ews

Published Monthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

JANUARY, 1941

No. 1

NEW HABITAT GROUP SHOWS SEALS AT "UNCLE SAM'S FUR FARM" IN ALASKA

By WILFRED H. OSGOOD

CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY

Probably most women who wear beautiful
and expensive sealskin coats have rather
hazy ideas of the animal which produces
them. They may think of sealskin as a very
rare and unusual commodity coming from a
distant and probably foreign country, per-
haps from somewhere near the North Pole.
Few suspect that sealskin is to a large extent
an American product grown on Uncle Sam's
own fur farm in Alaska.

ever lands anywhere else. The American
government, therefore, has made the islands
a special reservation where the seals can be
controlled almost like domestic animals. In
fact, they have an advantage over domestic
animals for they feed themselves without
cost, living on small fishes and other marine
life. Laws and regulations have been made
regarding their care, and only the surplus not
needed for breeding is taken for fur. Thus it
is quite logical to speak of the Pribilof
Islands as "Uncle Sam's Fur Farm."

group is undoubtedly the largest fur seal
exhibit in any museum of the world, as well
as being one of the largest groups of any kind
of animal in this institution. In addition to
the seals, the group contains twenty-four
birds representing five species.

Reproduced in the exhibit is a scene repre-
senting the barren rocks of the Pribilofs
where these animals establish their rookeries.
The seals are mounted in life-like attitudes
showing them just as they were studied "on
location" by Staff Taxidermist C. J.

"Home Life" of the Fur Seal

Forty animals — "bulla," "cows," and "pups" — are shown in this new group in the Hall of Marine Mammals (Hall N). The seals were collected on the Pribilof Islands by
Staff Taxidermist C J. Albrecht who, together with Staff Artist Arthur G. Rueckert, prepared the exhibit. Some 2,000,000 seals come to these islands each summer to breed.

There are many kinds of seals, but those
that produce the highly prized fur all belong
to one species and live in the north Pacific
Ocean. Most of their time is spent on the
high seas away from shore, but every summer
they gather in immense numbers to rear their
young on land, concentrating on a few small
islands. There are three distinct herds, two
relatively small ones belonging to Japan and
Russia, and one very large one belonging to
the United States. The summer home of
the American herd is on the two small Pri-
bilof Islands, which are only ten or twelve
miles in length, and situated far out in the
middle of Bering Sea west of the Alaskan
mainland. The instinct of the seals to return
to the same place year after year is so strong
that it has never been violated and not one

The "home life" of the fur seal is illus-
trated in a new habitat group placed on
exhibition last month in Field Museum's
Hall of Marine Mammals (Hall N). The
group shows how sealskin coats were
intended to be worn — by the seals them-
selves. And, by the way, more than 2,000,000
seals now have them, that being the size of
the present-day herd, whereas only 10,000
women per year are able to obtain real seal
coats under the conservation measures in
force. The annual permitted kill is 60,000
fur seals, and the average number of skins
required for each woman's coat is six.

Containing forty animals, including huge
"bulls" as the mature males are called, the
much smaller "cows" as the females are
known, and young seals called "pups," the

Albrecht, who in 1937 conducted a .special
expedition to collect them. Since that time,
Mr. Albrecht has been engaged in prepara-
tion of the group. The background was
painted by Staff Artist Arthur G. Rueckert.
Mr. Albrecht was enabled to visit the Pribi-
lofs and collect the seals under permits
granted by the United States Department
of the Interior. He obtained fresh speci-
mens without firing a shot or lifting a har-
poon, by selecting what he needed from
among the carcasses of those slain through
the severe strife that exists among the large
bulls during the breeding season. Mr.
Albrecht then made necessary plaster casts
for taxidermic work, skinned the seals on the
spot, and preserved the pelts for mounting.
If their fur was the only interesting thing

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

January, 19^1

about fur seals, their story would be a short
one. But they have many very peculiar and
interesting habits. Most of these are
involved in three general characteristics:
that of being exceedingly gregarious and
gathering in tremendous herds; that of being
migratory, making a long regular journey
every year; and that of being polygamous to
an extremely high degree.

Their gregariousness is evident all their
lives, but especially on their breeding
grounds where they crowd together by tens
of thousands in practically solid masses on
the beaches, forming the most stupendous
exhibition of mammalian life in the whole
world. There is no concealment, and the
observer, looking out over the vast mass of
great lumbering beasts, feels as if he might
have been transported back into some pre-
historic age. In early days the American
herd was estimated at approximately two
million seals. Later there was much waste-
ful and unregulated killing until, in 1911,
the number had dwindled to scarcely more
than two hundred thousand. Since then, by
means of international treaties protecting
the seals on the high seas and good adminis-
tration on land, the herd has steadily
increased until now it again contains about
two million animals, and it is steadily increas-
ing. Today there is no waste — even the
remainder of the carcasses, after the skin
has been removed, furnishes by-products
such as penetrating oil, and "seal-meal"
used to feed the fish in trout hatcheries.

SEALS MIGRATE TO FAR SEAS
The entire herd spends the summer on
the Pribilof Islands, arriving in the spring
and departing in the fall on a long migration
thousands of miles to the south to spend the
winter at sea in the latitude of southern
CaUfornia and Mexico. This is the most
remarkable example of migration among
mammals, and has all the mystery and fas-
cination of bird migration. The seals go
out of Bering Sea past the Aleutian Islands,
and then strike south across the broad
Pacific, plowing their course against wind,
waves, and current with the unswerving
directness of a ship guided by compass.

The male fur-seal is four or five times as
large as the female, and weighs several hun-
dred pounds. He is called a bull probably
on account of his loud bellowing voice, as
his size, and his shaggy silver-tipped coat,
give him more resemblance to a short-legged
waddling grizzly bear. On the breeding
grounds his disposition is ferocious, bluster-
ing, and domineering. The female, or cow
seal, on the other hand, is quite the reverse
— small and slender, with a mild and gentle
disposition and a manner sometimes almost
coy and confiding.

Early in the spring the old bulls come to
the islands and station themselves at inter-
vals along the boulder-strewn beaches. For
some days or weeks the solitary bulls wait.
When the females come, a little later, they

gather in groups quite appropriately called
"harems," each of which is presided over by
an old bull. These harems vary in size from
four or five to forty or fifty and, sometimes,
even seventy-five or one hundred females to
one male. The average number is about
forty. The bulls guard these harems most
jealously and are kept busy day and night.
They do not fight to get the cows, for these
come to them voluntarily, but they cer-
tainly fight to keep them, and sometimes it
is a struggle to the death. The bull who
gets the most cows is not necessarily the
best looking or strongest, but more likely
the one that has the most favorable position
on the beach as the cows come in. There-
fore, it is the female who does the choosing
among seals; but if she doesn't like her choice
she is obliged to put up with it nevertheless,
for if she tries to leave, the bull is instantly
after her and likely to "treat her rough."
The harems, when full, present a wonderful
sight. Each big burly bull, thick-necked,
shaggy, and defiantly dignified, sits sur-
rounded by a company of sleek, soft-coated
and liquid-eyed females, swaying their grace-
ful bodies sinuously from side to side, slowly
closing their eyes and dozing, or playfully
snapping at each other. If a nearby bull
sneaks in with the idea of segregating some
of the cows for himself, this peaceful scene
changes and a fight is on, but possession
seems to be "nine points" in most cases.

A bull dares not leave his harem un-
guarded for it would immediately be
appropriated by another, so he is obliged to
remain in his place without food and prac-
tically without rest for the long period of six
to nine weeks during which more cows con-
tinue to come in, young seals are born, and
domestic affairs go on. His long-continued
strength and vigor without food is unparal-
leled among mammals. At the beginning of
the season, he is in magnificent physical con-
dition, full-bodied, thick-necked, quick-
moving, arrogant, and vigorous. Little by
little he becomes thinner and thinner until, at
the end, he is scarcely more than a shadow
of his former self. He then retires to sleep
continuously for several days, after which
he goes to sea to feed and recuperate.

THE "pups" ARE PLAYFUL

Each of the cows has one young, and one
only — twins are unknown. Although its
sire is called a "bull" and its mother a "cow,"
the young fur-seal is called a "pup." It is
only necessary to see one to appreciate the
appropriateness of the name. The pup's hair
is short, crinkly, and glossy black, quite dif-
ferent from the rich warm brown of older
seals. Its face is wrinkled and its expression
most serious, so, altogether, it suggests the
young canine very decidedly. After the
early part of the season, every seal rookery
includes a very large number of pups. They
are everywhere from the waterfront to the
caves and crevices at the extreme rear of
the rookery. Like the young of most mam-

mals, they have cute ways, running from the
ludicrous to the pathetic. They remain on
land some five or six weeks, nourished by
their mother's milk and growing rapidly.
Then they begin to take to the water to
swim, and when the herd goes south in the
fall they shift for themselves. At this time
they are killed in large numbers by a voraci-
ous, toothed whale known as the killer.
These killers have been seen to dash into
a school of small seals and literally cut them
to pieces, tossing them into the air, and
rushing about in a frenzy.

FUR COATS COME FROM "BACHELORS"

A very important class of fur seals in-
cludes the young males from two to six
years of age, called "bachelor seals." They
are celibates by force rather than from
choice, for they are rigidly excluded from
the breeding grounds by the ferocious old
bulls. True to their gregarious instinct, the
bachelors gather on land adjacent to the
breeding grounds and play.

It is from these adolescent seals that
our sealskin comes. About as many males
as females are born but, on account of the
polygamous habit, a large percentage of the
males are unnecessary for breeding purposes.
Therefore, these superfluous males are taken
for their skins, and, since females are always
preserved, this has no effect on the growth
and continuance of the herd. Thus it is
possible to manage the seals much as a
stockbreeder does a herd of cattle or sheep.

Since the purchase of Alaska by the
United States in 1867, some 4,000,000 fur
seals have been killed on the Pribilof Islands
for their skins. From these the government
has received a revenue of nearly $15,000,000
in addition to the very large profits obtained
by the private companies to whom for forty
years the sealing privilege was leased.

KILLING IS STRICTLY SUPERVISED

The seals are killed in a humane manner,
under supervision of government agents,
by experienced "natives" (Eskimos, Indians,
Scandinavians, and other inhabitants of the
islands) who have grown up in the sealing
business. The bachelor seals are naturally
segregated in separate areas, and when they
are desired for killing, the sealers simply
run between them and the water. On being
thus cut off from their retreat, they start
up, huddle together, and then may be
guided in any desired direction. Because
they proceed more slowly, they are easier
to manage than any domestic animal.

Removing the skin is a simple process
accomplished by experienced hands in a
few minutes. After cooling, the skins are
taken to what is called the "salthouse," and
here each is rolled in coarse salt and laid
away. A week later, they are resalted,
spread flat with folded edges, and packed in
solid masses between thin layers of salt. In
this condition they keep well indefinitely
and are thus transferred to ships and sent
to market in the United States and elsewhere.

Janiiary, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 3

DR. W. H. OSGOOD RETIRES FROM ACTIVE SERVICE; KARL SCHMIDT IS NEW ZOOLOGY CHIEF

Dr. Wilfred Hudson Osgood, for more
than thirty-one years a member of the staff
of Field Museum, and, since 1921, Chief
Curator of the Department of Zoology,
retired from active service on December 31.
He will remain, however, as Chief Curator
Emeritus, and the Museum will thus con-
tinue to enjoy the benefit of his broad
knowledge and valued service. He plans to
complete a number of important research
projects in which he has long been interested.

Dr. Osgood is a graduate of Leland Stan-
ford University, and took his Ph. D. degree

Blac^kstone photo

Dr. Wilfred H. Osgood

MotTett photo

Karl P. Schmidt

in 1918 at the University of Chicago. Before
coming to Field Museum he was engaged as
Assistant Biologist in the United States
Biological Survey for twelve years, thus
making a total of forty-three years in zoo-
logical work. Dr. Osgood joined the staff
of Field Museum on July 1, 1909 as assistant
curator, and became head of the Depart-
ment of Zoology in 1921.

Recognized in scientific circles as one of
the country's foremost zoologists. Dr.
Osgood is in addition a well-known lexicog-
rapher and a contributor to encyclopedias.

Dr. Osgood has led many important
expeditions for Field Museum, in South
America, Africa, and Asia. Among the
most important were the Marshall Field
Expedition to Chile in 1922-23, the Magel-
lanic Expedition of Field Museum which in
1939-40 explored and collected in the
southernmost reaches of South America
rounding out the explorations of 1923, and
the Chicago Daily A/^ewJs-Field Museum
Abyssinian Expedition in 1926-27. Dr.
Osgood personally financed and conducted
an expedition to French Indo-China in 1937
with resulting large and important additions
to the Museum's zoological collections, and
in recognition of this contribution the Board
of Trustees elected him a Contributor. His
researches and scientific publications are ex-
tensive, and are internationally known, and
he is author also of several charming books
for lay readers.

As a master of museum technique Dr.
Osgood has few peers, and to his knowledge

of zoology, and his "special sixth sense" of
what constitutes an exhibit which will
succe.ssfully accomplish its mission of educa-
tion, may be traced much of the excellence
which characterizes Field Museum's zoo-
logical halls today. In him are combined
the qualities of the research scientist, the
educator who can transmit knowledge to
adult and child layman alike, and the
critic, artist, and philosopher. He possesses
the ability to direct others in the creation
of such a work as a habitat group, and the
highly sensitive qualities of perception which
enable him to recognize unerringly when his
or their work is (or is not) "just right."
As an editor, his judgment and counsel in
the preparation of scientific books and
papers, and written material for the layman
also, has benefited every member of the
staff of his department and won their highest
respect. This is particularly notable in
regard to the preparation of the texts for
exhibition labels, which is indeed a special
and exacting separate art, not comparable
to most other forms of written expression,
since these labels must tell so much so
exactly in so few words.

Beyond all that may be said of Dr.
Osgood's inherent abilities, his wide knowl-
edge and experience, and his accomplish-
ments, there stand even more prominent
his personal charm and his kindly and
sympathetic nature, which have endeared
him not only to the members of his own
department, but to every man and woman on
the staff of the entire Museum. It is a
pleasure to all of them to know that, al-
though he is passing the reins of active
departmental direction to younger hands,
he is still to remain among them as a
scientist, as a Field Museum personality,
and as a friend.

K. P. SCHMIDT IS SUCCESSOR

Successor to Dr. Osgood as Chief Curator
of the Department of Zoology is Mr. Karl P.
Schmidt, whose appointment to that post
becomes effective January 1, 1941.

A graduate of Cornell University, Mr.
Schmidt was connected with the American
Museum of Natural History, New York,
as Research Assistant and Assistant Curator
of Herpetology from 1916 to 1922. In the
latter year he joined the staff of Field
Museum as Curator of Amphibians and
Reptiles. He has attained an international
reputation as one of the foremost specialists
in the study of amphibians and reptiles. In
addition, he has a broad background of
knowledge in other branches of biology and
geology, and has made significant contribu-
tions to the general field of animal geography.
He has participated in many Field Museum
expeditions, notably the Marshall Field
Expeditions to Central America in 1923,
and to Brazil in 1926, and he was leader of
the scientific staff on the Cornelius Crane
Pacific Expedition (1928-29), one of the

largest expeditions in the history of the
Museum. In 1939-40 he accompanied Dr.
Osgood on the Magellanic Expedition. He
is the author of many technical papers, and
also of books for laymen.

C. H. POPE IN HERPETOLOGICAL POST

Mr. Clifford H. Pope, appointed Assistant
Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles during
the past year, takes Mr. Schmidt's place
as Curator of that division. He has had a
notable career as scientific collector and
traveler in China, and is especially well-
known for popular books on reptiles which
rank among the "best sellers" of scientific
literature. He is recognized as the principal
authority on Chinese amphibians and
reptiles.

PERMANENT APPOINTMENT TO DR. DROUET

Dr. Francis Drouet has been given a per-
manent appointment as Curator of Cryp-
togamic Botany, following his completion
of a two-year temporary appointment begun
in 1938. During the first two years of his
association with the Museum, Dr. Drouet
has begun reorganization of the collections
of cryptogamic plants in the Department of
Botany, and has conducted an expedition
to the American Southwest and Mexico.

D. D. DAVIS PROMOTED

Mr. D. Dwight Davis, has been promoted,
effective from January 1, from Assistant
Curator to Curator of Anatomy and Oste-
ology. He joined the Museum staff in 1930

Clifford H. Pope

Francis Drouet

as an Assistant in Osteology. He has
conducted numerous research projects, and
was a member of an expedition to the
Chisos Mountains in southwestern Texas
in 1937, and of the Leon Mandel Caribbean
Expedition in the early part of 1940.

OTHER PERSONNEL CHANGES

Mr. Loren P. Woods, who joined the staff
as a guide-lecturer in the Raymond Founda-
tion in 1938, has been transferred to the
Department of Zoology where he will be
Assistant Curator of Fishes. Mr. Paul O.
McGrew, an Assistant in Paleontology
since 1938, has been promoted to Assistant
Curator of Paleontology.

Page J,

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

January, 19Jfl

HIDDEN INSCRIPTIONS— Discovery Leads into Ancient Politics, Tax Frauds, Even Clothes Pressing

By C. martin WILBUR

CURATOR OF CHINESE ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY

In Peking, just before returning from the
Blackstone Expedition to China (1910), the
late Dr. Berthold Laufer, former Curator
of Anthropology at Field Museum, secured
four bronzes reported to have been excavated
that very year in the prefecture of Honan.
Two were nearly identical stands, each
having a heavy, semi-globular base and a
tall stem surmounted by a squatting bear;
underneath one bear was a three-word
inscription meaning "Number 18." In his
notes Dr. Laufer wrote: "Unique; nothing

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These Tell the Story

Two inscriptions (here shown in modern Chinese
characters) which were discovered on ancient Chinese
bronzes at Field Museum during reinstallation of exhils-
its. The earliest (a.d. 60) begins at the upper right. In
the originals, each inscription was a single column of
characters. Translations, and an analysis of their sig-
nificance, will be found in the accompanying article.

like them illustrated in Chinese archaeo-
logical books. Han." The Museum has
exhibited these rare stands for thirty years.

Bronzes excavated in China often have
a crust of earth adhering with such cement-
like firmness as to be almost a part of the
patina. Because some bronzes removed
from exhibition to make room for a lacquered
wooden grille (described in the last issue of
Field Museum News) seemed never to
have been entirely cleaned of this crust, Mr.
Darwin Hanson, a preparator, volunteered
to make them more presentable. By lucky
chance, on the very second day of scraping
and picking, he discovered an inscription
cut into the base of the supposedly unin-
scribed bear-head stand, and a hasty trans-
lation showed it to be dated.

While this discovery was being studied,
Mr. Hanson examined the other bronzes to
see whether any of them, too, had un-
suspected writing. He soon found evidence
of a second inscription on another of the
four Honan bronzes, this one purportedly a
lamp. This inscription was also incised,
but its very thin line was almost impercepti-
ble, due to the heavy crust of earth and
coarse patina. So shallow was the cutting
that there was danger of destroying the
inscription during cleaning. Mr. Robert

Yule, Assistant in the Department of
Anthropology, whose native language is
Chinese, undertook this delicate task.
Constantly using a magnifying glass, he
carefully scraped off patina with dilute
acid and a scalpel, and slowly cleaned out
the lines of the Chinese characters, fre-
quently stopping to consult with the writer
and Mr. Charles Hu, an expert on forms of
ancient Chinese writing. By comparing
doubtful characters with similar ones in
published rubbings of Han bronze inscrip-
tions, strokes were detected which might
otherwise have been missed.

Only a few Chinese bronzes are inscribed,
and of Han inscriptions not many are dated.
Specimens with genuine dates are guide-
posts for dating uninscribed pieces of similar
style. Field Museum, by discovering two
dated inscriptions, has thus added to the
data upon which antiquarians build their
stylistic chronology. The inscription on
the second and older piece translates as
follows: "Bronze sacrificial stand [or lamp?]
of the household of the Marquis of Ts'ai-
yang. Height, three [Chinese] feet; weight,
31 chin. Made by workman Shih in the
third year of Yung-p'ing." This tells what
the object is, its height and weight in Chinese
measure, who owned it, who made it, and
when it was made.

ancient POLITICAL SLOGANS

Yung-p'ing is the name of a "reign period."
From Han times on, each emperor selected
a name to typify his reign. If some happy
event worth commemorating occurred, or if
things were going badly, he quickly adopted
a new name. If in America we reckoned by
a chronology based on campaign slogans
such as "A chicken in every pot," "Every
man a king," or "The New Deal," the
situation would be analogous. During the
2,000-odd years under this system there
were some 800 reign periods in China.
However, favorite titles were chosen over
and over, and unless the name of the
dynasty is given it is not always possible to
say what date is represented. The term
Yung-p'ing, "Everlasting Peace," was adopt-
ed three times: in a.d. 58, 291, and 508.
Since there was no third year for the second
reign, the alternative dates are a.d. 60 and
510. Two things indicate the earlier of
these. The style of characters is "archaic,"
like that of Han times, but different from
that of the sixth century; and the measures
of height and weight tally closely with
known Han measures.

Chinese weights and measures were
standardized in a.d. 9, about the middle
of the Han period (206 B.C. to a.d. 220).
Some of the standards still exist, and we
know the system on which they were based.
Consequently, Dr. Homer H. Dubs, trans-
lator of the History of the Former Han
Dynasty, has been able to compute Han
measures in Occidental terms. The inscrip-

tion says the stand is 3 feet high. In a.d. 9
the "foot" was 9.094 English inches, so
our stand should measure 27.282 inches —
it is actually 27.937, a discrepancy of less
than three-quarters of an inch. The Han
chin weighed approximately 8.6 ounces,
so a piece weighing 31 chin should be about
266.6 ounces. The present weight is 260
ounces. The loss could be accounted for
by the destructive effects of long burial.

HOW tax INCREASES WERE HIDDEN

This close correlation between the in-
scribed height and weight and the actual
measures helps confirm the earlier date in
the following way. Chinese weights and
measures were increased slowly after a.d. 9
until now the Chinese foot is 14.1 English
inches, while the chin weighs one and a
third pounds, instead of 8.6 ounces. One
of the reasons is interesting. Taxes in grain
were paid in measures of capacity, and those
in silk were paid in bolts of established
length and width. By the expedient of
officially increasing standard measures,
customary taxes could be increased without
altering the tax structure. This is the
opposite of "short weighting," but the
principle of fraud is the same. The standard
measures of the sixth century are not known,
but it is most unlikely that they still
conformed so closely to the middle Han
standards as do the measures which appear
on the bronze.

Since the names of both maker and owner
are given, the sacrificial stand (or lamp)
was probably made on order for the Marquis
by workman Shih. There is no hope of
learning more about workman Shih, but in

Pressing Stand and Brazier

Copy, from a woodblock in a Chinese antiquarian's
book, of the only illustration so far found of a com-
plete set. The brazier resembles modern Chinese
"irons" for pressing clothes. Heat is provided by
burning charcoal placed in the cup. The stand holds
the dangerously hot working part when not in use.

January, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

the unindexed History of the Latter Han
Dynasty there may be a reference to that
Marquis of Ts'ai-yang who lived in a.d. 60.

The inscription discovered on the bear-
head stand reads: "On the twenty-eighth
day of the intercalary month of the first
year of T'ai-ho, the Central Imperial Atelier
made this bronze pressing man |i.e., stand]
and pressing brazier. Weight 46 chin.
Number 82."

The Imperial Atelier made furniture of
all kinds for palaces. T'ai-ho, "Great
Harmony," was used four times in Chinese
history, the dates of adoption being a.d.
227, 366, 477, and 827. The first three each
had an intercalary month during the first
year, so only the last can be eliminated for
lack of one; but judging from historical
facts, style and content of the script,
decorative treatment of the stand, and the
opinion of Chinese antiquarians, the first
date is the more probable. If this is correct,
the stand was made on February 21,
A.D. 228 (the intercalary month came at
the end of 227, or actually in the next year
by our solar calendar). The weight is of
no value in checking, because it probably
referred to the combined weights of stand
and brazier, and the latter is missing.

USED TO PRESS CLOTH, OR Vl'ARM BED

What do the terms "pressing stand and
pressing brazier" signify? A possible answer
is provided by the accompanying illustration,
which is the only one so far found of a
complete stand and brazier set. It appears
in the Liang lei hsien i ch'i t'u shih by Wu
Ytin, an antiquarian of the last dynasty;
the original bore an inscription with a date
probably corresponding to A.D. 229.

In this drawing the long handle of a
brazier rests in the hole cut through the
stand just below the ornamental bear. This
brazier resembles modern Chinese "irons"
for pressing clothes, except that the latter
have shorter handles. For heat, burning
charcoal is placed in the cup. Long handled
objects of the sort, but without covers,
from Han times, are figured in many Chinese
antiquarian works and often called by the
modern term for irons. Full of burning
charcoal, a Chinese iron gets very hot, and
when not in use it must be .set on something
that will not scorch. One with as long a
handle as shown in the illustration would
tip over easily; therefore a stand with a
broad heavy base would be a suitable holder.
Our stand was certainly made to hold a
long-handled pan or brazier, but was the
pan actually used for ironing? Judging
purely from appearance, the brazier could
have been used equally well as an old-
fashioned radiator or a bed-warmer.

Chinese paintings of every-day life help
to visualize the past. One of the earliest
known, now in the Boston Museum of Fine
Arts, is an eleventh century copy of an
eighth century original. It pictures Chinese
women preparing silk. One of them is

pressing cloth with a long handled brazier,
while nearby a small girl fans a charcoal
stove. Close to it is a stand with a broad,
semi-spherical base and long stem, corre-
sponding almost exactly in shape to Field
Museum's inscribed one. It seems signi-
ficant that a brazier for ironing and a
stand closely similar to Field Museum's
much earlier one appear together in a scene
largely devoted to pressing cloth.

Dr. Laufer correctly recognized this stand
as rare. The great Chinese antiquarian
Jung Keng, who has probably handled
more ancient Chinese brohzes than any
other authority, had up to 1933 apparently
never seen a complete set. In connection
with his own brazier cover, exactly like that
figured by Wu Yun, he mentions Wu Yiin's
illustration. He cites also a stand figured
in the Hsu k'ao ku t'u, two upper halves
of stands in the Eumorfopoulos collection,
and another he once saw on the Peking
market. Add to his list a few more illus-
trations, one actual stand which might be
the piece he saw in Peking, and now Field
Museum's two stands, and you have the
approximate total of known specimens.
This rarity is perhaps surprising since the
Museum's specimens were respectively the
eighteenth and eighty-third of the sets in
which they were made. Such is the mortality
rate on ancient Chinese bronzes.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Curator S. K. Roy Returns
from Geology Expedition

The physical geology exhibits at Field
Museum will be greatly augmented in scope
as the result of specimens obtained by Mr.
Sharat K. Roy, Curator of Geology, who
returned in December from an expedition of
more than three months, collecting in both
western and eastern states. Various locali-
ties in Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota,
Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Massa-
chusetts, and Connecticut were combed by
Mr. Roy in his search for rock specimens
demonstrating the subject of structural and
dynamic geology. During part of the expe-
dition's work Mr. Roy was accompanied by
Assistant Curator Henry Herpers.

Another Contribution Received
from Mrs. James N. Raymond

In December, for the third time during
1940, Mrs. James Nelson Raymond made
a contribution of $2,000 to the Museum
for the support of the activities of the
James Nelson and Anna Louise Raymond
Foundation for Public School and Children's
Lectures, which she founded and endowed
in 1925. The Foundation is constantly
increasing the scope of its services to the
schools and the children of Chicago, and
the continued generosity of Mrs. Raymond
makes possible extensions of activities which
would not otherwise be possible.

Bronze Rein Rinji
(Kish 2900 B.C.)

A What-is-it Puzzle From Ancient Kish

Among the bronze rein rings excavated,
with other relics of chariots, from tombs at
the ancient city of Kish by the Field Muse-
um-Oxford University Joint Expedition, and

now on exhi-
bition at the
Museum in the
Hall of Baby-
lonian Archae-
ology (Hall K),
is one deco-
rated with the
unusual figure
of an antlered
ruminant. It
dates to about
2900 B.C. Just
what animal
the ancient
Sumerian art-
ist modeled is
today a puzzle
equally to
archaeologists,
paleontolo-
gists, and zo-
ologists, and
remains open
to wide specu-
lation. Museum visitors may find diversion
in studying it and offering their own answers.
One suggestion that has been made is that
it may represent a deer (possibly a species of
the family Cervidae unknown to modern
zoologists), shown hobbled as it was allowed
to graze in the private zoological park of
some Kish noble. Another theory, supported
by the presence of two sets of horns, is that
the figure depicts a survival of a genus of
giraflfe now extinct, known to paleontologists
from fossils associated with the Pleistocene
period (which began one to one and one-
half million years ago), and designated by
the name Sivatherium. Individuals of this
giraffe group might have persisted in the
Kish area after passage over their migration
route from India to Africa, it is reasoned,
and thus may have become known, or even
captured and domesticated, by the Sumer-
ians. Again, the rein ring may be an attempt
by the artist to depict a giraffe merely from
hearsay. The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
was known in prehistoric Egypt, and a
Sumerian sculptor, hearing about it, might
have utilized the familiar deer for a model,
adding the frontal horns. In this case, a
plausible explanation of the short neck of
the animal in the rein ring would be that
the artist doubted the veracity of his inform-
ant, as well he might if he had never seen
the animal in life. — R.A.M.

A model illustrating what is known of
the internal structure of the earth is ex-
hibited in Clarence Buckingham Hall.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

January, 19 Ul

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893
Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Lester Armour Samuel Insull, Jr.

Sbwell L. Avery Charles A. Mcculloch

W. McCoHMicK Blair William H. Mitchell

Leopold E. Block George A. Richardson

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field Albert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley Field Albert H. Wetten

Albert W. Harris John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

Albert A. Sprague Finl Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

Albert W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith. . .Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Clifford C. Gregg, Director of the Museum. . . .Editor
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgrbn Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichols Chief Curator of Geology

Wilfred H. Osgood Chief Curator of Zoology

H. B. Harte Managing Editor

Members are requested to Inform the Museum
promptly of changes of address.

FLORIDA TREE-SNAILS

By fritz HAAS
curator op lower invertebrates

The strikingly colored snails of the genus
Liguus are a most conspicuous feature in the
fauna of southern Florida. Although repre-
sented there by numerous species and races,
they are not aboriginal inhabitants of the
area they now occupy, but are immigrants
(rather recent, in a geological sense) from
Cuba, where the genus may have originated.

An exhibit of these odd snails has been
added to the Hall of Lower Invertebrates
(Hall M). The specimens were collected by
the Field Museum Florida Expedition
(1939), conducted by Staff Taxidermist
Leon L. Walters and the writer. Mr. Frank
H. Letl, Preparator of Accessories, modeled
the soft parts and accessories for the exhibit.

The Liguus snails are especially interest-
ing, not only because of the almost un-
believable variation of colors and patterns
shown by their shells, but also because of
their quite unusual way of living. The
beauty of the shells, which may be observed
in the Museum exhibit, has attracted many
Florida amateur biologists into specializing
on the collecting and study o! Liguus. They
have even created a new word for their
hobby — they call the collecting of these
snails "ligging." This "Hgging" is quite
different from ordinary shell collecting, for
the Liguus do not live on or beneath the
ground, as most of our native snails do, but
on trees. The Museum exhibit shows them
in characteristic habitat on a branch of
gumbo limbo tree.

The haunts of these snails are principally
in the Everglades — not the low swampy
parts, but the dry and mostly wooded higher
hills called "hammocks." Since these ham-
mocks are usually widely separated from

each other, and since the tree-snails, even if
they come down to the bottom, cannot
migrate from one hammock to another,
isolation has created different races oi Liguus
on almost every one. Due to the lumber
industry, part of the hammocks have lost
their trees, and with the disappearance of
trees, various races of tree-snails which had
dwelt on them have been exterminated.
Though an arboreal animal, the tree-snail
does not feed on the leaves of its host tree,
but exists by devouring the mushrooms,
lichens and other outgrowths on the tree's
bark. It never leaves the tree it has chosen,
but late in August or in September it crawls
to the ground, burrows into the leaf mould
or moss, and deposits its eggs which occur
in clusters of from four to eight. A tree-
snail must have attained an age of at least
three years to perform this act of propa-
gation. It is not known whether, after
having laid its eggs, a snail returns up the
tree again to live there another year and
then repeat the act of egg-laying, or if it
inevitably dies after the first time. The
eggs themselves, slightly kidney-shaped and
of pea-size, remain hidden in the mould for
about six months, until the warm rains of
spring cause them to hatch. Once out of
their egg-shell, the young tree-snails crawl
on the ground until they select a tree for a
home. Climbing up the trunk, they settle
there or on a branch to complete their
growth and ultimately continue the cycle
of life. But the Liguus are not active over
all this time, for during the hot and dry
months they retire into their shells which
they glue to the bark or the leaves by means
of a quickly hardening slime. When mois-
tened by the fall rains, the slime softens
quickly and releases the snails.

