May 18, 1883.; 



SCIENCE. 



417 



the chest of the gibbon — except that he can 

 make a fire, and cook his food. There is the 

 skeleton of a female iu the Paris ' Jardin des 

 plantes.' Samuel Kneeland. 



THE AMERICAN EXHIBIT AT THE LON- 

 DON FISHERIES EXHIBITION. 



Thc opening of the great international fish- 

 eries exhibition in London brings into view 

 some of the numerous advances which have 

 been made bj" our own commission in the in- 

 vestigation of the fisheries of the United 

 States. In 1880, at Berhu, the extent of its 

 researches and the importance of its achieve- 

 ments, indicated by the collections which were 

 there displaj'ed, were deeplj' impressed upon 

 the representatives of other nations, and won 

 for it the highest meed of honor. During the 

 three years which have since elapsed, the 

 activity of the commission has suffered no de- 

 cline ; and the display' now made in London is 

 undoubtedly superior in most respects to that 

 made at the previous exhibition. It is impos- 

 sible in this place to call attention to more 

 than a few of the salient features of the Amer- 

 ican section of the exhibition. 



The preliminarj- catalogue opens with a clas- 

 sified list of the aquatic anintals and plants of 

 North America, beneficial or injurious to man. 

 Among the mammals, we note the group of 

 fur-seals, procured some years ago through the 

 eflbrts of the Alaska commercial company, and 

 mounted with great care, and much fidelitj' to 

 nature. The group is accompanied bj- a series 

 of sketches by Mr. Henrj' W. Elliott, illustrat- 

 ing the fishery'. A stuffed specimen of the 

 rare ribbon-seal (Histriophoca equestris) from 

 Alaska, and a skull of the Ehj'tina, are also 

 included here. A remarkable pair of walrus- 

 tusks, each 41 inches long and weighing about 

 12|- pounds, loaned b}- the Alaska commer- 

 cial company, are exhibited in this connection. 

 The cetacean fauna of -North America is well 

 represented by casts and skulls. The aquatic 

 fish-eating birds, including those used by the 

 fishermen for bait, are represented hy groups 

 of mounted specimens. The staining of the 

 feet and bills iu natural colors, a feature not 

 hitherto introduced into the taxidermj" of the 

 national collections, gives a decidedly life-like 

 air to these groups. Most interesting among 

 the reptiles and batrachians, perhaps, are a 

 large leather-back turtle (Dermatochelys cori- 

 acea) and a collection of twenty-four species 

 of tailed batrachians (Siren, Necturus, Sire- 

 don, etc.). The exhibit of fishes is, as may 

 be expected, very comprehensive. The alco- 



holic collection, selected with great care by 

 Dr. Bean, includes over four hundred species. 

 More than one hundred especially' characteris- 

 tic American fishes are represented by painted 

 casts of a ver}' high grade of workmanship. 

 A series of photographs from fresh specimens, 

 and another of engravings, both made under 

 the direct supervision of the ichthyologists of 

 the commission, are of especial interest to the 

 zoologist. During the exhibition, shipments 

 of fresh fish will be sent to Loudon daily bj^ 

 Mr. E. G. Blackford of New York. In the 

 collection of moUusks the American oj'ster 

 occupies a prominent place. B3' means of 

 engravings, diagrams, and shells, the result of 

 the latest researches upon its development, 

 growth, and geographical distribution, are fully 

 shown. The models of a giant squid (Ar- 

 chiteuthis princeps) and of a giant octopus 

 (Octopus punctatus) prepared under the direc- 

 tion of Mr. J. H. Emerton, have already been 

 desciibed in an earlier number of Science. 

 A large series of other invertebrates — crus- 

 taceans, worms, echinoderms, and sponges — 

 has been prepared by Mr. Richard Rathbun. 

 Among the most interesting are a complete 

 collection of the species of fresh-water cray- 

 fishes found in the United States, and a 

 series of sponges illustrating artificial propa- 

 gation bjr cuttings. The Algae of the United 

 States are represented by a collection of 

 marine forms bj' Professor Farlow, and a 

 series of proofs of the plates of Wood's Fresh- 

 water Algae. 



The second section of the catalogue treats 

 of the fishing-grounds, and the distribution of 

 aquatic animals. The models and maps here 

 included are the fruit of a vast amount of 

 toil, and are of high scientific value. Each is 

 worth}' of detailed examination. The relief- 

 models of the Atlantic coast and of the off- 

 shore fishing-banks have been alluded to in 

 a previous number of Science. Among the 

 most interesting maps maj' be mentioned 

 those showing the location and extent of the 

 present and of abandoned whaling-grounds, 

 iDjr Mr. A. Howard Clark ; the distribution of 

 the pinnipeds, b}' Mr. J. A. Allen ; the dis- 

 tribution of the seals and other fur-bearing 

 animals of Alaska, bj' Capt. William H. Dall ; 

 the distribution of certain American fishes, bj' 

 Mr. G-. Brown Goode ; and the location and 

 extent of the oyster-beds of the United States, 

 b}' Lieut. F. Winslow. 



The third and fourth sections, which are 

 devoted to fishery apparatus, would be almost 

 solely interesting from a technological point 

 of view, were it not for the numerous speci- 



