The Bulletin of the Field Museum of Natural History

May/June 1993

They were just another Museum tour group — but became the Friends of Ruatepupuke.

Members’ Night once again takes you backstage at the Museum to see how it’s done.

CAT-SCANS REVEAL SECRETS OF LADY UDJA

A medical- lowa has discovered some surprising new

6-3

Program highlights for May and June, plus your chance to “own a bone” of the Brachiosaurus.

“Masters of the Arctic” features works by indigenous artists of the U.S., Canada, and Russia.

informatio

Dynasty mummy in the Field Musum col- lection. And it wasn’t her impacted molars.

imaging team at the University of

n about Lady Udja, a 26th

Story, Page 3

SSS (

GY ak sil, GEST DINO: +. =

DGGE IN JULY

O. July 3 the Museum’s newest per- manent exhibit debuts with the formal unveiling of a full-scale Brachiosaurus in Stanley Field Hall. Bones of the enor- mous beast were discovered by Field Museum scientists in 1900, and remain

the “holotype” used for identifying it. (Continued on page 11)

NATURE’S ENGINEERING

By Mark Westneat Assistant Curator, Zoology

iving creatures have an astonishing

diversity of body plans that work

in different ways. How can a fish

swim so fast just by wiggling its

body? How do birds fly and pro- duce beautiful songs? And why don’t the legs of elephants and the branches of trees break more often under the tremendous weight they carry? These are general questions about func- tion in living things that might come to mind as you walk through the woods or visit the zoo. Yet simple questions like these are the heart of an approach to biology called biomechanics — the study of the ways that living things are designed to function in response to the physical forces of their environments.

Animals and plants have no choice but to deal with the laws of physics. Those laws spec- ify that an unsupported object falls down, blood is thicker than water which is thicker than air, bones resist bending, and muscles contract. Although the principles of gravity, viscosity, elasticity, and contractility are not things that we think about on a daily basis, our bodies and those of every other living thing are wonderful- ly designed to handle a myriad of physical forces encountered in diverse environments. Evolution is a brilliant mechanical engineer in the sense that each species is uniquely engi- neered to deal with its physical and ecological requirements. Biomechanics research can reveal the many inventions that nature has pro- duced for dealing with physical phenomena, and these findings are being used in biology, engineering, and medicine.

At the Field Museum, my research is revealing some of the engineering designs that are used by animals to capture their food, move their limbs, produce sounds for communication, and swim against a current. To do this, my co-

workers and I are learning how animals are built, how they move, and what the bones and muscles are doing when important behaviors are being performed. We now have a facility equipped with the latest in tech- nology for the study of biomechanics. This laboratory includes video equip- ment for recording animal movements, computer-aided analy- sis of video images, and a system for recording the activity of muscles when they contract. We can analyze the ~ movements of animals like a swimming tuna or a singing bird, or record the behavior of tiny shrimps or tadpoles swimming in a dish under the microscope. Although the equipment might be described as “high-tech,” it is used to answer some very basic questions about the mechanics of animal movement.

Two recent studies involved the biome- chanics of fish feeding and bird singing. We studied a very unusual fish called the “sling- jaw,” which was first observed slinging its jaw on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia (see photo). To understand how it performs this extraordinary feeding behavior, we studied the connections of bones and muscles in the head, used a high-speed camera to film the fish feed- ing, and measured the movements of individual bones and the electrical activity in the muscles that were driving the behavior. By combining these methods, we discovered that although this fish has drastically reorganized the bones and tendons in its head, it uses the same muscles and sequence of muscle contractions that most other fish use for feeding. Essentially, evolu- tion has changed the hardware in the head of

U.S, Fish & Wildlife Servic

(Continued on page 9)

CONSERVATION

A day-long public sym- posium on how conser- vationists and museum scientists can work together more effective- ly will be held May 8. See story, page 10.

BABBITT PLAN

By Bruce D. Patterson Curator of Mammals

nterior Secretary Bruce Babbitt recently announced a plan to create a national survey to map the nation’s ecosystems and biological diversity. If implemented, this survey will give us the ability to take proactive, rather than reactive, measures to conserve our natu- ral inheritance. The plan embodies a new environmental strategy that is strongly sup- ported by the scientific community.

Many feel that existing laws, particularly the Endangered Species Act, already afford all the protection needed to sustain rare and endangered populations of plants and ani- mals. Yet that legislation’s focus on endan- gered species, rather than the ecosystems they inhabit and the interrelationships that sustain them, limits its usefulness. Furthermore, pro- tracted, costly, and bitter battles between environmentalists and developers often result from enforcement of the law, as is currently the case with northern spotted owls.

BIOLOGY

Another case, less familiar because its eco- nomic ramifications pale beside those of the strug- gle over the Pacific North- west, clearly illustrates the =| limitations of species- 4 based conservation efforts.

(Continued on page 10)

§ The Mt. Graham red squirrel

COLLECTIONS

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

By Willard L. Boyd President, Field Museum of Natural History

s | have reported here previously,

our staff and trustees have been

engaged for many months in

strategic planning to launch the

Museum into its second century. The plan’s major focus has been on our institu- tional subject matter and how we approach it through collections, research, and public learn- ing. Just as the biological and cultural commu- nities we study change over time, so must our approach to them change.

Like the great universities that grew up in the same period, the hallmark of the Museum’s first hundred years was a division of our activi- ties among specialized disciplines. But as we enter our second century we are seeking broad-

RESEARCH |

Coordinating Council

PUBLIC LEARNING

Coordinating Council |

ANTHROPOLOGY

EVOLUTIONARY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY

Coordinating Council

BOTANY GEOLOGY

CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND CHANGE

DEVELOPMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

GN86720.19

May/June 1993

FINANCE

18TH-CENTURY BOTANIST IS LIBRARY FRIENDS’ SUBJECT

The Friends of Field Museum Library hosted a reception and program April 6 with Charles Jarvis of the Natural History Museum (London). Jarvis provided the Friends with a scholarly look at early botanical explorations of America by John Clayton (1683-1773). The group also heard from Thomas G. Lammers, assistant cura- tor of vascular plants. Above, with volumes from the Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room, are Museum Vice President Peter Crane; Dr. Jarvis; Worthington Smith, chair of the Friends of Field Museum Library; and Special Collec- tions Librarian Ben Williams.

ZOOLOGY

OPERATIONS

er explanations of the extent and character of biological and cultural diversity, similarities, and interdependency. We are looking at nature as a whole because all living things interact with all others both directly, and indirectly through the effects of their biological activity on the physical environment. Similarly, we are seeking to understand the principles of cultural change and the relationships among cultures in the past and present. This is a major intellectual watershed in the life of the Field Museum.

Working from our vast collections of objects and specimens, we hope to understand better the past, present, and future of biological and cultural change. No longer can we be satis- fied with just knowing about a particular biota or culture in isolation. The world is smaller than we believed in 1893 and human actions have a more profound effect on that world than ever before. So it is that in our new cen- tury we must cast a wider net in order to find specific answers. There are also new means to knowledge, and so, for example, we now utilize com- puters extensively, and collect frozen tis- sue for biochemical analysis such as DNA sequencing. These and other new techniques help us understand the evolu- tion and interrela- tionships of life on Earth.