COLOMBIAN PLANTS STUDIED

Field Museum received recently on loan
200 sheets of plants belonging to the coffee
or quinine family, gathered ninety years ago
in the mountains of Colombia by Jose
Triana, pioneer collector of plants of that
country. The collection, now the property
of the Institute Botanico of Bogota, was
sent by courtesy of Dr. Jose Cuatrecasas of
that institution, formerly director of the
Botanic Garden of Madrid. The series was
studied and determined by Mr. Paul C.
Standley, Curator of the Herbarium, who
is particularly interested in this large family
of plants. The specimens proved to be of
exceptional scientific interest because many
of them were collections from which new
species have been described. A very large
number of new Colombian species was
described from the Triana collections, the
largest representation of which is at Paris,
where they were studied and described by
Triana and the French botanist Planchon.

With the Triana collection, there was
received from Bogota, for deposit in the
Herbarium of Field Museum, a fine series

of plants of the same family (Rubiaceae),
obtained in the course of the extensive
botanical explorations now being conducted
in various remote parts of Colombia by in-
vestigators for the Institute Bot&nico.

NEW MAMMAL EXHIBIT

The desert portions of Mongolia are inhab-
ited by an interesting species of wild ass, a
specimen of which has just been placed on
exhibition in Hall 15. The desert vegetation
of scattered bunches of grass and various
bushes supplies food, but water is scarce
and these animals may live for some time
without it.

The Mongolian wild ass gathers in herds
of thousands just before the young are born,
later on splitting up into smaller bands.
The goitered gazelle often associates with
the wild ass to form curiously mixed groups.

The Museum's specimen was received
from the Asiatic Expedition of the American
Museum of Natural History, New York, as
part of Field Museum's share in the col-
lections. Dr. Roy C. Andrews, leader of
the expedition, writes that a wild ass pur-
sued in a car averaged thirty miles an hour
for sixteen miles, and was not caught until
it had run twenty-nine miles. The speci-
men was prepared for exhibition by Staff
Taxidermist Julius Friesser. — CCS.

One of the most important "strategic
materials" today is rubber. In Hall 28 of
the Department of Botany is an exhibit
including many of the principal varieties of
the crude material, showing how those from
widely separated localities differ.

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEU.M

Field Museum is open every day of the year
{except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below :

November, December,

January, February . . . .9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
March, April, and

Septemijer, October . . .9 a.m. to 5 P.M.
May, June, July, August. 9 a.m. to 6 P.M.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted free
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educational institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and Anna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
April, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines, Rapid Transit Lines (the "L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles at the Museum.

Jamiary, 19^1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

Photo by J . Bayalis

Edmond N. Gueret

IN MEMORIAM

Edmond Narcis Gueret

1859-1940

In science, as in other walks of life, it is
the lot of many to be laborers in the vine-
yard. No revolutionary discovery or novel
idea focuses attention upon them. Theirs
is the less spectacular, but scarcely less
important, job of providing with delicately
trained fingers the materials without which
clumsier hands would be helpless.

One of these was Edmond N. Gueret, who
for sixty-five of his eighty-one years had
one unvarying goal — the preparation of

animal skeletons

and special osteo-
logical dissections
that layman and
scientist alike
would recognize as
the best that hu-
man fingers could
devise. The teach-
ing materials in a
dozen medical
schools, the halls of
osteological ex-
hibits in many mu-
seums and espe-
cially in Field Mu-
seum, and innum-
erable preparations
in Field Museum's research collections will
be a lasting monument to his skill.

Mr. Gueret was born at Saumur, France,
in 1859 — the year made notable by the
publication of Charles Darwin's revolution-
ary Origin of Species. He came to this
country as a child, and at the age of fifteen
began a career that was to last for twenty-
five years at Professor H. A. Ward's Natural
Science Establishment in Rochester, New
York. "Ward's" was one of the first bio-
logical supply houses in America, and be-
came an incubator for a whole brood of
men who later dominated an astonishing
variety of fields. Mr. Gueret was one of the
last survivors of this extraordinary group.
It is curious that his entire career was
determined by one of Professor Ward's many
eccentricities — his firm conviction that only
a Frenchman had the makings of a
thoroughgoing osteologist.

Mr. Gueret accompanied the enormous
collection exhibited by Professor Ward at
the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893,
and assisted in installing it. In 1900, after
the collection had been purchased as a
nucleus for the newly-organized Field Mu-
seum, he joined the staff of this institution
as osteologist. Thus he was associated with
the Museum throughout most of its entire
existence to date.

From the 45-foot right whale to the tiny
ruby-throated hummingbird, nearly every
skeleton exhibited in Hall 19 was mounted
by Mr. Gueret. Scientists for generations
to come will thank him for dozens of beauti-

ful preparations in the research collections
of the Division of Anatomy.

His colleagues will long remember Mr.
Gueret for his unfailing good humor, his
extraordinary kindness, and his devotion
to his chosen work. In truth, he had no
enemies and every man was his friend.

— D.D.D.

Staff Notes

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was
conferred on Mr. Alexander Spoehr, Assist-
ant Curator of American Archaeology and
Ethnology, by the University of Chicago at
its quarterly convocation held December 17.

Dr. B. E. Dahlgren, Chief Curator,
Department of Botany, has returned to his
post at the Museum after an extended trip
to Brazil.

Mr. Emmet R. Blake, Assistant Curator
of Birds, has been appointed chairman of
the field committee of the Chicago Orni-
thological Society, and is conducting groups
of members on field trips during weekends
to study the local birds of the Chicago area.

Mr. Rudyerd Boulton, Curator of Birds,
recently lectured before the Zoology Club of
the University of Chicago on "Problems in
West Indian Ornithology." Staff Taxiderm-
ist John W. Moyer lectured on "Making the
Dead Appear to Live," before the School
Assembly Service. Mr. Bryant Mather,
Assistant Curator of Mineralogy, spoke
before the Chicago chapter of the American
Gem Society on "Diamonds in the United
States." Dr. Julian A. Steyermark, Assist-
ant Curator of the Herbarium, lectured
on "Introducing American Plants into
American Gardens" before the Midwest
Horticultural Society, and on "Exploring
Guatemala for Plants" before the Men's
Garden Club of Chicago.

Gift from Chief Curator Nichols

Mr. Henry W. Nichols, Chief Curator of
the Department of Geology, has presented
the Library of the Museum with a valuable
collection of scientific journals from his per-
sonal library. In most cases the files of the
periodicals are complete. Among the publi-
cations included are Chemical Abstracts,
Mining and Metallurgy, Journal of the West-
ern Society of Engineers, Technology Review,
Mining Technology, Transactions of the
American Institute of Mining and Metal-
lurgy, Journal of Industrial and Engineering
Chemistry, and Scientific Monthly.

Michigan Librarians Visit Museum

Sixty-five librarians from various cities
and towns in Michigan, recently brought to
Chicago for a week's visit by the W. K.
Kellogg Foundation, spent part of one day
at Field Museum. They expressed a keen
interest in the Museum's activities, espe-
cially the work being done for children.

1,200 RADIO EDUCATORS STUDY
MUSEUM PROGRAM METHODS

In recognition of the excellence of the
radio follow-up work of the James Nelson
and Anna Louise Raymond Foundation of
Field Museum, in co-operation with the
Radio Council of the Chicago Public Schools,
the Museum was invited to present a
demonstration of its type of program before
the Fourth Annual Broadcast Conference
held in Chicago on December 5. Twelve
hundred delegates from all over the country
attended. Miss Miriam Wood, Chief of the
Raymond Foundation, represented the Mu-
seum, and gave the demonstration.

"4-H" Club Farm Boys and Girls
On Annual Visit to Museum

During the week of December 2 many of
the thousands of people from all over the
country attending the International Live
Stock Exposition also visited Field Museum.
Some came singly, some in groups, large and
small. As in past years, selected representa-
tives of the rural boys and girls, brought to
Chicago by the National Congress of 4-H
Clubs, visited the Museum. On December
3 more than 770 girls were conducted on
Museum tours by members of the staff of
the James Nelson and Anna Louise Ray-
mond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures, and on December 5
some 750 boys were given similar service.

The N. W. Harris Public School Extension
of the Museum also co-operated by installing
several of its traveling exhibits at the Live
Stock Exposition.

Guatemala Expedition Progresses

Mr. Paul C. Standley, Curator of the
Herbarium, reports favorable results thus
far from the botanical expedition which he
is conducting in Guatemala. Since arriving
in that country in October, Mr. Standley
has collected in various portions of the
Oriente, including the Departments of
Zacapa, Chiquimula, Jutiapa, Jalapa, and
Santa Rosa. In less than two months'
collecting almost 5,000 numbered collec-
tions have been obtained. These will form
a most important supplementary series for
comparisons and additions to specimens
previously brought from Guatemala by
Curator Standley and Assistant Curator
Julian A. Steyermark.

Trustees Honor Mrs. F. S. Fish

Mrs. Frederick S. Fish, of South Bend,
Indiana, and New York, was elected to the
Museum's list of Contributors at a recent
meeting of the Board of Trustees. This
honor was in recognition of a notable gift
of carved marble lions from China, pre-
sented by Mrs. Fish, and now on exhibition
in George T. and Frances Gaylord Smith
Hall (Hall 24, Chinese Archaeology).

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

January, IHl

CAVE MAN IS THE SUBJECT
OF SUNDAY LECTURES

"Digging Up the Cave Man's Past" is
the subject of the Sunday afternoon lectures
to be presented at Field Museum during
January by Mr. Paul G. Dallwig, the
Layman Lecturer. The lecture will be
illustrated with the life-size dioramas of
various types of prehistoric man in the
Hall of the Stone Age of the Old World.
Mr. Dallwig will trace for his audiences the
physical evolution of man, and his cultural
development through the Old and New
Stone Ages. Special attention will be given
to prehistoric art. Dramatizing various
phases of his story, Mr. Dallwig will con-
duct his audience on an intimate visit to
the Neanderthal family in their cave home.
The mode of living, and various incidents
typical of the lives of these and other early
races of man, will be outlined in vivid style,
and Mr. Dallwig will reconstruct the story
of a romantic tragedy deduced from study
of the skeleton of a Magdalenian woman.

To meet the demands for accommoda-
tions, the same lecture will be presented on
each of the four Sundays of the month
(January 5, 12, 19, and 26). Lecture
audiences assemble promptly at 2 p.m.
Because the number that can be conducted
among the exhibits under comfortable cir-
cumstances on a lecture of this type is
limited, it is necessary to make reservations
for all Sunday lectures well in advance.
This may be done by mail or telephone
(WABash 9410). Children cannot be accom-
modated. The lectures last until 4:30 p.m.,
but midway there is a half-hour intermission.
During this interval those who desire to
smoke or obtain refreshments may do so in
the Cafeteria, where special tables are
reserved for the group.

In February Mr. Dallwig's lectures will
be on "Nature's 'March of Time'," dealing
with prehistoric animals, and will be illus-
trated by the exhibits in the Hall of His-
torical Geology (Ernest R. Graham Hall).
Reservations for February are currently
being taken.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

The following is a list of some of the
principal gifts received during the last
month:

Department of Anthropology:

From University of Illinois, College of
Dentistry, Chicago — a skull of male white
American; from Stanley Field, Chicago —
17 photographs of the Ward African bronzes
in the United States National Museum.

Department of Botany:

From Dr. P. A. Munz, Claremont, Calif. —
41 herbarium specimens. South America;
from Bill Bauer, Webster Groves, Mo. — 201
herbarium specimens, Missouri, Illinois, and
Kentucky; from Julian A. Steyermark and
Paul C. Standley, Chicago — 125 herbarium
specimens, Illinois; from W. A. Daily,
Cincinnati — 68 specimens of Myxophyceae,

Ohio and Kentucky; from University of
Texas, Austin — 125 herbarium specimens,
Mexico.

Department of Geology:

From Henry Herpers, Chicago — 3 micro-
slides of minerals, Pennsylvania; from R. R.
Becker, Gainesville, Fla. — 18 groups of
fish teeth and one echinoid, Florida; from
Henry W. Nichols, Chicago — 2 mica con-
densers; from William E. Menzel, Chicago
— a specimen of brown "mahogany" onyx
marble, Mexico.

Department of Zoology:

From Charles H. Seevers, Chicago — 12
flies, Colombia and Panama Canal Zone;
from Dr. Harry Mock, Evanston, 111. — a
mountain lion skeleton, New Mexico; from
Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, 111.
— 7 birds and 9 mammals; from Henry S.
Dybas, Chicago — 733 insects and allies,
United States and Colombia.

The Library:

Valuable books from Dr. Henry Field,
Chicago; Rev. George Link, Grafton, 111.;
and Carnegie Institution, Washington, D.C.

Raymond Foundation:

From National Broadcasting Company,
Chicago — 45 recordings of Field Museum's
"How Do You Know?" radio broadcasts.

JANUARY GUIDE-LECTURE TOURS

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for January:

Wednesday, January 1 — New Year holi-
day, no tour; Thursday — General Tour;
Friday — Designs in Wood (Miss Marie B.
Pabst).

Week beginning January 6: Monday —
Minerals in Trades and Professions (Mr.
Bert E. Grove); Tuesday — General Tour;
Wednesday — The Races of Man (Mrs.
Leota G. Thomas); Thursday — General
Tour; Friday — Plants in Primitive Societies
(Miss Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning January 13: Monday —
The Geology of Our National Parks (Mr.
Bert E. Grove); Tuesday — General Tour;
Wednesday — The World's Housing Problem
(Miss Elizabeth McM. Hambleton); Thurs-
day— General Tour; Friday — An Evolution-
ary Story of Animal Life (Mrs. Leota G.
Thomas).

Week beginning January 20: Monday —
The Shaping of the Earth's Surface (Mr.
Bert E. Grove); Tuesday — General Tour:
Wednesday — How the World Amuses Itself
(Miss Elizabeth McM. Hambleton); Thurs-
day— General Tour; Friday — The Geologic
Record of Plants (Miss Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning January 27: Monday —
The Shaping of the Earth's Surface (Mr.
Bert E. Grove); Tuesday — General Tour;
Wednesday — Animals in Art (Miss Elizabeth
McM. Hambleton); Thursday — General
Tour; Friday — The Relationship of Animals
to Environment (Mrs. Leota G. Thomas).

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director,
special tours are available to parties.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
November 16 to December 16:

Contributors

Mrs. Frederick S. Fish

Associate Members

Richard J. Finnegan, Dr. Earle Gray,
Mrs. Jacob G. Joseph, Joseph B. Pierson,
Edward S. Rogers, Louis Sisskind, Gardner
H. Stern.

Annual Members

William N. Achenbach, George D. AUman,
William R. Barker, Paul W. Brandel, L.
Perkins Bull, H. W. Collins, Dr. Clinton A.
Elliott, Mrs. John D. Farnham, James G.
Fisher, A. H. Gairns, E. R. Geagan, Albert
L. Gottschalk, Henry F. Hagemeyer, Dr.
Helen Hersh, Mrs. W. B. Katzenberger,
Dr. Elizabeth Thompson Koppenaal, Charles
E. Larson, George C. Lazear, Joseph B.
Mudd, Mrs. Helen C. Murphy, William M.
Murray, J. Stanley Ness, Emery Robinson,
David F. Rosenthal, Mrs. W. F. Schick,
Mrs. Clifton M. Utley, John B. Whitelock,
Miss Marie Witham.

Geologists Meet at Museum

The Mid-West Federation of Geological
Societies recently met at Field Museum.
Mr. Bryant Mather, Assistant Curator of
Mineralogy, acted as host.

.MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum has several classes of Mem-
bers. Annual Members contribute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and are
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually for six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Kesident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Kesident Associate Members $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
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PRINTED BV FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

MPNews

Published Monthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

FEBRUARY, 1941

No. 2

HOUSING, FOOD, CLOTHING AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES OF PREHISTORIC INDIANS

By PAUL S. MARTIN

CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOCY

Life in North America about A.D. 1000,
or nearly 500 years before the "discovery"
of this continent, is graphically depicted in
a new exhibit recently added to the Hall of
Southwestern Archaeology (Hall 7) at Field
Museum.

In its desire to make its collections tell
their story in a more realistic and vivid
manner. Field Museum devotes much effort
to the creation of elaborate habitat groups
of animals, and restorations of prehistoric

Pueblo, Colorado, recently excavated by the
Field Museum Archaeological Expedition to
the Southwest. In this room, shown as
being furnished simply and in accordance
with materials found at the Lowry Ruin, a
woman is seen kneeling on the floor and
grinding corn with a grinding stone (mano)
and a large stone hollowed out like a trough
(metate). A man is shown stepping over the
high threshold, bringing the dinner meat, a
rabbit which he has just killed.

This ancient kitchen is a far cry from the
present day housewife's labor-saving elec-

they bartered products with their neighbors.

Arranged about this painting of a room
interior are some of the familiar, homely,
everyday objects which the Indians used in
hunting game and growing and preparing
other foods. These include digging blades
used in planting seeds, a stone used for
grinding corn, arrowheads used in hunting,
a flaker used to make arrowheads, and a
turkey-call whistle used in hunting game.

The "clothing panel" features a sketch of
a Pueblo man and woman wearing twelfth
century summer clothing. They remind one

'^Apartment Building" in Southwestern Colorado. Eleventh Century A.D.

Lowry Pueblo as it is believed to have appeared when at the height of its occupancy by prehistoric Basltet Maker Indians. The reconstruction is in the form of a paint-
ing, by Miss Anne Harding, based upon data obtained by Dr. Paul S. Martin, Chief Curator of Anthropology, under whose supervision a Field Museum expedition excavated
the ancient site during a period of several years. The original painting, in colors, forms part of a new exhibit recently added to the Hall of Southwestern Archaeology (Hall 7).

animals and early man amid their natural
surroundings. However, much important
material is not susceptible to such treat-
ment. Therefore, to avoid monotony in
cases filled only with small objects, pictures
form a welcome addition, especially if they
show the relationship of the objects to their
everyday or ceremonial use.

The effectiveness of such pictures is
emphasized in the new exhibit representing
early Pueblo Indian culture. One side of
the case is devoted to carefully selected,
related specimens, interspersed by colorful
sketches graphically humanizing the story
of the objects — sketches simple in tone, but
realistic, and more exciting than photographs.

There are four vertical panels grouping
objects connected respectively with food,
clothing, housing, and religion. In the center
of the "food panel" is a painting of a recon-
struction of the interior of a room at Lowry

trically equipped kitchen with shelves
stocked with boxed cereals and canned goods,
and a delivery boy bringing in a package of
lamb chops. But at least there were no
salesmen pestering the lady of the Pueblo
house to buy expensive articles on the install-
ment plan. She had the satisfaction of work-
ing with tools fashioned by herself or her
husband, and life did not attain the modern
dizzy pace. She no doubt tried to "keep
up with the Joneses," but it was a simpler
and less frantic procedure than today's.
She and the others of her time made their
own sandals, bows and arrows, and pottery,
grew their own food, and hunted for game.
Their pottery and tools were made to suit
their own needs and to satisfy their own
artistic sense. Feeding and clothing them-
selves and their children was not a matter
of buying groceries and clothing from a store.
The nearest they came to that was when

of the current fads for suntan and abbrevi-
ated sun suits. Yucca fiber and cotton were
used to make their summer clothing, and in
winter they used rabbit fur blankets. From
colorful stones and turquoise they made
pendants and beads without the aid of mod-
ern machinery. Hairdress is also illustrated
— the men wore bangs, with the side hair
cut short, and the back hair long. Unmar-
ried women parted their hair in the middle,
rolled it up at the sides, and fastened it with
yucca cord.

Grouped about this sketch of a Pueblo
man and woman are tools and implements
which were used in weaving, sewing, and
making clothes. Most of these tools are
unfamiliar to us today. For example, there
are fleshers used in removing the flesh from
hides; awls and pins used to punch holes in
the hides in order to fashion them into cloth-
ing; bodkins and long needles used to guide

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

February, 191tl

American Home Life, Eleventh Century A.D.

Interior of room or apartment at Lowry Pueblo in southwestern Colorado,
as represented in a new exhibit now installed in the Hall of Southwestern Archae-
ology (Hall 7). The restoration, a painting by Miss Anne Harding, is based upon
data furnished by Dr. Paul S. Martin, Chief Curator of Anthropology. Pictures
of this type are used to make more vivid the story told by artifact exhibits.

the horizontal thread in weaving; a lap stone
which also served as a pattern in weaving
sandals, and some disc beads.

The "housing panel" centers about a
colorful sketch of an accurate reconstruction
and a diagram of Lowry Pueblo, Colorado,
excavated by the writer's expeditions for
Field Museum from 1930 to 1934. This
pueblo has no windows and no glass brick,
but its terracing could well be taken for the
sundecks which present-day architects build
into "modern" houses. Instead of stairways
there were ladders. Their doorways, as is
shown in the "food panel" sketch, did not
reach fully to the floor but necessitated
climbing over part of the wall. In place of
windows they had small ventilators high up
in the walls. The doorways in some of the
upper sections appear to open out into space,
but were reached by ladders. The pueblo
construction was of stone, plastered with
adobe. They had no problem of exterior
paint, shutters, or angled roofing, to say
nothing of screens and windows. One house
served for the whole community and was
not unlike what we call an apartment house.

Fortunately for them —
at least, so a weary
cynic might say — the
Pueblo Indians had no
player-pianos, radios, or
cornets. However, in
this pueblo these In-
dians lived in content-
ment, loved, brought up
their children, fed and
clothed them adequate-
ly, and sheltered them
from the elements.
They entertained each
other in various ways
and really enjoyed life.

Surrounding the
painting of Lowry
Pueblo are tools and
materials which were
used in constructing
this great pueblo: a
portion of a roof log
showing marks of the
stone ax used in hewing
it down and shaping it
properly; stone axes
with grooves provided
for twisting pliable but
strong branches about
them for handles; other
stones used as hammers
and similarly grooved
for handles, and some
elk horn chisels.

The "religion panel"
has as its focal point a
sketch of a ceremony
being performed in a
kiva, the Indian equiva-
lent of the Mayan
temple or the present-
day church. However, these kivas also
served as fraternity chapter rooms. The
younger men met there and swapped stories,
or did weaving and other handwork. A few
of them even slept there. Some kivas were
built right into the Pueblo; some were
separate structures. Fire, a universal ele-
ment in religious ceremonies, is shown in a
square fire-pit in the center of the kiva.
Two men are seated on mats and smoking
clay pipes (ceremonial pipes, not used for
general smoking as pipes are used today).
Beyond the fire are shown two prayer sticks
standing in round stone bases. In the
background are ceremonial masks — colorful
and fantastic but not as grotesque as many
Indian masks.

With the sketch of a kiva are shown
ceremonial pottery, clay pipes, a lightning
stone (i.e., a stone, shaped like an egg, which
when rubbed with another like stone was
said to produce lightning) and a prayer
stick to which is attached a piece of corn
husk and a feather. The latter two speci-
mens indicate the importance which these
Indians naturally attached to persuading

the gods to give good weather for the crops.
The sketches are the work of Miss Anne
Harding whose talents combine anthropo-
logical training with artistic skill. Her
sketches entailed a great deal of study in
order to have the details true to fact, and
Miss Harding's effective use of color and
contrast add much to their appeal.

A CHRONOLOGICAL CHART

The other side of the case is devoted to an
exhibit less colorful but of considerable in-
terest to archaeologists as well as to artisans.
It is a chart, using actual specimens for
illustrations, of various tools and ornaments
used by the Pueblo Indians from earliest
times up to the introduction of European
metal work. On this chart one can see, by
following horizontal panels, just what arti-
facts or tools were used at a certain time; or,
by following the vertical panels, one can trace
developmental changes that occurred from
early to later times. Sometimes objects ap-
pear only at one time level. Sometimes de-
cided changes in shape and skill are evident.
Sometimes the same workmanship and de-
sign continue unchanged.

This latter exhibit is the result of pains-
taking research by Mr. John Rinaldo,
Associate in Southwestern Archaeology, and
presents a unique collection and arrange-
ment of material not available in any other
museum or anywhere else. It would be
difficult to gather the same information from
books or to visualize the objects from photo-
graphs. Here the actual artifacts are
arranged in such a way that they can be
seen in the original and compared easily
because of their arrangement. Mr. Rinaldo
has made here a very real contribution to
our knowledge of Pueblo Indian tools and
ornaments.

A Bit About Grapes

The Old World European grape (yUis
vinifera) is, as far as can be determined
historically, a native of the Caspian region,
although legendary history describes its
birthplace in various other localities. It
was cultivated in Egypt and is said to have
been introduced into Europe by the Romans.
Its early history has been preserved in the
Homeric poems. In the Iliad, the shield
of Achilles is described as figured with vari-
ous scenes including a vineyard in which
the vintage is being gathered. The wise god
Bacchus, it is told, taught his worshipers to
crown themselves with grape leaves when
they drank deeply of wine, to prevent frenzy.

North America is rich in Vitis, and al-
though Vitis vinifera produces the prevailing
vineyard kinds in California, characteristic
American vineyard grapes are the Labrusca,
Aestivalis and Rotundifolia groups de-
scribed in terms of their supposed original
species. Other species have yielded varieties
for cultivation, but most of them are of minor
importance from a commercial standpoint.

February, 191tl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Pages

EXPEDITION TO GALAPAGOS
ON LEON MANDEL YACHT

Through the generosity of Mr. Leon
Mandel, of Chicago, who for several years
has been prominent on the list of Contrib-
utors to the Museum, a party of Field
Museum zoologists is conducting an expe-
dition in the Galapagos Islands, and will
subsequently engage in collecting along the
coast of Peru. The expedition sailed early
in January from Havana aboard Mr.
Mandel's yacht Carola, a 247-foot twin-
screw Diesel-powered vessel. On board are
Mr. and Mrs. Mandel, and the latter's
mother, Seiiora Elvira Panerai, of Havana.

The Museum party includes Dr. Wilfred
H. Osgood, Curator Emeritus, Depart-
ment of Zoology; Mr. Rudyerd Boulton,
Curator of Birds; Mr. Loren P. Woods,
Assistant Curator of Fishes; Staff Taxi-
dermist Leon L. Walters; Mr. Melvin A.
Traylor, Jr., volunteer worker in the Divi-
sion of Birds, and Mr. Peter Lambert, of
Zion, Illinois, an experienced amateur diver.

From Havana the yacht proceeded by the
Panama Canal directly to the Galapagos
Islands which lie some 600 miles off the coast
of Ecuador. Collections will be made there
of the colorful fishes which inhabit the
adjacent waters, and of the few reptiles,
mammals, and endemic birds to be found on
various islands in the group. Life studies in
still and motion pictures will be made, includ-
ing under-water photography by means of
a diving bell and other equipment devised
and furnished by Mr. Lambert. Important
among the endemic birds of the islands is a
genus of finches called Geospiza, whose
variations from island to island, and in dif-
ferent localities within the larger islands, as
observed by Charles Darwin, supplied an
important stimulus in the development of
the theory of evolution, when, something
over a hundred years ago, that famous
scientist visited the Galapagos and noted the
different species of this group of birds.

"RECEPTACLES FOR MEN'S SOULS"

The idea of the spirit or soul leaving the
dying or dead body of a human being is very
old and widespread, and characteristic of
most religions, past and present, including
Christianity. Conceptions of the occurrence
of this event are usually expressed in the
vaguest of terms, particularly by Christians.
The manner of its taking place is seldom
definitely visualized, although in a few
paintings and other forms of expression
attempts have been made to convey a
picture of the departure of the soul as con-
ceived by various authors.

Seeming tangibility is lent to the idea
among the tribes of Malekula, in the New
Hebrides islands of the South Pacific, by
their production and use of "spirit recep-
tacles." These are hollow wooden cones
which the spirit of the deceased is supposed
to enter at the time of death. Examples of
them are on exhibition in Field Museum's

comprehensive Melanesian collections in
Joseph N. Field Hall (Hall A).

SPECIAL HOUSE FOR "TRAPPED SPIRITS"

When a man is dying among these people,
one of these cones, very carefully wrapped
so that no one can see it, is placed near or
over the mouth of the expiring man. By
this means it is believed that his spirit
leaves his body and is received within the
cone. When death has taken place, the
cone containing the "captured spirit" is
taken into a special house used only for the
purpose. There it is placed on a platform
with other similar cones. No uninitiated
person is permitted to enter this house.

The spirits of the deceased are thus be-
lieved to remain present in this house, and
the priesthood of the tribe is not above
practising a little deception to bolster the
faith of the followers, however sincere the
leaders may be in the belief themselves; for
on certain ceremonial occasions they cause
the voices of the imprisoned spirits to come
forth to gatherings of the believers. The
"voices of the spirits" are produced by a
shaman who talks through a bamboo tube
into the cone, so that a peculiar muffled
sound is produced. This subterfuge is, of
course, carefully concealed from the ordinary
tribesmen who must remain on the outside.

VOICE EQUIPMENT EXHIBITED

Included in Field Museum's exhibit is one
of these "spirit talkers." It consists of a
coconut cup which in use was half filled with
water. The eerie sound representing the
voice of the spirit was produced by talking
through a short bamboo tube which con-
ducted the sound into and through the
water. This equipment, naturally, was kept
closely hidden whether in use or not, and
specimens are rare and difficult to obtain.
Likewise, the cones, because they are held in
veneration by the natives, and believed
actually to contain the souls of men, are not
easily obtained. The visiting anthro-
pologist must resort to the utmost in per-
suasive arguments to induce the natives to
part with them. He must convince them
that the cones will be properly cared for,
as well as that no harm will befall those
who allow them to be taken.

SOUTH AMERICAN PRIMATES

By COLIN CAMPBELL SANBORN

CUKATOR OF MAMMALS

The comical actions and wistful faces of
monkeys always attract attention, and some
of the South American monkeys, because
of their prehensile tails, have an added
special interest, as may be observed from
a new exhibit in Hall 15 of Field Museum.

The prehensile tail is most highly developed
in the purely arboreal spider monkeys and
in the closely related woolly monkey. The
latter lives exclusively on fruit, a diet that
produces a very prominent abdomen.

The howler monkeys have a bony sound
box which is a modification of the larynx.

This gives them exceptionally loud voices
that carry more than a mile when a troop
is calling. They also have prehensile tails,
as have the black and white and the brown
capuchin monkeys. The brown capuchin is
the monkey commonly seen with street organ
grinders. These groups are the only monkeys
in the world with prehensile tails.

Two very short-tailed types of monkeys
are the sakis and ouakaris. The sakis live
in the valleys of the Amazon basin, have
black crinkly fur, and one has a white head.
The ouakaris are almost bald, and the three
known species live in very restricted areas
in northern Brazil. Besides these there are
the squirrel, titi, and night monkeys. The
night monkeys live in holes in trees during
the day. All these American forms have
thirty-six teeth, whereas the Old World
monkeys have only thirty-two.

Often confused with the true monkeys are
the marmosets and tamarins. These have
but thirty-two teeth and, with the'exception

Woolly Spider Monkey

Striking example of the prehensile-tailed monkeys
of South America, included in a new exhibit recently
added to the systematic collection of mammals in Hall 1 5.

of the big toe, have claws instead of flattened
nails on the digits. The tail is often ringed
and is not prehensile. There are many
species of small size and with squirrel-like
habits. They also show a great variety of
colors, some being black and others white
or golden, and many have a combination
of colors. Like many of the primates they
make interesting and attractive pets.

All these may be seen on two screens in
the recently installed exhibit. Seven new
specimens, prepared by Staff Taxidermist
W. E. Eigsti, were added to those formerly
on exhibition. All but one of the genera of
South American primates are now repre-
sented on these screens.

Page U

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

February, 19il

BONES OF RARE FOSSIL SLOTH, FIRST NAMED BY THOMAS JEFFERSON, FOUND IN ILLINOIS

By BRYAN PATTERSON

ASSISTANT CURATOR OF PALEONTOLOGY

In addition to being the third President
of his country and a statesman whose stature
has increased over the years, Thomas
Jefferson was one of the foremost naturalists
of his time. Actively concerned with pro-
moting the sciences in the infant nation, he
served for many years as president of the
American Philosophical Society, a position
comparable in the scientific world of the day
to that of chief executive in the political.
Jefferson was particularly interested in the
bones of the large extinct mammals which
were, and still are, to be found in the bog
and cave deposits of the eastern part of the
country, his activities in this field justly
entitling him to be regarded as America's
first paleontologist. His collection of these
remains was an extensive one for those
days, and was for a time deposited in a
room of the White House.

