 students, and at the same time comprehensive 

 to the more hurried visitor, it is necessary to provide 

 labels on which the more important facts are con- 

 cisely stated, popularized charts of classification, 

 colored maps showing distribution, photographs of 

 the structure and certain cage arrangements of the 

 specimens to conform w'ith their respective habits. 

 .\11 these matters have been studied and tried, with 

 very successful results. In consequence the Reptile 

 House has become a centre for the observation and 

 study of a class of creatures previously little known. 



The labels have received the most detailed study. 

 Indeed, they are as important as the specimens 

 themselves, for a snake or lizard without a label 

 is of little educational value. Even the technical 

 scientist, who may immediately recognize a species, 

 finds the example of no value unless the locality 

 of its capture is known. The greater number of 

 our specimens are provided with descriptive labels. 

 Those provided with more concise data are grouped 

 under one general description, and enough facts are 

 displa3'ed upon the labels in the Reptile House to 

 fill a fair-sized book. Thus the way is paved for 

 the teachers and their pupils to study the collection. 

 In combination with the labels the charts, as 

 mentioned, greatly facilitate in comprehending the 

 scope of the subject. 



To present the technical phases of classification 

 in a popular way is a rather difficult proposition; 

 but an attempt has been made in connection vvith 

 the most striking groups — those of economic value, 

 or of species dangerous to man. In constructing 

 these charts it has been found necessary to create 

 many appropriate popular names. Our idea has 

 laeen with the labels and the charts to thoroughly 

 simplify the subject, in fact to render plainly the 

 valuable works of technical science which can be 

 appreciated only by the specialist. In line with 

 our views concerning the value of striking and 

 concise facts displayed in connection with the ex- 

 hibition of specimens, we have followed the scheme 

 of coloring maps, showing the distribution of certain 

 species, important groups or genera. As fair ex- 

 amples of what may be done in this way are the 

 maps showing the distribution of the poisonous 

 snakes of the New and the Old World. 



The proverbial aversion for reptiles still remains 

 strong and wholly unreasonable, though in our 

 contact with the visiting public we note a decided 

 awakening of unbiassed interest. There was a 

 time, six years ago, when our visitors appeared 

 to look upon the Reptile House as a great curiosity 

 and to pass the varied series of scaly forms Avith 

 considerable disgust. If the brilliant colors or the 

 iridescent glow of one of the snakes excited special 

 attention, the idea expressed was to the elTect that 