May/June 1993 Vol. 64, No.3

Editor: Ron Dorfman

Art Director: Shi Yung

Editorial Assistant: Jessica Clark

In the Field (ISSN #1051-4546) is published bimonthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago IL 60605-2496. Copyright © 1993 Field Museum of Natural History. Subscriptions $6.00 annu- ally, $3.00 for schools. Museum membership includes /n the Field subscription. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect policy of Field Museum. Museum phone (312) 922-9410. Notification of address change should include address label and should be sent to Membership Department. Y

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to In the Field, Field Museum of Natural History. Second class postage paid

at Chicago, Illinois.

COLLECTIONS COMMITTEE HOSTS ASIAN ART DONORS

In the Field

Just as systematic biology has changed, so also have anthropology and archaeology. Cul- tural anthropologists are trying to understand why people of earlier cultures thought and acted the way they did, and are also concerned with the contemporary descendants of those cultures. Archaeologists seek to determine cul- tural principles that have relevance for contem- porary and future societies, such as the relationship between people and their environ- ment, the nature of ingtergroup hostility, and the persistence of cultural patterns through the millenia.

In order to continue its leadership role in the next century, the Museum will look more holistically at the problems of nature and cul- ture. Because of interconnectedness within nature and across cultures, we will operate hor- izontally across traditional departmental boundaries while maintaining strengths in our areas of specialty. Instead of limiting our cul- tural understanding to particular cultures we will look across cultures. In pursuing evolu- tionary biology we will adopt a comparative approach, recognizing that each species exists in a larger evolutionary and ecological context.

To foster this interdisciplinary approach, we have organized two centers — the Center for Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, and the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change. These centers will be the vehicle for a Museum-wide approach to basic environmental and cultural issues that confront both our local and worldwide communities now and in the years to come. The Field Museum can play a major role in enhancing public understanding about the living Earth and how we can live in balance with the Earth and with each other.

Chart illustrates how the themes of environmental and evolutionary biolo- gy and of cultural understanding and change will inform all Museum work,

A Collections Com- mittee luncheon on February 18 honored Dr. and Mrs. Hyman I. Kaplan for their gift of Chinese and Vietnamese lacquer- ware to the Anthro- pology Collection. The collection, which includes several finely carved cinnabar lacquer- ware pieces from the 17th through the 19th centuries, is on display in the North Lounge.

GN86708.

PINE WINS WESTINGHOUSE AWARD

ELIzABETH PINE, a Field Museum intern, won the first-place $40,000 college scholarship in the annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search. A student at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Pine worked last summer with Field Museum’s GrecG MUELLER, associate curator in botany, and plans to accompany Mueller to Costa Rica this sum- mer on a collecting trip.

For her winning project, Pine assisted Mueller by testing DNA sequences to resolve a current controversy about two major groups of fungi — mushrooms and false truffles. Because these two fungi are quite different in appear- ance, scientists have typically classified them in different orders. However, Pine’s research revealed that some groups of the false truffles share microscopic similarities with mushrooms, and are therefore quite closely related.

“What’s really impressed me about Eliza- beth is that she’ll be asking questions about C and D while I’m still explaining A and B — she’s so quick. In comparison to other students I’ve worked with, she has, by far, the best potential for making a major impact in biology as a research scientist,” said Mueller.

Pine was chosen from among 1,662 seniors who entered Westinghouse’s 52nd annual Tal- ent Search, co-sponsored by Science Service, a Washington-based non-profit corporation that furthers the public understanding of science. The Talent Search is the nation’s oldest high- school science competition and offers the largest unrestricted scholarships.

Pine has accumulated a series of awards and honors in science and research as well as in mathematics, literature, and French. Last year, she was awarded the Chicagoland Outstanding Young Scientist Award, sponsored by the Nobel Foundation and the Museum of Science and Industry. She and her school each received $600 and a plaque, and in December she trav- eled to Stockholm to attend the Nobel Prize ceremonies. She has already received early acceptance to Harvard, and plans to go on to get a Ph.D. in biology and to work as a research scientist in a museum or university.

HAROLD Voris, curator of amphibians and rep- tiles, received a supplement of $21,058 to his National Science Foundation collections sup- port grant to fund an educational project for high school students. This supplement will sup- port a high school teacher, Joun Murpuy, and three students for the summer months. Murphy and the students will work on collection pro- jects in herpetology. Voris received a similar supplement last year and the program was a great success.

Av Newton and Marcaret THAYER of the Department of Zoology returned recently from a two-month field trip to Australia, They brought back thousands of specimens of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) and related groups, as well as numerous other insects and arthropods. This collecting is part of their continuing work on the Australian beetles, focused on putting the Australian Staphylinidae into a modern phylogenetic context; currently, the beetles are known primarily through outdated texts that are scattered throughout the literature. The two also discovered adults and larvae of a previously unknown genus of “minute moss beetles” (Hydraenidae) while collecting at two Tasma- nian coastal sites.

7 CESAR PAREDES Canto, President (Rector) of the

Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca in Peru visited the Field Museum March 13 to meet

Dr. César Paredes Canto

with MicHaeL DILLon of the Department of Botany. Dr. Paredes is currently president of the National Assemby of Rectors for northern Peru and southern Ecuador, an organization representing some 52 universities and nearly 450,000 alumni. His visit was part of a month- long trip to the United States supported by the International Visitors Program of the U.S. Information Agency and includes stops in the following US cities: Miami, Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Chicago, Madison, Los Angeles, Austin, and New Orleans. Dillon and Paredes discussed the potential for new cooper- ative educational efforts between Field Muse- um and institutions of higher learning in northern Peru and southern Ecuador.

Und Anrual Members’ Night

May 7,1993 "5 p.m. - lO pm

Visit with the Museum's curators, exhibit developers and preparators, researchers, and educators and learn how their work becomes a Museum exhibit or scientific discovery. Find out what goes on behind the scenes in laboratories, collections areas, and design shops that the public rarely sees.

Present your Members’ Night invitation or membership card at any entrance. Mem- bers may bring their families and two guests. McDonald's and Picnic in the Field will be open until 9:30 p.m. and cocktails and soft drinks will be available for pur- chase at a cash bar.

Parking is free in the Museum lots and in the Soldier Field lot. Free Willet bus ser- vice will be available at 20-minute inter- vals from the Canal Street entrances of Union and Northwestern stations, and at State and Washington, Michigan and Washington, Michigan and Adams, and Balbo and Michigan.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES REVEAL ‘LADY’ UDJA‘S SECRETS

By Jessica Clark

ady Udja, a 26th Dynasty mummy

(663-525 B.C.), is on loan from the

Field Museum to the University of

Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Medical Museum for display in a new exhibit, “The Trail of the Invisible Light: A Century of Medi- cal Imaging.” Derek Notman, M.D., an expert on the use of radiological techniques in mummy research, performed X-rays and CT scans and constructed three-dimensional images of the mummy, providing previously undiscovered information about the ancient Egyptian.

Most strikingly, Dr. Notman discovered that Lady Udja was, in fact, a Lord. The papers that accompanied the mummy when Edward Ayer, the first director of the Field Museum, purchased it in 1894, identified it as female. However, during the medical imaging process- es, a penis was detected, confirming Udja’s gender.