In 1796 Jefferson received some large fos-
sil bones, including an enormous claw, from
a cave in what is now West Virginia. To
these he gave the name of Megalonyx, mean-
ing "Great Claw," supposing that he was
dealing with "... an animal of the lion
kind." It was his expressed belief that the
beast might still be living in ". . . the
immense country to the west and north-
west." These conclusions were eminently
reasonable, considering the state of knowl-
edge of paleontology and geography at the
time, but they were speedily disproved by
the progress of research and exploration.
Within a few years it was known that

South American Ground Sloths

Skeletons of Scelidodon, collected in Bolivia by the Marshall Field Paleontological Ex-
pedition (1927), as now exhibited in Ernest R. Graham Hall. The Illinois Megalonyx, subject
of the accompanying article by Assistant Curator Bryan Patterson, was very similar to these
animals in general appearance, but had a shorter, deeper head. Thomas Jefferson, who was
eminent as a scientist as well as President of the United States, gave Megalonyx its name.

Megalonyx was a relative of the sloths, and
the explorers of the west found no trace of
it in their wanderings. Since 1796 additional
fossil remains of Megalonyx have been found
in various parts of the country, sufficient to
give an adequate idea of the general form
of the animal, although no complete skeleton
has ever been found.

MOST COMPLETE ILLINOIS SPECIMEN
Finds of such animals in Illinois have
been very few — some teeth near Alton, part
of a vertebra near Charleston, a claw at
Urbana, and a bone of the hand in the
Galena region. Considerable interest was
therefore aroused in the Museum when Mr.
Forrest L. Boden, of London Mills, Illinois,
sent in a letter, accompanied by drawings,
describing some fossil bones which he had
found near that town. It was immediately
recognized from the drawings that the ani-
mal was a ground sloth, probably Megalonyx.
The owner of the land on which the speci-
men was located. Professor Arnim D.
Hummell, very kindly extended permission
to excavate. Chief Preparator James H.
Quinn and the writer therefore visited the
locality in December. The bones occurred
in a deposit of blue clay, underlain by
gravel, exposed in the side of a gully devel-
oped in a pasture. The greater part of, if
not the entire, skeleton had once been
present, but unfortunately by the time
the find was made most of it had eroded
away. Excavation revealed a few bones,
but these, together with the ones recovered
by Mr. Boden, were far from sufficient to
permit the mounting of a skeleton. Never-
theless the
specimen, con-
sisting of a good
part of a hind
leg, portions of
the pelvis, bones
of the forefoot,
various elements
of the vertebral
column, and a
molar tooth, is
by far the most
complete ever
found in the
state, and adds
a few details to
our knowledge
of the anatomy
of the animal.
The Museum
has on exhibi-
tion skeletons of
various ground
sloths from other
countries, but
none of this
kind.

The blue clay
in which the
fossil was buried,

as well as the gravel underlying it, appears
to be an outwash deposit from the terminal
moraines left by the glaciers of the Illinois
glacial advance. This was the third of the
four major glacial advances that covered
a large part of North America during the
Pleistocene or Glacial epoch, the time in
geologic history preceding the Recent. Our
sloth evidently lived, therefore, in the early
part of the so-called Sangamon interglacial
stage, the age of which may roughly be
reckoned at about 200,000 years.

Megalonyx was about eleven feet long and
some four feet high. In general appearance
it was similar to other ground sloths, of
which skeletons and restoration paintings
are exhibited in Ernest R. Graham Hall.
The head was small in proportion to the
large and heavy body. The limbs terminated
in exceedingly strong, clawed feet, so con-
structed that the animal walked on the
knuckles of the forefoot and on the side of
the hind foot. The tail was long and mas-
sive, serving as the third support of a tripod
on which the animal could stand erect.
Strictly vegetarian, Megalonyx and the other
ground sloths used their claws primarily for
digging up roots and tubers or for pulling
down leafy branches, and only secondarily
as defensive weapons.

CONTEMPORARY WITH EARLY MAN

The ground sloths were a rather successful
group, their known history extending over a
period of some twenty million years.
Their actual history went back still further,
but we have no record of their beginnings.
Natives of South America, they made their
way northward into what is now the United
States in the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs.
The elevation of the Isthmus of Panama,
which took place in the Pliocene, brought
them into contact with new enemies but,
although clumsy and slow moving, they
were able to hold their own. Their size and
thick hides assured their safety against all
but the largest carnivores, and against these
the adults at least were undoubtedly able to
defend themselves successfully. When their
great strength and sharp claws are taken
into consideration, it becomes evident that
an embrace from a sloth would have made
a bear's hug look like child's play. They
would have been quite helpless, however,
against men armed with weapons and, since
there is good evidence that they were con-
temporaneous with the early inhabitants of
both North and South America, it is quite
possible that man was a contributory if not
a major factor in their extinction. The fact
that sloth remains have been found with
remains of the skin still adhering to the
bones suggests that they survived until
comparatively recent times. When Jefferson
suspected that Megalonyx might still be
living in the interior of the continent he may
not have been wrong by more than a few
thousand years.

February, 191,1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

LONG LOST TRAVEL RECORD
PUBLISHED BY MUSEUM

To the many travel books about South
America, a unique addition was contributed
recently by Field Museum Press with the
publication of Travels of Ruiz, Pavon and
Dombey in Peru and Chile. This is the
first appearance in English of the long lost
narrative of a famous botanical expedition
made to western South America in 1777-88.
The author, Don Hipolito Ruiz, and his
companions, were commissioned by King
Charles III of Spain to explore his South
American dominions and collect their flora.
They spent ten years traveling among the
mountains and valleys of western South
America. Then for many years thereafter,
in fact until their deaths, they were occupied
with preparing their reports.

At a time when the then British colonies
in North America were in the midst of the
revolution which produced the republic of
the United States, the scientific activities
of the Spaniards in their American domains
were at their height. Expeditions were
dispatched to Venezuela, Mexico, the west
coast of North America, Colombia, Peru,
and Chile to obtain collections, write
descriptions, make pictures in the field,
and send seeds and living plants to botanical
gardens at home.

Because of good management and success-
ful scientific results, the most notable of
these expeditions was that to Peru, in
charge of Ruiz. With Jose Pavon as second
botanist, Isidro Galvez and Jose Brunete,
artists, and Jose Dombey, a French botanist
permitted at the request of the King of
France to accompany the Spaniards, Ruiz
sailed from Cadiz in October, 1777, for
Callao, Peru.

MANUSCRIPT LOST UNTIL 1930

The narrative of their travels, written by
Ruiz after his return to Spain in 1788, was
not published at the time. Forgotten and
unknown for almost a century and a half,
it was finally discovered in private hands,
and recovered. It was printed only as
recently as 1930, even in Spain, by a
commission of the Academy of Sciences in
Madrid.

Field Museum, which has been active in
the recent botanical exploration of Peru, is
publishing a flora of that country, much
more comprehensive though less elaborate
than that of Ruiz and Pavon. Permission
was obtained from the Spanish Academy to
publish an English version of the narrative
of Ruiz. The translation is by Dr. B. E.
Dahlgren, Chief Curator of the Department
of Botany.

BANDITS AND OTHER PERILS

While much of the text is concerned with
the description of botanical specimens col-
lected by the explorers, it is also a notable
tale of adventure, in which Ruiz describes
sufferings and misfortunes, travels over
dangerous and horrible trails, encounters with

bandits, and other perils to the lives of the
collectors, and loss of collections from ship-
wreck and fire. The interest is heightened,
rather than diminished, by the matter-of-
fact, unadorned style of its narration, which
has been preserved in translation. In it,
a traveler exposed to hardship, danger,
and high adventure, tells his story with
the solemnity and unimaginativeness of a
factory production manager's daily reports.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

The Rosetta Stone

It is a curious fact that in many cases
modern archaeologists can do a better job
of reading ancient Egyptian records on
rocks, tablets, and papyri, than could the
ancient Egyptians themselves. That is,
Egyptians of one period — for example,
500 B.C. — could not read the hieroglyphics
of their ancestors of 2500 B.C. because

Ancient Proclamation

Facsimile of the famous Rosetta Stone, included
among exhibits in Field Museum's Hall of Egypt (Hail J).

writing had changed so much, just as the
changes which occurred in the transition
from mediaeval to modern English have
made the old language unintelligible to most
of our contemporaries.

Archaeologists themselves learned to
decipher ancient Egyptian writings only
about one hundred years ago. They learned
from study of bilingual stelae which, in
effect, were comparable to a two-language
dictionary, since they contained inscriptions
in both the Egyptian and Greek languages.

A stele is a rock with an inscription,
resembling a tombstone. Such rocks,
rather than papyri, were generally used
for recording important royal events. The
most famous of all stelae is the Rosetta
Stone, the original of which belongs to the
British Museum. A facsimile of this stone

is on exhibition in Field Museum's Hall of
Egypt (Hall J).

The original was found at Rosetta, near
the western mouth of the Nile, by a French-
man named Bouchard who was engaged in
work to strengthen Fort St. Julien during
Napoleon's unsuccessful expedition to con-
quer Egypt in 1798. Placed in the custody
of a General Menou, it was later seized by
the victorious British, and thus found its
way into the British Museum. About 1815
the method of deciphering it was found
almost simultaneously by two scholars — a
great English physicist, Thomas Young,
and a Frenchman, Jean Francois Champol-
lion. From its threefold rendering of one
and the same document — in two Egyptian
scripts, hieroglyphic and demotic, and also
in Greek — Young deduced the values of
several hieroglyphic letters. Champollion,
comparing it with other texts, achieved
the fundamental understanding of ancient
Egyptian writing on which our modern
knowledge is built.

PURPOSE OF THE STONE

The story of the Rosetta stone itself,
and its purpose to its authors, is as follows:

Ptolemy V (Epiphanes), who ruled Egypt
after its conquest by Alexander, had shown
special favors to the priesthood. In re-
turn the priests held a convention at
Memphis in his ninth year (he reigned 205-
182 B.C.) and passed a resolution to set up
a statue of the king in every sanctuary
alongside that of the local god, to celebrate
monthly the king's birthday and his acces-
sion to the throne, to hold an annual five-
day festival in his honor, and to add to their
titles that of "priests of Epiphanes." They
resolved also that their action should be
recorded on hard stone tablets in triplicate —
in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing,
in the cursive Egyptian demotic writing
then current, and in Greek, and that such a
tablet should be set up in every first, second,
and third class temple throughout the land.
No other copy of this resolution has been
found, but fragments of a few other stelae
containing similar documents are known.

The Albatross

Have you ever seen an albatross? This
bird, which constantly recurs in a ghostly
role throughout "The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner," forms a conspicuous feature of a
group of sea-birds on exhibition in Hall 20.
The birds are shown in a reproduction of
their nesting grounds on Laysan Island in
the mid-Pacific.

An interesting study in plant geography
is furnished by the exhibit of spices and nuts
in Hall 25 of the Department of Botany.

A specimen of lapis lazuli, believed to
be the largest in existence, is on exhibition
in the mineral collection in Hall 34.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

February, 19il

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893
Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lester Armour Albert W. Harris

Sewell L. Avery Samuel Insull, Jr.

W. McCoRMiCK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Block William H. Mitchell

Boardman Conover George A. Richardson

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field Albert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley Field Albert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

Albert A. Sprague First Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

Albert W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith. . .Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Clifford C. Gregg, Director of the Museum .... Editor
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichols Chief Curator of Geology

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curator of Zoology

H. B. Harte Managing Editor

Members are requested to inform the Museum
promptly of changes of address.

BOARDMAN CONOVER A TRUSTEE;
ALL OFFICERS RE-ELECTED

Mr. Boardman Conover, of Chicago, who
for many years has evinced the greatest
interest in Field Museum's progress, and has
been intimately associated with its work,
was recently elect-
ed a Trustee of this
institution, to fill
a vacancy on the
Board which had
existed for a year.
Mr. Conover has
long been deeply
interested in birds,
and is highly quali-
fied as an ornithol-
ogist. He has been
a Research Associ-
ate in Ornithology,
serving on the Mu-
seum's staff with-
out compensation,
since 1924. He has

been assigned a laboratory in the Division of
Birds, and spends a great deal of his time in
active research work and in building up the
collections in his special field of game birds,
to which he has made many valuable contri-
butions. In 1920 Mr. Conover accompanied
Dr. Wilfred H. Osgood, former Chief Curator
of the Department of Zoology, on an expe-
dition to Venezuela which obtained a large
collection of birds and mammals. In 1922
he participated in another expedition, to
Chile, with Dr. Osgood and Mr. Colin C.
Sanborn, Curator of Mammals. Shortly
after his return from Chile, he undertook by
himself an expedition to Alaska which was
notably successful in the resulting large col-
lection of birds secured. Mr. Conover's most

Boardman Conover

important expedition was in 1926-27 when,
together with Mr. R. H. Everard, of Detroit,
he financed and led the Conover-Everard
Central African Expedition of Field Museum.
Accompanied by former Assistant Curator
John T. Zimmer, Messrs. Conover and
Everard spent many months in the field, and
their hunting yielded especially important
results, including a specimen of the extremely
rare so-called white rhinoceros, as well as
extensive collections of other mammals,
birds, and reptiles. The white rhinoceros is
now on exhibition in Carl E. Akeley Memo-
rial Hall (Hall 22). In recent years Mr.
Conover has traveled to many other places,
and has made many other important col-
lections for the Museum. He has further
contributed funds toward expeditions made
by other members of the Museum staff, and
for the purchase of special desiderata. In
recognition of his many services and contri-
butions, the Trustees had previously honored
Mr. Conover by electing him at various
times as a Patron of the Museum, a Con-
tributor, a Corporate Member, and a Life
Member.

At the annual meeting of the Board of
Trustees, held January 20, all Museum
officers who served in 1940 were re-elected
for the ensuing year. Mr. Stanley Field
thus now begins his thirty-third consecutive
year as President. The other re-elected
officers are: Colonel Albert A. Sprague, First
Vice-President; Mr. Silas H. Strawn, Second
Vice-President; Mr. Albert W. Harris, Third
Vice-President; Major Clifford C. Gregg,
Director and Secretary, and Mr. Solomon
A. Smith, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary.

Name of New Plant Genus
Honors Museum Trustee

Among the thousands of Guatemalan
plants added to the Herbarium of Field
Museum by the 1939 Sewell Avery Botanical
Expedition to Guatemala was one which has
been found to represent a genus new to
science. The plant is a small herb with
cream-colored flowers and belongs to the
Acanthus family. It was collected in the
Department of Retalhuleu by Mr. Paul C.
Standley, Curator of the Herbarium. The
plant has now been named Averia serrata
by Mr. Emery C. Leonard, of the Division
of Plants, United States National Museum.
Mr. Leonard recently described and figured
the plant in the Journal of the Washington
Academy of Sciences for December, 1940,
placing it in a new genus, Averia, named in
honor of Mr. Sewell Avery, Museum Trustee,
who sponsored the Expedition. — J.A.S.

Important Peruvian Plant Collection

A collection of 2,300 specimens of plants
of Peru and Bolivia has been received for
determination by the Department of Botany
of Field Museum. They were obtained by
the University of California's recent Second
Botanical Garden Expedition to the Andes,
through its Director, Dr. T. H. Goodspeed.

The study and naming of so large an
amount of material obviously will require
much time and effort, but good progress
already has been made, and several hundred
of the plants have been determined. The
fine specimens of Peruvian plants are a par-
ticularly welcome acquisition, of immediate
practical use in preparation of the Museum's
Flora of Peru, of which seven parts already
have been published. — P.C.S.

Guide-Lecturer Appointed

Miss Elizabeth Best has been appointed
as a guide-lecturer on the staff of the James
Nelson and Anna
Louise Raymond
Foundation for
Public School and
Children's Lec-
tures, and will be-
gin her duties on
February 1. Miss
Best was graduated
from Mount Hol-
yoke College with a
bachelor of science
degree, and later
took a master of
science degree at
the University of
Chicago. For some
time past she has
been a volunteer
assistant in Field Museum's Department of
Zoology, where she has been engaged in
important research, with particular reference
to the origin and relationships of the giant
panda, in co-operation with the work of the
Division of Anatomy.

Photo by Lord's, Evanston

Miss Elizabeth Best

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below;

November, December,

January, February . . . . 9 A.M. to 4 p.m.
March, April, and

September, October . . .9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
May, June, July, August. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted free
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educational institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and Anna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lecttlres.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
April, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines, Rapid Transit Lines (the "L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles at the Museum.

February, 19 Ul

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

MARCH 1 MARKS OPENING
OF SATURDAY LECTURES

Beginning March 1, Field Museum will
present its seventy-fifth free course of illus-
trated lectures on science and travel for
adults. Lectures will be given each Saturday
afternoon, at 2:30 o'clock, during March and
April, in the James Simpson Theatre of the
Museum. Well-known scientists, explorers,
and naturalists have been engaged for the
series, and all lectures will be illustrated with
motion pictures or stereopticon slides, in
many cases in natural colors.

The opening lecture on March 1 will be
"Headhunters Still Live," and the speaker
will be Mr. Douglas Oliver, well-known
anthropologist on the stafif of Harvard's
Peabody Museum. In his lecture he will
relate his experiences among the extremely
primitive natives of forbidding Bougainville
Island in the far Pacific — people in a Stone
Age state of development.

The March issue of Field Museum News
will contain a complete schedule of all nine
lectures in the course.

No tickets are necessary for admission
to these lectures. A section of the
Theatre is reserved for Members of the
Museum, each of whom is entitled to two
reserved seats. Requests for these seats
should be made in advance by telephone
(WABash 9410) or in writing, and seats will
be held in the Member's name until 2:30
o'clock on the day of the lecture. All
reserved seats not claimed by 2:30 p.m. will
be made available to the general public.

SUMMARY OF 1940 ACTIVITIES
AT FIELD MUSEUM

The opening of the large and important
Hall of Babylonian Archaeology (Hall K)
constituted a major accomplishment of Field
Museum during 1940. The material on
display includes the most interesting of
thousands of objects excavated from ancient
Kish during ten years' operations of the
Field Museum-Oxford University Joint Ex-
pedition to Mesopotamia, and represents
the cultures of Babylonia from the fourth
millenium B.C. to the fourth century a.d.

Many other new exhibits were installed
in all departments during the year. Among
these are habitat groups of kiwi, red grouse,
and fur seals, a diorama illustrating the
spring fiora of the Chicago area, a series of
large mural paintings by Mr. Julius Moessel
telling the story of the world's food plants,
and a new type of analytical-biological
exhibit graphically answering the question
"What is a bird?" All of these, and others,
have been described in detail in Field
Museum News.

At the Museum's time of closing on
December 31, the number of visitors for
1940 totaled 1,450,685, exceeding the 1939
attendance by more than 40,000. Only
80,888 visitors paid admission, the over-

whelming majority either coming on free
days or belonging to classifications such as
children who are admitted free on all days.
Many additional hundreds of thousands
were reached by .such extra-mural activities
as those conducted for school children by the
N. W. Harris Public School Extension, and
the James Nelson and Anna Louise Ray-
mond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures; and many others by
lectures for adults, guide-lecture tours, the
"Layman Lectures" by Mr. Paul G.
Dallwig, a series of radio broadcasts, a
series of television programs, publications,
newspaper and magazine articles, etc.

Field work was conducted by a number
of Museum expeditions, of which accounts
have appeared in the News.

The membership rolls on December 31
included 4,225 names, a small increase
over the number of persons supporting the
Museum in this manner as compared with
the previous year.

The output of Museum publications was
continued on a large scale by Field Museum
Press. Twenty-five technical publications
were issued and distributed internationally
among scientific institutions and individual
scientists. In addition, two new popular
leaflets, new editions of guidebooks and
handbooks, and a vast amount of miscel-
laneous matter were produced.

Notable additions were made to the
Museum Library's collection of scientific
books and pamphlets, now numbering ap-
proximately 120,000 volumes.

The Work Projects Administration of the
federal government continued its project in
the Museum, giving employment to an
average of 165 men and women. The
highest number of these workers at any
one time was 200, and the aggregate man-
hours worked by the entire force was ap-
proximately 257,400.

Staff Notes

Mr. Erj'ant Mather, Assistant Curator of
Mineralogy, has been elected Vice-Chairman
of the Marquette Geologists Association.
He has also been appointed Technical Coun-
selor to the Chicago Chapter of the Amer-
ican Gem Society, before which he lectured
recently on "Gems and Crystalline Matter."

Dr. Julian A. Steyermark, Assistant
Curator of the Herbarium, was recently
appointed to the Board of Directors of the
Midwest Horticultural Society. He lectured
last month before the Chicago Aquarium
Society on "Exploration in Guatemala,"

Mr. Rupert L. Wenzel, Assistant Curator
of Insects, is in the east where he will spend
about a month conducting research on
parasitic bat flies and histerid beetles, partic-
ularly type specimens, in the collections of
principal museums in New York, Philadel-
phia, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Boston.

600 MILLION YEARS OF LIFE
IN SUNDAY LECTURES
During February the Sunday afternoon
lectures presented by Mr. Paul G. Dallwig,
the Layman Lecturer, will be on "Nature's
'March of Time.' " In this lecture Mr.
Dallwig will carry his audience through the
principal stages of animal life from the
earliest fishes, reptiles and mammals to the
first man— a span of about 600,000,000
years. To illustrate his subject, Mr. Dall-
wig will use the extensive exhibits of pre-

Copyright Field Museum

Restoration of Stegosaur

(Painting by Charles R. Knight, in Graham Hall.)

historic animals in Ernest R. Graham Hall.
Mr. Dallwig vividly dramatizes all of his
subjects, and a special feature of this lecture
will be his enactment of a fight, typical
of the ceaseless struggle for existence,
between the huge flesh-eating Tyranno-
saurus and the plant-eating horned Tricer-
atops, two of the largest known dinosaurs.
To meet the demands for accommodations,
the same lecture will be presented on each of
the four Sundays of the month (February 2,
9, 16, and 23). Lecture audiences assemble
promptly at 2 p.m. Because the number
that can be conducted among the exhibits
under comfortable circumstances on a lecture
of this type is limited, it is necessary to make
reservations for all Sunday lectures well in
advance. This may be Hnne by mail or
telephone (WABash 9410). Children cannot
be accommodated. The lectures last until
4:30 p.m., but midway there is a half-hour
intermission. During this interval those
who desire to smoke or obtain refreshments
may do so in the Cafeteria, where special
tables are reserved for the group.

Plant and Insect Life of the Dunes

The Indiana Dunes rank among the most
popular of playgrounds for Chicagoans. The
insect life of the Dunes region may be studied
in a habitat group in Albert W. Harris Hall
(Hall 18). The Flora of the Dunes, an illus-
trated handbook by Donald Culross Peattie,
published by Field Museum Press, treats
exhaustively of the plant life.

Habitat groups of South American mam-
mals in Hall 16 include the tapir, guanaco,
marsh deer, anteater, jaguar, and capybara.

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

February, 19il

MOTION PICTURES FOR CHILDREN
TO BEGIN THIS MONTH

The James Nelson and Anna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School
and Children's Lectures will present two
special motion picture programs for children
during February, and will open its regular
spring series of programs on Saturday
morning, March 1.

The first special program will be given
on Wednesday, February 12, and will be
devoted to the dual purpose of presenting
films commemorating Abraham Lincoln's
birthday and marking the activities con-
nected with National Boy Scout Week
which occurs at that time.

The second special program will be given
on Saturday, February 22, and will feature
films on the life of George Washington, and
also on "The Conservation of Our Country,"
the latter being concerned with present-day
needs which are rapidly becoming more
acute in many regions.

The first of the regular spring series of
programs, on Saturday, March 1, carries
the title "Cloudy and Colder, Probably
Snow." This program will be devoted to
films presenting the story of weather, and
will cover such subjects as the mysteries of
snow, dew fall, clouds, and flood weather.
There will also be an animated cartoon,
"Fun On Ice." A full schedule of the
programs to be presented each Saturday
morning during March and April will
appear in the next issue of Field Museum
News, due March 1.

All programs, those on the holidays, and
those in the regular Saturday series, will be
given in the James Simpson Theatre of the
Museum, with two showings of each, one
at 10 A.M., and one at 11. Children from
all parts of Chicago and suburbs are invited.
The Museum is prepared to receive large
groups from schools, and other centers, as
well as individual children coming either
alone or accompanied by parents or other
adults. Teachers are urged to notify their
classes about these programs. No tickets are
needed for admission.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

Department of .\nthropology :

From Henry J. Bruman, State College,
Pa. — 51 ethnological specimens representing
the Huichol Indians, Mexico.

Department of Botany:

From Donald Richards, Chicago — 51
specimens of miscellaneous cryptogams,
Minnesota, Indiana, and Illinois; from Dr.
G. W. Prescott, Albion, Mich. — 44 speci-
mens of algae, Wisconsin; from W. A. Daily,
Cincinnati, Ohio — 68 specimens of Chroo-
cocaceae, Ohio and Kentucky; from Illinois
State Museum, Springfield, 111. — 84 her-
barium specimens, Illinois; from Dr. Julian
A. Steyermark, Chicago — 2,520 herbarium

specimens, Missouri; from Bill Bauer,
Webster Groves, Mo. — 90 herbarium speci-
mens, Illinois.

Department of Geology:

From O. A. Gentz, Chicago — a very fine
specimen of thomsonite, Minnesota; from
Arnim D. Hummel, Richmond, Ky. — partial
skeleton of Megalonyx in the ground, Illinois;
from Mrs. Abe Friedman, Rapid City, S. D. —
2 specimens of calcite crystals. South Dakota.

Department of Zoology:

From Dr. Thomas Poulter, Chicago — a
penguin, Antarctica; from Lincoln Park Zoo,
Chicago — a snake; from E. Fred Bromund,
Mt. Pleasant, Mich.— 108 lots of shells;
from E. Wyllys Andrews, Cambridge, Mass.
— 966 snakes, lizards, frogs, salamanders,
and turtles, Mexico; from Chicago Zoological
Society, Brookfield, 111. — an alligator, 3
mammals, and 23 birds.

The Library:

Valuable books from Mrs. Stanley Field,
Lake Forest, 111.; Carnegie Institution,
Washington, D. C; and Dr. Henry Field,
Miss Marie Pabst, Dr. Wilfred H. Osgood,
and William J. Gerhard, all of Chicago.

FEBRUARY GUIDE-LECTURE TOURS

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for February.

Week beginning February 3: Monday —
Fur-Bearing Animals (Mrs. Leota G.
Thomas); Tuesday — General Tour; Wed-
nesday— Burying the Dead (Miss Elizabeth
McM. Hambleton); Thursday — General
Tour; Friday — Naturalized Plant Citizens
(Miss Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning February 10: Monday —
How Rocks and Minerals Are Identified
(Mr. Bert E. Grove); Tuesday — General
Tour; Wednesday — (Lincoln's Birthday)
Plants and Animals of Illinois (including
those ivith which Abraham Lincoln must have
been familiar) (Miss Marie B. Pabst);
Thursday — General Tour; Friday — The
Earth's Green Mantle (Miss Marie B.
Pabst).

Week beginning February 17: Monday —
Conservation and the Geologist (Mr. Bert
E. Grove); Tuesday — General Tour; Wed-
nesday— From Invertebrates to Primates
(Mrs. Leota G. Thomas); Thursday — Gen-
eral Tour; Friday — Reading, Writing
and 'Rithmetic (Miss Elizabeth McM.
Hambleton).

Week beginning February 24: Monday —
Animals of the Past and Present (Mr. Bert
E. Grove); Tuesday — General Tour; Wed-
nesday— Primitive Beauty Shops (Miss
Elizabeth McM. Hambleton); Thursday —
General Tour; Friday — The Mystery of the
Animals (Mr. Clarence L. Brown).

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director,
special tours are available to parties.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
December 17 to January 15:

Associate Memt>ers

John C. Bagby, Mrs. Charles C. Haffner,
Jr., AUin K. Ingalls, Edward H. Ravenscroft,
John M. Simpson.

Annua! Members
John D. Black, Thomas M. Borrowdale,
Mrs. Raymond I. Caspers, Robert A.
Cavenaugh, Mrs. Leonard B. Ettelson,
Francis A. Flaks, Seward C. Frazee, William
H. Haynes, E. C. Herthel, Dr. Walter H. O.
Hoffmann, Mrs. W. Robert Johnston, A. J.
Joyce, Charles F. Krametbauer, Michael J.
Layden, Josias Leao, Charles A. Leatzow,
John M. Lee, Mrs. William George Lee,
Charles E. Lewis, Mrs. Lloyd Lewis, Philip
Lee Musick, Miss Minnie L. Patterson,
Daniel Peterkin, Jr., Joseph Richard Pick,
George A. Schmidt, D. D. Thirkield.
Frederick W. Vodoz, Mrs. Allen B. Wrisley.

A complete set of masks used by the
Navaho Indians in their Night Chant
Ceremony is exhibited in Hall 6.

Birds of foreign lands which have been
introduced into America by man are ex-
hibited in a special case in Hall 21.

.MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD .MUSEUM

Field Museum has several classes of Mem-
l>ers. Annual Members contrioute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and are
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually tor six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Resident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Resident Associate Memi)ers $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
Reaident memberships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles or more from Chi-
cago. Those who give or devise to the Museum
$1,000 to $100,000 are designated as Contribu-
tors, and those who give or devise $100,000 or
more ijecome Benefactors. Other memberships
are Honorary, Patron, Corresponding and Cor-
porate, additions under these classifications
being made by special action of the Board of
Trustees.

Each Member, in all classes, is entitled to
free admission to the Museum for himself, his
family and house guests; and to two reserved
seats for Museum lectures provided for Mem-
bers. Subscription to Field Museum News is
included with all meml>erships. The courtesies
of every museum of note in the United States
and Canada are extended to all Members of
Field Museum. A Member may give his
personal card to non-residents of Chicago, upon
presentation of which they will be admitted to
the Museum without charge. Further informa-
tion about memberships will be sent on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum of Natural His-
tory may be made in securities, money, books or
collections. They may, if desired, take the form
of a memorial to a person or cause, named by
the giver.

Contributions made within the taxable year,
not exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net
income, are allowable as deductionsin computing
net income for federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum
with the provision that an annuity be paid to
the patron for life. These annuities are guaran-
teed against fluctuation in amount, and may
reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTED BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

News

Published Monthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

MARCH, 1941

No. 3

MUSEUM RESTORES GIANT FOSSIL BIRD THAT TERRORIZED LARGE MAMMALS

By BRYAN PATTERSON

ASSISTANT CURATOR OP PALEONTOLOGY

After some years of work in Field Mu-
seum's paleontological laboratories a skeletal
restoration of Mesembriornis, one of the
most spectacular of all birds either living
or extinct, has recently been mounted and
placed on exhibition in Ernest R. Graham
Hall (Hall 38). This mount, the first of
its kind ever to be exhibited in any museum,
is based on two speci-
mens collected in the
Pliocene deposits of
the Province of Cata-
marca, Argentina, by
the Second Marshall
Field Paleontological
Expedition to Argen-
tina and Bolivia under
the leadership of Mr.
Elmer S. Riggs, Cura-
tor of Paleontology.

Mesembriornis was
a carnivorous, terres-
trial bird, standing
almost five feet in
height, unable to fly
but capable of running
at great speed. The
large head, the enor-
mous hooked beak,
and the powerful feet
and claws testify elo-
quently to its carni-
vorous habits. The
greatly reduced wings
were obviously useless
for flight, but were
doubtless used for
balancing purposes
while the bird was
running. The trim,
narrow body, straight
pelvis, and long,

powerful legs are the marks of a swift runner.
This bird may have been as fast as the
ostrich, which is credited with the ability
to outdistance a galloping horse in a straight
run. A bird of such size, ferocity and speed
was certainly a most formidable engine of
destruction.

The extinct group to which Mesembriornis
belonged, the Phororhacoidea, was exclu-
sively South American in distribution. It
was composed of three closely related
families, the Phororhacidae, of which Mesem-
briornis is a typical representative, the
Psilopteridae, and the Brontornithidae. The

psilopterids resembled the phororhacids
rather closely in proportions and general
skeletal structure, but were relatively small,
not exceeding three feet in height. The
brontornithids, on the other hand, were
gigantic birds which must have attained
heights of eight feet or more. More heavily
built and with relatively shorter lower leg
bones than the members of the other two
families, they were undoubtedly less speedy.

