ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



prompted solely by the instincts of humanity, 

 ransomed Ota Benga, and attempted to convey 

 him back to his own country. Mr. Verner 

 was specially interested in the pigmies, hav- 

 ing recently returned to their homes on the 

 Kasai River the half dozen men and women 

 of that race who were brought to this country 

 by him for exhibition in the Department of 

 Anthropology at the St. Louis exposition. 



The attempt to return Ota Benga to his 

 home failed, because of insurmountable ob- 

 stacles. The pigmy then begged to accom- 

 panv Mr. Verner to America, and even threat- 

 ened to drown himself otherwise. Finally, the 

 explorer decided to give him the desired op- 

 portunity. 



The tribe to which this little man belongs 

 is known as the Bachichi, a word which means 

 "bushmen." The Bachichi .-ire true pigmies. 



but they are not dwarfs. They are the ban- 

 tams of the African race. They are found in 

 scattered communities in many portions of the 

 great equatorial forest, and have been met and 

 described, under various names, by Du Chaillu, 

 Stanley, Schweinfurth, Welle, and other ex- 

 plorers. 



Ota Benga is black — though not what is 

 known as "coal black" — beardless, and very 

 well formed. He knows about loo English 

 words, but it is not Mr. Verner's purpose to 

 educate him beyond the necessities of his own 

 sphere. In a short time he will be back again 

 with his own people. Just how long he will 

 remain at the Zoological Park, no one can say. 

 He is accompanied by a fine young chimpan- 

 zee which Mr. Verner has temporarily de- 

 posited in the ape collection at the Primates' 

 House \v. T. H. 



GOULDS MONITOR. 



Representing two of the larger species of li: 



RHINOCEROS IGUANA, 

 the collection. 



THE COLLECTION OF LIZARDS 



LOOKED at collectively, the series of liz- 

 ards in and about the Reptile House is 

 quite representative and elaborate. 

 Species of the following families are now rep- 

 resented in the collection : The Iguanidae, 

 AgamidaCj Anguidae, Scincidae, Varanidae, 

 Teiidae, Laccrtidae and Chameleontidae. 

 Among the members of eight families of liz- 

 ards the variability in form and habits is great. 

 Thus the specimens are exhibited under vari- 

 ous conditions, and many, the writer is sorry 

 to say, are not always to be seen by visitors, 

 owing: to their secretive habits. 



It was with the completion of the east end of 

 the Reptile House, which forms a glass court, 

 that suitable quarters were furnished the 

 diurnal lacertilians. Here there is an abun- 

 dance of diffused sunlight, a number of per- 

 fectly dry, sanded paddocks and connecting 

 yards outside that are bathed in sunshine for 

 the greater part of the day. 



Our success in maintaining the collection of 

 this installation has indeed been most grati- 

 fying. And it must also be remarked that the 

 outside lizard and tortoise yards, judging from 

 the interest displayed by visitors, are to be 

 rated among the favorite features of the Park. 

 It is in these vards that we have been able to 