The radiological examinations also revealed that Udja had impacted molars and some arthritis in the big toes, as well as worn- down dental enamel caused by gravel left in flour or meal during the grain-milling process — a trait shared by many ancient Egyptian corpses. Udja’s nasal septum was fractured, perhaps when his brain was removed through his nose during the embalming process.

Dr. Notman speculates that the mummy was of royal descent because of the great quan- tity of linen used and the care with which he was wrapped. Embedded in the layers of linen are a few unidentified tiny circular objects; the scans also reveal a linen bundle between the legs which may be a scroll.

The processes used to examine Udja included conventional X-rays to examine his bone struc- ture, and CT (or CAT— Computed Axial Tomog- raphy) scans to create more complex images of the mummy’s bandaging, soft tissues, and internal condition. CT involves inserting the body into an X-ray tube, allowing for multiple exposures from different angles. The images collected by the scanner are sent to a computer, which process- es and assembles the information and con- structs a cross-sectional image of the scanned area. Plain film X-ray depends on a single exposure to produce a two- dimensional image that might exhibit between 20 and 30 shades of gray; Computed Tomogra- phy provides a much more detailed three- dimensional image, which can recognize and register up to 200 shades of gray.

The mummy, and the images that reveal its imner secrets, have fascinated visitors to the Medical Museum. “The Trail of the Invisible Light: A Century of Medical Imaging” will be on display in the Iowa museum, in Iowa City, through January 1994.

Courtesy University Relations, University of lowa

John Weinstein / GN86701.14C

Top right, Maori hosts and Field Museum tour group prepare to sleep in the successor meet- ing house to Ruatepupuke at Tokomaru Bay, 1986. Below right, the Maori delegation makes its grand entrance to Stanley Field Hall at the Dawn Ceremony rededicating Ruatepupuke II, March 9, 1993. Below, Gabriel Stowe Terrell com- munes with the ancestors after the opening ceremonies.

Ps TAI RS, DOWNSTAIRS |

RUATEPUPUKE

‘A SENSE OF SACRED SPACE’

By Ron Dorfman Editor, In the Field

ith the reopening and rededi-

cation of Ruatepupuke II, the

19th-century Maori meeting

house in the Field Museum, the Friends of Ruatepupuke have achieved the goal they set for themselves seven years ago. Starting out as an ordinary Museum tour group planning a visit to New Zealand, they have become the elders of Ruatepupuke’s American family and have laid a foundation for new forms of cooperation between museums and the peoples whose cultural treasures they hold in safekeeping.

When the members of the tour group were first introduced to the unreconstructed Ruatepupuke by curator John Terrell in November 1985, about five months before their trip, they experienced “a sense of sacred space,” according to Friends member Barbara Ballard. Terrell, who would lead the tour, had made the group’s approach to and viewing of the house especially dramatic because he had an agenda, which was to transform the tour into a diplomatic mission. The group met once a month after that and, by the time the twenty tourists left for New Zealand in March, Ballard says, “we felt we were ready.”

Donald Cameron, the group’s chair, recalls that at their first meeting with the Maori community at Tokomaru Bay where the house once stood, there were two Maori factions, one that wanted to demand the return of Ruatepupuke to its native soil, and another that wanted to con- sider ways of maintaining the house as an outpost of Maori culture in America. The latter group included elders who had been invit- ed to visit the house during the Field Museum’s instal- lation of the touring “Te Maori” art exhibit early in 1986. “We were there,” Cameron says, “to repre-

Don't forget to enter FielA Museuw’s Ceuteunial Raffle!

Your participation in the Centennial Raffle will help to underwrite the cost of the Muse- um’s Centennial celebration, a thank-you to

its members and the public for 100 years of support. The Raffle — members should have received brochures and entry forms by mail — is a wonderful way to travel, study, and learn about the world and its peoples. You can win one of 18 exciting prizes by entering the Raffle for as little as $10 or multiple entries for a larger dona- tion (15 entries for $100). Don’t forget, all entrries must be received by June 25, 1993. For a Raffle brochure and entry form, contact the Women’s Board at (312) 322-9970.

-~May/June 1993 4

Barbara Ballard

John Weinstein / GN86695.26C

sent to the Maori that Ruatepupuke II had a good home and would have a good home back in Chicago.”

In the end, the Maori decided to help restore the house in Chicago. But upon their return the members of the tour group found the Museum gearing up for a major overhaul of its exhibits — a complex, multi-million-dollar program that did not include restoration of Ruatepupuke — and simultaneously undergo- ing a serious intellectu- al dispute among

bureaucracy, but Dorothy Roder [the Museum tours director] was a brick through all this, the center,” she adds.

“Tt was an almost magical fusion of peo- ple,” Cameron says. “You have to realize that we were a totally typical traveling group. Normal- ly when a group gets together on a planned tour they become friends but go their separate ways afterwards. With us the situation became rad- ically different.” They became a kind of family, having been welcomed as a group into the extended family of Ruatepupuke (the legendary ancestor of the Ngati Porou tribe) at Tokomaru Bay. And they had learned from the Maori, Cameron says, to hear each other out, respect differences of opinion, come to consensus, and persevere.

And persevere they did. By 1991, they had the Museum back on board, and funding secured by. the Museum from the Ameritech Foundation for an unprecedented collaboration between American and Maori scholars and arti- sans to make a living Maori marae in the heart of Chicago.

Its major work done, the group hopes to stay together and will meet.soon to discuss its relationship to the functioning house of Ruatepupuke. “It’s gratifying,” says Ballard, “to see so many people being trained as inter- preters — like going back to an old house and seeing new people beginning to love it.”

curators and exhibit developers about the direction of the Muse- um’s public programs. So they constituted themselves the Friends of Ruatepupuke “to keep the issue alive without bugging peo- ple,” Ballard says. “It was difficult making our way through the

It’s never too late to give for a lifetime ... or two.

For more information about how you can benefit from joining the Museum’s Pooled Income Fund, please call or write for your complimentary copy of “How the Pooled Income Fund Works for You, and Us. . .”

Contact Melinda Pruett-Jones ‘Field Museum of Natural History Development Office Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive Chicago, Illinois 60605-2496 (312) 332-8868

John Weinstein / GN86226

MASTERS OF THE ARCTIC

n Saturday, June 5, World

Environment Day, the Field

Museum presents the inter-

national art exhibition, “Masters of the Arctic — Art in the Service of the Earth.” The exhibit brings together contemporary stone sculptures, tapestries, clothing, bas- [ ketry, bone carvings, drawings, and { silkscreen prints to honor the indige- nous peoples who make their homes in the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Northwest Alaska, and the Russian Republics of Chukotka and Sakha.

“Masters of the Arctic” will be on display in the Special Exhibit Gallery from June 5 through August 15, 1993. It features 150 contemporary masterworks contributed by 112 artists work- ing in 83 Arctic communities, and is being displayed in recognition of the United Nations-designated “Year of Indigenous Peoples.”

The works are arranged by location and represent a rich artistic tradition, primarily of carved sculptures. Contemporary Inuit sculp-

LAST DAYS TO SEE

‘TE WAKA TOI’

e Waka Toi: Contemporary Maori Art From New Zealand,” on display in the Museum’s Special Exhibition Gallery, closes May 9.