Giant Carnivorous Bird of a Past Age

MeseTnbriornis as it is believed to have appeared in life. Drawing by John Conrad Hansen, based on a skele-
tal restoration recently added to Ernest R. Graham Hall. One of the most spectacular of all birds, either living or
extinct, it stood some five feet in height. During about 20,000,000 years of the Age of Mammals, birds of this type
were often the victors in battles with large four-legged creatures whose remains they then devoured. There was
terrific striking power in their great feet, and they could tear flesh viciously with their sharp claws and long beaks.

Members of all three families are found in
deposits ranging from Oligocene to Pliocene
age, i.e., from about 22,000,000 to 2,000,000
years ago. The earliest forms are practically
as specialized as the latest, a fact which
indicates a long pre-Oligocene history which
is at present entirely unknown.

So large and varied a group of flesh-eating
birds certainly preyed on a wide variety of
animals from creatures of mouse size to
the larger herbivorous mammals. That
ground-living birds should have played so
important a role in the economy of nature
is most unusual. A comparable situation

does not exist anywhere in the world today,
nor is it known to have existed in the past
except in South America. The reason for
its occurrence there is of extraordinary
interest. Toward the end of the Age of
Reptiles, South America became isolated
from the rest of the world and remained so
until near the end of the Age of Mammals.
As a result of this isolation, a fauna almost
as peculiar as that of Australia developed.
This fauna included
no true carnivorous
mammals. The place
of these predators was
partially taken by
flesh-eating relatives
of the opossum which
evolved to fill this
essential niche in the
ecologic structure.
Some of these forms
became extraordina-
rily similar to totally
unrelated true carni-
vores living elsewhere.
By far the most strik-
ing of them was the
marsupial saber-tooth
Thylacosmilus which
was amazingly like the
saber-toothed cats of
North America and
the Old World. De-
spite skin-deep simi-
larities in appearance,
however, these ani-
mals were no more effi-
cient than inadequate
substitutes usually
are. They failed to
become the dominant
predators of the re-
gion, and as a result
the evolution of the
phororhacoids became possible. The ex-
tinction of these birds, shortly after coming
into contact with the cats, dogs, and other
Carnivora which entered South America
after the reunion of that continent with
North America in the Pliocene epoch,
significantly suggests that they could never
have arisen had they been faced with effec-
tive competition from the start.

MODERN RELATIVES ARE NOTABLE BIRDS

In view of the decidedly carnivorous
habits of the phororhacoids, it is rather
surprising to find that they were related
to neither of the two great orders of preda-

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

March, 191,1

Eitlnct Bird Dvrarfs Modern Ea£le

Skeletal restoration of the flightleas Mesembriornis, now exhibited in Graham Hall, compared with the skeleton
of a golden eagle, one of the larger modem flying birds of prey. The ancient giant from South America, like the
preaent-day ostrich, used its proportionately small wings only for purposes of balancing while running. Indi-
cations are that this formidable engine of destruction may have been able to attain the speed of a galloping horse.

tory birds, the hawks and eagles, and the
owls. For some time after their discovery
there was considerable controversy among
paleontologists and ornithologists over their
true position in the bird class, a dispute
that was settled in 1899 by the late Dr.
C. W. Andrews of the British Museum.
As a result of an exhaustive investigation,
based on excellent specimens of the Miocene
genus Phororhaeos, Andrews came to the
conclusion that the phororhacoids were more
closely related to the peculiar cariama and
chuiia of Brazil and Argentina than to any
other birds living or extinct. Research
carried out at Field Museum on the splendid
material collected by the Marshall Field
Expedition has amply substantiated this
conclusion. The cariamas are members of
the crane order.

Stating to North American readers that
the phororhacoids are related to the cariamas
is rather like saying that x is related to y.
Some information on x has been given in
this article, but y is also well worthy of
attention. The cariamas are exceedingly
interesting not only because of their affinities
with the spectacular phororhacoids, but
also in themselves. They are long-legged,
long-necked birds which stand about two
feet in height. Capable of speeds of 25
miles per hour, they run when disturbed

and take to the air only as a last resort.
Their food generally consists of insects and
other invertebrates and the smaller reptiles
and mammals, but they will attack larger
game when opportunity offers, and they
have been known to raise havoc among
domestic fowls. Oddly enough, they can be
domesticated, and in this condition are
reported to act as guardians of the poultry
they might otherwise prey upon. They
roost and nest in bushes and low trees,
activities of which their phororhacoid rela-
tives were incapable. The cariamas have
been aptly described as birds which are in
transition toward a completely ground-
dwelling mode of life. This is perfectly
true, but if fragmentary fossil evidence may
be relied upon they have remained more or
less "fixed" in this transitory condition for
millions of years. A logical explanation of
this interesting state of affairs at once
suggests itself. Cariama, with its marked
tendency toward ground-dwelling habits,
its insectivorous-carnivorous diet, and its
weak powers of flight, is an almost ideal
structural descendant for the phororhacoids
in which such characters and tendencies
were carried to an extreme. It is, in fact,
almost certain that the phororhacoids did
evolve from an ancestral cariamid which
probably was quite similar to the living

bird. Once this had taken place, the
diversification of the phororhacoids effec-
tively prevented any further offshoots along
the same lines from the parent cariamid
stock. The latter was thus held down in a
state of "suspended transition."

EVOLUTION FAVORS UNSPECIALIZED ANIMALS

The cariamas afford an example of what
has come to be known as the "law" of the
survival of the relatively unspecialized.
They were able to survive the great faunal
changes that took place in South America
following the elevation of the land bridge
at Panama, whereas their much more highly
specialized relatives, the phororhacoids, were
not. It is probable that in spite of their
long history they have lost none of their
evolutionary potentiality, and that if all
carnivorous mammals were to vanish from
the southern continent they would again
give rise to a group of carnivorous ground
birds whose members might well develop
into forms strikingly similar to Mesembri-
omis and its allies.

The preparation of the specimens and
the mounting of the skeletal restoration
were carried out by Mr. James H. Quinn,
Chief Preparator, Division of Paleontology.

Special thanks are due to Dr. Martin
Doello-Jurado and Professor Alejandro F.
Bordas, of the Museo Argentine de Ciencias
Naturales, Buenos Aires, for their courtesy
in supplying data on a specimen of Mesem-
briomis in their charge.

THE WORSHIP OF METEORITES

Few natural objects have more generally
been worshiped by the human race than
meteorites. Instances of the worship of
meteorites by the aborigines have been found
in the New World. The oldest are probably
those revealed by the discovery of meteorites
in association with the remains of the Mound
Builders. In 1836 white men first saw, in
what is now Wichita County, Texas, a mass
of meteoritic iron weighing 320 pounds.
The meteorite was an object of worship of
the Comanche Indians. It was set up at a
junction of several trails, and Indians who
passed by made a custom of leaving beads,
pipes, and tobacco as an offering. A speci-
men of this meteorite may be seen in Hall
34 of the Department of Geology.— S. K. R.

Fierce Tuareg Fighters

The Tuareg tribes of the Sahara have
recently appeared in the war news with
hints that they might intervene in some of
the strategic struggles in Africa. Field
Museum has an exhibit in Hall E illustrating
the life of these camel-keeping fighters who
are noted for their ferocity.

The Herbarium of Field Museum now
contains more than 1,000,000 specimens of
plants from all over the world.

March, 19^1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Pages

SATURDAY AFTERNOON LECTURES ON SCIENCE AND TRAVEL FOR ADULTS TO OPEN MARCH 1

Central and South America — little known
islands in the South Pacific — the Arctic
regions, the tropics of southeastern Asia,
and Africa — all will be subjects of free
illustrated lectures in the annual Spring
Course on science and travel for adults, to
be presented at Field Museum on Saturday
afternoons during March and April.

The Museum has engaged noted scientists,
naturalists, and explorers who will tell of
their achievements in a wide variety of
fields, and will show motion pictures (in
many cases in natural colors) and stereopti-
con slides to illustrate their narratives. In
one case, the lecturer — Captain C. W. R.
Knight, famous British authority on birds
of prey, who appears on March 22 — will be
accompanied by a live eagle.

All the lectures will begin at 2:30 p.m.,
and will be presented in the James Simpson
Theatre of the Museum. The demand for
seats makes it necessary to restrict admission
to adults; but on the mornings of the same
Saturdays the James Nelson and Anna
Louise Raymond Foundation will present
free motion pictures especially for children.

Following are the dates, subjects, and
speakers for the adult programs:

March 1— Headhunters Still Live.

Dr. Douglas Oliver.

Dr. Oliver, a member of the anthropo-
logical staff at the Peabody Museum of
Harvard University presents in this lecture
the astonishing story of an archaic Stone
Age race preserved — like fossils in rock — in
a remote and isolated South Sea island,
Bougainville. This island is inhabited by
the earliest and blackest migrants into the
Pacific islands — people who were driven
inland onto the forested slopes of active
volcanoes by later, stronger races. No trace
of the higher civilizations of the Polynesians
penetrated into the interior of Bougainville,
where natives continued to fell trees and
remove human heads with their crude stone
axes. Dr. and Mrs. Oliver remained among
these people for a year and a half, and
observed all phases of their lives.

March 8 — Blue-Green Water.

Wesley Mueller.

By means of undersea photography made
possible by special diving equipment, Mr.
Mueller illustrates his lecture with natural
color films of marine creatures which live
their lives far from the eyes of man. These
remarkable pictures were made in the
waters surrounding the Florida Keys and
the Bahama Islands. Many strange types
of plant and fish life, and such interesting
phenomena as the octopus changing its
colors, are shown. In his lecture Mr.
Mueller will tell the story of seven months
which he and Mrs. Mueller spent last year
aboard their yacht Luray making these
undersea motion pictures.

March 15 — Malay-Utan.

Joseph Tillon.

Mr. Tilton, who has been a sailor, pros-
pector, miner, newsreel cameraman, and
explorer, describes his lecture as "the story
of topsy-turvy land, the country of the
unbelievable, where lizards fly, where fish
climb trees, where deer come in pocket sizes,
and the thirsty adventurer finds drinking
fountain vines at hand to supply his needs."
In motion pictures he presents a fascinating
record of the Malay Peninsula in Upper
Perak, with its practically virgin jungles
almost unknown to white men, but inhabited
by pygmies and other wild jungle folk.

March 22 — The Leopard of the Air.

Captain C. W. R. Knight.

Captain Knight, former British army
officer and internationally known authority
on birds of prey, will present the story of his
South African Expedition for the National
Geographic Society. In Africa, Captain
Knight filmed the life story of the crowned
hawk eagle, one of the most ferocious of all
birds. To obtain his motion pictures of the
eagles in their nests, Captain Knight built
a hut in a tree and lived in it. The live
eagle that he brings to the Museum takes
an active part in the program.

March 29 — Northwest Passage Patrol.

Richard Finnie.

From the little-known eastern Canadian
Arctic, Mr. Finnie brings a documentary
film record of an epic voyage to some of the
most northerly islands in the world. His
films illustrate the folkways of the most
primitive living Eskimos. There are many
close-ups of Arctic foxes, musk-oxen, and
other animals. The films also show Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, fur traders,
and explorers performing their daily tasks,
and Eskimo colonists establishing new
trading posts. As official historian and
cameraman to the Canadian government,
Mr. Finnie has been recording life and
events in the far northern reaches of the
Dominion for more than fifteen years.

April 5— Peru Today — Land of the

Incas.

William B. Holmes.

From the mountains and jungles of Peru
Mr. Holmes has brought a spectacular
documentary study, in natural color motion
pictures, of the country's diversified life.
Traveling on foot, on wheels, and by air, Mr.
Holmes covered modern and industrial Peru,
and the magnificent ruins of buildings rep-
resenting the past glories of the Inca civiliza-
tion. Among his adventures was a six hun-
dred-mile automobile trip, traveling in the
wrong direction over a dangerous one-way
mountain road (by special government per-
mission). This seemingly reckless trip was
necessitated by shortness of time in which

to reach a great Sunday festival that makes
one of his most colorful film sequences.

April 12— Ancient America's Most

Civilized People.

J. Eric Thompson.

Mr. Thompson, for several years a mem-
ber of the staff of Field Museum, and now
connected with the Carnegie Institution of
Washington, will present a short outline of
the history of the Mayas. The art, archi-
tecture, and hieroglyphic writing of this
remarkable people will be emphasized. Mr.
Thompson will give an account of the pres-
ent-day Mayas, as well as their ancient
ancestors who were the original builders of
this civilization. In slides he will show what
remains of their early architectural achieve-
ments, as well as the contrasting forest and
mountain regions the modern Mayas in-
habit. The lecture will embody data
obtained by various archaeological expedi-
tions to the Maya area for Field Museum.

April 19 — Tropical Rain-Forest of
Barro Colorado Island, Panama.
Dr. Ralph Buchsbaum.
In his lecture. Dr. Buchsbaum will give
an account of the rain-forest of Barro Colo-
rado Island which is situated in Gatun Lake,
Panama. This island, where a famous
scientific experiment station has been estab-
lished, has been found by scientists to be an
ideal place for the study of tropical plants,
animals, rainfall, and climatic conditions.
Some of the animals to be shown in the films
are exceedingly rare, and have never before
been recorded in motion pictures.

April 26 — An Alaskan Adventure.

Bradford Washburn.

"An Alaskan Adventure" is the tale
(illustrated with both motion pictures and
slides) of an expedition to the summits of
two of Alaska's great unclimbed peaks.
The explorers were led by Mr. Washburn for
Harvard University and The National Geo-
graphic Society. After a reconnaisance of
the remote and difficult approaches to
Mount St. Agnes (13,250 feet) and Mount
Sanford (16,200 feet)— the highest unclimbed
peak in North America — these great moun-
tains were attacked during June and July,
1938, by two experienced climbing parties.
Airplanes, sledge dogs, and a pack train
were combined to make the carefully planned
assaults on the peaks.

No tickets are necessary for admission
to these lectures. A section of the Theatre
is reserved for Members of the Museum,
each of whom is entitled to two reserved
seats. Requests for these seats should be
made in advance by telephone (WABash
9410) or in writing, and seats will be held in
the Member's name until 2:30 o'clock on
the day of the lecture. All reserved seats
not claimed by 2 :30 P.M. will be made avail-
able to the general public.

Page It

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

March, 191,1

PAGES FROM THE FIELD NOTES OF A BOTANICAL EXPLORER IN THE VENEZUELAN GUIANA

By LLEWELYN WILLIAMS

CURATOR OF ECONOMIC BOTANY

{Editor's Note: — Curator Williams recently
returned from Venezuela where, for mare than
two years, he was engaged in a botanical
survey with Dr. Henry Pittier, the govern-
ment botanist. Field Museum shared in the
resulting collections. Mr. Williams' field
notes picture vividly experiences typical of
those that befall scientists on expeditions.)

February 28, 1940 — We leave Caracas,
capital and metropolis, passing the Silla
(Saddle) peak that rises 9,000 feet, over a
winding road to Los Teques (named after
an extinct tribe of warlike Indians). Down

CARIBBEAN
SEA

Do-miTo rrocRAL

Peregrinations of a Botanist In Venezuela

Curator Williams' route on collecting and exploratory journey is indicated by
doited line. Traveling by airplane, boat, motor truck, muleback, and on foot, he
started from Caracas in upper left hand corner of map, came southeast to Ciu-
dad Bolivar, followed southerly loop on map, then easterly and westerly, and
finally returned northward to Caracas via Barcelona. The looping and zig-zagging
was strategical, necessitated by various seasonal and topographical considerations.

a long steep hill we plunge to the valley of
Aragua or "garden of Venezuela," livid with
green fields of sugar cane.

February 29 — Aboard plane leaving Boca
del Rio, on Lake Valencia. We pass over
the high, bare cliffs of San Juan de los
Morros, at the entrance to the Llanos,
extensive plains flat as a table. The vegeta-
tion is stunted ashy-gray, burned by long
drought. The climate is malarial; habita-
tions few and far between; population sparse.
A winding silvery thread below — my first
view of the Orinoco River. Red roofs on
the horizon — we are approaching Ciudad
Bolivar, commercial center of the Orinoco
basin. We have come five hundred miles
in two hours.

March 6 — After several days' trek over-
land into the interior of the Venezuelan
Guiana, camp is erected — four posts with

curata palm leaves for thatch, in an open
savanna. Our associates are the amicable
members of the Venezuelan Frontier Com-
mission surveying the Brazilian border.

FIRE IN THE FOREST

March 9 — It is as dry as a desert — not
since 1926, say the local people, has there
been such a drought. The distant forest to
the north has been burning for days. Fan-
ned by a northeast wind the conflagration
is drawing nearer. A pall of blue gray haze
and smoke hangs constantly along the edge
of the forest; visibility is reduced to about

a mile. A note from

Ciudad Bolivar
reveals that we have
been extremely lucky
— the establishment
in which our equip-
ment had been stored
burned down the
night after our
departure.

March 12, 2 a.m.
— Cries of "Fire,
fire!" awake us from
sound sleep — an
Indian is warning us
of approaching dan-
ger. Not more than
200 yards away an
unbroken curtain of
fire is sweeping
across the prairie,
advancing steadily
toward our hut.
Until dawn we battle
against it lustily
with cutlasses and
tree branches.

March 14— The
entire forest seems
to be ablaze; at night
high flames, like
giant torches, lap the
crowns of trees 100
feet tall. A strong wind carries the fire
toward our hut, in the savanna, threatening
our precious collections and equipment; but
valiant helpers save the hut and not a single
thing is lost. For miles around the formerly
green plains have been transformed into a
charred carpet. Cattle wander afar in search
of pasture — hundreds die from lack of water.
Scores of small plantations are destroyed.
March 27 to April 9 — The burning savanna
is now miles behind us; we have arrived at
El Palmar, close to the Orinoco delta, in the
land of the Guarauno Indians. The forest
is dense, and still largely unexplored.
Great variety of natural products here stirs
the thought of anyone interested in economic
botany. Chicle, ingredient of chewing gum;
balata, a latex (similar to gutta percha)
used for covering transmission cables; fra-
grant tonka-beans, used in perfumes and to

impart aroma to tobacco; cnspa bark,
principal constituent of Angostura bitters;
various desirable timbers, and extensive
stands of the Moriche palm, which yields a
tough fiber used in hammocks. There are
many mineral products too — southward are
gold mines known to early Spanish ex-
plorers who sought the mythical El Dorado.
To the north are vast unexploited iron
deposits. Even rich sources of diamonds
have been found. Yet despite such wealth
the people are impoverished and seem
extremely lacking in initiative.

April 11 to 20 — Ascending the Orinoco
to its upper reaches, we follow the route
taken by Humboldt and Bonpland 140
years ago. The little steamer Angostura
makes frequent stops daily to trade and
load firewood. The water is turbid with
sand. Majestic trees line the banks in
an almost endless wall, their trunks and
limbs concealed by garlands of vines — in
their crotches nestle scarlet or purple orchids
— some of the high crowns are covered with
blue, yellow or white flowers. Crocodiles
rest motionless on sandbanks, and long lines
of egrets fly from rock to rock. Each day
towards noon a breeze springs up and makes
life bearable under the tropic sun. On the
eighth day we reach Puerto Paez, at the
mouth of the Meta, flowing from Colombia.
Our base is established at Puerto Ayacucho.

ANTHROPOLOGY ON THE SIDE

May 5 to 12 — A forty-mile trip overland
brings us to the mouth of the Sanariapo,
above treacherous rapids. Two days in an
open canoe handled by five Indians, and
we reach the island of El Raton (The Rat).
To the south an unbroken forest extends
to the Brazilian frontier, once exploited for
rubber, and still a rich source of palm fiber
(piassaba or chiquechique) used for making
brushes. But this territory is still largely
unexplored, and inhabited only by the Ma-
quiritare, Guajibo, Guajaribo, Piaroa, and
Yaruro Indians. The Maquiritares travel
during the dry months from their settlement
in the upper Caura to the Ventuari and
Brazilian frontier, bartering canoes, and
even dogs! for guns, ammunition and, above
all, salt. The Guajibos live in forests of the
Vichada and Tomo rivers, have tattoo-like
bluish or pinkish discolorations, generally
around the nose. The nomadic Piaroas, of
the upper Parguaza and Ventuari regions,
are short and stocky — they frequently
clear patches of forest to grow manioc,
source of their starchy food. They excel
in making palm wood blowpipes, and in the
preparation of curare, the plant poison
applied to the tips of spears, arrows, and
darts for hunting. The formula, a closely
guarded secret, is known only to the older
men — the basic raw material is the bark of
a woody vine of the strychnine family. To
be effective the poison must come in direct
contact with the blood stream. Its fatal

March, IHl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

effect on small birds occurs within two or
three minutes. To counteract its toxic
qualities ordinary salt must be applied to
the wound, and also be taken by ingestion.
Other plants likewise are used for their
narcotic or stimulating properties. The
Piaroas collect the bean-like fruits of the
"yopo" tree (Piptadenia peregrina), grind
the ripe seeds to a fine powder, and inhale it.
Legend tells of a feast at which the men
became intoxicated on yopo seeds and com-
mitted the unforgivable crime of killing
their chieftain. Upon recovering their senses
they "avenged" his death by throwing them-
selves over a high cliflf, now known as the
Rock of the Piaroas (LaLaja de los Piaroas).
Bones are still found around the base of the
clifiE, but their connection with this event
has never been proved.

May 30 — Flying from Puerto Ayacucho
toward the Brazilian frontier; below us the
forest spreads everywhere — an awe-inspiring
sight, unknown even to the wandering
Indians! In the many miles covered in two
and one-half hours of high-speed flying we
have seen not a single habitation. We
ascend to 8,000 feet over a densely-wooded
mountain range. Broad flat savannas come
into view; now the plane glides to a stop.
We are greeted by a Maquiritare Indian,
his three female companions, and a boy.
Camp is pitched on the bank of the Ventuari.
The water is limpid, the atmosphere cool.
No mosquitoes disturb our rest, and the
only noise is the occasional terrifying roar
of a jaguar or the harsh voices of araguatos
(howling monkeys), which make the air
seem to vibrate.

June 4 — We depart on the Angostura for
Caicara. Most of the passengers are men
returning from the forests, after several
months of gathering tonka-beans, which
they sell for $1 to $1.50 a pound.

June 7 — Inland toward the Cuchivero
River. We meet a large group of wandering
Panare Indians in search of the oily fruits
of the Coroba palm (Jessenia polycarpa),
from the pulp of which they make arepas,
resembling johnny-cake.

June 12 to 15 — Accompanied by Cara-
bafio, the Panares' chieftain, we go on an
extended trip to the upper Cuchivero in
search of "barbasco caicareiio," a plant
poison used in macerated form to contami-
nate water and stupefy fish. It is now of
economic value on account of its rotenone
content, used as an ingredient of insecticides.

TEMPEST ON THE RIVER

June 28 — We return to Caicara to em-
bark the following day on the Angostura,
and continue the journey back to Ciudad
Bolivar. But the boat is ready to depart
and there is insufficient time to crate and
load the specimens.

June 30 — We leave Caicara on a sister
ship, the Meta, overtaking the Angostura
during the night.

July 1 — Gusts of strong wind churn the
usually placid waters of the Orinoco into
high waves, and a funnel-shaped mass
appears on the horizon — sure signs of an
approaching tempest, or chubasco as the
natives call it. The sky turns red, low banks
of black clouds begin to form, followed by
fitful showers. Sandspouts spring up on
the banks. The captain decides to seek
refuge along the bank to ride out the storm.

July 2— The rounded hill of Ciudad
Bolivar, with low blue-and-white buildings
along the waterfront, comes into view.

July 3 — We proceed to the village of
Soledad, on the opposite bank, crossing the
Orinoco at the narrowest point in its entire
length, whence was derived Ciudad Bolivar's
original name, Angostura. The rainy season
has set in and it will take a week to traverse
the rough road, 500 miles long, through the
desolate Llanos. News reaches Ciudad
Bolivar that the Angostura has been ship-
wrecked, a victim of the squall experienced
three days ago.

July 5 — Forced to wait for several hours
beyond Pariaguan until a flooded stream

has receded; rain, falling in torrents, makes
the road almost impassable.

July 8 — Caracas once again, and now
begins the task of classifying the large collec-
tions, the result of four months' labor in
the field, and to select duplicate material
for dispatch to Field Museum.

Michigan Educators Visit Museum

During February, Field Museum was host
to three groups of members of the School
Officers' Institute conducted by the School
of Education at Northwestern University.
There were approximately sixty men and
women in each group. After luncheon
meetings in the Museum Cafeteria, they
were conducted on tours of the exhibits by
members of the staff of the James Nelson
and Anna Louise Raymond Foundation for
Public School and Children's Lectures.

The vegetable origin of coal is illustrated
by a collection of fossil leaves found in coal,
and the stump of a large tree found in a
mine, now on exhibition in Hall 36 of the
Department of Geology.

MARBLE LIONS FROM CHINA NOW ON EXHIBITION IN HALL 24

A pair of monumental carved stone lions
of the eighteenth century, from China, pre-
sented to Field Museum recently by Mrs.
Frederick S. Fish, of South Bend, Indiana,
and New York, is now on exhibition. The
sculptures stand as silent sentinels at the
entrance to George T. and Frances Gaylord
Smith Hall of Chinese Archaeology (Hall 24).

The lions are "con-
ventionalized," in the
technical sense of that
word as employed in art
terminology. This con-
ventionalization may be
attributed to the fact
that, because the lion is
not native to eastern
Asia, it is to the Chinese
more of an imaginary
animal than a real one,
it is explained by Mr. C.
Martin Wilbur, Curator
of Chinese Archaeology
and Ethnology.

These lions came from
Peking where they once
guarded the entrance of
a government building
when that city was thf
capital of the Manchu
Empire. When such
mythical lions are
placed in pairs before
important edifices, the
male sits at the right
playing with a sphere
supposed to be the sun,
while the female, shown
suckling her young from

her paw, is placed at the left. Mrs. Fish
presented the sculptures to Field Museum
in memory of her father, the late John M.
Studebaker. In recognition of this notable
gift, the Trustees of the Museum recently
placed Mrs. Fish's name on the institution's
list of Contributors, an honor which con-
tinues in perpetuity.

*'Conventionalized'* Lion Attracts Children

Chinese conception of "king of beasts" in carved stone arouses curiosity of
George Chubb, Beverly Jameson, and Burton Sandberg, pupils of Harvard Public
School. A pair of these lions, presented to the Museum by Mrs. Grace Studebaker
Fish, now stands at the entrance to George T. and Frances Gaylord Smith Hall.

Paged

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

March, 19il

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893
Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lester Armour Albert W. Harris

Sewell L. Avery Samuel Insull. Jr.

W. McCoRMicK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Blo<;k William H. Mitchell

boardman conover george a. r1chard8on

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field .\lbert A. Spragub

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley Field .Albert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

.Albert A. Sprague First Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Seeond Vice-President

.■Albert W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith . . . Treaturer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Clifford C. Gregg, Director of the Museum .... Editor

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichols Chief Curator of Geology

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curator of Zoology

H. B. Harte Managing Editor

Members are requested to Inform the Museum
promptly of changes of address.

INDIAN SILVER

When the Spanish entered the Southwest,
the Navajo were a marauding, nomadic
tribe. With the advent of the white man,
the life of this tribe has changed completely.
The Navajo borrowed many things from the
Spanish — sheep, horses, cattle, and the art
of working silver.

The Navajo copied Spanish jewelry and
invented forms of their own. Their designs
are derived both from the silver trade-
jewelry given to the tribes east of the Missis-
sippi, and from Spanish-Mexican costume
ornaments and bridle trappings.

Originally silver was obtained by melting
Spanish and Mexican coins. Today the
Navajo use metal from various sources.
The tools are few and simple — a hand bel-
lows, a forge, and a small anvil.

The Navajo made beads, necklaces, but-
tons, belts, bridle mounts, rings, and brace-
lets, often set with turquois. The most
familiar design is the so-called thunderbird.
The jewelry is massive and masculine.

The Spanish Conquistadores were not the
only Europeans to introduce silver work to
the Indians. During the seventeenth cen-
tury the French traders introduced silver
brooches, like those made for the Scotch
Highlanders, to the Central Algonkin tribes.

The Sauk and Fox Indians copied these
brooches and also made rings and bracelets.
The silver probably came from old brooches
and coins obtained from the traders. The
rings made by the native silversmiths were
often set with abalone shells also obtained
from the traders; the bracelets bore designs
consisting of converging lines and circles.

Plain brooches were worn as trimming on
women's clothes. They were sewn around
the collar, on the shoulders, and along the

bottom of the blouse. An ornate brooch
created the finishing touch.

With the growth of the United States the
Central Algonkin tribes were pushed farther
and farther west. Silver work was forgotten
in the losing struggle for an existence.
Today they are a broken people scattered
over several reservations in Iowa, Kansas,
and Oklahoma. The Navajo, however, sur-
vived the western thrust of the whites. In
fact, this thrust helped create a growing
market for their arts and crafts, particularly
their silver jewelry. With the growth of
this market the Navajo have flourished.

In Hall 6, Case 10, is an exhibit of Navajo
silver jewelry. Sauk and Fox silver orna-
ments are displayed in James Nelson and
Anna Louise Raymond Hall (Hall 4), Cases
17 and 18.

Staff Notes

Major Clifford C. Gregg, Director, has
been elected a Fellow of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science.

Mr. Melvin A. Traylor, Jr., has been
appointed an Associate in Ornithology. Mr.
Traylor, who was graduated from Harvard
in 1937, has conducted several ornithological
expeditions to Yucatan and Campeche. The
collection of little known birds from the latter
Mexican state, resulting from his work, is
the most important such collection known.
He has presented his collection to the
Museum, and is working regularly in the
laboratories on research projects. A publica-
tion reporting on the Campeche collection
will soon be issued by Field Museum Press.
At present Mr. Traylor is a member of the
zoological expedition to the Galapagos
Islands aboard Mr. Leon Mandel's yacht.

Dr. Henry Field, Curator of Physical
Anthropology, has been granted leave of
absence from the Museum to accept a
temporary special assignment in the Library
of Congress, Washington, D.C. Dr. Field
will work on a project in connection with
the Library's southwestern Asiatic division.

Mr. Elmer S. Riggs, Curator of Paleon-
tology, visited the Carnegie Museum,
Pittsburgh, to arrange fossil exchanges.

Dr. Wilfrid D. Hambly, Curator of African
Ethnology, lectured before the Geographic
Society of Chicago at the Goodman Theatre,
February 3, on "African Negroes."

Mrs. Leota G. Thomas, of the Raymond
Foundation Staff, is teaching an Indiana
University Extension course at Hammond.

week last month at Field Museum conferring
on botanical problems with members of
the staff of this institution. Professor
Asplund recently came to the United States
after two years in Ecuador and Peru where
he collected plants for the Swedish museum.
He is especially interested in Andean plants,
and made a study of those in the Herbarium
of Field Museum. He is awaiting completion
of arrangements by the warring countries
which will enable him to sail for home.

MANDEL EXPEDITION REPORTS
FROM GALAPAGOS

The zoological expedition to the Gala-
pagos Islands, on board the yacht Carola
through the courtesy of the owner, Mr.
Leon Mandel, recently reported excellent
progress in obtaining collections for Field
Museum. A radiogram to Major Clifford C.
Gregg, Director of the Museum, signed
jointly by Mr. Mandel and Dr. Wilfred H.
Osgood, Curator of Zoology Emeritus and
head of the scientific personnel on board,
stated that five islands in the group had
been worked, and that a large number of
desirable specimens had been obtained.
More than 300 fishes of some fifty different
species, some believed to be hitherto unre-
corded in piscatorial annals, have been
caught. Especially large specimens are a
340-pound striped marlin caught off Panama
where this species had never before been
recorded, and a twelve-foot manta (a giant
species of ray or devil-fish), which members
of the expedition harpooned and landed
after a long fight. The expedition has col-
lected also about one hundred birds.

Swedish Botanist Visits Museum

Professor Erik Asplund, of the Botany
Department in the Natural History Museum
at Stockholm, Sweden, spent more than a

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below:

November, December,

Jan\iary, February ... .9 A.M. to 4 p.m.
March, April, and

September, October . . . 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.
May, Jiue, July, August. 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted free
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educational institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and Anna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
.\pril, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines. Rapid Transit Lines (the "L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles at the Museum.

March, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

SUNDAY LECTURES IN MARCH
ON GEMS AND JEWELS

"Gems, Jewels and 'Junk' " will be the
subject of the Sunday afternoon lectures to
be presented at Field Museum during March
by Mr. Paul G. Dallwig, the Layman Lec-
turer. Mr. Dallwig's story will trace preci-
ous and semi-precious gem stones from their
original home in the mother-rocks to their
ultimate resting place in a museum collec-
tion, a jewelry store, or milady's personal
jewel chest. He will tell about the super-
stitions that led to the customs of wearing
gems as talismans, amulets, and charms
against evil and illness, to bring good luck,
or further the cause of love. He will also
reveal how imitation and synthetic gems are
produced, and how to test them to ascertain
artificiality. The lecture will be illustrated
with exhibits among the mineral collections
in the Department of Geology.

To meet the demands for accommoda-
tions, the same lecture will be presented on
each of the five Sundays of the month
(March 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30). Lecture
audiences assemble promptly at 2 p.m.
Because the number that can be conducted
among the exhibits under comfortable cir-
cumstances on a lecture of this type is
limited, it is necessary to make reservations
for all Sunday lectures well in advance.
This may be done by mail or telephone
(WABash 9410). Children cannot be ac-
commodated. The lectures last until 4:30
P.M. with a half-hour intermission midway.
During this interval those who desire to
smoke or obtain refreshments may do so
in the Cafeteria, where special tables are
reserved for the group.

On Sundays in April Mr. Dallwig will
supplement the general lecture on gems
with "The Romance of Diamonds from Mine
to Man." Reservations for the April, as
well as the March lectures, are currently
being taken at the Museum.

Fossil Plants and Invertebrates

Extensive collections of invertebrate fossils
and fossil plants are displayed in the west
half of Frederick J. V. Skiff Hall (Hall 37).
These exhibits are arranged in two distinct
series — stratigraphic and systematic. The
stratigraphic series consists of plants and
animals of the successive geological periods
from the Cambrian to the Pleistocene. This
arrangement shows that each important
geologic period is characterized by a more
or less distinctive group of plants and ani-
mals, and that life moved in an orderly suc-
cession from the simple to the more complex
forms. Furthermore, this series furnishes
evidence helpful in the determination of the
age of rocks in which the fossils occur, and
supplies a record of the distribution of the
ancient seas and lands.

The systematic series consists of the dif-
ferent classes of animals and plants arranged

according to their biologic position. The
object of this series is to show the character-
istic features of each of the great groups of
organisms, and their relationships to other
forms. Visitors may find also in this series

examples of the many animals which in the
geologic past played an important role upon
the earth, but have since disappeared leaving
no descendants. These form an especially
interesting group in the evolutionary scale.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

ARMADILLOS — 3-Banded Kind Rolls Up, but Giant Species Burrows, for Protection

There is a popular belief that the arma-
dillo rolls up in its shell as a means of pro-
tection. This is only one-tenth true, as
there are ten kinds of armadillos, and only
one of them — the three-banded armadillo
(Tolypeutes tricinctus) — really rolls up.

This species has a thicker, harder shell,
and heavier plates in its head and tail than
other armadillos.
When rolled up, the . —

edges of the front half
of the shell fit inside
the edges of the pos-
terior half, and the
head and tail lie side
by side. In this posi-
tion, it is safe from
most of the carnivores.

This armadillo does
not always immediately
assume this position
when approached, but
lies on its side with the
shell partly closed. If
touched on the abdo-
men or chest, the shell
snaps together like a
steel trap. Any mam-
mal that had its nose or paw pinched in
this trap would certainly be wary of the
next three-banded armadillo it might en-
counter. A pack of Brazilian dogs with
which the writer once hunted never showed
any interest in these armadillos, but did
attack both the six-banded and the nine-
banded species. It is of interest that an
animal with such absolute protection by
means of its armor should have developed
so characteri.stic an instinct.

The three-banded armadillo is found from
Pernambuco in northea.stern Brazil, south
through Matto Grosso and Paraguay, to
northern Patagonia. Specimens of the
animal may be seen, together with many of
its relatives, in Field Museum's systematic
collection of mammals in Hall 15.

Various other armadillos are represented

A Unique Armadillo

Exhibit in Hall 15 showing the three-banded armadillo, which differs from its
relatives in many ways. It has the hardest carapace, with rigid shields, and it is
the only armadillo that rolls itself into a ball, as seen on the right, for protection.
It is also the only species that walks on the tips of the nails of its forefeet.

by specimens in the Hall 15 exhibit, includ-
ing the giant armadillo illustrated on this
page. Armadillos range in size from the
pygmy, which is about eight inches long,
and weighs less than a pound, to the giant
which is more than four feet long and so
heavy that a man can hardly lift one.
Despite its size, the latter is able to burrow
under ground with amazing .s[jeed, and for this
reason is seldom seen alive. It ranges from
British Guiana to central Brazil. — CCS.

l-argest of All Armadillos

Known as the giant armadillo, this species, also exhibited in the Hall 15 collection, is seldom seen alive.
Although more than four feet long, it has the ability to dig hiding place.^ in the ground with truly startling rapidity.

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

March, 19J,1

RAYMOND FOUNDATION OFFERS
CHILDREN'S FILM PROGRAMS

The annual spring series of free motion
picture programs for children, presented at
Field Museum by the James Nelson and
Anna Louise Raymond Foundation for
Public School and Children's Lectures, will
begin on March 1, and continue thereafter
each Saturday morning throughout March
and April. There will be two showings of
the pictures on each program, one beginning
at 10 A.M., and one at 11. Children from
all parts of Chicago and suburbs are invited,
and no tickets are required for admission.
The Museum is prepared to receive large
groups from schools and other organizations,
as well as individual children coming alone
or accompanied by parents or other adults.
Teachers are urged to bring their classes.

The following schedule shows the titles of
the films to be presented on each day:

March 1 — Cloudy and Colder — Prob-
ably Snow (The story of weather); and a
cartoon.

March 8 — Four Feet and Fur (Animals
tamed and untamed); and a cartoon.

March 15 — Nature on the Wing (Birds
and bugs); and a cartoon.

March 22 — The Song of China (Produced
in China with Chinese cast).

March 29 — Animal Life of the Swamps
(Insects, plants, birds, and animals); and
a cartoon.

April 5 — The Forest (Celebration of
Arbor Day); and a cartoon.

April 12— Balancing Nature's Budget
(A story of conservation).

April 19 — Sudan (Story of natives in the
heart of Africa).

April 26 — A Day at Brookfield Zoo;
and a cartoon.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

DepaTtment of .\nthropolo^ :

FYom Thomas C. Barger, Linton, N. D. —
190 pottery sherds, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Botany:

From Felix Woytkowski, Lima, Peru —
38 herbarium specimens, Peru; from Rev.
Padre Cornelius Vogl, Caracas, Venezuela —
353 herbarium specimens, Venezuela; from
Rev. Brother Elias, Caracas, Venezuela —
148 herbarium specimens, Venezuela; from
Gregorio Bondar, Bahia, Brazil — 20 palm
seeds, Brazil; from Illinois State Museum,
Springfield — 143 herbarium specimens, Illi-
nois; from Professor A. O. Garrett, Salt
Lake City, Utah — 100 herbarium specimens,
Utah.

Department of Geolofey:

From William E. Menzel, Chicago — 29
onyx marble cabochons; from A. G. Richman,
LaCrosse, Wis. — a specimen, from Africa,

showing a large ant encased in copal; from
Charles S. Ryland, Golden, Colo. — 3 mineral
specimens. New Mexico; from A. V. Kons-
berg, Chicago — a concentrically weathered
chert boulder, Texas.

Department of Zoolo^:

From Misses Ruth and Ellen Carlson,
Glen Ellyn, 111. — a pedigreed manx cat;
from Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield,
III. — 5 mammals, 6 birds, a viper, and a
capybara; from Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago —
an anaconda and a sharp-nosed crocodile.
South America and Africa; from Leslie
Hubricht, St. Louis, Mo. — 936 specimens
comprising one species and four subspecies
of snail (genus Amnicola), including three
paratypes, Ozark Mountains, Missouri.

The Library:

Valuable books from Dr. Henry Field,
Chicago.

MARCH GUIDE-LECTURE TOURS

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of stafif lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for March.

Week beginning March 3: Monday —
Exjjeditions Into the Past (Mr. Bert E.
Grove); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— The Carved Jades of China (Miss
Elizabeth McM. Hambleton); Thursday —
General Tour; Friday — South American
Plants (Miss Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning March 10: Monday —
The Everiasting Hills (Mr. Bert E. Grove);
Tuesday — General Tour; Wednesday — The
Races of Man (Mrs. Leota G. Thomas);
Thursday — General Tour; Friday — Designs
in Wood (Miss Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning March 17: Monday —
Minerals and Early Man (Mr. Bert E.
Grove); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— Animals That Hibernate or Migrate
(Mrs. Leota G. Thomas); Thursday —
General Tour; Friday — Spring Woodlands
(Miss Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning March 24: Monday —
The Cradle of Civilization (Mr. Clarence L.
Brown); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— Materials and Design in Primitive
Clothing (Mrs. Leota G. Thomas); Thurs-
day— General Tour; Friday — Game Animals
of Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota (Miss
Elizabeth Best).

Monday, March 31 — Men of the Stone
Age (Miss Elizabeth McM. Hambleton).

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director,
special tours are available to parties.

Visiting Hours Change March 1

Beginning March 1, spring visiting hours,
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will replace the winter
schedule of 9 to 4. The new hours will
continue in effect until April 30, after which
the Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to
6 P.M. until September 1 (Labor Day).

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
January 16 to February 15:

Associate Members

John S. Burchmore, Richard F. Gibbs,
Samuel P. Gurman, Maurice Marwick.

Annual Members
John G. Allbright, C. J. Barkdull, F. W.
Barta, John P. Bent, Mrs. Perry B. Buchanan,
Percival R. Charnock, Mrs. William H.
Cope, Lowes E. DeWeese, Harry Dinkelman,
C. Joseph Dirckx, Maurice M. Dreyfus,
Fred R. Eiseman, Charles M. Geraghty,
Wendell E. Green, Ralph F. Himmelhoch,
John J. Hoellen, Jr., Alfred Holzman, Mrs.
Leo L. Honor, Roger F. Howe, Miss Eliza-
beth J. Hurlbut, Hyman Kaplan, Clarence

B. Kenney, W. Paul McBride, Robert
Osgood McCuUough, Mrs. J. A. Mudd, Jr.,
Edward Murrin, Dr. Robert R. Mustell,
Mrs. Thomas F. Myers, Jr., G. A. Norton,
W. T. Osgood, Mrs. Bartholomew O'Toole,

C. R. Overholser, William A. Patterson,
Holman D. Pettibone, William F. Sloan,
Mrs. Edward Summer, Dr. Frederick C.
Test, William F. Weber.

Australian aborigines still live in a Stone
Age state of culture. An interesting exhibit
illustrating the survival of their simple,
primitive habits is on exhibition in Hall A-1.

membership in field museum

Field Museum has several classes of Mem-
bers. Annual Members contriDute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and are
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually for six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Resident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Resident Associate Members $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
Resident memberships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles or more from Chi-
cago. Those who give or devise to the Museum
$1,000 to $100,000 are designated as Contribu-
tors, and those who give or devise $100,000 or
more become Benefactors. Other memberships
are Honorary, Patron, Corresponding and Cor-
porate, additions under these classifications
being made by special action of the Board of
Trustees.

Each Member, in all classes, is entitled to
free admission to the Museum for himself, his
family and house guests; and to two reserved
seats for Museum lectures provided for Mem-
bers. Subscription to Field Museuu News is
included with all memberships. The courtesies
of every museum of note in the United States
and Canada are extended to all Members of
Field Museum. A Member may give his
personal card to non-residents of Chicago, upon
presentation of which they will be admitted to
the Museum without charge. Further informa-
tion abou". memberships will be sent on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum of Natural His-
tory may be made in securities, money, books or
collections. They may, if desired, take the form
of a memorial to a person or cause, named by
the giver.

Contributions made within the taxable year,
not exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net
income, are allowable as deductions in computing
net income for federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum
with the provision that an annuity be paid to
the patron for life. These annuities are guaran-
teed against fluctuation in amount, and may
reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTED BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

Fieldi^^

News

Pvhlished Monthly by Field Mvseum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

APRIL, 1941

No. 4

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS YIELD RARE SPECIMENS TO LEON MANDEL EXPEDITION

Mr. Leon Mandel

By WILFRED H. OSGOOD

CURATOR EMERITUS, DEPARTMENT OP ZOOLOGY

The Leon Mandel Galapagos Expedition

which sailed from Havana, Cuba, on January

8, docked at New Orleans March 10 after a

very successful voyage. This expedition was

generously financed

by Mr. Leon Man-

^^^ del, of Chicago,

^fl^^^^ and transported on

^^^^^^^ a 247-foot yacht

j^^H^^^B which he chartered.

■^^mf Field Museum was

^ ■- represented by Mr.

^k ,^^^" "- Rudyerd Boulton,

j||^^J^Bk' Curator of Birds;

^^P^ J4^-^« Mr. Loren P.

Lk \ /•'! ^1 Woods, Assistant

^a_ / % I , i Curator of Fishes;
% \__l\J Staff Taxidermist
^ ^^^^ta^HHIH Leon L. Walters;
Mr. Melvin Traylor,
Associate in Orni-
thology; Ronald

Lambert, volunteer assistant taxidermist

and submarine diver, and the writer. Other

members of the party, besides Mr. and Mrs.

Mandel, were Mr. William Gray, well-known

fishing guide of West Palm

Beach, Florida, and Mr. Fred

Whaler, of Balboa, Canal Zone.

Guests on the return trip were

Dr. Herbert Barker, of Chicago,

who joined at Talara, Peru, and

Dr. W. P. Armstrong, Jr., who

came aboard ship at Balboa.
From Havana the expedition

proceeded to Panama and after

passing through the canal went

directly to the Galapagos Is-
lands. Mr. Mandel, who

carried special equipment for

big game fishing and devoted

much effort to it, lost no time

in trying the Pacific waters.

On the first day after leaving

Panama, a line was put out

from the stern of the yacht

while it was going at a speed of

about twelve knots. This ex-
periment, which was intended

more to locate than to catch

fish, was rewarded with almost

immediate success, for within

ten minutes the bait was struck

by a large marlin. After a fight

of an hour and thirty minutes,

the fish was hauled on board.

During this time, by the skillful co-opera-
tion of Captain John R. McGuire, the ship
was maneuvered backward, forward, and
from side to side as needed. The fish
proved to be a striped marlin weighing 340
pounds, a species not previously taken in
these waters.

Quite unprecedented also was the feat
of hooking and landing a fish of this type
from a large vessel going at full speed. The
position of the ship at the time was about
Lat. 6° N. and Long. 81° 10' W. A few
days later a black marlin, weighing 347
pounds, was taken by Mr. Mandel near
Tower Island, but at Banks Bay, Albemarle
Island, and other localities where marlin
have been reported, none were found.

The expedition began systematic collect-
ing of Museum specimens at Tower Island,
and from there worked southward through
the entire archipelago, touching at all the
larger islands and nearly all the smaller ones.
Landings were made at the following islands:
Tower, Bindloe, Abingdon, Bartholomew,
James, Seymour, Albemarle, Narborough,
Charles, Champion, Onslow, Indefatigable,
Barrington, Chatham, Gardner, and Hood.
This extensive itinerary was covered in

NARBOROUGH

igjAUES l"W-,

^^^^ ^:,^3EYM0OR L

twenty-four days, but although stops were
brief, important collections were made at
every island, thus producing a result in
total that is exceedingly varied and compre-
hensive. Special efforts were made to secure
the land birds and reptiles of each island,
and collecting of fishes and invertebrates
was carried on continuously.

Route of the Mandel Expedition Through the Galapaftos Islands

Mrs, Mandel (rifiht), with Senora Alvear, wife
of the Governor of the Islands, and Dr. Osgood,
aboard the expedition yacht at Chatham Island.

One of the principal objects was the
securing of specimens, under-water studies,
and color photographs for a large habitat
group of the interesting fishes of the islands.

Everything needed for such a

group was obtained and spe-
cially prepared. It will show a
bottom scene based mainly on
conditions as found in Tagus
Cove, Albemarle Island, where
there is a varied wealth of
smaller animal life such as star-
fishes, sponges, sea anemones,
sea urchins, bryozoans and
crustaceans. Against a back-
ground in which these animals
are featured there will be a
display of the incredibly numer-
ous fishes of small and medium
size which inhabit the waters
about the islands. Many of
these are of brilliant coloration
and bizarre form. Among them
is the famous golden grouper,
a fish entirely bright golden
yellow in color like some varie-
ties of domestic goldfish, but
reaching a weight of 40 to 50
pounds. Altogether, some 1,500
specimens of fishes, belonging to
nearly 200 species, were taken.
Most of these go to enrich the
Museum's study or reference
collections, but many were

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

April, 19il

especially selected and prepared to fill im-
mediate needs for exhibition.

Of especial interest is a manta, giant ray,
or "devilfish," a species which grows to
enormous size and one which offers many
difficulties both in its capture and in its
preparation. One of these was harpooned
by Mr. Mandel near Seymour Island, and
hauled out on a sand beach where Mr.
Walters and Mr. Lambert spent two days

"Devilflsh" In Plaster

Members of the expedition making casts of the giant
ray, or manta, on Seymoar Island. This strange sea
denizen will make one of the most spectaeular Mu-
seum exhibits to result from the Mandel expedition.

and nights working with all possible speed
to make careful studies and a complete
plaster mold of it before the burning equa-
torial sun rendered it unfit. The heavy
molds, reinforced with iron piping, were
then transported to the ship and safely
dried and crated for subsequent shipment
to the Museum.

Collecting of birds was carried on at
every stop, and all the more important
species characteristic of the different islands
were obtained in sufficient numbers to
demonstrate the variations which have such
interesting bearings on problems of evolu-
tionary changes in living species. In addi-
tion to the land birds, many large water
birds were taken, including all those peculiar
to the Galapagos Islands, that is, those found
there and nowhere else.

The large land tortoises, for which the
islands were named, and which were formerly
so numerous on all the larger islands, are
now either extinct or confined to remote
and almost inaccessible parts of certain
islands. Owing to limitations of time and
weather conditions, no attempt was made
to penetrate far into the interior and none
of these giant tortoises were collected, but
several were purchased by Mr. Mandel
from local residents and brought back alive
for presentation to the Chicago Zoological
Society. Especially due to the interest of
Mrs. Mandel, various other live animals
were obtained, carefully fed and ministered
to for some weeks, and ultimately presented
in unusually fine condition to the Brookfield
and other zoos. Among them were Gala-
pagos penguins, albatrosses, frigate birds,
boobies, and several of the large land iguanas
peculiar to the islands.

The expedition encountered somewhat un-
usual weather conditions during the time it

was in the archipelago. No evidence of the
Humboldt current was found, and surface
temperatures of the water ranged from
77° to 86°, most of the time nearer the latter
figure. Vegetation was green and luxuriant
throughout, not only at the higher levels
but down to the shore, and temporary
lagoons or small streams of fresh water
were not infrequent. Rain fell nearly every
day, often in heavy downpours. Although
the season was that when a certain amount
of rain is expected, it was evident that
somewhat abnormal conditions prevailed,
doubtless due to some alteration in the
usual relations of the ocean currents.

After leaving the islands, the expedition
moved to the coast of Peru at Talara and
Cabo Blanco for a few days' game fishing,
and then set a course for Cocos Island.
On the way there, fishing with night lines
resulted in the acquisition of a giant
squid, an almost fabulous animal well
deserving the title "sea monster." In the
vicinity of Cocos Island further additions
to the collections were made and a number
of Pacific sailfish were caught by Mr.
Mandel, including some of almost record
length but proportionately small weight, and
others of unusually small size and weights
below 50 pounds. This aroused the suspicion
that we might be at or near one of the
unknown principal breeding grounds of this

Harpooned by Mr. Mandel

Dr. Osgood and Taxidermist Leon L. Walters
examining dolphin hauled to the deck of the yacht.
Mr. Mandel skillfully landed many magnificent fishes,
some with the harpoon, and more with rod and reel.

famous fish. A few days later, between
Cocos and Panama, these suspicions were
confirmed by catching with a night light
and dipnet two tiny, perfectly formed sail-
fish less than five inches in length.

Not least of the tangible results of the
expedition were the numerous photographs
taken. All in color, both motion and still
pictures, these form a record of activities
and supplement the collections. Especially
interesting and valuable are many color
photographs of living fishes, the natural
colors of which disappear immediately after
death. These guarantee accurate prepara-
tion of exhibits, to say nothing of settling
arguments as to what changes can occur.

Permission to cruise through the islands
was granted by the Ecuadorean government,
and its representative on Chatham Island
received the party most courteously.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON LECTURES
CONTINUE THROUGH APRIL

Four more lectures in the spring course
for adults, presented by Field Museum on
Saturday afternoons, remain to be given
during April. Noted scientists, naturalists,
and explorers will appear, and their lectures
will be illustrated with motion pictures and
stereopticon slides.

Due to illness, Mr. William B. Holmes
who was originally scheduled to lecture
April 5 on "Peru Today — Land of the
Incas," will be unable to appear. His
place will be taken by Mr. Edgar R.
Hoff, who will lecture on "Birds and
Animals of the Rockies," illustrating his
subject with several reels of motion pictures
in natural colors.

All the lectures will begin at 2:30 p.m.
and will be presented in the James Simpson
Theatre of the Museum. The demand for
seats makes it necessary to restrict admission
to adults; but on the mornings of the same
Saturdays the James Nelson and Anna
Louise Raymond Foundation will present
free motion pictures especially for children.

Following are the dates, subjects, and
speakers for the adult programs:

April 5 — Birds and Animals of the
Rockies.
Edgar R. Hoff.

April 12 — Ancient America's Most
Civilized People.
J. Eric Thompson.

April 19 — Tropical Rain-Forest of
Barro Colorado Island, Panama.
Dr. Ralph Buclisbaum.

April 25 — An Alaskan Adventure.
Bradford Washburn.

No tickets are necessary for admission to
these lectures. A section of the Theatre is
reserved for Members of the Museum, each
of whom is entitled to two reserved seats.
Requests for these seats should be made in
advance by telephone (WABash 9410) or
in writing, and seats will be held in the
Member's name until 2:30 o'clock on the
day of the lecture. All reserved seats not
claimed by 2:30 p.m. will be made available
to the general public.

WILD FLOWER LEAFLETS—

Of special interest and usefulness to
those who seek ability to recognize
wild flowers appearing at this season
are illustrated leaflets. Spring Wild
Flowers, and Spring and Early Sum-
mer Wild Flowers, published by Field
Museum. J. Francis Macbride, Asso-
ciate Curator of the Herbarium, is the
author. The booklets are on sale at
THE BOOK SHOP of the MUSEUM
— 25 cents each.

April, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 3

MEDICAL SCIENCE WAS FATHER
OF BOTANICAL STUDIES

By J. FRANCIS MACBRIDE

ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF THE HERBARIUM

Many of the earliest books described the
plants of the world not because of their
utility or their beauty but because of their
importance in medicine. For centuries herbs
were the main source of drugs, and since man
has always suffered sickness, real or fancied,
one of his first interests in the use of printing
was directed to the cataloguing of the plants
that seemed to provide cures, or at least
some relief, for his ailments.

One of the learned men of the early six-
teenth century who completed a book setting
forth the characteristics and medicinal prop-
erties, then called "virtues," of many plants
was Leonhard Fuchs, whose qualifieation for
his botanical work was that of a professor of
medicine. This compilation was carried on
from 1535 to 1565 at the University of
Tubingen in Germany, although Fuchs'
herbal, as books of this sort were designated,
was published in Basel, Switzerland, in
several editions for various countries.

Famed, then, was Professor Fuchs in his
day. So, quite naturally, the great Linnaeus,
when he was renaming most of the plants
and animals known about a century later,
followed the suggestion of the erudite
scholar Plumier (who had preceded him by
a generation) and established for all time
the name Fuchsia, in honor of Fuchs, for the
plants we generally and too casually speak
of as "fushas." If Herr Fuchs had happened
to have been born an Englishman, he would
probably have been Mr. Fox and the
flowers "foxias."

"And just what are fuchsias?" someone
may ask. Well, if you are living in Chicago
you will have known them only in a green-
house, or "set out" during warm weather in
a window box or garden — bushy plants with
glossy foliage and long tubular bright red,
or red and purple, or red and white flowers
that droop gracefully on slender stalks, some-
times solitary, sometimes paired. Or now
and then there are a number of the lovely
flowers clustered and pendant from near the
tips of wand-like branches, the red sepals
spreading or recurved, the petals often of
another shade, purplish or white, the sta-
mens ex-serted, almost fringe-like — charming
flowers that I hope you will now recall.

You know them with familiarity if you
live in a climate with a long growing season
or no frost at all. There, as in their native
habitats, fuchsias may be trained to flourish
on low fences or to form hedges or borders
where their beautiful foliage, varied colors,
and graceful habit have made them popular
ever since they were justly appreciated in
England in the later eighteenth century.
This is attested by many color plates in the
illustrated magazines for flower lovers of the
time, such as the Botanical Magazine and
Botanical Register.

And in what warm climates do fuchsias
grow "wild"? There are a few in New Zea-
land; otherwise they are found only in warm
regions of America, most of the hundred
described species occurring in the Andes,
nearly half in Peru. In that beauti-
ful land it is a not uncommon experience
when one is riding along a road or trail
bordered with dense shrubbery to glimpse a
flaming splotch of red among the varied
greens of the tangled vegetation which upon
examination proves to be a fuchsia bush half
supported in the mass of neighboring plants.

SPECIES NAMED FOR DR. OSGOOD

Dr. Wilfred Osgood, now Curator Emeri-
tus of Field Museum's Department of Zool-
ogy, stopped to admire such a fuchsia in
1912, on one of his expeditions to Peru, and
brought it back to Field Museum. Not
studied critically until 1940, it then proved
to be an undescribed species! Like many of
the sorts growing in Peru, it has vermilion
flowers of striking beauty. It has now
been named fittingly, after the discoverer.
Fuchsia Osgoodii.

Thus, from the sixteenth century to the
present, botanists have been cataloguing
plants, but now they are concerned chiefly
with their relationship, scientifically deter-
mined; the origin of botany as a part of
medicine has nearly been forgotten even
by the botanist.

Fuchsia as a pot plant is illustrated in Botany
Leaflet No. 20, House. Plants, by Robert Van Tress,
published by Field Museum Press, and on sale at The
Book Shop of the Museum — 35 cents.

THINOS YOU MA V HA VB MISSED

"High Hats" from New Guinea

With Easter coming on the thirteenth of
April, spring fashions in bonnets are very
much to the fore in the minds of the feminine
element of the population. Whether the
styles call for high crowns or low, wide brims
or narrow, simple and plain trimming or
heavy loads of flowers, fruits and feathers,
there will, no doubt, be many extremes
which as usual will bring forth jibes from
husbands, brothers, fathers, and sweethearts.

However, what is probably the world's
superlative extreme in head-dress is exhib-
ited at Field Museum in some feathered
ceremonial masks from New Guinea rang-
ing from fourteen to nineteen feet in height
— a record in high hatting, we feel sure. It
should be noted further that these weird
creations are worn by native men, not
women. Like the Ea.ster bonnet, they have
a connection with religious ritual — in fact,
are much more closely connected to the
religion of the Papuans than the Easter hat
is to the Easter festival. It is not expected
that these masks will have any influence on
women's styles in this Windy City, since
even the natives of New Guinea find it
impossible to wear this lofty head-dress
when a breeze is blowing.

The masks, of which the Museum posses-
ses four, are exhibited in two tall cases at
the south end of Stanley Field Hall. One of
the nineteen-foot masks, and one of those
only fourteen feet tall, is used on each occa-
sion of the ceremonial performance, which
occurs only once in two or three years. In
the Museum exhibit the masks are shown
mounted on life-size models of native
celebrants as they appear in the rites.

The masks are made inside an enclosure
from which the uninitiated are carefully
excluded, according to notes of the late Dr.
Albert B. Lewis, who as Field Museum's
Curator of Melanesian Ethnology conducted
an expedition which included collecting and
studies in New Guinea. The process of
manufacture usually takes six months or
longer. When everything is ready, the
enclosure is opened at one corner, and the
ceremonial procession, headed by musicians
and dancers, appears and slowly makes its
way through the village. This is repeated
morning and evening for several days. Each
mask is carried on the head of a man, with
the wooden face placed so that he can see

Hat-like Masks, 14 to 19 Feet Tall

This Papuan ceremonial paraphernalia, mounted on
life-size figures, is on exhibition in Stanley Field Hall.

through the eye holes. Often the bearer is
assisted by a man on each side to help him
hold the mask, or he may steady it himself
with sticks held in his hands.

The masked figures represent local deities,
and during the procession many offerings of
food are made to them, the food afterwards
being consumed. When the whole ceremony
is finished, the ma.sks are dismantled, and
the bamboo frames destroyed, but the
feathers are carefully preserved. The deities
are then believed to return to their local
abiding places, such as the bottom of a
neighboring lagoon or the bed of a stream.

Pageh

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Apnl, IHl

WRESTLING IN AFRICA
IS TRULY TOUGH

BY WILFRID D. HAMBLY

CURATOR OF AFRICAN BTHSOLOGY

All peoples throughout the world delight
in assembling to witness strenuous games in
which men are pitted against one another,
either individually or in groups.

African Negroes are particularly fond of
contests of endurance. One of these is a
whipping ceremony which is performed in
connection with tests of manhood and the
initiation of boys into tribal life. Although
all sports are not strenuous, the wrestling
matches performed in market places of west
Africa are energetic contests which are
indulged in only by men of robust physique.
A collection is made among the spectators
after a few bouts, at the end of which the
contestants have usually been so severely
tousled that they are covered from head to
foot in dust. Meanwhile other sections of
the crowd are entertained by a snake
charmer, a dwarf, or a man who owns a
tame hyena.

When traveling as leader of the Frederick
H. Rawson Ethnological Expedition to West
Africa, the writer was much interested to
find the sport of wrestling still in existence,
for such games were reported from west
Africa as long ago as 1795 by Mungo Park,
a renowned explorer. Park stetes that he
was invited to see an evening wrestling
match, which was a common form of public
entertainment among the Mandingo tribe.
The spectators arranged themselves in a
circle, leaving the intermediate space for
the wrestlers, "who were strong active young
men, full of emulation, and accustomed,
I suppose, from their infancy to this sort
of exertion.

"Being stripped of their clothing, except
a short pair of pants, and having their skin
anointed with oil, or butter made from the
nuts of the shea-butter tree, the combatants
approached each other on all fours, parrying
with, and occasionally extending a hand for
some time, till at length one of them sprang
forward and caught his rival by the knee.
Great dexterity and judgment were now dis-
played, but the contest was decided by
superior strength." Park expresses the
opinion that few Europeans would have
been able to cope with the conqueror. The
actions of the contestants "were animated
by music of a drum," and to this they made
some attempt to adapt their movements.

FEW HOLDS BARRED

Dr. Ralph Linton, leader of the Marshall
Field Anthropological Expedition to Mada-
gascar in 1926, photographed a wrestling
match among the Bara tribe. Dr. Linton
states that the Tanala are also fond of
wrestling, but the sport is more important
among the Bara and the Sakalava. The
wrestling is of the "catch-as-catch-can"
variety, and a fall consists of a simultaneous
touching of the loser's shoulders on the

ground. "The wrestlers display more
strength than science, and apparently there
are no named grips. Strangling or striking
an opponent is considered unfair, but there
are no other fouls, and injuries are not
uncommon." The account continues to
state that the crowd acts as umpire, and the
bystanders will separate the contestants if
they lose their tempers. The Tanala seem
to have a sense of fair play and are usually
very good losers.

Some of the Tanala tribe, continued Dr.
Linton, practice a mild type of wrestling in
which the contestants hug each other around
the waist and try to trip each other. In
another form of wrestling one man stands
with his right arm extended and his elbow
bent, his clenched fist being held in front of
his face. His opponent seizes his wrist with
both hands and tries to throw the man off
his balance. If a man moves his feet he is
judged to have lost the bout.

COMBATS ARE REALLY ROUGH

Dr. Linton states that boxing is known
among the plateau and the east coast tribes
of Madagascar. Blows are delivered with a
wide swing, and not from the shoulders as
among Europeans. The blows arrive with
great force, and the bones of a man's fore-
arm are sometimes broken in an attempt to
ward oflf an attack.

