ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1289 



FILTERING HARBOR WATER. 



The greatest drawback to successful work in 

 the New York Aquarium has always been the 

 foul condition of the water pumped from tlie 

 harbor. 



Its low salinity, about half that of pure sea 

 water, makes it bad enough for Aquarium pur- 

 poses, but its jjollution witli sewage is a more 

 .serious feature. 



The reservoir for stored sea water, built a 

 few years ago, made it possible to keep all ma- 

 rine collections in the glass-fronted tanks, in 

 good condition, but the occupants of the large 

 floor pools could not be safeguarded in that way. 

 Tiiese animals, seals, porpoises, sea turtles and 

 fishes of large size have suffered on account of 

 bad water, it being impossible to apply the 

 stored-water system to these heavy feeding 

 creatures. 



Filters for the water of the harbor have al- 

 ways been needed but room in the crowded 

 Aquarium building could not be found for them 

 without sacrificing space devoted to exhibits. 

 Tlie difficulty has now been met by converting 

 the elevated supply tanks into filters. This 

 arrangement is a makeshift, as it lowers the 

 "head" of water, but it is now possible to filter 

 out practically all of the dirt held in suspension 

 in the harbor water. The water is actually 

 clear, but it is not expected that the filters will 

 remove the disease carrying bacteria which it 

 holds. Its salinity is of course as low as before. 

 When as fine a specimen as the porpoise, which 

 lived twenty-one months in the Aquarium, dies 

 of sheer filth infection, it is one more sign that 

 the building is not large enough to do the work 

 demanded of it. 



C. H. T. 



REPORT OF THE STATE BUREAU OF 

 FISH CULTURE. 



The Annual Report of the State Fish Cul- 

 turist for the year 1914, by Dr. Tarleton H. 

 Bean, has recently been distributed and contains 

 some interesting information. 



The total number of fishes distributed during 

 the year was 556,51.3,016 at a cost of $78. i6 

 per million, including all expenses. The num- 

 ber of species propagated and distributed was 

 thirty-nine, although some of these were used 

 merely for exhibition purposes. The most im- 

 portant s))ecies nmnerically were shad, frost 

 fish, white fish, lake herring, brown trout, rain- 

 bow trout, lake trout, brook trout, smelt, mus- 

 callunge, small-mouthed black bass, yellow 



perch, pike perch, and flat fishes, besides lob- 

 sters. The plan for stocking inland lakes with 

 white fisli and lake herring has been followed 

 with success, and the lake trout is satisfactorily 

 increasing in the larger lakes. 



It is interesting to note that the policy of 

 wintering small-mouthed black bass for spawn- 

 ers has almost entirely been given up, as adult 

 fish approaching the spawning condition can bo 

 secured in outside waters in spring at much less 

 expense. 



Dr. Bean calls attention to the rapid decrease 

 in the shad fishery' in the Hudson as the resuli 

 of pollution and obstruction. This reduced the 

 output of the hatcheries handling this species. 

 On the other hand, it is gratifying to note that 

 the pike perch is rapidly increasing in stocked 

 waters, and that white fish have been acclimated 

 in the larger lakes of the state to such an extent 

 that vast numbers of eggs for hatching may be 

 secured from stocked waters. 



Brief reports from the various hatcheries of 

 the state are included as well as notes upon va- 

 rious species. R. C. Osburn. 



DR. R. C. OSBURN RESIGNS, 



The Bulletin announces with regret the 

 resignation of Dr. Raymond C. Osburn from 

 the service of the Zoological Society, to accept 

 the chair of Biology at the Connecticut College 

 at New London, 



Dr. Osburn has served as assistant director 

 of the Aquarium since 1910, in connection with 

 his duties as assistant professor of Zoology in 

 Barnard College, Columbia University. 



During this period he constantly made im- 

 portant contributions to the Bulletin, and pre- 

 pared one of the pamphlets of the Aquarium 

 Nature Series, entitled The Care of Home Aqua- 

 ria, a very useful document. 



Being a most accomplished zoologist, his as- 

 sistance in handling the corespondence of the 

 Aquarium and in dealing with the scientific 

 aspects of the institution, has been very valuable 

 to the Society. 



Had the funds available for the maintenance 

 of the Aquarium been as large as they should 

 have been, the services of Dr, Osburn might 

 have been retained permanently. He takes up 

 his new work not only with the advantages of 

 the experienced teacher, but the accomplish- 

 ments of the trained zoologist. Connecticut Col- 

 lege is to be congratulated on having secured 

 his services as the head of its department of 

 biology. 