“Te Waka Toi” (The Carrier of Excel- lence) has been presented as a complement to the opening of “Ruatepupke: A Maori Meeting House,” and features the works of 22 contem- porary Maori artists recognized as leaders in their various artistic fields. Many of these works revolve around a relationship to the arts associated with the building of marae, or gath- ering places; they speak to the need to pass on traditional forms, or to discover new ways to express the values central to the Maori people.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

tures and prints grow out of

an artmaking tradition that is both ancient and modern. In one sense, the works reflect thou-

shared beliefs and cus- toms, yet they are the product of only four decades of development. Modern Inuit art in Canada can be traced to 1948, when the Canadian government and the Hudson Bay Company instituted artmaking activities to help meet the economic needs of the Inuit. Inuit works today are created on the cusp of cultural change, by artists old enough to have retained a strong link to their past as hunters but who live in a world of snowmobiles, satellite dishes, and video games. Artworks like those on display in the museum may mark the final authentic expres- sion of traditional Inuit themes.

Certain themes, such as the portrayal of animals, are common to all settlements. Many carved stone sculptures describe a hunt, the animal hunted, and the spiri- tual identification of an Inuit with other living creatures. The moye- ments of bear, seal, walrus, musk ox, owl, or caribou are presented as in a family portrait. Other carvings depict Inuit myths, transformations of humans to ani- mals and vice versa. Affectionate and protective bonds between mother and child, man and wife are portrayed.

“Masters of the Arctic” was first shown on World Environment Day, June 5, 1989, at the United Nations headquarters, where it received full support from the Canadian, U.S., and Sovi- et missions. While on display in the National Historical Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro,

sands of years of

the exhibit served as a cultur- al centerpiece for the 1992 U.N. Conference on Environ- ment and Development.

The exhibit is accompa- nied by a detailed catalogue, a video demonstrating a day in the life of an artist and her family in the Northwest Ter- ritories, a panel of pho- tographs of artists, a computerized program of artists’ biographies and their art, general photographs depicting Arctic scenes, and educational text panels including a map intro- ducing the circumpolar area. A variety of educational programs will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition; see the “Get Smart” page for more details.

“Masters of the Arctic” is sponsored by Amway Environ- mental Foundation under the aus- pices of the Government of the Northwest Territories; the United Nations Environment Programme; the Greenland Home Rule Govern-

HELD MUSEUM

THE SMART WAY TO HAVE FUN.

ment; the Inuit Circumpolar Conference; North- west Alaskan Native Association (NANA) Regional Corporation; NANA Museum of Arc- tic: and the Russian Chukotka Republic.

At a special Members’ Preview Sweep- stakes on June 2, Air Canada and Tourism Canada are offering a round-trip vacation for two to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

CHINA BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS

hina Between Revolutions: Photographs by Sidney D. Gamble 1917-1927” will be on display in the South Exhibit Gallery through June 20.

The exhibit comprises 81 black and white prints from an archive of pho- tographs by Sidney D. Gamble (1890-1968), the first Western sociologist to fully document Chinese urban and rural life between the fall of the Manchu Dynasty in 1911 and the Com- munist revolution of 1949. The exhibition materials were drawn from almost 4,000 nega- tives, 600 hand-colored slides, and 30 reels of film discovered in the early 1980s by Gam- ble’s daughter in his Riverdale, N.Y. home.

A yideo of historical footage, shot by Gamble on 16mm film in the 1920s, accompa- nies the exhibit and is itself an important visu- al record of one of the most turbulent periods in Chinese history, an exploration of a culture few Westerners ever personally experienced.

The exhibit was organized by the China Institue of America, the Sidney D. Gamble Foundation for China Studies, under the direc- tion of Gamble’s daughter, Catherine G. Cur- ran, with the collaboration of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES). Major funding was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

May/June 1993

5 2 Sunday

Chicago Day

The Field Museum joins fifteen other muse- ums and cultural institutions to kick off the city’s salute to the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, from which so much bounty still flows a century later. Free admission, free shuttle bus service to the participating institutions, and special pro- grams highlight the day. WBBM Newsradio 78, a sponsor along with AT&T and Kraft General Foods, will broadcast live from the Chicago Cultural Center. For a free brochure, call (312) 230-4884.

5/3 sini

Mycology Meeting

This month’s meeting of the Illinois Myco- logical Association will feature “Illinois Mushrooms and Other Fungi” by Dr. Andre Methven, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston. Anyone interested in mush- rooms at any level is welcome. Lecture Hall 2 at 7:30 p.m.; park in the West Lot.

5/4 si

Collections Committee

Join Chris Del Re, Associate Conservator, for a presentation on home conservation of ethnographic organic materials. Members are encouraged to bring objects from their personal collections for the Q&A period. Reception at 5:30 p.m.; program begins at 6:00 p.m. This program is for Collections Committee members only. For information on how to join the Collections Committee call Julie Sass at 322-8874.

ole fami

‘ind the Sten of

‘up to two g est:

5110 san

Camera Club

“Close-ups in Nature” by Tom Holms. Learn more about this important technique in nature photography. Everyone is wel- come. 7:30 p.m. in Lecture Hall 2; park in the West Lot.

May/une 1393

5/14 & 15

Friday & Saturday Margaret Mead Fest

For the first time, selections from the renowned Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival sponsored by the American Muse- um of Natural History in New York are touring nationally. The festival celebrates cultural differences by presenting works from around the world with similar themes: art and society, children and the future, community portraits, sports and culture, and women's stories. 5:30-10:30 p.m Fri- day. 9 a.m.— 4 p.m Saturday. $9 per partici- pant ($8 members) for Friday or Saturday; $15 ($13 members) for both days. Call (312) 322-8854 for more information.

Sty eal

Neighbors Night

The Community Outreach Program hosts its 5th annual Neighbors Night celebrating the ethnic diversity of the people of Chicago. Tour the world with our special Passport Program. And hear “Pop” Staples perform his Grammy-nominated LP Peace to the Neighborhoods. Pam Morris of V-103 FM emcees. 5 p.m.—9 p.m.

5/23 uae

Members’ Lecture ‘At the Field’

Dr. William Burger will present “Why do the Tropics Have So Many Kinds of Plants?” 1:30 p.m., Simpson Theatre; $3 for members, $5 guests.

6/5 sary

Exhibit Opening

“Masters of the Arctic — Art in the Service of the Earth” brings together contemporary stone sculptures, tapestries, clothing, bas- ketry, bone carvings, drawings, and silkscreen prints to honor the indigenous peoples who make their homes in the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Northwest Alaska, and the Russian Republics of Chukotka and Sakha. Through August 15 in the Special Exhibit Gallery, ground floor.

6/14 sini

Camera Club

Wildflowers are the subject of the bimonth- ly slide competition. The mini-program is “Helicopter-hiking in the Canadian Rock- ies” by Beverly Rodgers. Everyone is wel- come. 7:30 p.m. in Lecture Hall 2; park in the West Lot.

6/18 sca.