Everyone is familiar with the brutal old
Roman method of boxing with the use of
metal gloves, and even at the present day
spectators who appear to enjoy the groans of
wrestlers caught in a "toe hold" or a "scissors
grip" are numbered by thousands at big
matches. But, without a doubt, certain
Negro tribes of Africa have invented, and
today use the most gruesome type of
wrestling. This is accompanied by the use
of iron bracelets provided with a cutting
edge or with spikes. Evidently the use of

THE ROCK BOOK

by Carroll Lane Fenton and Mildred

Adams Fenton.
This book answers in a readable way
the questions asked by persons who
want to know more about the rocks
they see. Combining a practical guide
to rocks and rock formations with an
intelligible presentation of the fasci-
nating story of the earth's surface, the
Fentons have incorporated a great deal
of information not before available
to the general reader. The book is
admirably illustrated with photo-
graphs and drawings, and should prove
valuable to the student, the tourist,
or indeed to anyone who would learn
of the worid in which he lives.

On sale at The BOOK SHOP of
FIELD MUSEUM— $6.

Prepaid mail orders accepted.

1

wristlets is ancient, since the weapons have
been dug up from African sites of antiquity.
Among the Maguzawa tribe of Nigeria
wristlet wrestling is indulged in by boys who
have to prove their eligibility for the status
of manhood. A wristlet may be worn on one
hand only, or one on each hand. The arms
are swathed in leather strips.

A personal observer of this type of fighting
has reported that the men clasp one another
round the waist, and that head blows are
given. An average knock-out blow confines
a man to bed for a month, while a bad
blow can lay a man out for three months or
even kill him. The bout is accompanied by
drumming. The Kyangawa tribe have a
form of boxing with knives, a knife bound to
one arm and a shield to another. Padded
bags are worn around the waist, and the
observer states that as a rule the wounds are
not serious, and the fight is over as soon as
blood is drawn. Nevertheless, the lopping
off of an opponent's nose is not rare.

NOTABLE GEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS
RECEFVED AS A GIFT

Mrs. John Stuart Coonley, of Chicago,
has presented to Field Museum a valuable
collection of geological specimens. Seldom
has a collection of such uniformly choice
specimens been received. Included was a
fine polished section of a fossil nautilus
which has been added to the paleontological
collections. An attractive polished specimen
of dendritic marble was a welcome addition
to the physical geology collections. "The
mineral collections profited by the acquisi-
tion of a fine group of azurite crystals and
two specimens of chalcedony geodes.

The remaining thirty-five specimens
included in Mrs. Coonley's contribution were
all of semi-precious minerals and were speci-
mens of high quality. They have been
incorporated in the collections being pre-
pared for installation in H. N. Higinbotham
Hall (Hall 31) which is currently under-
going thorough revision. Especially note-
worthy among them are a large specimen of
amber and a beautiful polished cylinder
of rutilated quartz.

Ornithological Expedition
Leaving for the West

An ornithological expedition to southern
Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado,
to collect material for proposed new exhibits,
will be dispatched by Field Museum about
April 1. Mr. Emmet R. Blake, Assistant
Curator of Birds, and Mr. Melvin A.
Traylor, Jr., Associate in Ornithology, will
conduct the expedition. They will travel
in the latter's car, and camp in many col-
lecting regions. Collections of reptiles and
small mammals will also be made. The
expedition, after working in localities rang-
ing from the plains of the deep southwest
to the high Rocky Mountains, is expected
to return to Chicago late in July.

April, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

NEW READING ROOM SERVES PUBLIC IN MUSEUM LIBRARY

The Library of Field Museum has a new
reading room, more conveniently located
than the old one, with improved lighting,
more efficient arrangement, and other facili-
ties adding to its usefulness and to the com-
fort of readers.

The change has been accomplished by
reconstructing and refurnishing the former
stack room as a reading room, and moving

it may be well to call attention to the fact
that the Library of Field Museum, which
now contains approximately 121,000 books
and pamphlets on anthropology, botany,
geology, zoology and related subjects, offers
the largest reference collection in its special
fields in Chicago. It is particularly rich in
anthropological and ornithological works,
with collections that rank among the fore-

The New Reading Room of Field Museum's Library

the book stacks into the former reading
room. During the months this work has
been in progress, there has been no inter-
ruption to the Library's services to scientists
and to the public in general.

The new reading room is more easily
reached by visitors arriving at the third
floor on the passenger elevator, the entrance
being close to the elevator landing. More
effective and agreeable lighting for readers
has been provided by installation of an
entirely new system of fluorescent illumi-
nation from coves around a new lowered
ceiling. New service counters, new office
space for the librarians, and a new rubber
tile floor all help to make the new reading
room attractive and quiet, and add to the
efficiency of the service provided by the
Library personnel.

Revision of the arrangement of the
Library's rooms has provided opportunity
also to replace the wooden book stacks with
modern steel ones, grained and stained like
mahogany. The finding of books and
pamphlets demanded by readers has been
facilitated by installation of fluorescent
lights in the stack room as well as in the
reading room. Although all work in the
stack room has not been completed, as some
of it had to wait until transfer of reading
facilities to the new room was accomplished,
work is now progressing rapidly and, as in
the work already finished, without any inter-
ruption of service to the public.

For those unacquainted with its facilities,

most in the world. Invaluable for research
are the extensive series on its shelves of
the proceedings, transactions and publica-
tions of learned societies, academies, and
universities all over the world.

Strictly a reference library, the reading
room is maintained to make the Library's
resources available for the use of scientists,
students, teachers, and others engaged in
research work. These facilities are extended,
on application, to laymen with problems
requiring reference to the works in a scien-
tific library. Amateur naturalists, and per-
sons with hobbies involving the natural
sciences, will find much of value in the
Museum Library.

The Library is open weekdays from 9 a.m.
to 4 P.M., except Saturdays, when it closes
at noon; it is closed all day on Sundays
and holidays.

Why Are Mummies?

Why are mummies? Because persistence
of the personality after death was the chief
tenet of the religion of the ancient Egyptians.
Most of our knowledge of their daily life, as
will be revealed by a visit to the Egyptian
collections in Hall J, we owe to the efforts
they made to provide for their welfare
after death.

PREHISTORIC ELEPHANT TUSK

By henry field
curator of physical anthropology

In western Europe during the Second
Interglacial period the climate appears to
have been considerably warmer than at the
present time. Contemporary sands and
gravels of ancient river beds of England,
France, and Germany have yielded bones,
teeth and tusks. Remains of the straight-
tusked elephant, the rhinoceros, and the
African lion and hyena, indicate geographical
connections with North Africa during this
period. Among other animals which roamed
northern Europe were several species of
deer, including the Irish elk, wild cattle,
and horses.

Some 250,000 years ago Chellean Man
wandered over northern Europe. At the
entrance to the Hall of the Stone Age of
the Old World (Hall C) stands a vivid
reconstruction of a Chellean scene beside
the banks of the Somme River in northern
France. Three large straight-tusked ele-
phants are depicted on the background of
the diorama. In an adjoining case is ex-
hibited the right tusk of a large elephant
of this type (Hesperoloxodon anliquus
germanicus) excavated by Dr. E. Fraas
from interglacial river-sands at Steinheim,
on the river Murr, in Wiirttemberg, Ger-
many. This tusk, which measures 9 feet
4 inches along the inner curve, with a
maximum diameter of 18 inches, is one of
the finest specimens in existence and was
purchased in 1930 from Dr. F. Krantz, at
Bonn. It has been estimated that a large
bull must have stood about 13 feet 4 inches
at the shoulder — a height at least 18 inches
greater than the largest recorded modern
African elephant. The maximum circum-
ference of both the prehistoric tusk and
that of the longest African elephant recorded
are approximately the same. The tusk of
the modern elephant measured 2 feet 2
inches longer than that of the specimen of
Hesperoloxodon. This is not an adequate
comparison of lengths because part of the
fossilized tusk, which was at least 1 foot
6 inches longer during life, is missing. As
the prehistoric tusk is now fossilized ivory,
no weight can be assigned, but the tusk of
the largest African elephant weighs 236
pounds with a measurement along the inner
curve of 9 feet and a maximum circum-
ference of 2 feet 2'^ inches.

The Chellean hunters, armed with clubs
or axes, must have lived in constant dread
of these great brutes as they trumpeted and
charged through the forests.

A collection of iron ores, together with
models of three types of smelting furnaces,
is on exhibition in Frederick J. V. Skiff Hall.

A large specimen of lodestone, weighing
about 400 pounds, and possessing unusual
magnetic power, is on exhibition in Clarence
Buckingham Hall (Hall 35). To prove its
magnetism, a number of metallic objects
have been placed with it, and are held
clinging to it only by its attraction.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

April, 19 Ul

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893
Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Cliicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lester Armour Albert W. Harris

Sbwbll L. Avery Samuel Insull, Jr.

W. McCoRMicK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Block Wiluam H. Mitcheu.

BOARDMAN CONOVER GBORGE A. RICHARDSON

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon .\. Smith

Joseph N. Field .\lbert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley- Field .\lbert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

Albert \. Sprague First Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

.\lbert W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Grbgc Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith . . . Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR

Clifford C. Gregg Director of the Mueeum

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Wilfred H. Osgood Curaior Emeritus, Zoology

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botanj/

Hesry W. Nicholas Chief Curator of Geology

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curaior of Zoology

MANAGING EDITOR
H. B. Harte Public Relations Counsel

Members are requested to inform the Museum
promptly of chanj^es of address.

LIVING "STRUCTURAL ANCESTORS"
OF EXTINCT ANIMALS

The fact that a living animal can be re-
garded as ancestral to a creature which has
been extinct for millions of years, was the
cause of an error in the March issue of
Field Museum News, and may be of in-
terest to laymen subject to occasional con-
fusion from twists in some of the esoteric
language of scientists.

When the copy for the article on the giant
fossil bird Mesembriomis (published last
month on pages 1 and 2) reached the editorial
desk, it contained the following sentence:

"Cariama [a modern relative], with its
marked tendency toward ground-dwelling
habits, its insectivorous-carnivorous diet,
and its weak powers of flight, is an almost
ideal structural ancestor for the phororha-
coids [the group of fossil birds to which
Mesembriomis belonged] in which such
characters and tendencies were carried to
an extreme."

The word "ancestor" was stricken from
the copy and "descendant" substituted on
the seemingly logical and natural assump-
tion that the living bird could not be the
ancestor of the extinct one, any more than
a man could be the ancestor of his great
grandfather. So, with this "correction,"
the sentence appeared in print — sixth line
from the bottom of the second column on
page 2.

The writer, Mr. Bryan Patterson, Assist-
ant Curator of Paleontology, thereupon
made it plain that not only had he written

"ancestor" but he had meant "ancestor"
— "structural ancestor," at least — the catch
seems to be in the adjective. Following is
Mr. Patterson's explanation of how and
why such things can be:

"Many living animals are comparatively
unmodified descendants of early ancestral
stages in the evolution of the group to
which they belong. To take but one ex-
ample, the familiar Virginia opossum differs
but little from opossums that some sixty
million years ago were contemporary with
the giant dinosaur Tyrannosaurus. There
is good evidence that all marsupials evolved
from these early opossums. It follows
therefore that the ultimate ancestors of
such diverse living forms as the kangaroo,
the koala, and the pouched wolf, as well
as of the giant extinct Diprotodon, were
animals very similar to the Virginia opossum.
Since the Virginia opossum is essentially
similar structurally to these ancestors, one
may quite logically refer to it as a 'struc-
tural ancestor' of the various animals just
mentioned.

"Thus, the living cariama, as the little
modified descendant of a stage in the
evolution of the phororhacoids, may with
perfect propriety be regarded as a structural
ancestor of a group of birds dead two million
years or more. This term, with the special
meaning explained here, is in rather general
use among paleontologists."

classes that come in. Mrs. Thomas, who is
a member of the Raymond Foundation
staff, also conducted a conference on organ-
ization of local museum-school relations
committees in cities lacking them.

Staff Notes

Mr. Henry S. Dybas, a graduate of the
Central Y.M.C.A. College, Chicago, where
he majored in zoological studies, has been
appointed to the staff of Field Museum as
Assistant in Entomology.

Miss Anne Harding, the artist responsible
for the panel paintings in an exhibit of
southwestern archaeology recently installed
in Hall 7, has been given an appointment
for two years on the staff of the Department
of Anthropology. She will execute a ssries
of paintings for new exhibits to be installed
in the Hall of North American Archaeology
(Hall B).

Dr. Fritz Haas, Curator of Lower Inverte-
brates, lectured before the zoological depart-
ment of the University of Chicago on March
31, on the subject "The Death of Animals,
and the Fate of Their Remains."

Mrs. Leota G. Thomas attended the
national meeting of the Museum-School
Relations Committee of the Progressive
Education Association, and took part in the
discussion on "How to Increase the Effective
Use of Museums by the Schools." She made
the keynote address advocating direction of
future research on the part of the committee
to find out how the schools can best prepare
for museum visits, and how the museums
can do a better job of teaching for the

Mr. Kari P. Schmidt, Chief Curator of
Zoology, recently spoke before the Chicago-
land Bird Banding Conference at the
Chicago Academy of Sciences on "Attempts
to Band Blue-Racers" in the Chicago Area."

Many demands have recently been made
for outside lectures by Mr. Paul G. Dallwig,
the Layman Lecturer of Field Museum.
Among recent appearances were one before
the Rotary Club on the subject, "Let's
Begin to Live"; one before the Chicago
Women's Club on "An Expedition in Cul-
ture"; and one before the Chicago Bar
Association on "My Work for Field Museum
and How I Got That Way."

Museum Host to Orientalists

The American Oriental Society, whose
annual meetings are to be held in Chicago
April 15-17, will have one of its general
sessions — that on Wednesday afternoon,
April 16 — at Field Museum. Other sessions
will be held at the Oriental Institute, Uni-
versity of Chicago, and the Art Institute.

The session at Field Museum will end
with a tea given by this institution for the
members of the society. The American
Oriental Society is one of the oldest bodies
of scholars in the United States, having been
founded in 1842. Its last meeting in Field
Museum was in 1938.

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below:

November, December,

Januao', February .... 9 A.M. to 4 P.lf .
March, April, and

September, October ... 9 A.H. to 5 P.M.
May, June, July, August. 9 a.h. to 6 p.m.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted free
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educational institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and .\nna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
April, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines, Rapid Transit lines (the "L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles at the Museum.

April, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

EXHIBIT OF WILD PIGS

By COLIN CAMPBELL SANBORN

CURATOR OF MAMMALS

True pigs of the family Suidae live in
Europe, Africa and Asia. A very pig-like
mammal, called the peccary, is found in the
Americas, so that Australia is the only con-
tinent without some representative of this
group. While there are about one hundred
slightly different pigs and peccaries, there
are only a few basic species. Most of these
are now on exhibition in two new cases
recently installed in Hall 15.

In one case is included the European wild
boar, the probable ancestor of our domestic
pig. This specimen was presented (before
the war began) by the Polish Government.
Shown with it are the Philippine and Papuan
pigs of which there are more than forty
closely related forms distributed through the
Philippines and the East Indies. Almost in
the midst of these occurs a very unusual

The Babirusa

A most distinguished species of pig found only on
Buru. Taliaboe, and Celebes, islands of the East Indies.
The male has four remarkably upturned tusks. The
name "babirusa" is Malayan, and means "hog-deer."

species, the babirusa, in which the tusks of
both jaws grow upward to great lengths,
those of the upper jaw growing through the
skin in the center of the face. The babirusa
is found only in Celebes and two small
near-by islands. The original specimen of
this odd pig was presented by the Chicago
Zoological Society, and was reproduced for
exhibition in celluloid-like material by Staff
Taxidermist Leon L. Walters, inventor of a
special process for making reproductions.
For certain types of animals these are more
satisfactory than would be mounts of the
actual skins.

The other case contains two related
African pigs, the red river hog and the
Abyssinian bush pig. The red river hog
lives in the heavily forested parts of West
Africa. In color it is a rich brownish red,
very different from the dull blacks and
browns of other pigs. The bush pigs live in
eastern and southern Africa where they
travel in small herds of from ten to twenty
individuals. Native gardens often suffer
from their nocturnal visits.

The South American peccaries differ from
the true pigs in having a more complicated
stomach, a dorsal musk gland, and only
three toes on each hind foot; also, the tusks
of the peccaries' upper jaw do not turn up.

They differ further in that they have but
one or two young in a litter. The collared
peccary ranges north into Texas, but the
range of the white-lipped peccary only
reaches southern Mexico. Both range south
to southern Brazil. The white-lipped pec-
cary will make a brave defense when cor-
nered, but stories of deliberate attacks on
men are to be doubted.

The cases were prepared for exhibition by
Staff Taxidermist Julius Friesser.

ment of ritual dances. In front of a large
image of a god, one man usually grasps the
pig by the forelegs or ears and lifts its fore-
feet off the ground, while another man
wields the club, striking it on the head or
over the eyes. One blow is usually sufficient.

CULT OF THE PIG

In the northern New Hebrides, especially
the islands of Ambrym, Malekula, and
Santo, the pig occupies an important posi-
tion in the social and religious ideas of the
people. There are many ranks or classes in
the social scale, and in order to rise in rank
a man must kill a certain number of pigs.

Pigs whose tusks form a complete circle
and overlap are of special value and, in fact,
on certain occasions, only this kind are
regarded as valid evidence of a man's right
to a certain station in life. The pigs are
killed in connection with special ceremonies
or mankes, which may extend over months.
During a manke, each of a number of men
may kill numerous pigs, so that the total
slain may amount to several hundred. The
animals are killed by knocking them in the
head with special clubs. Twenty or thirty
may be slaughtered in one day, and they are
immediately cut up and divided among the
villagers and their visitors. Thus it is only
natural that every manke should become an
occasion of special feasting.

The lower jaws of all the pigs killed at any
particular manke are cleaned and arranged
in rows on a sloping platform under a shed.
There they are left until the flesh decays,
whereupon the individual owners take
possession, either hanging the bones in their
homes, or using the tusks as arm rings.

Because of the significance attached to
tusks which form a complete circle, these
have become very valuable, and sometimes
sell for the equivalent of more than $200.
The value increases with the growth of the
tusks. Some have been known to form
nearly three complete circles, and natives
will not part with these for any price.

To encourage such tusk development, the
upper tusks are knocked out of living pigs,
and the pigs are then kept tied up near or
even in the house, and fed on soft food.
A boar is given a separate name for every
quarter circle added to the tusk length.

On exhibition in the Melanesian collection
in Joseph N. Field Hall (Hall A) are ex-
amples of boar's jaws and tusks, the types
of clubs used as pig killers, and the special
pig rope by which the animals are tied to
stakes in or near the house during the period
of tusk growth. The rope is fastened on the
foreleg just above the hoof.

The pigs are sacrificed at the mankes with
considerable ceremony, to an accompani-

FOUR CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS
OFFERED DURING APRIL

The spring series of free motion picture
programs for children, presented at Field
Museum by the James Nelson and Anna
Louise Raymond Foundation for Public
School and Children's Lectures, will continue
through April with a program each Saturday
morning. There will be two showings of
the pictures on each program, one beginning
at 10 A.M., and one one at 11. Children
from all parts of Chicago and suburbs are
invited, and no tickets are required for
admission. The Museum is prepared to
receive large groups from schools and other
organizations, as well as individual children
coming alone or accompanied by parents or
other adults. Teachers are urged to bring
their classes.

The following schedule shows the titles of
the films to be presented on each Saturday:

April 5— The Forest (Celebration of
Arbor Day); and a cartoon.

April 12 — Balancing Nature's Budget
(A story of conservation).

April 19 — Sudan {Story of natives in the
heart of Africa).

April 26 — A Day at Brookfield Zoo;
and a cartoon.

Model of Natural Bridge

The famous Natural Bridge of Virginia
is represented by an accurate scale model
in Clarence Buckingham Hall (Hall 35).
Besides being a faithful reproduction of the
bridge, with its associated scenery, the model
illustrates a number of details of rock struc-
ture which occur on too large a scale to
be shown by specimens.

SPECIAL NOTICE
Members of the Museum who
have changed residences or plan
to do so are urged to notify the
Museum of their new addresses
so that FIELD MUSEUM NEWS
and other communications may
reach them promptly. A post
card for this purpose is enclosed
with this issue.

Members going away during the
summer, who desire Museum
matter sent to their temporary
addresses, may have this service
by notifying the Museum.

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

April, IHl

"THE ROMANCE OF DIAMONDS"
IN APRIL SUNDAY LECTURES

During April the subject of the Sunday
afternoon lectures presented by Mr. Paul
G. Dallwig, the Layman Lecturer at Field
Museum, will be "The Romance of Dia-
monds from Mine to Man." Illustrating his
talk with exhibits in the Department of
Geology, Mr. Dallwig will tell the story of
diamonds from their original "find" through
the various stages of mining, sorting, cutting,
and polishing. In dramatic form he will tell
the story of the discovery of diamonds in
Africa, the diamond rush that followed, life
among the natives, and an imaginary trip
through a diamond mine. He will also tell
the fascinating tales of hate, love, greed, and
murder, attached to the successive ownership
of the diamonds of the world.

To meet the demands for accommodations,
the same lecture will be presented on each of
the four Sundays of the month (April 6, 13,
20, and 27). Lecture audiences assemble
promptly at 2 p.m. Because the number that
can be conducted among the exhibits under
comfortable circumstances on a lecture of
this type is limited, it is necessary to make
reservations for all Sunday lectures well in
advance. This may be done by mail or
telephone (WABash 9410). Children can-
not be accommodated. The lectures last
until 4:30 p.m. with a half-hour intermission
midway. During this interval those who
desire to smoke or obtain refreshments may
do so in the Cafeteria, where special tables
are reserved for the group.

In May Mr. Dallwig's subject will be
"The Parade of the Races," illustrated with
the sculptures of the Races of Mankind by
Malvina Hoffman. Reservations for the
May, as well as the April lectures, are cur-
rently being taken at the Museum.

APRIL GUIDE-LECTURE TOURS

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for April.

Tuesday, April 1 — General Tour; Wednes-
day— Life in the Waters (Miss Elizabeth
Best); Thursday — General Tour; Friday —
Geography of the Chicago Region (Bert E.
Grove).

Week beginning April 7: Monday — Masks
and Medicine Men (Miss Elizabeth McM.
Hambleton); Tuesday — General Tour; Wed-
nesday— Bird Life in the Chicago Region
(Mrs. Leota G. Thomas); Thursday — Gen-
eral Tour; Friday — Caribbean Contribu-
tions (Miss Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning April 14: Monday — Land
Mammals and Some of Their Ancestors
(Miss Elizabeth Best); Tuesday — General
Tour; Wednesday — Geology and Civiliza-
tion (Bert E. Grove); Thursday — General
Tour; Friday — Tales of the Spice Roads
(Clarence L. Brown).

Week beginning April 21: Monday —
Primitive Man as an Artist (Miss Elizabeth
McM. Hambleton); Tuesday — General
Tour; Wednesday — Animal Life of Swamp
and Shore (Mrs. Leota G. Thomas); Thurs-
day— General Tour; Friday — Fruits (Miss
Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning April 28; Monday —
Traveling by Land and by Sea (Miss
Elizabeth McM. Hambleton); Tuesday —
General Tour; Wednesday — The Story of
Evolution (Mr. Clarence L. Brown).

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director, spe-
cial tours are available to parties.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

Department of Botany;

From Dr. Harry Hoogstraal, Urbana, 111.
— 750 herbarium specimens, Mexico; from
Dr. B. E. Dahlgren, Chicago — 28 specimens
of palm material, Brazil; from Philip W.
WoUe, Princess Anne, Md., and Dr. Francis
Drouet, Chicago — 164 specimens of algae
and mosses, Maryland; from Dr. Francis
Drouet, Chicago — 205 specimens of crypto-
gams, Massachusetts; from University of
California, Berkeley, Cal. — 55 specimens of
myxophyceae; from Dr. V. W. Lindauer,
Kerikeri, Bay of Islands, New Zealand — 14
specimens of algae. New Zealand; from
Donald Richards, Chicago — 69 specimens
of mosses; from Dr. H. C. Conard, Grinnell,
Iowa — 30 specimens of hepaticae, Iowa; from
Dr. R. H. Woodworth, Bennington, Vt. —
274 herbarium specimens. Virgin Islands;
from Professor Angel Maldonado, Lima,
Peru — 36 specimens of cryptogams, Peru;
from United States National Museum,
Washington, D. C. — 57 specimens of algae.

Department of Geologiy :

From Mrs. John Stuart Coonley, Chicago
— 35 minerals and one invertebrate fossil.

Department of Zoology:

From Professor J. Soukup, Puno, Peru —
124 insects, Peru; from Lawrence F. Brown,
Naples, Fla. — 30 lots of tree-snails, south
Florida; from Dr. Louis B. Bishop, Pasa-
dena, Cal. — 1,180 miscellaneous North
American birds; from Chicago Zoological
Society, Brookfield, 111. — 8 birds, 2 mam-
mals, and a jumping viper.

The Library:

Valuable books from Carl F. Gronemann,
Dr. Henry Field, Rupert Wenzel, and Wal-
ter Necker, all of Chicago.

To Collect California Beach Fauna

Dr. Fritz Haas, Curator of Lower In-
vertebrates, will leave early in April on an
expedition to southern California. There
he will study the animal life of the beaches,
making a survey of the fauna, and collecting
specimens, for proposed biological exhibits.
The greater part of his work will be done
in the vicinity of the Biological Stations of
La Jolla and Pacific Grove.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
February 17 to March 15:

Associate Members

Clinton B. King, Mrs. Arthur O. Olsen,
Dr. Sidney A. Portis.

Annual Members

C. F. Barkell, Leigh B. Block, John W.
Bornhoeft, Seward H. Bowers, G. A. Braun,
Harlow W. Brown, George BufRington,
Gard M. Collins, Junius F. Cook, Jr., C. H.
Coyle, Dr. Arthur R. Elliott, George H.
Glade, Jr., Richard W. Glade, Melvin M.
Goldsmith, Dr. William A. Guild, Dr.
Jerome R. Head, Arthur W. Hintze, W. S.
Holabird, Jr., Blake C. Hooper, T. Weller
Kimball, Raymond R. Knotts, Miss Bess B.
Martin, Basil Maxant, C. L. McCreery, Mrs.
George M cMurray, Robert L. Muckley,
R. D. Nash, Ward a Neff, Dr. Louis Novack,
W. H. Noyes, Jr., Charles H. Porter, Edward
C. Porter, John B. Sharp, Mrs. Joseph J.
Slomer, Mrs. Merle E. Sweeley, Leupold
Temps, Mrs, John L. Vogel, Bishop Ernest
Lynn Waldorf, Wendell Walker.

Cotton and tobacco are two of the South's
most important products. The plants which
produce them are represented, in full flower,
by reproductions on exhibition in Hall 28
of the Department of Botany.

MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum has several classes of Mem-
bers. Annual Members contribute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and are
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually for six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Resident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Kesident Associate Members $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
Resident memberships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles or more from Chi-
cago. Th(»e who give or devise to the Museum
$1,000 to $100,000 are designated as Contribu-
tors, and those who give or devise $100,000 or
more become Benefactors. Other memberships
are Honorary, Patron, Corresponding and Cor-
porate, additions under these classifications
being made by special action of the Board of
Trustees.

Each Member, in all dasses, is entitled to
free admission to the Museum for himself, his
family and house guests; and to two reserved
seats for Museum lectures provided for Mem-
bers. Subscription to Field Musbuu News is
included with all memberships. The courtesies
of every museum of note in the United States
and Canada are extended to all Members of
Field Museum. A Member may give his
personal card to non-residents of Chicago, upon
presentation of which they will be admitted to
the Museum without charge. Further informa-
tion about memberships will be sent on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum of Natural His-
ory may be made in securities, money, books or
collections. They may, if desired, take the form
of a memorial to a person or cause, named by
the giver.

Contributions made within the taxable year,
not exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net
income, are allowable as deductions in computing
net income for federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum
with the provision that an annuity be paid to
the patron for life. These annuities are guaran-
teed against fluctuation in amount, and may
reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTED BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

News

Published Monthly by Field Miiseum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

MAY, 1941

No. 5

UNIQUE NEW MUSEUM EXHIBIT PERMITS PUBLIC TO SEE A MUMMY X-RAYED

By H. B. HARTE
public relations counsel

Harwa is a mummy, now resident at Field
Museum. In Egypt some 2,800 years ago
he was an agricultural official of importance.
He first came to America in 1904, arriving
at Field Museum with a number of other
mummies. For years he rested in obscurity

in a storeroom of

the Department of
Anthropology because
other specimens were
considered more suit-
able for exhibition in
the Hall of Egyptian
Archaeology (Hall J).
Today, Harwa has
risen to a position as
the most prominent,
most unique mummy
in this or any other
museum. He is now
the only man in the
world, living or dead,
who is publicly x-rayed
every day — and x-
rayed although there
is nothing the matter
with him (except that
he's been dead a long
time!). He is instal-
led in a special cham-
ber in Hall J. There
visitors may see him
first in his external
mummy wrappings;
then, automatically, a
fluoroscopic screen
moves in front of him, and an electric cur-
rent of 125,000 volts activates x-rays which
penetrate to his interior and project the
image of his ancient skeleton on the screen.
Lead glass protects visitors to the exhibit
from any harm by the rays.

This unusual exhibit, the roentgeno-
graphic and mechanical features of which
were devised by the General Electric X-ray
Corporation, Chicago, was for two years a
feature of General Electric's display illus-
trating electrical progress at the New York
World's Fair (1939-40). It will now be a
permanent Chicago attraction. The x-ray
and mechanical equipment, especially
designed and built for this particular pur-
pose, at a cost of many thousands of dollars,
comes to Field Museum as a gift from the
General Electric Company, whose engineers

The Mummy Harwa

and technicians assisted in the work of in-
stalling it at the Museum.

When visitors to the Egyptian Hall are
few in number, they may themselves operate
the exhibit by pushing a button. On days
when there are many visitors, the cycle
whereby Harwa is shown in his mummy
wrappings alternately with the revelation
of his skeleton on the fluoroscopic screen
will be repeated automatically at 40-second
intervals throughout the day.

ANCIENT AND MODERN WORLDS MEET

Visits to the chamber of Harwa provide
a mysterious, thrilling, and fascinating
experience. One finds himself in contact, on
the one hand, with an actual human repre-
sentative of one of the oldest civilizations of
this world, whose mummified form best typi-
fies the one thing the average layman's mind
associates with that civilization — its preser-
vation of the dead as a principal element of
religion. On the other hand, one is con-
fronted with a complex machine created by
scientific genius and the marvelous produc-
tion methods of modern industry — a machine
typical of those used in every hospital and
medical research center, and responsible for
so much of the advance of medical science
and the alleviation of human suffering. In
the dimly lighted chamber the visitor
observes Harwa in his ancient wrappings.
His head, still covered with its dried original
skin, is exposed, showing features which may
be quite reminiscent of persons the visitor
has actually known. The chamber gradually
darkens, the screen shifts silently in front of
the mummy, then lights up, and there, in
life-size, appears the image of Harwa's skele-
ton. One leaves the chamber with a closer
feeling of association with the people of long
past ages, as well as with a heightened
respect for the achievements of modern
science and technology.

This exhibit was viewed by approximately
nine million people during the two years of
the New York fair. Many millions more
will see it at Field Museum in the years to
come, and members of the staff of the
Department of Anthropology regard it as
one of the most notable acquisitions that
Department has ever received.

Harwa, in addition to being the first adult-
size person to be publicly fluoroscoped, was
the first mummy to travel on an airplane,
having been transported to New York by
air for both of his seasons at the fair. The
second time he traveled via San Francisco,

due to a General Electric shipping clerk's
error, and thence was flown back to New
York after a hectic exchange of telegrams
between the managements of two exposi-
tions, the mayors of three cities, the Director
of Field Museum, and General Electric and
air express officials. In New York and San
Francisco he was taken, as "guest of honor,"
to a number of banquets held by various
organizations who welcomed him probably
because he could make no after-dinner
speeches. All of this gained for Harwa and
Field Museum considerable mention in the
press from coast to coast.

The inscriptions on the coffin, which is
also in the possession of the Museum, state
that the mummy's name was Harwa, and
that in life (somewhere between 900 and
700 B.C.) he was the custodian of the "maga-
zine" (or storage houses) on an agricultural
estate. Granaries, stores of fruits and vege-
tables, stocks of wool and other animal pro-
ducts, and wine cellars
probably all were in
his charge, and there
is little doubt that a
large corps of subordi-
nates and slaves were
subject to his com-
mands. The period is
known in Egyptian
history as that of
the Twenty-second
Dynasty.

