1476 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



Fish eggs for keeping the hatchery in opera- 

 tion as a fish-cultural exhibit^ were supjDlied 

 from Government hatcheries in various parts of 

 the country^ by authority of the United States 

 Bureau of Fisheries. 



Zoologists at the Aquarium. — On December 

 27 a smoker was given at the Aquarium to the 

 various Zoological Societies attending the New 

 York meeting of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science. It was attended 

 by 520 men. The company stayed until nearly 

 midnight and pronounced the smoker the best 

 feature of the whole week, as it gave the mem- 

 bers an unusually good opportunity for in- 

 formal talk. The Director and the Aquarium 

 Committee constituted the Reception Committee. 



One of the visitors was Dr. E. W. Gudger, 

 Professor of Biology in the North Carolina 

 State Normal College, and an accomplished ich- 

 thyologist. He has written the following in re- 

 gard to the Aquarium: "I consider the Aqua- 

 rium the most extraordinary thing I have ever 

 seen. It has an extraordinary collection of 

 fishes, in wonderfully fine condition. I wish I 

 could spend some weeks studying them." 



The Sea Horse in Aquaria. — The following 

 information is for the benefit of those who keep 

 home aquaria and are desirous of domesticating 

 the sea horse. 



This very engaging little fish has not been 

 successfully kept in small aquaria. As kept in 

 the New York Aquarium it requires flowing sea 

 water and live food. The only food with which 

 we have succeeded is Gammarus, a minute crus- 

 tacean of almost pinhead size. These are sent 

 in from the sea-shore every week and kept alive 

 until used. Such Crustacea are commonlj'^ known 

 as beach fleas. The small Gammarus is found 

 often in abundance in bunches of fine, grass}^ 

 seaweed as washed up on the beaches. A hand- 

 ful of this algae thrown into the sea horse tank 

 contains enough Gammarus for a day's food. 

 The sea horses at once attack the mass of weed 

 and probe every part of it with their elongated 

 snouts until their living prey has all been 

 hunted out. 



Dealers in aquaria supplies do not attempt 

 to keep either sea horses or Gammarus. The 

 New York Aquarium collects its own specimens 

 of both, the sea horses being obtainable in sum- 

 mer only. 



Aquariums for Chicago, St. Louis and San 

 Francisco. — Three of the large cities of this 

 country, Chicago, St. Louis and San Francisco, 

 have, during the past year, taken steps for the 

 creation of public aquariums. 



THE LARGEST KNOWN SEA-HORSE 

 The smaller specimen is found in the New York region. 



A large building fund has been subscribed in 

 Chicago by a few prominent citizens, and the 

 City has furnished a site on the Lake front. 

 St. Louis has voted a tax which will total $150,- 

 000 for an aquarium, on June 1. 



The City of San Francisco is perhaps far- 

 ther on in its plans for a Citj^ aquarium. A 

 fund for the erection of the building has been 

 donated by a prominent banker, and the City 

 has supplied a site in Golden Gate Park, ad- 

 jacent to the building of the California Acade- 

 my of Sciences. The only condition stipulated 

 by the donor of the building is that the aqua- 

 rium shall be entirely under the management of 

 the California Academy of Sciences, of which 

 Dr. B. W. Evermann, formerly of the LTnited 

 States Bureau of Fisheries, is now the Director. 

 The City of San Francisco has accejDted the con- 

 ditions, and the authorities of the Academy are 

 now at work on the plans. 