Members’ Lecture ‘At the Field’

Dr. Janet Voight presents “Octopuses and Squids: Beastly Predators of the Seas.” 1:30 p.m., Simpson Theatre; $3 for members, $5 guests.

6/26 ssn

Canoeing & Collecting

Join the Education Department's geology specialist as you canoe 15 miles on the upper stretch of Sugar Creek in Craw- fordsville, Indiana. Pass through narrow channels, around large rocks, and past his- toric landmarks as you learn more about this area’s geological history and search for fossils. Participants must have previous canoeing experience.

6 a.m.—7 p.m. $60 per participant ($50 members). Call (312) 322-8854.

6/14,16,18

Adult / Toddler Camp

Be a part of our world clubhouse by getting to know animal friends from our own back- yards and faraway places. Learn what children from other countries do for fun and what we can do to make our world a better place. Each day concludes with a snack and storytelling time! 9:30-10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m.—noon. $30 ($25 members) for 1 adult and 1 child.

Call (312) 322-8854.

bbeses ese sees ss ss 055) June—August

Field Guide

New field trips, featured programs with the exhibit “Masters of the Arctic,” a summer camp for adults and toddlers, and a family overnight are just a few of the programs featured in the June-August 1993 Field Guide — Programs for Adults & Children. \f you do not receive a copy by mid-May,

call the Museum’s Education Department at (312) 322-8854. Non-members may also sign up for these programs.

‘MASTERS OF THE ARCTIC’ EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Musical Performance Thursday, June 3 at 1 p.m.

Rosemary Immingaik of the Canadian North- west Terriories, an Inuit singer, will share this unique traditional art form. Gabriel Nirlun- gayuk will also display his mastery of the Inuit drum dance. Free with museum admission.

Alaskan Family Program Saturday & Sunday, June 5 & 6 Wednesday & Thursday, June 9 & 10

Theodore and Phyllis Booth, elders of the Alaskan Inupiaq people and their grandchil- dren, Eli and Phyllis, will share their rich tradi- tions and culture through craft demonstrations, story telling, and song and dance. Craft demon- strations are from 10 a.m.—12:30 p.m.; dance and song performances, 2-3 p.m. Free with Museum admission

Contemporary North: People & Events Tuesday & Wednesday, June 8 & 9 7-9 p.m.

Join “Masters of the Arctic” exhibit curator Christopher Stephens, associate curator Martha Whiting and the Booth family, Inupiaq from Kotzebue, Alaska for a special evening pro- gram on Arctic lifestyles, focusing on Alaska and the Canadian Northwest Territories. Learn about contemporary lives and issues of north- ern peoples. A guided tour of the exhibit fol- lows. $12 ($10 Museum members).

Circumpolar Craft: Inuit Artmaking Saturday & Sunday, July 10 & 11

Join well-known Canadian Baffin Inuit artist Germaine Arnaktauyok and “Masters of the Arctic” associate curator Helen Webster for demonstrations that explore Inuit print and graphic making tradition, and a guided tour of the exhibition. Free with Museum admission.

Symposium: The Living Arctic Saturday, July 17 from 9 a.m.—4 p.m.

The significant contributions made by the Inuit of the Arctic to environmental conservation and sustainable development have been recog- nized internationally. Mary Simon, Ph.D., Spe- cial Envoy with the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), will present a one-day sym- posium with four indigenous circumpolar lead- ers and authorities on the future of the Arctic and its environment. Exhibit curator Christo- pher Stephens will welcome and introduce our speakers from Alaska, Russia, Canada, Green- land and Finland. Topics discussed include the environment, human rights, development issues and the wise use of nature. The sympo- sium is hosted with the cooperation of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and United Nations Environment Programme, and funded by the Amway Environmental Foundation, the Goy- ernment of Northwest Territories, the Govern- ment of Canada, and American Airlines / Canadian Airlines International. $20 ($10 for students/seniors). For registration information, call (312) 322-8854.

aN ae Shull $1,000 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Neck Vertebrae-$400

Back Vertebrae-$250

: oe Hand or — cage Foot-$10

OWN A BONE

_ (NO DIGGING REQUIRED!)

Large Tail Vertebrae-$25

Small Tail Vertebrae-$5

Tibi | ee A $200

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By “buying a bone,” YOU can be a part of Field Museum's mounting of the awesome Brachiosaurus.

_ Amaze your friends and family as you point out the bone that your contribution helped put _ into place. Choose from a scapula, a femur, a tail vertebrae, or even the skull, which housed a brain smaller than a human fist. Donate a bone in someone else’s name — a great gift for dinosaur enthusiasts that will last for generations to come! And come to the festive “Hard Hat Party” the night of July 2 to watch the beast being built — an exclusive treat for “Own a Bone” participants.

For more information, call the Field Museum Development Office at (312) 922-9410, ext. 639. CUP AND SEND

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All contributions < are as deductible. Mail to: Development Office, The Field Museum of Natural History Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605

City State Zip

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BECOME A MEMBER of the Field Museum of Natural

History and receive these benefits:

Free admission

Free coat checking and strollers Invitation to Members’ Night

Priority invitations to special exhibits Free subscription to In the Field 13-month wall calendar featuring exhibit photographs

Reduced subscription prices on selected magazines

Opportunity to receive the Museum’s annual report

10% discount at all Museum stores Use of our 250,000-volume

natural history library

Discount on classes, field trips, and seminars for adults and children

Members-only tour program Opportunity to attend the annual children’s Holiday Tea

Privileges at Chicago’s largest furniture wholesaler

Children’s “dinosaur” birthday card

YOY Bee YW ONE YD YS Vay Yee

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION New Members only. This is not a renewal form.

Please enroll me as a Member of the Field Museum of Natural History

Name Address

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GIFT APPLICATION FOR Name

Address

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MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

wy Individual — one year $35 / two years $65 Family — one year $45 / two years $85 (Includes two adults, children and grand- children 18 and under.) Student/Senior — one year $25 (Individual only. Copy of I.D. required.)

C) Field Contributor — $100 - $249

C) Field Adventurer — $250 - $499

C) Field Naturalist — $500 - $999

(_) Field Explorer — $1,000 - $1,499

All benefits of a family membership

— and more a Founders’ Council — $1,500

Send form to: Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605

7 May/June 1993

VISITOR PROGRAMS

Chicago Historical Society

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Saturday, May 1

11am—4pm Specimen Preparation Watch as museum scientists pre- pare animal specimens for the research collection.

12 noon - 2:00pm Egyptian Hiero- glyphs Have your name written in this ancient alphabet.

1pm World Music presents Poet Paul Mabon. Treat yourself to poet- ry from this spark of light in the inner city.

2pm World Music with Musa Mosely Join Musa as he demon- strates the use and history of drum- ming originating from various African regions.

Sunday, May 2 Chicago Day | Sixteen museums and ether. cultural institutions kick off the city’s salute to the WSorld’s Columbian Exposi- tion of 1893 with free admission, bus service, and special programs. Sponsored by AT&T, Kraft General Foods, and WBBM Newsradio 78. 10am - 4:30pm Scavenger Hunt! Like solving mysteries? Take an adventure through the halls and finding answers to clues. Prizes for those who can!

10am - 4:30pm Ruatepupuke: A Maori Meeting House Visit a tradi- tional meeting house of the Maori of New Zealand through on-going half hour programs.