For several years,
beginning in 1925,
Field Museum con-
ducted pioneer work
in developing and suc-
cessfully applying a
technique for x-ray
photography on mum-
mies (and other kinds
of specimens handled
by the various Depart-
ments of this institu-
tion not previously
studied in this man-
ner). A full report of
the results of these
experiments on mum- iiarwa's x-ray

mies is contained in

Roentgenologic Studies of Egyptian and Peruv-
ian Mummies, by Professor Roy L. Moodie,
Paleontologist to the Wellcome Historical
Museum, London (Field Museum Anthro-
pological Memoirs Series, Vol. Ill, 1931).

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

May, 191tl

MEDICAL EXAMINER'S REPORT
ON THE MUMMY HARWA

By RICHARD A. MARTIN

CURATOR OF NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY

A person's sins of dieting, or other physical
neglect and abuse, in addition to causing
whispered comments among contemporaries
due to the effects upon his appearance and
disposition, may find him out again through
modern medical science thousands of years
after he is dead, and expose him to public
scorn as the representative of a dissolute
age or race.

In the case of Harwa, the 2,800-year-old
Egyptian mummy in Field Museum's new
fluoroscopic exhibit in Hall J, a thorough
diagnosis of his condition was made by a
highly qualified roentgenologist just prior
to the mummy's installation at the Museum.
Harwa obtained an almost 100 per cent clean
bill of health.

For the examination a complete series of
x-ray films of all parts of the mummy, from
various angles, was made through the
courtesy of the University of Chicago's
medical department. In the reading of
these films, it was found that Harwa's
twelfth left rib is missing, opening the
question as to whether it may have been
removed by the embalmer, or was congeni-
tally absent. Aside from this, no indications
of any serious physical shortcomings were
observed by the examiner.

Evidences of rheumatism were absent.
This is unusual among adult Egyptians, as
their daily life was so intimately bound up
with the River Nile. Irrigation, fishing,
and boating all called for frequent contact
with the water, and contrary to the general
impression the climate of Egypt is often
disagreeably cold. There is a possible in-
dication that Harwa may have had an
abscess in one tooth. The average Egyptian
had excellent teeth, dental trouble being
largely confined to the upper classes with
their pampered diets. The x-ray examina-
tion confirms the conclusions of archaeolo-
gists that the mummy is that of a male,
and that Harwa was between 25 and 40
years of age at the time of his death.

The study by a roentgenologist, and the
exhibit of Harwa at Field Museum, both
using the most modern of medical aids,
make a link with the beginnings of medical
science. Doctors were a recognized part of
the ancient civilizations of the Near East.
By 2000 B.C. surgical practices were covered
by law. A section of the Code of Ham-
murabi, King of Babylon, states: "If a
physician make a deep incision upon a man
[perform a major operation] with his bronze
lancet and save the man's life; or if he
operate on the eye socket of a man and
save that man's eye, he shall receive ten
shekels of silver." However, the law con-
tinues, if the operation were unsuccessful
and the patient should die or lose his eye,

the physician's hand would be cut off.
Rates varied with the social scale, just as
some physicians today base their charge on
the patient's ability to pay. The common
man was charged only five shekels for a
ten-shekel treatment, and the slave but
two shekels.

From Egypt, at about the same period,
come surgical texts dealing with examina-
tion, diagnosis, and treatment. Splints were
employed for broken bones, and in severe
cases the patient's body was immobilized
in the correct position by casts of mud.
The custom of mummification provided
aids for the skill of the surgeon. The
embalmers' fine linen wrappings made ex-
cellent roller bandages, and wounds were
drawn together with adhesive tape. The
use of stitching to close large incisions was
used on the dead, and may have been
employed on the living. Later, in the third
century B.C., a great medical school de-
veloped in Alexandria. From this Egyptian
school came two great Greek physicians:
Herophilos, father of anatomy, and Erasi-
stratos, father of physiology.

IRISH POTATOES ARE NOT IRISH

The Irish potato is not only not Irish, but
is not the plant to which the name "potato"
was first applied. Furthermore, although it
is an American vegetable due to its South
American origin, it reached North America
only by a circuitous route, being carried here
by Scotch-Irish immigrants in 1719, after it
had been grown commonly in Ireland for
about fifty years.

The word "potato" is derived from batata,
indigenous American name for the sweet
potato, a member of the morning glory
family. The Irish potato is a member of the
nightshade family. This latter includes
other common edible plants — the tomato
and eggplant — and is known also for tobacco,
and for several deadly poisonous species of
plants such as belladonna and bittersweet.
These latter were used in the practices of
sorcery and witchcraft a few centuries ago.
Because of the so-called Irish potato's re-
lationship to them, there long existed in
Europe a strong prejudice and fear which
acted against its use as a food. The word
batata is still applied to sweet potatoes in
the Latin-American countries.

At the present time it is generally
accepted that the earliest known source of
the Irish potato was Chiloe, an island off
the coast of Chile. The Spaniards carried it
to Europe, about 1580. Numerous relatives
of our cultivated potato are cultivated
also in the Andes, and many others grow
wild.

The potato was perhaps the greatest gift
of the New World to the Old. It has been
estimated that the value of one year's
potato crop of the whole world is greater
than that of all the gold and silver taken to
Spain from Mexico and Peru.

FOUR SUNDAY LECTURES IN MAY
ON "PARADE OF THE RACES"

With the presentation in May of "The
Parade of the Races," which has proved to
be one of his most popular subjects, Mr.
Paul G. Dallwig, the Layman Lecturer of
Field Museum, will
\ close his current

1^^^ season of Sunday

^^^^ afternoon lectures.

^K^^ This subject will be

^^Hf presented on each

j'^ ^ of the four Sundays

of the month (May
4, 11, 18, and 25).
To illustrate his
talk, Mr. Dallwig
will conduct his
audience among
the 101 bronzes of
the Living Races of
Mankind by Mal-
vina Hoffman,
exhibited in Chaun-
cey Keep Memorial
Hall. The lecture
will outline the
basic physical char-
acteristics that dif-
ferentiate the races
of mankind. Into
this data Mr. Dall-
wig will interweave
human interest
stories which endow the various bronzes
with life, and give his audiences a more
intimate acquaintance with the customs of
various peoples.

Lecture audiences assemble promptly at
2 P.M. Because the number that can be
conducted among the exhibits under com-
fortable circumstances on a lecture of this
type is limited, it is necessary to make reser-
vations for all Sunday lectures well in
advance. This may be done by mail or
telephone (WABash 9410). Children can-
not be accommodated. The lectures last
until 4:30 p.m. with a half-hour intermission
midway. During this interval those who
desire to smoke or obtain refreshments may
do so in the Cafeteria, where special tables
are reserved for the group.

Mr. Dallwig will resume his Sunday after-
noon lectures in November. He plans to
present some entirely new subjects during
the next season of seven months, reserva-
tions for which will open in October.

Copyrijfht Field Muaeum

Biackfoot Indian
by Maivlna Hoffman

Museum Hours Extended
for Summer Period

Summer visiting hours, 9 a.m. to
6 p.m. daily, including Sundays and
holidays, will go into effect at Field
Museum on May 1, and continue
throughout the period up to and in-
cluding September 1 (Labor Day).

May, IHl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 3

MAY 2 MARKS 20th ANNIVERSARY OF FIELD MUSEUM'S PRESENT BUILDING

Photofixaph by Henry Fuermann & Sons, Chicago

Since 1921, more than 25,000,000 men, women and children have entered the world of
natural science through the portals of this monumental structure. Over 5,800,000
others visited the Museum during some twenty'five years in its old Jackson Park location.

A PERIOD OF GREAT EXPANSION
AND CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT

By CLIFFORD C. GREGG

DIRECTOR

May 1 is moving day for thousands of
families, and the weeks that follow may mean
distraught nerves to many as they under-
take the task of rearranging furniture, un-
packing boxes of books and barrels of
chinaware, and making the other readjust-
ments that are necessary before they can
feel "at home" in their new quarters.

Just twenty years ago — on May 2, 1921 —
Field Museum became "at home" in its pres-
ent building. With its exhibits reinstalled
after a gigantic moving operation, it formally
opened its doors to the public on that date.
If you think you are confronted with
difficulties when you move, just imagine
the task the Museum men of that time
(some of whom are still on the staff) had
in packing, transporting, unpacking and
reinstalling the hundreds of thousands of
items, large and small, included in one of
the world's greatest natural history institu-
tions. Some idea of the magnitude of
this task is given in the following excerpt
from an article by the late Stephen C. Simms,

former Director of the Museum (who, at the
time of moving, was a Curator) :

"Many months were spent on careful
packing of the priceless treasures in the col-
lections to guard them against damage in
transit from the old building in Jackson
Park. Certain exhibition material required
drastic treatment to make it ready for mov-
ing. The African elephant with trunk ele-
vated, from the group of fighting elephants
by Carl E. Akeley (now in Stanley Field
Hall) had to have its head removed before it
was practicable to transport it. To protect
the heavy but fragile bones, the huge skele-
ton of the dinosaur (Apatosaurus) from
Fruita, Colorado, had to be completely dis-
articulated and reassembled after arrival in
the new building — a task of proportions
comparable to the original mounting of the
skeleton. Other large skeletons required
similar treatment.

DAMAGE IN MOVING WAS NEGLIGIBLE

"The large model of the moon (19 feet in
diameter) had to be separated into 116 sec-
tions, and reassembled at the new building
in proper order. Some of the exhibits moved
numbered thousands of specimens, the
identity of each of which had to be preserved.

while their arrangement had to be so sys-
tematized that they could be reinstalled in
the same order. Protection from weather
and dust was also essential. . . . Altogether,
the moving involved 1,727 standing exhibi-
tion cases, 98 disassembled cases, 11,645
boxes, crates, barrels and packages, and
8,006 pieces of office furniture, general equip-
ment, and other objects. Once all the prep-
arations were made, the actual moving was
carried out with the utmost dispatch.

"A large part of the transfer was made
over the Illinois Central, special spurs of
track and loading platforms being built to
the doors of both the old and the new build-
ings. There were 321 freight car loads, and
the transfer of material by rail was completed
in 34 days. The balance of the material was
carried in 354 five-ton truck loads, and mov-
ing was completed in 132 days. So carefully
had the preparations been made that out of
the hundreds of thousands of specimens not
a single one was lost or misplaced, and the
damage suffered was negligible. With
material worth many millions of dollars
moved, the repairs for material damaged,
including the replacing of broken glass in
exhibition cases, amounted to only slightly
over $4,000. The amount of glass alone

Page U

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

May, 19U1

One of Strange Sights When Field Museum Moved In 1921

A large part of the institution's exhibition material was transported by rail from the old building in Jackson Park
to the present structure, the operation being facilitated by construction of track spurs and platforms at the doors
of both buildings. The head of one mounted elephant was removed for safe handling and clearance of obstructions.

which was moved was valued (at the 1921
prices) at more than $750,000."

ADVANCES MADE IN TWENTY YEARS

Within the twenty years of occupancy of
this building, advances and improvements
have been so rapid, and so constant, that
today the Museum is scarcely recognizable
as the same institution.

Many of the exhibits which were available
on that opening day have either been
changed and improved, or replaced with
better material, while the additions of new
material have perhaps doubled both the
exhibits and the research collections. When
this building was first occupied, a number of
the halls were vacant, waiting for material
still to be obtained ; now, not only are all the
areas originally planned for use as exhibition
halls occupied, but many other areas have
been reconstructed and converted into addi-
tional exhibition halls.

On opening day in 1921, and in the more
than twenty-five previous years during
which the Museum was in Jackson Park,
there were no habitat groups of animals com-
plete with scenic backgrounds and fore-
grounds, in built-in cases architecturally
merged with the building structure. Today
hall after hall presents extensive series of
exhibits of this type, which have much
more interest, and which are more har-
monious with their surroundings than the
old style exhibits. The habitat group or
diorama technique has been extended so
that it is now used in presenting anthropo-
logical, botanical, geological and paleonto-
logical subjects as well as zoological groups.

Great improvements have been made in
the labeling of exhibits, both as to the infor-
mation presented, and in the legibility of the
labels. Year after year there have been

improvements in lighting, giving more
natural and pleasing effects in illuminating
exhibits. Only in the last few years an
important further step in this direction has
been achieved by the application of the
latest type of fluorescent lighting to a
number of entire halls as well as to various
individual exhibits.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES INCREASED

Other Museum activities have kept pace
during these twenty years with the develop-
ments in exhibition techniques. The edu-
cational work of such units of the Museum
organization as the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension and the James Nelson and
Anna Louise Raymond Foundation for
Public School and Children's Lectures (the
latter established since the occupancy of this
building through the generosity of Mrs.
James Nelson Raymond) has grown in scope,
importance, and in numbers of school chil-
dren and teachers reached year by year.
Today there is scarcely a school child in
Chicago who does not receive direct benefits
from the Museum through these agencies.

Twenty years have seen an amazing
growth in the collections of the Library
which now ranks among the finest specializ-
ing in natural sciences. The scientific and
other publications of the Museum have
developed to noteworthy proportions. Con-
sequently the facilities of the Division of
Printing have grown from a one-man job
shop with a "kicker" press to a really large
and excellent modern printing plant with
presses of various types, mechanical type-
setting equipment, folding machines, bindery
machines, collotype studio and press for
illustrations, and everything else needed for
the production of books which often run
to several hundred pages each.

The study collections, which are reserved
for serious research students and others who
require access to reference material to solve
specific problems, have grown perhaps even
more amazingly than the exhibits.

What has happened in twenty years I have
not covered, nor could I attempt to cover,
in the space available here. The important
thing is that the Museum has kept vigor-
ously alive and constantly growing. The
move to a new location and building was
only one of many forward steps that had to
be taken to provide for its continuing growth
and expansion.

Museum Techniques Demonstrated
at Rotary Exposition

Field Museum participated in the annual
Rotary Club Exposition, held April 22 to
April 25 at the Hotel Sherman. This was
the second year the Museum occupied a
booth at the exposition.

In recognition of the great public interest
in techniques and behind-the-scene activi-
ties, two demonstrations of museum pro-
cedures constituted the essential part of
Field Museum's display. Mr. W. E. Eigsti,
StafI Taxidermist, mounted specimens for
a small mammal exhibit soon to be installed
in Hall 15. Mr. James H. Quinn, Chief
Preparator, Division of Paleontology, pre-
pared several specimens of typotheres,
which are small fossil ungulates from
South America. The exhibit arrested the
attention of many visitors.

Extensive Bird Exhibits

Nearly all known species of American
birds are included in the systematic exhibits
in Hall 21. In the foreign section, birds
have been selected to show the principal
types from the standpoint of classification,
distribution, and general interest.

IS GARDENING YOUR HOBBY?

If it is, you should read Garden
Clinic, by Laurence Blair.

"In this attractive book the author
cleverly shows, by pictures throughout
the text, how to prepare the soil, plant
the seeds, mulch, prune, control pests,
and solve hundreds of other problems
associated with gardening," says Dr.
Julian A. Steyermark, Assistant Cura-
tor of Field Museum's Herbarium.
"This valuable gardening manual,
using visual methods, is simple enough
to be understood by a child, yet at the
same time it contains the practical
advice which all adult gardeners must
heed to attain success."

On sale at THE BOOK SHOP of
FIELD MUSEUM. Price $2. Pre-
paid mail orders accepted.

May, 19Jtl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

CHICAGO AREA SPRING FLOWERS
BLOOM EARLY THIS YEAR

By JULIAN A. STEYERMARK

ASSISTANT CURATOR OF THE HERBARIUM

The unusually warm weather of mid-
April forced open the buds of several kinds
of flowers which in the Chicago area ordi-
narily do not commence to open until late
April or early May. On Easter Sunday
(April 13) as many as sixteen different spe-
cies of plants native to Illinois were actually
in flower, and several other kinds were
already beginning to show flower-buds.

Those in flower included (among the trees
and shrubs) : alder, hazelnut, hop hornbeam,
red maple, silver maple, American elm,
trembling aspen, Cottonwood, and two spe-
cies of willow. The herbaceous group in
flower included skunk cabbage, hepatica
(Hepalica americana), rue anemone, spring
beauty, purple cress (Cardamine Douglasii),
rock cress (Arabis lyrata), and whitlow grass
(Draba verna). Five of the seven members of
the herbaceous group in bloom belong to the
mustard and buttercup families, which are
two of the predominant families in the early
spring flora.

Besides these, many other kinds of plants
were conspicuous by their patches of green
shoots. Clumps of Virginia cowslip or blue-
bell (Merlensia) and marsh marigold leaves
ornamented marshy or wet ground, while in
the low woods adjacent to the streams
appeared green shoots of wild ginger, wild
leek (Allium tricoccum), wild onion {Allium
canadense), skunk cabbage leaves beginning
to unfold, and young mayapple sprouts.
Several other kinds were about to bloom
and had good-sized buds; included in this
class were wind anemone {Anemone quinque-
folia), wakerobin {Trillium sessile), and
trailing arbutus.

This outburst of floral display was all the
more spectacular because it came unex-
pectedly after the previous cool weather.
During the first week of April only a few
trees and shrubs were in bloom, and skunk
cabbage was the only herbaceous plant
actually in flower. The few warm days
brought just enough heat and sunshine to
make the difference between budding and
blooming stages.

In addition to these native plants which
were flowering, several garden herbs and
shrubs were well advanced at Easter time.
These included golden-bells or Forsythia,
crocus, snowdrops, grape hyacinth, scillas,
and daffodils. A week later there were fifty
species in fiower. At the end of the month
a hundred could probably be found.

Pan American Lectures

In accordance with the Museum's policy
of co-operating where possible with other
worthy civic movements, special lecture
tours were given in certain of the exhibition
halls on Pan American Day, April 14, spon-

sored by the Pan American Council. Miss
Elizabeth McM. Hambleton, of the Ray-
mond Foundation staff, lectured on "Story
of the People of Latin America," emphasiz-
ing facts about early Indian civilizations as
well as the present-day Indian population.
Mr. Clarence L. Brown lectured on "Com-
mercial Products of Latin America," stress-
ing the economic reasons for relationships
between the United States and its western
hemisphere neighbors.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Animal Mummies

With the mummy Harwa and his daily
x-ray especially featured in this issue of
Field Museum News, it is appropriate to
point out that Field Museum has a repre-
sentative collection of animal and bird

Pets? or Religious Symbols?

Mummified lizard, and cat, from Egypt. The
wrappings of the former suggest a young crocodile, but
x-ray examination does not justify such identification.
Most mummified animals are believed to have been
associated with deities, but some may have been pets,
and some may have been intended as food for the dead.

mummies, as well as human mummies, from
ancient Egypt. Also, it may be noted that
much has been learned about these animal
mummies from pioneer x-ray studies con-
ducted at this institution some years ago.

Animal mummies and their coffins, mostly
from the Twenty-fifth Dynasty to the
Roman Period (7th Century B.C. — First
Century a.d.) are displayed in Case 8 in the
Hall of Egyptian Archaeology (Hall J), and
bird mummies, mostly of the Greek or
Roman Period (from about the 4th Century
B.C. to the First Century a.d.) are exempli-
fied by various species, in Case 6.

Archaeologists suggest three possible
reasons for the preservation of the bodies of
animals and birds by Egyptians. In royal
tombs in the Eighteenth Dynasty (15th-14th
Centuries B.C.) there have been found des-
iccated birds and animals, or even parts of
animals, which all evidence indicates were
intended as food offerings for the human
occupants of the tombs in their after life.
A second possible reason in some cases is a
sentimental one — some of the animals are
believed to have been household pets, and
therefore were mummified and laid away
with their masters or mistresses to continue
companionship in the hereafter as on this
earth. The third and usual reason, how-
ever, for the preservation of animal mum-
mies is that numerous species had acquired
sanctity by as.sociation in certain localities
with various Egyptian deities. Horus, for
example, is often pictured in falcon form;
Nekhbet of el-Kab is a vulture-goddess; and
Amon of Thebes sometimes appears as a
goose. All of the bird mummies at Field
Museum (but not all those of mammals)
apparently owe their existence to their
religious significance. Such animals were
duly embalmed and laid away en masse in
cemeteries of their own or in chambers of
their temples. Birds of prey have been
found especially at Gizeh, Roda, and Kom
Ombo. Those at Kom Ombo were buried
apparently in Roman times, in trenches and
pits in the sandy area behind the temple.

Strange to say, x-ray examination has
revealed among these sacred animals traces
of even more chicanery than has been noted
in the human mummies. Some of the animal
skeletons lack the head or other parts; one
gazelle mummy contains no bones except
the horns; and some of the "cats" are merely
shaped packages of linen without a trace of
the actual animal.

Coffins for these mummies were often
shaped like the animals themselves, just as
anthropoid coffins were made for human
beings. In other instances, the creature was
represented on the lid. Little cobras, lizards,
eels, or shrews, in their tiny coffins of wood
or bronze, seem to have had amuletic value
to the ancient Egyptians and to have been
carried or kept as charms.

Included in the Museum collection are
mummies of two vultures, a goose, numerous
small hawks, a number of cats, a gazelle, an
ape, a number of shrews, and what is believed
to be .some .sort of lizard. Also displayed
are some fabricated imitations of animals,
and coffins designed for the mummies of
apes, shrews, cobras, and eels.

How many kinds of products come from
f)etroleum? If you can think of only five
or six, visit the extensive exhibit of petroleum
products in Hall 36 of the Department of
Geology. The number of things you didn't
know, or at least didn't think of, will
probably surprise you.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

May, 19ij

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field. 1893
Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lester Armour Albert W. Harris

Sewell L. Avery Samuel Insull. Jr.

W. McCoRMiCK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Block William H. Mitchell

boardman conover george a. richardson

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field Albert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley Field Albert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

Albert A. Sprague First Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

Albert W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith . . . Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR

Clifford C. Gregg Director of the Museum

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Wilfred H. Osgood Curator Emeritus, Zoology

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthro-pology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichols Chief Curator of Geology

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curator of Zoology

MANAGING EDITOR
H. B. Harte Public Relations Counsel

Members are requested to Inform the Museum
promptly of chanj^es of address.

CHICAGO MUSEUMS AND SCHOOLS
MEET IN CONFERENCE

Museum and school officials considered
general problems relating to the educational
use of Chicago's museums at an all-day
conference held April 19 at the Museum of
Science and Industry. The meeting was
sponsored by the Chicago Museum-School
Relations Committee, a voluntary organiza-
tion composed of representatives of the sev-
eral museums and principal school systems
of the city and adjacent areas.

The highlight of the program was a sym-
posium on the theme, "How can museums
and schools co-operate toward a greater
educational effectiveness?" Participating
were eleven directors and other representa-
tives of Chicago museums, and adminis-
trative heads of the principal school systems.
Among members of Field Museum's staff
who took part were Major Clifford C. Gregg,
Director; Mr. John R. Millar, Curator of the
N. W. Harris Public School Extension; Miss
Miriam Wood, Chief of the James Nelson
and Anna Louise Raymond Foundation for
Public School and Children's Lectures; Mrs.
Leota G. Thomas and Miss Elizabeth McM.
Hambleton, of the Raymond Foundation
staff. Mrs. Thomas is the chairman of the
local committee.

The first public offering of A Guide for the
Educational Use of Museums of the Chicago
Area was made at the conference. This
eighty-four page booklet, the work of the
Committee, contains a directory of museums,
their services, and other pertinent informa-

tion. In addition the guide lists the materials
and exhibits of the various institutions
grouped under eleven standard units of
study (such as plant life, primitive peoples,
and industry) to form a ready reference for
teachers in planning class use of museum
faciHties. The publication was enthusi-
astically received by school people. It has
now been placed on sale at The Book Shop
of Field Museum. — J.R.M.

ology and Ethnology. He was entertainec
by Mr. Stanley Field, President of th(
Museum, and Dr. Paul S. Martin, Chie
Curator of Anthropology.

PICTORIAL SURVEY OF IRAQ

By henry FIELD

CURATOR OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

The Field Museum-Oxford University
Joint Expedition to Kish excavated sections
of that ancient city from 1922 to 1933.
Several hundred negatives and a few reels
of standard motion picture film now con-
stitute the entire pictorial record of the
Kish cultural strata. During the anthropo-
metric survey of the modern inhabitants of
Iraq (a survey begun by the writer and the
late Dr. L. H. Dudley Buxton during the
winter season of 1925-1926 and continued
in 1927, 1928 and 1934), front and profile
photographs were taken of each individual
measured and observed.

During 1934, Mr. Richard A. Martin, now
Curator of Near Eastern Archaeology,
accompanied the Marshall Field Anthropo-
logical Expedition to the Near East as
photographer. In addition to racial type
photographs, Mr. Martin took several thou-
sand negatives of the land and the people.

Last year the Museum acquired by gift
from the Estate of Mrs. A. L. Fisher, of
Colorado Springs, 1,200 negatives recording
many phases of human activity in Iraq.
Mrs. Fisher, a personal friend of Faisal, first
King of Iraq, undertook privately to pre-
pare a pictorial record of this kingdom to
which she gave the name "Your Beautiful
Iraq." After two years of effort, and at no
small personal expense, Mrs. Fisher held an
exhibition at Baghdad in 1929. Shortly
thereafter Mrs. Fisher returned to the
United States where, on account of failing
health, she took up an enforced residence at
Colorado Springs. Upon her death in 1939
the executors followed instructions by pre-
senting to the Museum this unique collection
of negatives of Iraq. A complete set of
prints has been mounted in five albums in
the Department of Anthropology.

As a result of the combined efforts of the
staff, supplemented by the generosity of Mrs.
Fisher, the Museum thus possesses an ex-
ceptionally good series of photographs illus-
trating life in Iraq.

U. S. Vice-President Visits Museum

The Hon. Henry A. Wallace, Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States, visited Field
Museum on March 31 as the guest of Mrs.
Edna Horn Mandel, former Associate on
the staff in the Division of Chinese Archae-

Staff Notes

Mr. Karl P. Schmidt, Chief Curator o
Zoology, and his son John, left April 12 on ;
brief field trip to Arkansas and Texas. Thej
plan to meet Mr. C. M. Barber, formerlj
affiliated with Field Museum, who will col
lect with them in Texas. Mr. Schmidt wil
read a paper before the Texas Herpetologica
Society at Sealy.

Mrs. Emily M. Wilcoxson, Librarian, Mrs
Mary W. Baker, Associate Librarian, anc
Mrs. Eunice Gemmill, Assistant Librarian
were hostesses on April 4 to the Museurr
staff at a tea in dedication of the new readinj
room of the Library. Miss Elsie Lippincott
former Librarian who retired several yean
ago, was a guest. Mrs. Elsie H. Thomas
Recorder, and Miss Miriam Wood, Chief o:
the Raymond Foundation, poured.

Dr. Paul S. Martin, Chief Curator o;
Anthropology, lectured at the University o:
Michigan, March 27, on "Archaeology o:
the Southwest."

Dr. Julian A. Steyermark, Assistant Cura-
tor of the Herbarium, recently addressed th(
Midwest Horticultural Society on "Th(
Plant Life of Guatemala."

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Ciiristmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below;

November, December,

January, February ... .9 A.M. to 4 p.m.
March, April, and

September, October . . .9 a.m. to 5 P.M.
May, June, July, August. 9 a.m. to 6 P.M.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted free
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educational institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and Anna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Sattir-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
April, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines, Rapid Transit Lines (the "L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles at the Museum.

May, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

HISTORY OF ELEPHANT ORDER TRACED IN FOSSIL EXHIBIT

boscideans spread over the earth until, by
the Pleistocene or Glacial epoch, they had
invaded every continent with the exception
of Australia. The common occurrence of
bones and teeth of mastodons and mam-
moths in nearby bog deposits and gravel
pits shows that these animals were numer-
ous in the Chicago area and that they lived

By BRYAN PATTERSON

ASSISTANT CURATOR OP PALEONTOLOGY

Few animals are as impressive in appear-
ance, as interesting in habits, or as surpris-
ingly intelligent as the elephants. Although
well known to most persons through their
frequent appearance in zoos and circuses,
they are sufficiently spectacular to prevent

THE ELEPHANTS AMD THEIR EXTIHC

New Synoptic Type of Exhibit in Paleontology

Some of the principal facta about elephants and their fossil relatives are illustrated by comparisons of bones,
by paintings restoring the appearance of prehistoric types, and by maps indicating present and past distribution.

their being regarded with the indifference
which usually accompanies familiarity. The
wonderfully adaptable trunk, the hallmark
of the group, which can be used for such a
variety of purposes as the delicate manipula-
tion of a peanut, the taking of a showerbath,
or the lifting of a tree trunk, is alone suffi-
cient to insure elephants a prominent place
among the wonders of the animal kingdom.
Interest in the living elephants is consid-
erably enhanced by the realization that the
two forms now confined to Africa and south-
eastern Asia constitute a small remnant of
a once extensive order whose range included
most of the earth and whose known history
goes back more than thirty million years.
The earliest proboscideans, as members of
the elephant order are called, occurred in the
late Eocene of Egypt. Of tapir size and
rather tapir-like in appearance, they pos-
sessed many of the basic characters of the
order and indicate that a considerable part
of proboscidean evolution had taken place
before this first appearance of the group in
the geologic record. The complete absence
of proboscideans in deposits of an earlier
date than late Eocene in other continents
definitely suggests that Africa was the
ancestral home of the order. During the
later part of the Age of Mammals the pro-

here until comparatively recent times, geo-
logically speaking. Specimens of the Ameri-
can Mastodon are the commonest fossil
vertebrates that are brought in to the
Museum for determination.

FAMILIES COMPARED IN EXHIBIT

The elephant and mastodont families are
the two most important of the order, and
include the majority of the extinct forms.
A new exhibit which has recently been added
to Ernest R. Graham Hall (Hall 38) is
devoted to these two groups. It displays
specimens of typical representatives of both,
compares and contrasts them, demonstrates
the present and past distribution by means
of maps, and includes paintings of four of
the better known or more interesting forms.
One fact that is emphasized is the close
relationship between mammoths and ele-
phants. It is probable that most persons
who have heard of mammoths and masto-
donts tend to think of them as practically
one and the same thing, whereas in reality
they were quite distinct.

Of these two families, the mastodonts are
the older and more diversified. The earliest
known representatives, found in the Oligo-
cene of Egypt, had already attained the
typical proboscidean body form, but had
long heads and tu.sks in the lower jaw. A

considerable variety of types evolved from
these forms, the most extraordinary of which
were the so-called shovel-jawed mastodonts.
In these animals the lower jaw, one of which
is shown in the exhibit, came to bear an
astonishing similarity to a scoop shovel.
The lower tusks became broad and flat with
a chisel edge in front, and the connecting
portion, or simphysis, of the two mandibles
became greatly elongated and concave
above. The resemblance to a shovel was no
freak of nature but a marvelous adaptation
in response to the requirements of a special-
ized mode of life. Study of the skeletons of
these animals and of the deposits in which
their bones have been found shows that
they frequented marshes and used their
"shovels" for digging up succulent aquatic
plants from the mud.

EVOLUTION OF THE TRUNK
A short head was evolved in several differ-
ent lines of mastodonts. Since these animals
possessed the typical elephant body struc-
ture with the characteristic short neck and
long, pillar-like legs, the obvious result of a
shortening of the skull and jaw was to
remove the mouth from contact with the
ground. The necessity for overcoming this
difficulty led to the development of the
trunk, which is actually the highly modified
nose and upper lip. It is altogether likely
that in the long-headed ancestral masto-
donts nose and lip formed a well developed
flexible snout, somewhat resembling a tapir's,
and that elongation of this organ kept pace
with the shortening of the head.

By late Miocene time the mastodonts had
spread to Europe, Asia and, via a land con-
nection at the site of the present Bering
Strait, North America. Elevation of the
Isthmus of Panama during the Pliocene
epoch opened the way to South America,
over which they ranged in the Pleistocene.
The family survived into early Recent time
in the Americas, but died out somewhat
earlier in the Old World.

Elephants and mammoths differ from
mastodonts chiefly in having higher and
shorter heads and much more complicated
grinding teeth. They are believed to have
arisen in south-central Asia during the later
part of the Age of Mammals. Their ancestry
is not yet well understood, but they are
probably the descendants of a group of short-
headed mastodonts. The family spread
over all of Eurasia and Africa and reached
North America early in Pleistocene time,
but, unlike the mastodonts, did not pene-
trate South America to any extent.

MAMMOTHS PRESERVED IN FLESH

One member of the group, the Northern
Mammoth, is perhaps the best known of all
extinct vertebrates. Entire carcasses of this
animal have been found in frozen ground in
Siberia, the flesh so well preserved that
wolves and other carnivores have fed readily
upon it. Finds such as this, together with
the realistic cave paintings of the animal
executed by the Stone Age men of western

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

May, IHl

Europe, make it possible to reconstruct the
appearance of this mammoth almost as well
as if living specimens had been available for
study. A piece of skin and a wisp of hair
found in Alaska are included in the exhibit.

