2 
WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE BULLETIN. 
EDITORIAL NOTES. 
Readers of the Bulletin must have come to 
look upon it as a thing of the past; for it is now 
nearly two years since its last appearance. Al- 
though we no longer receive subscriptions for it, 
as its publication is so uncertain; yet the Bul- 
letin is still in existence and it is only the great 
press of other business that keeps us from pub- 
lishing it more regularly. 
Now that we are all through with the great ex- 
hibit that we made a New Orleans during the 
Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884-85, for 
which we sent from here over eleven car loads of 
material, and have successfully grappled with the 
“immortal Jumbo,” we have a little breathing 
spell and seize the opportunity to again issue a 
Bullet CN. 
We have been pleased to note how much we 
have been missed both in this country and in Eu- 
rope. The first number under date of June, 1881, 
stated that without aspiring to rank high as a sci- 
entific journal, the Bulletin would occupy a 
field peculiarly its own, and wouldstrive to inter- 
est its readers by methods comparatively new. 
It has been encouraging to us to note at different 
times and from various sources how well this ob- 
ject has been maintained. 
When the last number was issued, Prof. Ward 
was in Africa, and now the next number appears 
while he is travelling through Mexico and Cen- 
tral America. 
Our readers must have come to look upon his 
absence as well nigh a permanent thing, for in 
looking over our file of Bulletins we find that 
during eight issues preceding this, he has 
been away while four were made up and printed. 
Yet were it not for his absence we doubt if the 
Bulletin ever would come out ; for when at 
home he keeps us far too busy to spend any time 
at all in writing. 
If he brings back — as he promises— a lot of 
sloths, armadillos, other mammals, birds, reptiles, 
etc., and opals and other choice minerals, we 
will call it even for the articles he promised us 
but failed to write. 
We invite all our friends of the Central States 
to call upon us this year at the Louisville South- 
ern Exposition where we intend making a large 
display; we promise them many things of interest. 
At the New Orleans exposition we received a 
Diploma of Honor for our exhibit; the only one 
given for any like display. 
It mentions our exhibit as a“ Collective Mu- 
seum of Zoology, Paleontology, Mineralogy.” 
Although we are not quite reconciled to that 
form of spelling; yet we like to have our min- 
erals noticed. At different times we have re- 
ceived so many Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals 
and Diplomas of Honor, that no one at present 
at the establishment knows their number, and 
we doubt even if Prof. does. 
Just as we are going to press we hear from 
Prof. Ward, from the City of Mexico, where he is 
making a small display in the several departments. 
He reports the Mexican scientists as enthusiastic 
in their appreciation which, even at this early 
date, they have shown genuine by making some 
considerable purchases. 
Here, at home, orders have been keeping us 
very busy in all departments. One of the latest 
orders is to stuff the lately demised American- 
born elephant, “Bridgeport,” for Mr. Barnum. 
l 
BUSTS OF DISTINGUISHED NATURALISTS. 
Linnaeus, Buffon, Cuvier, Humboldt, Geoffrey Saint- 
Hilaire, Huxley, Louis Agassiz. 
The above busts are of very careful execution, 
copies of the best models extant, life size. 
They are admirably suited for library purposes, 
and hold a very appropriate position in any nat- 
ural history museum, or in the council room of 
scientific societies. 
Price, each, in white, $5 ; bronzed, $6. 

NOTES. 
A prophet is not without honor even in his 
own country, and the same remark may be said 
of many interesting animals. It was necessary 
that a special envoy should be sent to discover 
the eggs of the Echidna, and it has taken a Ger- 
man to write the life history of our Opossum. 
For years this animal has lived on, neglected by 
our biologists, and to Prof. Emil Lelenka of Er- 
langen, is due the credit of having imported, 
bred and studied the embryology of the Opos- 
sum. 
Considering the amount of collecting that has 
been done during the past twenty years it seems a 
little singular that the past twelve months should 
have seen four new mammals added to our 
Fauna. One of these, the pigmy muskrat, {Neo- 
fiber alleni,) comes too from Florida, a state of 
all others whose capabilities have been pretty 
thoroughly tested by collectors. And yet this is 
the only species represented by a single specimen. 
Between the depth of agriculture and the A. 
0. U., the English sparrow question will doubt- 
less soon be defintiely settled, and the bird left 
without a metaphorical foot to stand on. In 
connection with this question the subjoined fig- 
ures may prove instructive, showing as they do 
the harm that may be done by the uncalled for 
introduction of anew species. Portions of New 
Zealand and Australia are, as is well known, 
overrun by rabbits, descendants of those origin- 
ally introduced with a view to the sport they 
might furnish. Up to the latter part of 1884 the 
governments of Victoria, S. Australia and N. 8. 
Wales, had expended no less that $210,000 in 
efforts to suppress these pests. In New South 
Wales alone 700,000 acres— nearly 1,100 square 
m il es _ we re infested, and one hundred and fif- 
teen men employed in hunting rabbits. 
