394 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 



CROWLEY, THE CHIMPANZ'FE. 



received the name of " stone lily," from its 

 flowerlike appearance. This curious animal was 

 rooted to the bottom of the ocean, or to some 

 other spot, like a plant, and was abundaut in cer- 

 tain ancient epochs. A fine series of fossil fishes, 

 whose structure is very perfectly preserved, may 

 be seen ; and a great variety of fossil plants, 

 among which are beautiful specimens of ferns 

 and seaweeds. Many of the fossil sliells, also, are 

 of great beauty. 



Prominent in the Geological Hall is a skeleton 

 of the mastodon, a creature resembling the ele- 

 phant, which was once common in' this countr}^ 

 but became extinct long ago. This was found 

 in 1879, in a peaty deposit near Newburgh, N. Y. 

 A few bones had decayed, and bones from other 

 skeletons, or artificial models, have been substi- 

 tuted. This mastodon was S\ feet high and 18 

 feet in length to the end of the tusks, the tusks 

 themselves being nearly 7^ feet long. 



The admirable classification in the Geological 

 Hall not only aids the student in his researches, 

 but is thoroughly helpful to the casual visitor Avho 

 lias little or no technical knowledge. A single 

 morning spent in examining the fine collection of 

 minerals caniiot fail to give one an enlarged con- 

 ception of the wonderful beauty Nature has hid- 

 den within the earth. 



The Ethnological and Archaeological Depart- 

 ment, in charge of Professor Albert S. Bickmore, 

 opens a vast field for research. Here may be 

 found almost every imaginable article — arms, 

 armor, ornaments, dresses, masks, domestic uten- 

 sils, pipes, money, musical instruments — gathered 

 from various countries to illustrate the life and 

 habits of different races. The recently acquired 

 Emmons-Bishop collections, from Alaska, alone 

 contain 1,300 specimens, illustrating the work- 

 manship and customs of the aborigines of that 

 country. No better opportunity could be desired 



than is here afforded for the study of the early 

 history of various races ; and witlial, the collec- 

 tions are exceedingly curious as a mere sliow. 



We must hasten by an immense array of bugs 

 and beetles, reserving them for future examina- 

 tion, while we glance at some objects larger 

 and more striking, though perhaps not more 

 important. 



The museum possesses somowliat over 3,500 

 mammals, of wliicli about 1,000 are mounted. 

 As needed specimens are added, it is designed 

 to deviate from the traditional method of ar- 

 ranging animals in stiff, monotonous rows, and 

 group them artistically. An example of this 

 mode is seen in a beautifully arrangcil group, 

 consisting of a family of five orang-outangs. 

 The scene represented is in the trce-toj^s of 

 Borneo, at a height of thirty feet, where the 

 creatures are perfectly at lionie, and are pluck- 

 ing aiul eating the durian — a fruit inclosed in 

 a prickly husk. 



Tlie monkey exiiibit is large, including numer- 

 ous varieties — the gorilla, (•hiini)anzee, ape, ba- 

 boon, lemur, and down to the little iivginy mar- 

 moset. 



Of course, the visitor will not pass by the fa- 

 mous chimpanzee, " ]\Ir. Crowley," and will read 

 his brief biography with interest. He was brought 

 from Tiiberia when about eight months old, and 

 placed in the Central Park- ^lenagerie in June, 

 188Jr, where he became a great favorite, lie died 

 of consumption, August 31st, 1888, aged five 

 years. 



It would bo useless to attempt even the brief- 

 est description of tlie numerous animals ; but 

 prominent among them is the skeleton of the 

 celebrated Jumbo, which demands at least a 

 moment's examination. Jnmbo was cajitured in- 

 Abyssinia in 18()1, when about two years old, 

 and taken to the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, where 



