WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE BULLETIN. 
7 
GEN ERAL N OTES. 
Prof. W. B. Barrows has sent to us from the 
Argentine Republic quite a series of bird skins, 
representing over 100 species, and also a number 
of mammal skins and skeletons. Among these 
latter are several fine specimens of the Viscacha, 
concerning which Mr. Barrows remarks, “noth- 
ing hardly could be commoner than the Vis- 
cacha, and yet it is almost impossible to secure 
one.” This illustrates a point that is seldom 
taken into consideration, viz: that -because an 
animal is common in a given locality it is not 
necessarily easy to obtain good specimens of it. 
We have examples of this right at home in the 
Prairie Dog and Pouched Rat, or Gopher, of 
which it seems almost impossible to obtain good 
skins or skeletons. f. a. l. 
Models for an Artist. — Late last year we 
had the pleasure of mounting for Mr. Albert 
Bierstadt, as fine a Mountain Sheep and Prong- 
horned Antelope, both males, as have ever left 
our hands. Both these specimens were to do 
duty as models. Since those specimens were 
shipped, we have mounted for the same artist 
two heads of male Mountain Sheep, the last one 
of which has just been sent to him. 
We understand that Mr. Bierstadt is becoming 
interested in animal painting, and we hope that 
in time this subject will claim as much of his 
attention as landscapes. Last year he spent 
three weeks among the rugged rocks, foaming 
breakers and herds of sea lion on the Farallone 
Islands for the purpose of making sketches of the 
animals and their haunts. 
Among the latest arrivals is the skin of a fine 
male walrus, about ten and a half feet in length, 
from Baffins’ Bay. This animal is yearly be- 
coming more and more scarce and will probably 
be entirely exterminated at no distant day. Good 
stuffed specimens are rare in museums, and ex- 
amples of the Pacific walrus are rarer still. A 
fine male skin of the latter species, now on hand, 
has tusks two feet three inches long. We often 
see statements that the tusks of the walrus are 
three feet long, but the pair mentioned above 
was the largest pair out of some dozen skins, 
skeletons and skulls, that we have handled dur- 
ing the past few years. Prof. J. A. Allen fixes 
the names of the two species of walrus, as fol- 
lows: 
Atlantic walrus — Odobcenus rosmarus, Malm- 
gren. 
Pacific walrus — Odobcenus obesus (111.), Allen. 

A Noble Ruminant. 
We have just mounted and shipped to Prof. 
Agassiz, for the Museum of Comparative Zool- 
ogy, a noble old bull Indian bison, or gaur (Bos 
gaurus), which stands 5 feet 10 inches in vertical 
height to the top of his hump. This animal is 
the oriental counterpart of our American bison, 
or buffalo, but in size it greatly exceeds the lat- 
ter, being the largest of all the hollow-horned 
Ruminants. Specimens have been killed which, 
it is claimed, measured over six feet in height. 
The gaur is found in large herds in the dense 
hill forests of India generally, but is most 
abundant in Southern India. This fine speci- 
men and seven others of the same species, were 
shot on the Animallai Hills by Mr. Hornaday 
while there collecting for Professor Ward. In 
the mounting of the skin, which was assisted by 
measurements and drawings of the freshly killed 
animal, great care was taken to reproduce as 
accurately as possible the animal’s marked pe- 
culiarities of lofty hump, well-rounded sides, 
small and shapely legs, short neck, drooping 
head, and mild, intelligent expression of counte- 
nance. We believe this specimen is the only 
mounted one of the species in America, and it is 
gratifying that it has gone to the Cambridge 
Museum to be brought in direct comparison 
with its American cousin, the buffalo. 
INVERTEBRATES. 
Our stock in this department is exceptionally 
full, amd is continually receiving additions of 
fresh material from all parts of the world. This 
steady influx of material enables us to keep 
constantly on hand a supply of typical speci- 
mens in the different branches of this great 
group. We are necessarily unable to obtain all 
the genera in the different divisions, yet we can 
furnish most of the type forms — those species 
which stand out prominently in the systematic 
zoological series — as well as those which show 
stages of growth or other physiological charac- 
teristics. Our Catalogue of Invertebrates enum- 
erates considerably more than one thousand 
species, and additions are constantly being 
made. Among the most interesting forms are 
the following: 
In PROTOZOA, actual specimens of Foraminifera, 
Radiolaria and Rhizopods with plaster models, 
enlarged 100 diameters, of a number of the most 
interesting forms. 
SPONGES from the delicate Glass sponge to the 
massive Neptune’s Cup; also the wonderful 
Glass Rope sponge and Clione , interesting from 
its curious habit of boring shells. 