10pm - 3pm Dino Wagon Join in ona wagon full of dinosaur and prehistoric life activities.

10pm - 3pm Horns and Antlers What's the difference between horns and antlers? Examine a vari- ety of horns and antlers and discov- er their form and function.

11am, 12 noon, and 1pm Messages from the Wilderness Tour Travel through game parks and wildlife areas of distant lands through this highlight tour.

11am—4pm Specimen Preparation See how giraffe and zebra skins gathered in the 1920's are prepared for the research collection. 12:30pm Museum Safari Trek through the four corners of the museum on a highlight tour of exhibits that will take you across the world.

1pm World Music with Musa Mosely Join Musa as he demon- strate the use and history of drum- ming originating from various African regions.

3pm World Music with Balkanske Igre Experience the rich and diverse folk traditions of the Balkans and Eastern Europe through dance, songs and music.

Fway/ine 1993

Thursday, May 6

10am -1pm Weaving Demonstra- tion by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Saturday, May 8

1:30pm Tibet Today and a Faith in Exile A slide presentation which takes you to Lhasa and other places now open to tourists in Tibet.

2pm - 4pm Egyptian Hieroglyphs Have your name written in this ancient alphabet.

Sunday, May 9

11am - 3pm Specimen Preparation Watch as museum scientists pre- pare animal specimens for the reseach collection.

Thursday, May 13

10am -1pm Weaving Demonstra- tion by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Saturday, May 15 Asian Heritage Festival

10am -4pm Celebrate Asian Her- itage Month with Field Museum during Asian Heritage Festival, a free one day event celebrating Asian American commu- nities. Traditional cere- monies include a Thai wedding and Chinese tea ceremony, martial arts, dance, and music perfor- mances, a bonsai display | & and demonstration, and highlights of Field Muse- | um's collections from Asia.

2pm - 4pm Egyptian Hieroglyphs Have your name written in this ancient alpha- bet.

Thursday, May 20

10am -1pm Weaving Demonsira- tion by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Saturday, May 22 lam—4pm Weaving Demonstration by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Sunday, May 23

11am - 3pm Specimen Preparation Watch as museum scientists pre- pare animal specimens for the reseach collection.

14pm Weaving Demonstration by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Saturday, May 29

12 noon - 2pm Egyptian Hiero- glyphs Have your name written in this ancient alphabet.

Thursday, June 3

1pm Drum Dancer & Singer Dis- cover the distinctive Inuit traditions of singing and drum dancing in this performance.

Saturday, June 5

10am-12:30pm Alaskan Family Craft Demonstration Three genera- tions of this Inuit family demon- strate traditional crafts such as making fish nets, grass baskets, sewing skin, and creating hair pins and necklaces.

2pm Alaskan Family Performance masked dance and singing.

Sunday, June 6

10am-12:30pm

Alaskan Family Craft Demonstra- tion Three generations of this Inuit family demonstrate traditional crafts such as making fish nets, grass bas- kets, sewing skin, and creating hair pins and necklaces.

2pm Alaskan Family Performance masked dance and singing.

Wednesday, June 9

10am-1 2:30pm

Alaskan Family Craft Demonstra- tion. Three generations of this Inuit family demonstrate traditional crafts such as making fish nets, grass bas- kets, sewing skin, and creating hair pins and necklaces.

2pm Alaskan Family Performance masked dance and singing.

Thursday, June 10

10am -1pm Weaving Demonstra- tion by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

10am-12:30pm Alaskan Family Craft Demonstration. Three gener- ations of this Inuit family demon- strate traditional crafts such as making fish nets, grass baskets, sewing skin, and creating hair pins and necklaces.

2pm Alaskan Family Performance masked dance and singing.

Saturday, June 12

1pm World Music presents Tanglaw Dance Troupe in an excit- ing display of dance, music and tra- ditional clothing representing the

richness and diversity of Philippine culture.

Thursday, June 17

10am -1pm Weaving Demonstra- tion by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Saturday, June 19

lam—4pm Weaving Demonstration by the North Shore Weaver's Guild. 1pm World Music with Rita War- ford presents a program that high- lights the traditions of jazz.

Monday — Friday, June 21-25 11am-—2pm

Free Highlight Tours. Topics and times vary daily.

Thursday, June 24

10am -1pm Weaving Demonstra- tion by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Saturday, June 26 : 1am—4pm Weaving Demonstration by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Saturday, June 27 1am—4pm Weaving Demonstration by the North Shore Weaver's Guild.

Monday-Friday, June 28-July 2 llam—2pm

Free Highlight Tours. Topics and times vary daily.

Daniel F. & Ada L. Rice Wildlife Research Station

Resources for further study of zool- ogy, ecology and conservation through videotapes, computer pro- grams, educator resources, books and activity boxes are available. Daily 9am-5pm

Webber Resource Center Native Cultures of the Americas Books, videotapes, educator resources, tribal newspapers and activity boxes about native peoples of the Americas are available. Daily 10am—4:30pm

Harris Educational Loan Center Chicago area educators may bor- row activity boxes and small diora- mas from Harris Center. For more information call: (312) 322-8853. Open House Hours:

Tuesdays 2:30-7pm

Thursdays 2:30-5pm

Saturdays 9am—5pm

Place For Wonder

A special room of touchable objects where you can discover daily life in Mexico, in addition to an array of fossils, shells, rocks, plants and live insects.

Weekdays: 12:30-4:30pm Weekends: 10am—4:30pm

Pawnee Earth Lodge

Walk into a traditional home of the Pawnee Indians of the Great Plains and learn about their daily life dur- ing the mid-19th century. Free pro- gram tickets are available from the Information Desk in Stanley Field Hall.

Weekdays: 1pm program Saturdays: 10am—4:30pm; Free tick- eted programs at 11, 12, 2 & 3. Sundays: 10am—4:30pm

Ruatepupuke: A Maori Meeting House

Discover the world of current Maori people of New Zealand at the trea- sured and sacred Maori Meeting House.

Open daily 9am-5pm

Balkanske Igre Dance Ensemble appears on Chicago Day, Sunday, May 2, at 3 p.m.

ENGINEERING...

(Continued from page 1)

this fish to produce a previously unknown design of the jaws — but the system is con- trolled using the old version of the software. The control of movement by muscles and nerves (the software) is a central subject in biomechanics, behavioral studies, and in areas of medical research as well.

In a second project, observations of singing birds led us to wonder if head and beak movements helped to produce sounds during song. We know that birds use a unique organ in the windpipe called the syrinx to produce vibrations, similar to the way our vocal cords produce vibrations during speech. But we won- dered: Are the vocal tracts of birds like a musi- cal instrument, such as a trombone, that produces changes in pitch by altering its length and volume? To test this idea, we recorded the head movements of white-throated sparrows and swamp sparrows (see photo below). At the same time, we recorded the acoustic content of their songs. The video and audio were synchro- nized by computer and the results were clear — the birds flared the beak to produce high- pitched notes, and closed the beak during low notes. This supports the idea that the windpipe and mouth cavity of birds act as a resonance chamber for sound. We can now begin to dig deeper into the question of how the lungs, syrinx, wind-pipe, and beak are controlled by muscles to produce songs. Through study of the biomechanics of song production in birds, we may learn principles of sound production in all animals.

