ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



479 



PIG-TAILED MACAQUE. 



their predisposition to pneumonia in spring. 

 This large swimming tank now available will 

 keep them quite comfortable until mild weather. 



SOME INTERESTING FISHES. 



AS a gift from Mr. Otto Eggeling, an aquar- 

 ist of this city, we have placed on exhibi- 

 tion on the main floor of the Reptile House, 

 a tank containing a collection of rare Indian 

 fishes. The most interesting among these is a 

 pair of Climbing Perch, (Anabas scande/is). 

 Specimens of this remarkable fish were first im- 

 ported by Mr. Eggeling to this country in 1903, 

 from Calcutta. The remarkable feature of the 

 life history of this fish, is the fact that it is able 

 to live out of water for hours at a time, While 

 a few other fishes are able to do this to a limited 

 extent, the Climbing Perch is one of the very 

 few whicli, under certain conditions, leave their 

 natural element and travel overland, or even 

 climb the trunks of trees to a height of six or 

 seven feet. 



The gills and fins are provided with sharp 

 teeth which the fishes use with great skill to 

 "walk" over the ground. Whenever the sun 

 evaporates a body of water in which examples 



of this species live, the fishes emigrate in masses 

 to other waters; or, if these should not be found, 

 they bury themselves in places sufficiently moist 

 to keep them alive until the rains make further 

 progress possible. 



The Climbing Perch is found usually in 

 Southern India, Ceylon and the East Indies, 

 in shallow or stagnant water. In the aquarium, 

 it becomes very tame. Owing to its wandering 

 disposition, it is liable to jump from the tank, 

 and for this reason a wire gauze covers the 

 aquarium containing our specimens. 



R. L. D. 



THE NEW ADMINISTRATION 

 BUILDING. 



THE members of the Zoological Society will 

 be pleased to know that the erection of the 

 Administration Building is actually in pro- 

 gress. At the moment of going to press with 

 this number of the Bulletin, the foundations 

 are finished, and the erection of the structural 

 steel is well under way. It is now reasonably 

 certain that in the autumn of 1909 this long- 

 needed building will be ready for practical use. 

 The members of the Society can then enjoy the 

 "Heads and Horns" collection, the Library, 

 Art Gallery, offices and reception rooms, for all 

 of which ample space has been provided. 



The building has been located at the north- 

 east corner of Baird Court, directly opposite the 

 Bird House. Architecturally it will be entirely 

 in harmony with the other buildings of Baird 

 Court. E. R. S. 



A RARE SERPENT. 



ANOTHER specimen of the Bushmaster, 

 (Lachesis mutus), has been placed on exhi- 

 bition in the Reptile House. Like all of 

 our other specimens of this rare and deadly 

 snake, the present example came from the island 

 of Trinidad. It is the gift of Mr. Edward 

 Wheelock Runyon, who procured the reptile for 

 the purpose of obtaining some of its venom for 

 scientific purposes. 



Venom is extracted from a snake in a very 

 simple fashion. A piece of cheesecloth is tied 

 over the top of an ordinary glass tumbler. The 

 snake is captured by pressing its head against 

 the ground with a stick, when it is grasped by 

 the neck, immediately behind the head so that 

 it cannot turn and bite in either direction. Its 

 jaws are then applied to the cheesecloth, through 

 which it bites viciously. When the fangs are 

 through, the operator compresses the reptile's 

 poison glands, emptying out more venom than if 



