668 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 776 



comparison, or for further experimentation 

 with the least possible delay. Many siib- 

 stances that are now carried away from 

 universities by students who subsequently 

 abandon chemical research, or which belong 

 to the families of deceased chemists who do 

 not know what to do with them, would 

 thereby be rescued from oblivion, and 

 might ultimately become of the greatest 

 value for a special purpose. 



Thirdly, this museum would invite chem- 

 ical manufacturers to send standard sam- 

 ples of their products, and thereby facili- 

 tate the commercial relations between con- 

 sumer and manufacturer. 



To such a museum there could be at- 

 tached a competent staff of workers for the 

 preparation of materials not otherwise 

 available. In the analysis of samples sub- 

 mitted as official standards, we should have 

 the beginning of that Chemische Reiehsan- 

 stalt which is now the chief object to which 

 German chemists are directing their atten- 

 tion. 



The past twenty years have seen the con- 

 struction of inniunerable teaching labora- 

 tories in our vicinity. They have seen an 

 undreamt of development and growth of 

 chemical industry, and, above all, they have 

 seen the coming together of the scattered 

 chemists into a large and powerful society. 

 Now is the time when we should make every 

 effort to direct these forces that we have 

 marshaled toward the attainment of defi- 

 nite objects, and coordinate all our enter- 

 prises in those directions that will make 

 for the improvement of the intellectual as 

 well as the material conditions of our be- 

 loved city. 



MORKIS LOEB 



RARE BIRDS IN THE NEW YORE 



ZOOLOGICAL PARK 



It may be of interest to record the fact that 



in the collection of living birds in the New 



York Zoological Park, there are at present an 



unusual number of rare species of especial in- 

 terest to students of evolution. Many are 

 representatives of isolated families or even 

 orders and the majority are neotropical in 

 habitat. 



The family Ciconiidae or true storks are 

 represented in the new world by only three 

 species, all of which are now living in the 

 Zoological Park. 



The Maguari stork, Euxenura maguari 

 (Gmel.), is represented by two specimens, 

 noteworthy as paralleling closely the Euro- 

 pean white stork, Oiconia ciconia in color, 

 but excelling it in size. 



The other two Anaerican storks are the 

 jabiru, Mycteria americana Linn., and wood 

 ibis, Tantalus loculator Linn. It is better 

 even for technical purposes to call these by 

 their vulgar than their scientific names, as our 

 over-zealous systematists have recently deftly 

 exchanged their Latin cognomens. Until these 

 new radical changes are approved by some in- 

 ternational board, it seems better to use the 

 world-wide Tantalus (wood ibis) and Mycteria 

 (jabiru). 



The former is a common bird always on 

 exhibition, but the jabiru is much rarer, and 

 the splendid individual now in the park is 

 only the second one which we have been able 

 to obtain. 



The genus Chauna of the order Palamedei- 

 formes is complete, both species of screamer, 

 the black-necked, C. cliavaria (Linn.), and the 

 crested, C. cristata (Swains.), being in the 

 collection. 



But the most significant series is of the so- 

 called suborders of Gruiformes or crane-like 

 birds. Pour out of the six suborders are rep- 

 resented; the Arami by the limpkin, Aramus 

 giganteus (Bonap.) ; Eurypygse by the sun- 

 bittern, Eurypyga helias (Pall.) ; Psophiee by 

 the common, Psophia crepitans Linn., and the 

 white-backed trumpeters, P. leucoptera Spix. 



Finally, the only two species of Dicholophi 

 are both in the collection, viz. : the crested, 

 Cariama cristata Linn., and Burmeister's 

 seriema, Chunga hurmeisieri (Hartl). 



Among other noteworthy species of birds 

 may be mentioned both sexes of the harpy 

 eagle, Thrasaetus harpyia (Linn.) ; two Cali- 