Biomechanics is not so much a sub-disci- pline of biology as it is an attitude, an approach to biology that cuts across all biological fields. Principles of physics and engineering affect the way molecules of DNA are shaped, the way cells divide in a freshly fertilized egg, and the ability of a fish to swim against a racing moun- tain stream. Thus, biomechanical studies have important applications in many areas of biolo- gy as well as some surprising applied uses in the area of human engineering.

For example, let’s look at a fish swimming up a stream to see how much useful informa- tion there might be in knowing how it works. What a gold mine! We can study the structure and function of that individual fish to deter- mine how the design of fishes in general allow them to generate forward propulsion. How much force do muscles exert to bend the back- bone? How do tendons transmit motion to the skeleton? Fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals often have the same kind of muscle and bone con- A nections. Therefore, answers to these kinds of questions can help us to better understand the engineering design fea- tures of all vertebrate animals, including humans.

Biomechanics is far-reaching, and it impacts the ecology of every habitat. The abili- ty of fishes to swim against current is an integral part of their ecology. Swimming mechanics will dictate many facets of their life, from catching food to finding mates. Biomechanics also

Frequency (KHz)

Figure 3

operates on a broader evolutionary time scale. A large part of evolution for a particular way of life is driven by the fact that animals adapt to the physical forces of the environment. At the Field Museum we are combining our knowlege of the evolutionary tree of fishes with the study of the biomechanics of swimming to draw con- clusions about the different ways that evolution has shaped the bodies of fishes for moving through the water.

How else can we use biomechanics? There are lots of practical uses for biomechanical information, many of which appear in our lives every day. It is no accident that the hulls of ships have a streamlined shape much like that of a swimming fish, or that the wings of air- planes are shaped like those of a soaring bird. The tires on your car are made of synthetic rub- ber, a substance originally engineered by nature in rubber trees and now copied by humans. Fiberglass, plastic, and graphite composites that are in construction materials, golf clubs, and fishing poles are often modeled after mate- tials such as bone and wood that have shown engineers how to design stronger materials. Research on human biomechanics has pro- duced artificial organs and prosthetic limbs. A new field of engineering, called bio-mimetics, is revolutionizing the design of synthetic mate- rials by mimicking the properties of biological tissues like bone, wood, muscle, skin, and mucus.

Every living thing is an example of the engi- neering genius of the process of evolution, and there are many interest- ing biomechanical ques- tions to ask in the years ahead. How does a fish fin work? Why can water striders walk on water? How has evolu- tion shaped fish heads for feeding on different things?

Although the questions are relatively sim- ple, obtaining complete answers requires the study of many aspects of biomechanics. They are nonetheless questions well worth posing.

Figure 2

Note 2 Upsweep/Note 3

Figure 1. Frames 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 from a high speed film (200 frames/sec.) of the feeding strike of the sling-jaw, Epibulus insidiator. The feeding event is fast, occuring in 0.04 seconds. Successive frames are 0.005 sec apart. See Figures 2 and 3 for the anatomy and mechani- cal design of the jaws.

Figure 2. Mechanical design of the head of the sling-jaw fish, Epibulus insidiator. Bones and ligaments of the head are shown when the jaws are (A) slightly protruded, and (B) almost fully protruded. Many of these bones are very different from those of all other fishes. The mechanical diagrams to the left show the motions of thc bones duling feeding. Heavy arrows in (A) indicate the pull of muscles on the neu- rocranium (NCR) of the skull and on the opercle (OP) of the gill cover. Lighter arrows indicate the forward motion and rotation of the jaws and the bones supporting the jaws. Abbreviations for bones and liga- ments of the head: ART, articular; DT, dentary; HM, hyomandibula; HY, hyoid; IOP, interopercle; IOP-M lig., interoperculo-mandibular ligament; MX, maxilla; NCR, neurocranium; OP, opercle; PAL, pala- tine; PMX, premaxilla; PMX-MxX lig., premaxillary-maxilla ligament; QU, quadrate; SOP, subopercle; VO, vomer; VO-IOP lig., vomero- interopercular ligament. Scale bar = 1 cm.

Figure 3. Sonagram and associated video images of a white-throated sparrow song. The sonagram (A) shows the changes in frequency over time of the pure-tonal notes of the song. The first image (B) shows the partially closed beak associated with note 1, sung at a low frequency. The second image (C) illustrates the more flared beak position associ- ated with note 2 which is sung at a higher frequency. The third image (D) corresponds to the lowest frequency at the beginning of the upsweep portion of note 3. The arrows in A mark the points in time from which the video fields in B, C, and D were taken.

May/June 1993

BABBITT PLAN...

(Continued from page 1)

In October 1989, the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution convened a symposium on the biology of Mt. Graham, This “sky island” of coniferous forest in a “sea” of desert had become an environmental battle- ground because plans to install an astronomical observatory on the summit imperiled popula- tions of an endemic red squitrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis. Found nowhere else on Earth, the squirrels live in the highest-eleva- tion forests favored by astronomers for clear, unobstructed visibility.

I had studied these and other montane pop- ulations of mammals during graduate school, focusing on their evolutionary origins. Over- whelming evidence suggests that montane mammals colonized isolated mountain ranges of the Southwest during the Pleistocene Epoch, 12,000 — 2 millon years ago. Advancing conti- nental ice sheets brought cool, moist climates to this region, permitting coniferous forests to become established at low elevations. Montane mammals used these low-lying forests as corri- dors to reach what are currently isolated peaks. With the retreat of continental glaciers and the return of hot, dry climates at lower elevations, the intervening forests disappeared. Now iso- lated from all other populations, montane mam- mals (and other organisms in their habitats) diverged from each other, in some cases differ- entiating as new species or subspecies.

Two mammals living on Mt. Graham had attained such evolutionary distinction, the red squirrel and a long-tailed vole or meadow mouse. Both were named as endemic sub- species of wider-ranging forms, the squirrel being restricted to high-elevation forests and the vole to high-elevation meadows. Given their restricted distributions and small initial population sizes, it was perhaps inevitable that 20th-century developments would imperil both creatures. In the early 1980s, both were placed “Under Notice of Review” by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, empowering that agency to collect information necessary to determine their status and, if necessary, to list them as endan- gered or threatened. Sufficient evidence for listing was obtained only for the red squirrel.

At the symposium, I learned the true limi- tations of the Endangered Species Act, with its restrictive focus on mitigating impacts on listed species. Roads to the observatory, and con- struction at the site, were to minimize impact on the forest habitat. This was achieved, of course, by maximizing use of the open mead- ows. This development is certain to have adverse effects on vole populations, as both federal and state wildlife officials acknowl- edge. However, only when vole populations reach a critical stage of vulnerability recog- nized officially will they be entitled to protec- tion under the Endangered Species Act.

The Babbitt initiative would seek to antici- pate such problems by developing baseline information on all of the nation’s biotic diversi- ty. Faced with proposals for land development on Mt. Graham, the Interior Department could consult map libraries of red squirrels, long- tailed voles, and dozens of other species of plants and animals restricted there, assessing vulnerabilities of populations to development. With a national database at hand, conceivable outcomes of the observatory proposal might include either development plans that distribut- ed risk among Mt. Graham’s endemic species or the identification of alternate sites within the region whose development would not be so costly biologically.