G0RG0NIAS from the West Indies, Africa and 
the Pacific and Indian Oceans. 
The CORALS include many curious and beauti- 
ful forms: Fungias from the Red Sea and Pacific 
Ocean, Brain Corals from the West Indies and 
Red Sea, the charming pink Stylaster from 
Samoa, and the precious Gorallium from the 
Mediterranean. 
The most interesting of the CRIN0IDS is the 
rare Pentacrinus Caput Medusae of which we 
have several unique specimens; also Comatula, 
Alecto, Antedon &c. Following these come the 
STAR FISHES and SEA URCHINS in scores of spe- 
cies. The former include Astrophyton, Ophio- 
coma, Oreaster &c., and among the latter are 
Echinus, Heterocentrotus, Clypeaster, Brissus 
and many other forms, 
SHELLS, univalve, bivalve and multivalve; 
also of Octopods and Sqids about twenty species 
in alcohol. 
CRUSTACEANS furnish perhaps the quaintest 
forms of all; Barnacles, Horse-shoe Crabs, Fid- 
dler Crabs, _ Lobsters, the odd Birgus latro , 
famous for its peculiar iiabit of climbing trees, 
also scores of other interesting species. Of most 
of these we have both alcoholic and dry or 
mounted specimens. 
Catalogue of Invertebrates, 112 pages, 121 wood- 
cuts, 50 cents. 
GLASS MODELS. 
In addition to the actual specimens we also 
offer a full series of the exquisitely made Blasch- 
ka models of Actinias, Acalephs, Cephalopods 
&c. These are of glass and are most accurate in 
form and coloring, the greatest care being taken 
to show in all perfection of detail, these frail 
and perishable forms which it is almost impossi- 
ble to preserve satisfactorily. Prof. Ward has 
been appointed by Herr Blaschlta sole American 
agent for these models. Owing to the increasing- 
demand for the models, we have for some time 
been unable to keep a supply on hand, and we 
would request that parties desiring them will 
order as early as possible. 
Catalogue of Class Models , 24 pages, 10 cents. 
DIAGRAMS. 
Prof. Ward has also been appointed by the 
German publishers as American Agent for the 
sale and distribution of Profs. Leuchart & Nits- 
ches’ celebrated Zoological Diagrams, showing 
the growth and development of chosen represen- 
tative forms throughout the whole series of In- 
vertebrates. These diagrams— about 3x5 feet in 
size— are beautifully designed and graphically 
colored in explanation of the subject proposed. 
They are greatly sought by teachers of Zoology, 
to whom, they are invaluable. 
The Silver Medal and accompanying Diploma, 
awarded to Prof. W ard for his exhibit last year at 
the Berlin Fisheries Exposition, have just been 
received. The Diploma is the most artistic work 
of the kind that we have ever seen. Just as we 
go to press we learn that two medals have been 
awarded for the display in the International Ex- 
position at Melbourne, Australia. 
The adjoining cuts show the two sides of the 
Berlin Medal. 
Faunal Collections. 
The geographical distribution of animals is a 
branch of zoology which has received much at- 
tention of late years, largely on account of the 
light it throws on the probable former extent and 
configuration of the land surface of the earth. 
Differences of opinion exist as to the correct 
division of the earth into Zoological regions and 
the intergradation, or overlapping of the forms 
of the various proposed regions is so great as 
to render a sharply drawn boundary line be- 
tween any of them a matter of great difficulty. 
So far as we know the Museum of Comparative 
Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. , is the first to present 
the subject to the public in such a manner that 
it can be readily understood. One great feature 
of this museum is a series of rooms devoted to 
collections illustrating the characteristic fauna of 
the most important of the divisions as defined by 
Prof. J. A. Allen of that institution. These 
rooms are assigned to the various faunas as 
follows: North America, South America, Eu- 
ropaeo-Asiatic, Indian, Ethiopian, Madagascar, 
and Australian. The number of specimens, re- 
quired for this purpose was necessarily very great, 
and as the requisite material was not available 
among the stores of the museum, Prof. Ward 
was commissioned to supply the missing species. 
This order as originally given was for over 2,000 
species of mammals and birds, and has since 
been largely increased. Much of the required 
material is, from its rarity, very difficult to pro- 
cure, and the filling of an order comprising ani- 
mals from all parts of the globe, ranging in size 
from full grown elephants to humming birds, is 
necessarily a work of time. A large number of 
specimens has already been delivered, and cor- 
respondents in various parts of the world called 
upon to furnish material. 
In addition to the above large order for 
mounted animals, the same museum has called 
for a large series of typical Mammalian and 
Avia,n skeletons, ^mounting in all to over 500 
species, and representing very fully all the orders 
of Mammalia and Aves. 
