45 



an identical proposition to the Soutli Parlv commissioners. In the mean- 

 time, in order to facilitate tlie final disposition of the aquarium material, 

 and It) maice sure that it would he pro|)orl3' utilized in any event, an ar- 

 ran^i'ment was made for its transfer, >;ovember 1, to the State Laboratory 

 of Natural History, and I was so notified, October 25, by the following 

 telegram from Commissioner McJ)onald: 



"1 have determined, with one excerption, which I have indicated to 

 you, to turn over all the aquarium material to the State Laboratory of 

 Natural History for such disposition as the director in his discretion may 

 find best.'" 



This tender was formally accepted by me, October 30, in the following 

 letter to the representative of the commission at Cliicago: 



•'In reply to your favor of October 2()th, notifying me that you are 

 ])repared, in accordance witli tlie instructions of the commissioner, to 

 turn over to the State Laboratory of Natural History the specimens 

 now in the atiuarium, with certain exceptions, reserved by tlie commis- 

 sioner. I beg to say that I shall accept, with pleasure, on behalf of 

 the Laboratory, all of this material which I find suitable for use or dis- 

 tribution by us. 



"I need not say that I recognize most gratefully the very great obliga- 

 tion conferred by tlie commissioner upon the State Laboratory of Natural 

 History, and upon the scientific and educational institutions dependent 

 upon it in part for their supply of scientific material. Such specimens 

 as I take possession of will be utilized to the very best of our opportu- 

 nity for purposes of scientific study and instruction." 



Being notified, October 31, by one of the commissioners of the South 

 Park, that the commission would probably accept the aquarium on tlie 

 conditions named, and would, at any rate, provide temporarily for its 

 maintenance until formal action could be taken by them, I did not dis- 

 turb it until November 7, at which time tlie park commissioners decided 

 not to undertake to provide for its permanent support and development. 

 I, consequently, then took charge of its contents for the State Laboratory; 

 distributed such portion of them to the colleges and high schools of Chi- 

 cago as they could utilize and care for; shipped the live marine material 

 to Champaign for an experiment in aquarium maintenance; and placed 

 the remainder in alcohol for subsequent distribution to scientific institu- 

 tions and public high schools. 



A most careful and persistent effort made at the University to main- 

 tain these marine animals in tanks of sea water, by the aid of a mechan- 

 ical aerating apparatus, such as we used in Chicago, gradually failed 

 through the unavoidable fouling of the water, due apparently to the 

 lack of marine vegetation, which the exigencies of tlie time had made it 

 impossible for me to provide in advance. The specimens dying were, 

 however, preserved and added to tlie mass of material held for the sup- 

 ply of public schools and other educational institutions of the State. 



My experiment here, and my much more valuable exp3rience at the 

 Exposition Aquarium in the thoroughly successful maintenance of marine 

 animals under artificial conditions, have given me positive assurance that 

 it would be ([uite practicable, within the limits of a reasonable expendi- 

 ture, to maintain at this distance from the sea a salt-water aquarium 

 continuously year after year, in which the more hardy and interesting 

 forms of marine life could be exhibited for the benefit of a general pub- 

 lic, and likewise for that of university students. I desire to commend 

 this matter very earnestly to your attention, especially as no university 

 in America not in the immediate vicinity of the sea is at present doing 

 anything whatever in this direction. 



The maintenance of a fresh-w^ater aquarium, although more ditficult 

 than that of a marine exhibit, would be in many respects more con- 

 venient and in every way equally useful. The two sorts of collections 

 could, of course, be readily combined in the same establishment. This 

 enlargement of our facilities would be particularly helpful as an apparatus 