Babbitt’s plan to initiate a national biologi- cal survey reflects prevailing scientific opinion concerning environmental needs. By mapping species and their habitats, and combining these data with patterns of human use and develop-

Se 10

Systematics and Conservation: Forging a Partnership

Field Museum of Natural History’s lath Annual Spring Systematics Symposium

ment, our government will be able to anticipate environmental problems and work towards coordinated solutions to them. The goal of the program will be an up-to-date, evolving picture of the nation’s diversity and the ecological and land-use changes that affect it.

A national biological survey will extend and coordinate a process now being carried out piecemeal by diverse state and local govern- ment agencies and private organizations. Usu- ally such surveys are initiated by governments or foundations, but are executed in association with museums and universities. Collections of natural history museums often contain the most comprehensive records available on plant and animal distributions. Assembled over decades or even centuries, such collections afford unique insights into historical range changes as a result of modern development. This crucial role for collections is even more pronounced outside the U.S. For many areas of the tropics — home to more than half the world’s plant and animal species — museum collections pro- vide the only distribution records now ayvail- able. Babbitt’s plan for a national survey may even help to fuel much-needed coordination efforts at an international scale. As environ- mental conditions in eastern Europe grimly attest, environmental problems do not recog- nize national boundaries, and coordinated inter- national solutions are needed to resolve them.

U.S. Lags in Inventory Effort

Until the Babbitt initiative, the U.S. has lagged behind other developed and developing nations in efforts to inventory its natural resources. During the 1980s, federal funding for such efforts (mainly grants from the Nation- al Science Foundation) was so limited that only one percent of the world’s diversity was under active systematic study. Relatively huge out- lays of funds were focused on a handful of highly vulnerable species requiring “emergen- cy room care,” and not all of the programs proved successful. Babbitt’s plan to reallocate $12 million from within the Interior Depart- ment’s diffuse research budget reflects consid- ered scientific opinion that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Thomas Lovejoy of the Smithsonian Insti- tution and Peter Raven of the Missouri Botani- cal Gardens are scientific advisors for the

undreds of scientists and conser-

vationists — two groups that have

frequently been at odds despite a commonality of interest in the Earth’s bio- sphere — will meet in a day-long public symposium at the Field Museum on May 8. Hailing from major museums, universi- ties, and conservation organizations, par- ticipants will explore the potential for establishing collaborative relationships to formulate practical and effective means of addressing pressing environmental con- cerns.

The event is the Museum’s 16th annu- al Spring Systematics Symposium, and the topic this year is “Systematics and Conser- vation: Forging a Partnership.”

Scientists who practice systematic biology — the science of biological diver- sity — agree with conservationists that environmental health can be sustained only by protecting the biological diversity the Earth’s various ecosystems support. They also recognize that they should assume more responsibility for using systematic information in the context of protecting biodiversity. Traditionally, however, this responsibility has been shouldered by con- servationists, who must deal with environ- mental issues in the real world of political pressures and shifting governmental priori- ties. As a result, the two groups have sometimes been in conflict, with systema- tists criticizing the conservationists for making decisions that are unduly influ- enced by political expediency, and the conservationists reproaching the systema- tists for their failure to be more responsive to societal needs.

Finding common ground between sys- tematists and conservationists is a primary objective of the symposium, which is expected to act as a catalyst for speeding the dissemination of baseline information, and thus enhance cooperation on all perti- nent matters.

The symposium will be held in Simp- son Theater from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be followed by a reception in the Webber Resource Center. Registration (at the West Door) is $20 for students and $35 for others.

Babbitt initiative. Raven cites this as “truly a historic moment,” similar to the founding of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1879. The U.S.G.S. is now one of the nation’s premier research organizations. One can only hope that the biological survey achieves a similar level of funding and success.

BRACHIOSAURUS...

(Continued from page 1)

In its prehistoric heyday, the Field Muse- um Brachiosaurus was a terrestrial animal measuring 75 feet from head to tail, with a head-height of 40 feet. By contrast, Apatosaurus — commonly known as Bron- tosaurus — weighed 35 tons and stood 15 to 20 feet tall. A member of the plant-eating sauro- pod family of dinosaurs, Brachiosaurus was shaped something like a giant giraffe, with a long neck, small head, long forelimbs and rela- tively short hind limbs, and a brain no bigger than a man’s fist. It lived during the Jurassic Period, becoming extinct sometime before that geological period ended 140 million years ago.

The Field Museum's Brachiosaurus was excayated in 1900 by paleontologist Elmer Riggs, who discovered the fossilized remains in a hill just outside Grand Junction, Colorado. Among the bones that Riggs found were a rib nearly ten feet long and a six-foot, eight- inch—long femur that weighed 600 pounds. Judging by the size and shape of these and other bones, Riggs determined that not only had he found a dinosaur of monstrous propor-

tions, but one whose very existence had been previously unsuspected. His Brachiosaurus became the “holotype,” the reference specimen first scientifically described and identified as a new dinosaur species.

The original bones are too fragile to be mounted and in any case must be kept available for research, but they will be placed on public display along with the reconstructed skeleton, Only one other Brachiosaurus has been mount- ed, in Germany, and the Field Museum mount will be the largest dinosaur ever displayed in the Western Hemisphere.

that will appear in the exhibit “Life Over Time,” scheduled to open in June 1994.

Mounting of the Brachiosaurus is being made possible in part by the Museum’s “Own a Bone” campaign (see coupon, page 7), through which individuals or groups can sponsor a spe- cific bone — as little as $5 for a tooth or small tail vertebrae and as much as $1,000 for the skull or foreleg. Contributors will be recog- nized with a certificate and on a plaque in Stan- ley Field Hall.

Curator of Geology Elmer Riggs, below, lies

The fiberglass casting and reconstruction of the Brachiosaurus was done by Field Museum prepara- tors and specialists at PAST, Inc. (Prehistoric Animal Structures, of Alberta, Canada). PAST has been working with Museum staff for a year and a half on the installa- tion of seven dinosaurs

humerus.

TALKIN’ ABOUT T. REX

Saturday, May 22, 10 a.m. James Simpson Theatre $7 ($5 members)

John Horner, Ph.D., Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies, discusses the excavation of the nearly complete specimen of Tyrannosaurus rex he found three years ago in the hills of east- em Montana. Very few complete Tyrannosaurus skeletons have been found — its mystique making it one of the most popular and least studied of the dinosaurs, He recently co-authored a new book with Don Lessem entitled The Complete T. rex. He will discuss their latest findings including Tyrannosaurus rex’s morphology as well as the possibility that it could have been the largest scavenger that ever lived Dr. Horner will explain the problems with consider- ing 7. rex an active hunter and killer, as well as other interesting features of this fascinating animal. Copies of his new book will be available for purchase and signing after the lecture. Call (312) 322- 8854 for ticket information.

next fo a Brachiosaurus femur on site in Col- orado, 1900. At left is his assistant, preparator H.W. Menke, standing next to the animal’s.

Richard Rush

May/June 1993