One small piece of good work the sparrow did 
do last summer and that was to practically ex- 
terminate the seventeen year locusts which ap- 
peared in the parks in the city of Washing- 
ton. The London sparrows are reputed to read 
the newspapers, and this ability has probably 
been inherited by their descendants. Certain it 
is that immediately after the published declara- 
tion of Prof. Riley that Cicadas were edbile the 
best energies of the sparrows were devoted to 
their destruction. Forsaking the streets they 
hung about the parks from morning to night 
snapping up the luckless Cicadas as fast as they 
appeared. So great was the destruction that the 
edges of the walks were bright with a sparkling 
border of Cicada wings and scarcely an insect 
was left to propagate the race. 
. A very good example of the adaptation of parts 
to their uses is shown in the link of the Axolotl 
before and after metamorphosis. In the larval, 
or Siredon stage, the entire carpus and tarsus, 
as well as the ends of the long bones are cartila- 
ginous. Living in the water, the tail is the chief 
organ of locomotion, and even when walking 
over the bottom the weight of the body is sus- 
tained by the surrounding liquid. 
When, having become transformed to Amblys- 
toma the Axolotl leads a terrestrial life, these car- 
tilaginous parts become perfectly ossified and the 
limbs are fitted to sustain their owner on terra 
firma. 
We are heartily glad to note the energetic man- 
ner in which the ornithologists of this country 
and England have come to the protection of the 
birds. It has been proved beyond the possibility 
of a doubt, that fashion is the worst enemy of 
our songsters; and it is now the object of these 
people to destroy the fashion of wearing birds on 
hats, by arousing the tender-heartedness, so 
strangely dormant, proverbially possessed by the 
ladies. 
Two other means are being employed, which 
we think will be the most effectual. One is, to 
show the vulgarity of the fashion; the other, and 
stronger, to arouse such legislation on the subject 
as shall stop the wholesale slaughter of birds. 
We sincerely hope that a few years will see the 
stigma of this barbaric fashion removed from 
this country; and that the birds may have no 
more cause to recognize the bodies of their mates 
spread out over the hats of the strollers in the 
parks and on the avenues. 
RECENT ARRIVALS. 
We have lately received the following speci- 
mens: Jaguar, Felis onca, skeleton; Caracal, 
Lynx caracal, a beautiful skin and nice skeleton; 
Striped Hyaena, Hyaena striata , skeleton; Brown 
Bear, JJrsus arctos, skeleton; Narwhale, Monodon 
monoceros , skeletons of male and female; Man- 
atee, Mojnatus americanus, skin and skeleton; 
Burchell’s Zebra, Asinus burchelli, skin and skele- 
ton; Moose, Alces malcliis, skin and head skins; 
Beaver, Castor canadensis, fine large skeletons; 
Alligator Terrapin, Macrochelys lacertina, skins, 
skeletons and skulls; Alligator Gar, Lepidosteus 
productus , skins and skeletons, over 5 feet long. 
-♦ • ♦ 
JUMBO'S TEETH. 
Jumbo’s upper molars were quite peculiar in 
shape. On the right side, the front one was large, 
crescentric in form, with the convex side outward 
and the forward end turned inward, nearly at 
right angles to its proper position. The posterior 
molar was also crescentric, with its hind end im- 
mediately back of the forward tooth, nearly par- 
allel with which the greater part of its bulk lay, 
each presenting its concave side to the other. 
On the left side, the front molar described quite 
a quarter of a circle, with the convex side in- 
ward. The hind end is turned outward at right 
angles to its proper position, the front end looks 
forward. On the posterior half of the concave 
surface is a large tumor-like hemispherical mass, 
about three inches in diameter. The back tooth 
is normal. A cast of these was sent to the British 
Museum, and Professor Flower writes as follows 
concerning it : 
British Museum (Natural History), 
Cornwall Road, London, S. W. 
April 21, 1886. 
Hear Svr:— I am much obliged to you for your 
letter of March 30th, enclosing the measurements 
of the skeleton of the African elephant “Jumbo,” 
as compared with an American mastodon — which 
are very interesting. I also have to add my thanks 
to those of the trustees, for sending the cast of the 
upper molars. If he had lived much longer the ir- 
regular growth would doubtless have given him 
much trouble. It has arisen evidently from his food 
not having had sufficient gritty particles in it to 
cause the required and normal wear of the first 
ones, so that these were not got rid of, as they 
ought to have been, before the others came up to 
take their place. Elephants, in manageries, con- 
stantly suffer in this way. They ought to have 
a little sand mixed with their food. * * * 
Believe me, 
Yours very faithfully, 
W. H. Flower. 
RELIEF MAPS. 
We can now furnish duplicates of all the Relief 
Maps prepared for the U. S. Geo. Survey. 
We are now busy filling an order from the 8yd- 
ney(N. 8. W.) Museum, for collectionsof minerals, 
phenomenal geology, physical series of minerals, 
crystal models, etc. 
