462 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



sizes from $1 upward, to W. T. Hornaday, New 

 York Zoological Park. It is urgently desired 

 that the whole amount should be in hand by 

 January 1. 1909. Surely the object is one in 

 which all the members of our Society will be 

 interested. A dollar from each member would 

 mean $1,600! 



Please send it now. W. T. H. 



HEADS AND HORNS ANNUAL. 



THE quarto annual publication of the Na- 

 tional Collection of Heads and Horns, (Part 

 II), is now in hand. Its special purposes 

 are to acknowledge in detail the gift of the past 

 year, and to further interest sportsmen and trav- 

 ellers in the National Collection that now is be- 

 ing formed here Its special feature is a descrip- 

 tion of the famous Reed Collection that was pre- 

 sented to the Society a year ago by Mr. Emerson 

 McMillin. This publication will be mailed to 

 all members of the Zoological Society who may 

 desire to possess it, and who will send their 

 names to Mr. Madison Grant, Secretary, 1 1 

 Wall Street. 



THE AQUARIUM RESERVOIR. 



FOR the first time in the history of the 

 Aquarium the sea fishes and other marine 

 exhibits have had a chance to live in their 

 natural element. Under the old regime they 

 could scarcely be said to live at all. In fact the 

 majority of them didn't live; they died. It was 

 only by constant replacing that many of the 

 sa\t water species of fishes could be kept on ex- 

 hibition. The brackish and unclean water of 

 the harbor — by courtesy called salt water — was 

 never suitable for sea fishes and invertebrates, 

 and only the most hardy survived. Whatever 

 the Aquarium has done in the past, has been ac- 

 complished under this fearful handicap. 



For three months pure sea water, brought 

 from the open sea and stored in the new reser- 

 voir, has been flowing through the tanks. The 

 expensive, troublesome and disheartening death 

 rate has been practically eliminated. Our speci- 

 mens are active, feed well and look well. Their 

 colors are decidedly brighter than usual. The 

 only losses which now occur are those traceable 

 to injuries received during capture and ship- 

 ment, while an important number of forms, 

 never successfully exhibited here before, are not 

 only living but apparently thriving. 



The system of stored sea water now makes 

 possible at the New York Aquarium anything 

 in the way of marine exhibits that is possible in 

 the aquariums of Europe. For the first time 

 many beautiful sea creatures, hitherto lacking 

 from our collection, are now on exhibition. 



Although a good collection of marine inverte- 

 brates has not yet been secured, there are a few 

 very interesting species already in the tanks, 

 among which may be mentioned the octopus, the 

 great salt water crayfish, and the so-called Span- 

 ish lobster, (Scyllarus) , from the Bermudas. 



Upon the completion of the stored sea water 

 system early in July, the reservoir was filled 

 with 100,000 gallons of pure sea water. P'or 

 this purpose the water boat "Joseph Moran," 

 of about 15,000 gallons capacity, was chartered. 

 This vessel filled her tanks in the open sea near 

 the Sandy Hook Lightship at the beginning of 

 the flood tide. Returning to the sea wall be- 

 hind the Aquarium, the water was pumped di- 

 rectly into the new filters, whence it flowed to 

 the reservoir. The harbor water being allowed 

 to flow out of the exhibition tanks, the Aquari- 

 um's new bronze pump was started, and the sea 

 fishes were soon swimming in their natural ele- 

 ment. The accompaning picture shows the 

 "Moran" behind the Aquarium, pumping her 

 cargo of water into the reservoir. Another pic- 

 ture shows the location of this reservoir in Bat- 

 tery Park, its extent being indicated by the 

 dotted lines. 



While the system of stored sea water is a new 

 thing for our Aquarium, it has always been used 

 in the Aquariums of Europe. When properly 

 managed, the water does not need renewal, the 

 original supply being used perpetually. 



While the cost of this system amounted to a 

 considerable sum, it is expected to prove eco- 

 nomical in the end, as it will result in a great 

 saving of coal during the winter months. 

 Formerly the water, artificially warmed during 

 the winter, was allowed to escape, whereas, un- 

 der the present method it passes through the 

 filters back to the reservoir. The great amount 

 of steam formerly required to heat the icy water 

 of the harbor will no longer be required. It 

 should require but little steam to maintain an 

 even temperature in the underground reservoir. 

 The large floor pools at the Aquarium, owing 

 to the low position in which they are placed, are 

 not connected with the reservoir but are still 

 being supplied from the harbor. Owing to the 

 polluted condition of the water of the harbor, 

 it will be necessary before long to discontinue 

 its use entirely, and arrangements will have to 

 be made for a better water system for the floor 

 pools. As these pools are occupied chiefly, at 

 present, by lung-breathing animals such as seals 

 and sea turtles, the water is not so deadly in its 

 effects as it would be to strictly ocean fishes. 

 The few fishes remaining in the pools are brack- 

 ish-water species which have more endurance in 

 impure water. 



