ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
BRONZE TABLET ON THE WALL OF THE AQUARIUM. 
described in the April number of the Zoological 
Society Buxietin for that year. It came from 
the coast of New Jersey. Big lobsters are rare 
in these days of excessive lobster fishing. Ac- 
cording to Professor Herrick, author of an im- 
portant monograph on the American lobster, 
twenty-five pounds is the limit of size attained. 
A large lobster taken off Atlantic Highlands, 
New Jersey, in 1897, and brought to the Aquar- 
ium, is recorded to have weighed thirty-four 
pounds. This specimen is now in the American 
Museum of Natural History, and its size indi- 
cates that the weight recorded is not far from 
correct. Some of the largest lobsters taken dur- 
ing recent vears have been found off New Jer- 
sey. This is doubtless due to the fact that lob- 
stering is but little practiced so near the south- 
ern limit of the lobster’s natural distribution, 
and the small numbers existing there have a 
chance to grow. 
Dear Mr. Aquarium: A fair correspondent 
of the “New York World” lately visited Florida 
and thinking that I possessed every necessary 
and comfort of this life except a live alligator, 
sent me one which I am forwarding to you un- 
der separate cover. While the lady’s intentions 
were of the best, her conclusions were wrong. 
I really do not need an alligator this winter. 
Another reason for parting with my gift is that 
affairs in this office may resume their normal 
business level and the lady clerks do their work 
BULLETIN. 647 
sitting in their chairs in- 
stead of standing on them 
As to a name, he 
been called “Frankie” for 
the week he has been with 
me, but this is not to be 
considered as binding upon 
you. 
has 
If your experts de- 
cide that the name is inap- 
propriate call her “Josie.” 
The specimen was ac - 
cepted and the following 
answer sent to the donor: 
Please accept my thanks 
for the specimen of Alli- 
gator MIS SISSIP PIENSIS 
which you have been so 
kind as to send to the 
Aquarium. Be pleased al- 
so to accept my thanks 
for your sprightly letter 
of transmittal which you 
will pardon my saying, is worth more than the 
‘gator, being much rarer. 
The Aquarium gets a million or two baby alli- 
gators a year from returning Florida tourists, 
but there is of course always room for a few 
more. When they get too thick, we send ’em 
back to Florida for the restocking of depleted 
waters, as alligator leather is becoming scarce 
owing to the activity of the above mentioned 
tourists. 
The name is no longer a matter of importance 
as we ran out of names so long ago that the 
clerk’s “Accession number”’ serves the same pur- 
pose, hope that the lady clerks in your office 
are now enjoying freedom from alarm. 
Young Sea Horses.—As an illustration of the 
importance of pure sea water to an aquarium, the 
keeping of the common sea horse will afford a 
good example. <A few of these fishes procured 
a year and a half ago, after the new water sys- 
tem was placed in operation, lived more than a 
year, and one still survives. They were all 
young specimens of less than two inches in 
length when received. 
Early in April of last year some of the 
females spawned, depositing their eggs, after 
the manner of these fishes, in the brood pouches 
of the males, after which the females died. On 
April 22, three of the males liberated from their 
pouches from 150 to 200 young, each. Every 
effort was made to supply the young with nat- 
ural food but without success, none of them 
surviving longer than two weeks. One of the 