The evolution of the elephant order
reached its zenith in Pleistocene time, the
epoch in which man began to dominate the
world. The men of the Stone Age were a
hunting people and there is abundant evi-
dence that mammoths were a favorite object
of the chase. Huge refuse heaps of mam-
moth bones in central Europe, and dis-
coveries of arrow points associated with
remains of these animals in North America,
testify eloquently to the slaughter that must
have gone on. This hunting may have con-
tributed to the extinction of the order over
the greater part of its once wide range, an
extinction that unfortunately is still pro-
gressively continuing.

The elephant exhibit is one of a new series
which is intended to replace old style cases
throughout Ernest R. Graham Hall. In the
new cases, shelving is eliminated, the speci-
mens being attached by bracket mountings
to the backs of the cases, thus permitting
greater flexibility of arrangement and more
pleasing installation. Each is planned and
installed as a unit and is devoted to one main
concept, in this instance the past history of
the elephant order. Such exhibits are more
attractive and less confusing than those of
the old style in which unrelated specimens
were placed together, with a common geo-
logical age as the only bond between them.

MAY GUIDE-LECTURE TOURS

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for May:

Thursday, May 1 — General Tour; Friday
— The Importance of Rocks and Minerals
(Bert E. Grove).

Week beginning May 5: Monday — Animal
Life of Forest and Plain (Mrs. Leota G.
Thomas); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— Spring Wild Flowers (Miss Marie B.
Pabst); Thursday — General Tour; Friday —
Hunters and Hunted (Miss Elizabeth
Hambleton).

Week beginning May 12: Monday — The
Wild Relatives of Some of the Domesticated
Animals (Miss Elizabeth Best); Tuesday —
General Tour; Wednesday — The History
and Adventure of Life (Bert E. Grove);
Thursday — General Tour; Friday — Herders
and Their Herds (Miss Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning May 19: Monday — Ani-
mal Life of Alpine and Polar Regions (Mrs.
Leota G. Thomas); Tuesday — General Tour;
Wednesday — Clothing and Shelter from
Plants (Miss Marie B. Pabst); Thursday —
General Tour; Friday — Farmers and Their
Crops (Miss Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning May 26: Monday — Apes
and Other Animals of the Forest (Miss

Elizabeth Best); Tuesday — General Tour;
Wednesday — Roots (Miss Marie B. Pabst);
Thursday — General Tour; Friday — Memo-
rial Day holiday, no lour.

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director, spe-
cial tours are available to parties.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

Department of Anthropology:

From F. G. James, Cleveland, Ohio — a
stained glass of Tiffany manufacture, 44' x
80', made in New York; from Charles
Schmid, Oak Park, 111.— a deadfall (Eskimo
trap), Alaska.

Department of Botany:

From Rutgers College, New Brunswick,
N. J. — 83 herbarium specimens, Costa Rica;
from Wood-Mosaic Company, Inc., Louis-
ville, Ky. — 2 specimens of Claro walnut,
California; from Dr. John R. Johnston,
Chimaltenango, Guatemala — 65 herbarium
specimens, Guatemala; from Dr. Gregorio
Bondar, Bahia, Brazil — 9 specimens of palm
fruits and wax, Bahia, Brazil; from Dr.
Angel Maldonado, Lima, Peru — 36 speci-
mens of algae, Peru; from Dr. Herman
Kleerekoper, Sao Paulo, Brazil — 19 speci-
mens of algae, Brazil; from Dr. Walter
Kiener, Lincoln, Neb. — 110 specimens of
algae, Colorado.

Department of Geology:

From S. C. Puccetti, Chicago — a quartz-
filled chalcedony geode, Illinois; from Edwin
C. Galbreath, Ashmore, 111. — 3 specimens
of vertebrate fossils, Illinois.

Department of Zoology:

From Chicago Zoological Society, Brook-
field, 111. — 7 birds; from Princess Sigismund
of Prussia, Barranca, Costa Rica — 6 snakes,
a gecko, and a bat, Costa Rica; from F. N.
Bard, Chicago — a mounted bear, British
Columbia; from Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago
— an anaconda and a skink, South America
and Australia; from John G. Shedd Aquar-
ium, Chicago — 8 fish specimens and a sea
turtle; from R. A. Burton, Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa — 25 Texas salamanders, Iowa; from
L. F. Brown, Naples, Fla. — a manatee skull,
Florida.

The Library:

Valuable books from Mrs. John King
Fairbank, Cambridge, Mass.; Dr. Henry
Field, Washington, D. C; and H. B.
Conover, A. B. Wolcott, and Rupert Wenzel,
all of Chicago.

Meeting of Orientalists

Several prominent scholars presented
papers at a session of the American Oriental
Society's annual meeting held in the Lecture
Hall of Field Museum April 16. Those who
spoke included Dr. Homer H. Dubs, of Duke
University; Dr. B. Schwartz, of the New
York Public Library; Dr. Florence E. Day,
of Dumbarton Oaks Library; Professor J. J.
Obermann, of Yale University; Miss Rachel

Wischnitzer-Bernstein, and Dr. Alfred H.
Lybyer, of the University of Illinois. The
delegates were welcomed to the Museum in
an address by Dr. Wilfred H. Osgood, Cura-
tor Emeritus of Zoology. The Museum gave
a tea for the society at the close of the ses-
sion. The meeting ran from April 15 to 17,
other sessions being held at the Oriental
Institute of the University of Chicago, and
the Art Institute.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
March 17 to April 15:

Associate Members

V. D. Berry, Fred J. Clifford, Jr., Mrs.
Fred J. Koch.

Annual Members

Robert B. Ayres, Hal Crompton Bangs,
J. L. Beven, W. Dale Bost, Ralph E. Bowers,
James S. Boyle, C. S. Brophy, P. A. Caswell,
Hyman B. Coen, Reuben Don, Robert Dris-
coll, David B. Eisenberg, Mrs, Helene Feld-
man, W. L. Fenner, Christ H. Garbers, Dr.
Roscoe C. Giles, D. C. Green, Robert E.
Hattis, Coleman Hibbard, Carl I. Johnsonj
Miss Hilda M. Kemper, Miss Lucille M.
Larson, James Lawrence, William Levine,
Leslie F. Muter, Frank A. Randall, William
Schmidt, J. J. Schwander, Lester N. Selig,
Joseph Sterling, Mrs. J. O. Stoll, Joseph
Wertheimer, C. C. Whittier.

MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum has several classes of Mem-
bers. Annual Members contribute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and arc
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually for six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Resident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Resident Associate Members $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
Resident memberships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles or more from Chi-
cago. Those who give or devise to the Museum
$1,000 to $100,000 are designated as Contribu-
tors, and those who give or devise $100,000 or
more become Benefactors. Other memberships
are Honorary, Patron, Corresponding and Cor-
porate, additions under these classifications
being made by special action of the Board of
Trustees.

Each Member, in all classes, is entitled to
free admission to the Museum for himself, his
family and house guests; and to two reserved
seats for Museum lectures provided for Mem-
bers. Subscription to Field Museum News is
included with all memberships. The courtesies
of every museum of note in the United States
and Canada are extended to all Members of
Field Museum. A Member may give his
personal card to non-residenta of Chicago, upon
presentation of which they will be admitted to
the Museum without charge. Further informa-
tion about memberships will be sent on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum of Natural His-
tory may be made in securities, money, books or
collections. They may, if desired, take the form
of a memorial to a person or cause, named by
the giver.

Contributions made within the taxable year,
not exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net
income, are allowable as deductions in computing
net income for federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum
with the provision that an annuity be paid to
the patron for life. These annuities are guaran-
teed against fluctuation in amount, and may
reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTCD BY nni.D MUSEUM PRESS

Fieldl

News

Published Monthly by Field Miiseum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

JUNE, 1941

No. 6

TADPOLE LIFE IS ILLUSTRATED IN MODELS ENLARGED HUNDREDS OF TIMES

By CLIFFORD H. POPE

CURATOR OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES

What does a tadpole turn into? Although
the "Quiz Kids" would consider this question
an easy one, only a good naturalist could
answer many further tadpole queries. Of
all the abundant forms of higher animals, the
common "poUiwog" is one of the least appre-
ciated. Even students of amphibian life of-
ten put tadpoles aside as
uninteresting, and lay-
men are prone to think of
them only as generalized
blobs of flesh from which
frogs and toads arise,
scarcely realizing that
each kind of frog or toad
has its own particular
kind of tadpole.

The tadpole's small
size and lack of bony
skeleton are largely to
blame for this neglect;
its soft body is hard to
handle in life, to preserve
for study after death, and
to observe either in life
or in death. Neverthe-
less, tadpoles are fasci-
nating animals that differ
widely in form, color, and
habits. Well over a thou-
sand different kinds exist.

From the frog's point
of view the tad is one of
the two remaining links
in an evolutionary chain
that once completely
bound the frog to a life
in water. The other link
is the necessity of breed-
ing in water. If frogs
could only sever these
two links they would
emerge full-fledged land
animals like their more
advanced relatives, the
reptiles, birds, and mam-
mals. At least the frog has the satisfaction
of looking down a long nose at the lowly fish
which is still completely chained to an
aquatic existence.

Let us forget the polliwog's family tree
and consider its here-and-now problems.
Having never developed the ability to live
in salt water, poUiwogs must be satisfied
with fresh water. Nor are they found north
of the temperate regions where perennially

frozen soil makes adult amphibian life
a complete impossibility.

Another restriction results from the lack
of defensive ability; tadpoles are all but help-
less against the attacks of certain fishes, their
soft bodies making them a most toothsome
prey. A few have developed poison glands
which, however, have been so little studied
that no one knows how helpful they may be.

Children Learn About Tadpoles and Frogs

Among visitors to new exhibit on day it was opened were (left to right) Gordon Johnson and Bob Hoff-
man of LaGrange, Illinois, and Penelope and Stephen Rich (the latter are the children of Director Daniel
Catton Rich of the Art Institute of Chicago). Mr. Frank H. Letl of the Museum's staff, who supervised
preparation of the exhibit, explained to the group of youngsters how tadpoles live and cliange into frogs.

The poison, it would seem, at best might
bring them only a Pyrrhic victory, for
although they may thus kill the fish that
bites them, the tadpoles themselves are
also killed in the process. The poison, inci-
dentally, is not at all dangerous to human
beings who may happen to handle the
tadpoles. Since fishes are universally dis-
tributed in large bodies of water, tadpoles
must be content to inhabit relatively fish-

free places such as small ponds, streams, and
temporary pools. Shallow plant-grown
edges of rivers and lakes also are favorite
haunts because there fishes are rare or
at least readily avoided.

Thus we see that tadpoles frequent a mere
fraction of the earth's waters. In these
they are, however, astonishingly abundant,
and presumably it is this abundance that
has forced them to make
the most of their cramped
quarters. A likely pool,
for example, may be
thought of as a polliwog
city so crowded that its
inhabitants have invaded
every part from the
muddy bottom to the
very surface from which
they sometimes appear
to be suspended.

A new exhibit at Field
Museum shows just what
remarkable creatures
these neglected polliwogs
are and explains the ways
in which they have solved
the problem of existence
in the face of tremendous
competition from other
small animals. Models
enlarged hundreds of
times clearly show the
peculiarities scarcely
noticeable in the tiny
animals themselves.

In order to understand
this exhibit one must
forget that tadpoles are
merely immature frogs
and think of them as so
many species or kinds of
amphibians. Each spe-
cies is in turn a popu-
lation of millions of indi-
viduals that have become
adapted or suited to life
in a particular part of the
general tadpole environment referred to
above. Any one of these parts selected by
a species is, let us say, like a cubby-hole in
an old-fashioned office desk and may be
called a "habitat niche." These niches
are so numerous that they have to be clas-
sified before being illustrated in a museum.
The left side of the new exhibit does just
this under the heading "Major Adaptations."
It is not surprising that most tadpoles have

Pagei

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

June, 19U1

chosen bottom niches
in quiet water where
food and means of
protection are plenti-
ful. These "bottom
dwellers" are repre-
sented by the tadpole
of the common bull-
frog (Rana catesbei-
arta) with short deep
body, high tail fins,
and downwardly
directed mouth.
This species happens
to be a veritable
giant among
poUiwogs.

Another major
adaptation is the
"torrent dweller"
represented by a

little-known species from the mountains of
western North America. The torrent species
are few in number but widely distributed
over the earth. They have developed a
streamlined form that offers little resistance
to currents, and a sucker-mouth or sucker-
belly by which they cling to rocks, so that
they are not swept away by rushing water.

Last but not least interesting of the major
adaptations is the "surface dweller" with
upwardly directed mouth and ability to
float at any level. Feeding on particles
caught by the surface film of quiet pond or
pool is a simple matter for this uncommon
type which cleverly avoids competition with
the crowded bottom-loving creatures. It
seems to test the saying that "there is always
room at the top."

ADAPTATIONS TO SPECIAL CONDITIONS

The remainder of the new exhibit is taken
up with two other aspects of tadpole life.
First, on the right, a few "special adapta-
tions" are illustrated. The tadpoles shown

Two of the Tadpole Models In New Exhibit

Upper model represents an extreme oddity, the streamlined Chinese tadpole with
expansible mouth somewhat resembling a lily in form. This mouth functions for surface
feeding. The tadpole feeds on floating particles by expanding the lips just under
the surface and drawing in a current of water. At rest the folded lips curl upward
like the points of a crescent moon. The lower model, representing the tadpole of the
leopard frog, illustrates gill breathing. Water taken in through the mouth washes the
concealed gills and passes out the breathing pore which is on the left side. In this
model the transparency of the gill covering is exaggerated in order to show clearly
the gills and developing fore limb. Curator Pope says tadpoles do not breathe solely
through gills, but these structures are their chief means of obtaining oxygen.

are species that have some unusual way of
getting along in the polliwog world. For
example there is the Asiatic tad sometimes
called "umbrella-mouth" because of its
expansible lips that help in securing minute
floating food particles. Second, in the lower
center, two models show various features of
tadpole structure.

The new exhibit was prepared by Messrs.
Frank H. Letl and Joe Krstolick of Field
Museum's staff. Mr. Letl made the models
by a plastic process applied for the first time
in museum exhibition work. They are
vastly superior to the wax products formerly
in common use. A glance at the new exhibit
is sufficient to convince even the most casual
observer that Mr. Letl has solved the prob-
lem of making life-like replicas of the moist-
skinned amphibians. The colors can actually
be painted in the plastic material instead of
merely on the surface. As in the Mu-
seum's celluloid models, transparency or
any degree of translucency can be easily
attained in the new plastic medium.

SCHOOL CHILDREN COME FROM DETROIT TO STUDY AT FIELD MUSEUM

By MIRIAM WOOD

CHIBF, JAMBS NELSON AND ANNA LOtHSB
RAYMOND FOUNDATION

No greater tribute could be paid to the
educational value of Field Museum than the
fact that in the eighth grade of a public
school in a city as far from Chicago as
Detroit, and as large as that motor metrop-
olis, the greater part of a year's course of
study has been based upon material and
facilities provided in this and certain other
Chicago institutions.

The school in question is the Cadillac
School, and the plan under which the course
has been organized and executed indicates
great enterprise on the part of both teachers
and students. Educators elsewhere might
find it adaptable to their uses.

Forty-three children of the eighth grade
in this school, chaperoned by teachers, made a
visit of several days to Chicago during their

spring vacation. Participation was volun-
tary, and the trip was planned months in
advance. Each child in the party was
required to earn at least one-half of his
total expenses, figured on a flat-rate all-
inclusive basis of $25.25. Permission of
parents, of course, was also required. In
addition to visiting JMeld Museum, the
children were taken to the Shedd Aquarium,
Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science
and Industry, Northwestern University,
Union Stock Yards, a candy factory, a
radio studio, and Chinatown. The purpose
of the whole trip was to present an introduc-
tion to various new phases of life, and to
offer the children opportunity to begin trying
the solution of problems "away from home."
Mr. Charles Yarbrough, leader of the
group, had brought a similar group here the
previous year, and at that time conceived

the idea for this year's more extensive visit
and studies. During the months prior to
coming to Chicago, preparation was made
by adjusting the course of study to co-
ordinate with this plan. Leaflets on certain
Field Museum exhibits, and post cards,
were obtained in advance and used in
classroom work. Thus familiarized, the
children knew just what to seek upon their
arrival in the exhibition halls.

OTHEai ACTIVITIES
From Madison, Wisconsin, a group of
350 boys and girls were brought to Field
Museum on May 17. This trip was spon-
sored by the Madison State Journal. Many
other out-of-town groups have visited the
Museum during the past month. On one
single day, 1,373 school children came in
organized groups.

On May 15, a meeting was held in the
Museum Lecture Hall by teachers of six
Chicago special schools for handicapped
children, under the auspices of the Jane
Neil Club. The purpose of this meeting
was to enable members of the Museum
staff and the teachers to consult on means
for extending the services of this institution
to handicapped children on a basis similar
to that developed for other groups. Mr.
John R. Millar, Curator of the N. W.
Harris Public Extension, told of the work
conducted by that Department, and the
writer spoke on the activities of the Ray-
mond Foundation and told how they could
be adapted for crippled youngsters. Dr.
Eldridge T. McSwain, Professor of Educa-
tion at Northwestern University, made a
brief address on the responsibility of teachers
in using such community resources as those
offered by museums.

By invitation of the manager of W9XBK,
television station of Balaban and Katz,
the Raymond Foundation was enabled again
to place Field Museum both aurally and
visually "on the air." The program fea-
tured Mr. Bryan Patterson, Assistant
Curator of Paleontology, who co-operated
with the Foundation in preparing a program
about prehistoric animals.

Mammalogists to Meet at Museum

The American Society of Mammalogists
will hold its twenty-third annual meeting
at Field Museum June 9-13. This is a
national society of about one thousand
members from all parts of the country,
including not only professional mammalo-
gists, but wildlife managers, conservation-
ists, sportsmen, and all others interested in
mammals from any standpoint. Regular
sessions will be open to the public.

The Ainu, a people inhabiting Hokkaido
(Yezo), Japan, are rapidly approaching
extinction. Their culture is well represented
by a collection of artifacts in Hall L.

June, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page S

EXPEDITION TO SOUTHWEST
RESUMES EXCAVATIONS

The Field Museum Archaeological Expe-
dition to the Southwest will begin its tenth
season of operations this month, under the
direction of Dr. Paul S. Martin, Chief
Curator of Anthropology. Dr. Martin,
accompanied by assistants, will leave Chi-
cago June 10 and proceed to the site of the
ancient MogoUon culture in western central
New Mexico, near Glenwood, where excava-
tions were conducted in 1939, the last year
the expedition was active. Previous to 1939,
Dr. Martin conducted excavations on Basket
Maker sites in Southwestern Colorado, and
the work in New Mexico represents the
beginning of a new phase of his investiga-
tions. In the one season thus far spent on
the Mogollon site it was about one-quarter
excavated. Because this site has yielded
new manifestations of a culture only recently
discovered in the Southwest, Dr. Martin
and other archaeologists with whom he has
consulted are agreed that it is advisable to
dig as many houses, pits, graves, refuse
heaps, etc. connected with these prehistoric
Indians as possible. Only thus can be
obtained sufficient data upon which to base
any general conclusions.

The Mogollon culture was first discovered
by Mr. Harold S. Gladwin, Director of Gila
Pueblo Museum, and has been further inves-
tigated by Dr. Emil Haury, assistant to
Mr. Gladwin. It differs in every way from
the other two known Southwestern cultures,
the Hohokam and Pueblo. The Mogollon
people lived in pit houses of a type different
from those of the other cultures; their
pottery is plain, brown, and red; their stone
and bone implements are equal in simplicity
of form to those of the other cultures, but
different in type.

It now appears that the manifestations of
this culture which Dr. Martin investigated
in 1939, and upon which he will continue
work this summer, are probably earlier than
those studied by Dr. Gladwin and Dr. Haury,
and the civilization even simpler. The stone
tools which he collected are apparently
related to very early ones from southern
Arizona which may date to between 1,000
and 2,000 B.C. The Mogollon pottery
obtained by Dr. Martin may prove to be
the oldest yet discovered in North America.
Numerous burned roof logs were recovered
and sent to Mr. Gladwin for dating, but so
far the series of tree-rings on these timbers
does not fit with any known sequence on
any of the master tree-ring calendars
employed by modern archaeologists in the
dendrochronological system of establishing
prehistoric dates. This lack of pieces to
match master charts may mean that
these timbers were cut earlier than any
others yet studied, says Dr. Martin; how-
ever, he emphasizes that the mere fact
they have not yet been dated does not neces-
sarily establish them as definitely earlier.

From twenty-four human skeletons exca-
vated in 1939, Dr. Martin has determined
that racially the Mogollon people were the
same as the Pueblo people. The skulls con-
form strikingly in most features with skulls
of the Pueblo types.

Dr. Martin will remain in the field until
autumn. This project and his series of
nine preceding expeditions form part of the
larger project, to which many leading archae-
ologists are contributing, of reconstructing
all the history and prehistory of American
aborigines so that eventually the records
will be as complete as those we now have
of such ancient civilizations as Babylonia,
Egypt, Greece and Rome.

WHY DIG UP DEAD INDIANS?

By PAUL S. MARTIN

CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY

Year after year, as I depart for or return
from expeditions, people ask me why we are
so eager to investigate the life of ancient
North American peoples — in short, why dig
up dead Indians?

This is a good question and one which is
easy to answer.

We are living today in a very sick world.
If civilization is to endure, we must push
forward the study of man. We need to
know the strength as well as the weaknesses
of the human race and to understand the
relationship of man to culture. We must
know this because the tremendous machine
which science has helped create may be
directed by man for good as well as for evil.
At present the machine is being run mostly
for destructive purposes. Many people
blame science for this state of affairs.

Actually this is a childish and ignorant
point of view. The present chaotic condi-
tion of the world is not new; it is only worse
than before. Every major invention, from
the time of the first use of fire or from the
time of the first stone ax or arrowhead down
to the airplane and radio, though at first
bringing great material benefit and comfort,
has sooner or later created social and eco-
nomic problems. Fire is useful for warmth
and cooking but it may be used for destruc-
tive purposes. A stone arrow head is useful
for hunting animals, the skins of which may
be used for clothing, and the meat for food;
but an arrowhead may also be used for killing
other men. And so it goes. The airplane is
useful for peaceful commerce, but it also
carries death; the radio brings entertainment
and education, but also it sometimes
spreads poisonous propaganda.

We must understand how the products of
science affect the philosophy of life and the
science of government. By studying the
Basket Maker, the Mogollon, and other
Indians we have an opportunity for the
study of the rise and spread of a culture, the
dominance of rulers and priests, civil wars
and other rivalries, the effect of climate, the
decline and eventual fall of a virile culture.

and finally the effects of submission to a
foreign military conquest.

If we can understand all of these facets of
life in a relatively simple Indian culture, and
if we can discover the whys and wherefores,
then we are in a much stronger position for
understanding and attacking the greater and
more complex historical problems which
must be solved if we are to attain real know-
ledge of man in the modern world.

Thus, digging up dead Indians has a very
real significance and, if looked at in this way,
it actually has possibilities which stagger
the imagination.

Many people probably think of Indians as
wild, yipping, horseback-riding fellows who
spent much of their time looking for people
to scalp, and who did little or no work. Such
a picture is incorrect. It is true that the
Plains Indians did ride horses and did do
some scalping; but this way of living devel-
oped after the year 1750.

Indians did not ride horses until Euro-
peans introduced horses to the New World,
for the simple reason that there were none
here. Even after horses became common,
the Indians of the Plains were about the
only ones to use them extensively.

In the old days before the original pat-
terns of Indian culture were broken by the
advent of Europeans, life was quite different.
In the Southwest, for example, the so-called
Basket Maker Indians lived a simple, quiet
life. They were farmers who grew corn and
squash, hunted when they needed meat, and
carried on religious ceremonies.

The Indians who built and lived in the
houses excavated by archaeologists today
were just simple, plain people, very much
like you and me. They had joys and sor-
rows, hard and easy times. Thus, we see
that we are merely a part of the continuity
of life — but also, that there is a continuum
of culture despite human aberrations.

THE STORY OF EARLY MAN

is ably told in By Their Works, a
new book by H. Phelps Clauson,
Curator of Anthropology for the Buf-
falo Society of Natural Sciences. The
book describes briefly, but adequately
for the average reader, the history and
cultures of various ancient peoples.

"Not only is the text simply and
clearly written, but it is generously
illustrated with 113 plates, all care-
fully chosen," says Dr. Paul S. Martin,
Field Museum's Chief Curator of
Anthropology. "The book is a contri-
bution which will be helpful to those
interested in the past and in the artis-
tic achievements of early man."

On sale at THE BOOK SHOP of
FIELD MUSEUM— $4. Mail orders
for books are welcomed.

Page i

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

June, 19U1

GUATEMALA EXPEDITION BRINGS
38,000 PLANTS TO MUSEUM

By PAUL C. STANDLEY

CURATOR OF THE HERBARIUM

The Third Botanical Expedition of Field
Museum to Guatemala began work early in
October, 1940. Like two previous expedi-
tions, its purpose was the collection of
material and data for preparation of a
comprehensive descriptive account of the
country's vegetation.

In area about the size of Illinois, Guate-
mala is extremely varied as to surface and
climate. Because of the great local variations
in elevation and temperature, there often
are abrupt modifications of the vegetation
within a few miles.

Collecting was begun at Zacapa, in the
relatively arid valley of the Motagua River,
near the north coast. Afterwards work
was conducted from Jutiapa, Jalapa, Cui-
lapa, and Chiquimulilla. From the last,
lying at the base of the Volcano of Tecuam-
burro, a comprehensive collection was made
of the flora of the Pacific plains in which
little collecting had been done previously.

In December headquarters were moved to
central Guatemala, at Finca La Alameda,
near Chimaltenango, where every facility
for work was supplied by Dr. John R.
Johnston, Director of the Escuela Nacional
de Agricultura. Extensive collections were
made in that vicinity, at Fiscal, and on
the Volcano of Pacaya.

REMINISCENT OF COLORADO

Dr. Johnston and the writer next moved
to Huehuetenango in northwestern Guate-
mala, collecting along the route. The
Department of Huehuetenango is a non-
volcanic area along the Mexican frontier.
The most distinctive and profitable region
was the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, highest
portion of the northern cordillera.

An especially noteworthy portion of the
season's collections, and the one richest in
new species or additions to the Guatemalan
flora, was gathered in the Cuchumatanes.
For miles the road is bordered by alpine
meadows, as in the Colorado Rockies,
thickly covered with grass and decorated
with dwarf plants of various families.
Bearberry and gentians heighten the re-
semblance to the Colorado mountains, as
do the dense forests of red cedar and pine
that cover the bordering limestone hills.
Strangely, one of the most abundant and
showy plants at this high elevation, where
freezing temperatures are recorded almost
every night, is a huge agave or century
plant, scarcely to be expected at so high
an altitude. Here also was found a goose-
berry, the first member of its group to be
collected in Central America.

SHOWERS OF VOLCANIC ASHES

My next headquarters were at Quezal-
tenango, second city of Guatemala, with
an elevation of almost 8,000 feet, and a
climate far from tropical — heavy frost was

frequent, and one night the thermometer
fell to 15 degrees. From there may be
reached, within one or two hours, many
localities exceedingly rich in tropical vege-
tation. From the valley of the Rio SamalS,
and the barranco lying between San Martin
Chile Verde and Colomba, many rare plants
were obtained. The Volcano of Santa Maria
was in eruption during February, covering
some of the vegetation with a layer of ash
that made collecting far from enjoyable,
since every bush that was touched showered
ashes upon one's head.

Several weeks in February and March
were devoted to work along the Pacific
foothills and upon the bordering plains.
Many rare plants, especially trees, were
collected in this vicinity.

WHERE ORCHIDS ABOUND

Collecting localities along the Pacific coast
extended from Coatepque eastward to
Escuintla and AmatitlSn. Then head-
quarters were moved to CobSn in the
Department of Alta Verapaz, which has
one of the most varied and fascinating
floras of all Central America. It is humid,
with medium elevations, and is particularly
rich in orchids, which are more abundant
than anywhere in Central America outside
Costa Rica. Here grows in great abundance
one of the handsomest of American orchids,
Lycaste Skinneri, whose albino variety, the
monja blanca, is celebrated as the national
flower of Guatemala.

Although CobSn is the center of a coffee
region and of a rich agricultural area, it
retains much accessible unspoiled forest,
and profitable botanical collections may be
made almost anywhere within easy walking
distance of the town. Collecting trips were
made in every direction, especially about
Tactic, which has an apparently inexhausti-
ble variety of plants. A previously unex-
plored open and forested swamp yielded a
surprising number of probably new, or at
least very rare species.

One day only could be devoted to collect-
ing along the new road leading from CobSn
toward Peten. The expedition left Puerto
Barrios May 3, arriving at Chicago May 11.
It was highly successful, more than 19,000
numbers of plants, represented by twice as
many specimens, having been gathered. It
is believed that a substantial number of
plants new to science was collected, and it
is certain that there were obtained many
species which are new to Guatemalan and
to Central Amwican records.

The satisfactory results are due largely
to the splendid system of automobile roads.
Through the enterprise of General Jorge
Ubico, President of Guatemala, the republic
now possesses the most comprehensive road
system, for its area, to be found in America
south of the United States.

For innumerable and often very practical
courtesies, the expedition is deeply indebted
to Don Mariano Pacheco Herrarte, Director

General de Agricultura; to Professor Ulises
Rojas, Director of the Jardfn BotSnico;
to Don Jose Ignacio Aguilar, Director of the
Finca Nacional La Aurora of Guatemala
City; and to various government officials,
particularly the Director General de Aduana
and the several Jefes Pollticos.

It is impossible to express adequately
appreciation of the hospitality and courtesies
extended by Dr. John R. Johnston, by Mr.
and Mrs. B. E. Lewis, and by employees of
the Ferrocarril Intemacional de Centro-
America, the United Fruit Company, and
the Compaiiia Agrlcola de Guatemala.
Special appreciation is due Mr. George B.
Austin of the United Fruit Company, at
Puerto Barrios.

THE ANTIQUITY OF TREPANNING

By henry field
curator of physical anthropology

To relieve pressure on the brain a trepan,
or the modern improved instrument known
as the trephine, is employed to remove a
portion of the bone. In tracing back the
antiquity of trepanning we find that it was
performed frequently about 10,000 years
ago in Neolithic times, especially in western
Europe and in Bohemia. Evidences of
trepanning in relatively early times have
also been found in Bolivia, Peru, and North
and Central America. There is no evidence
of the operation being performed by either
the Hindus or the Chinese, or among the
Greeks and the Romans. A single doubtful
example is known from Egypt. Some tre-
panned skulls have been discovered in Gaul,
belonging to an epoch corresponding to
that of Roman civilization. The contem-
porary hill tribes of Daghestan, the natives
of Tahiti, the Polynesians and Loyalty
Islanders, the Kabyle tribes, Montenegrins,
and the Aymara Indians in Bolivia, and
probably dwellers in the highlands of Peru,
still perform this operation, and thus express
their belief in its efficacy.

The operation is often performed, follow-
ing a depressed skull fracture, by means of
a sharp knife, piece of glass, or sharp-edged
stone. The trephine hole is usually located
on the upper and posterior part of the
parietal bone. The section of bone thus
removed, highly prized by prehistoric
peoples, was worn as an amulet in a necklace.
Many of the skulls show evidence of more
than one operation, and as many as four
have been seen. The openings are often
large and crudely made, and the operation,
fatal in a very high percentage of cases,
must have been excruciatingly painful.

Some authorities believe that prehistoric
surgical trephining was performed for the
relief of certain internal maladies, such as
to rid the individual of a "demon" blamed
for causing dreaded symptoms.

Trephining is performed as one of the
standard operations in modem surgery.

June, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

A ZOOLOGICAL FIELD TRIP
TO ARKANSAS AND TEXAS

While the great emphasis of Field Museum's
exploration and research by the Depart-
ment of Zoology lies in foreign fields, some
contact is maintained with studies on syste-
matic zoology and on the related problems
of animal distribution in the United States.
Texas and Arkansas, fairly close at hand
and with a relatively rich animal lite, are
regarded as favorable regions for such
study by the Division of Reptiles. A con-
tinued program of field work in these states
will make possible a more effective concen-
tration of the Museum's work and will
especially provide a sphere of activity for
the younger generation of volunteer natural-
ists who constantly appear at the Museum.

AUTO KILLINGS AID SCIENCE!

To further this interest of the Division
of Reptiles, Mr. Karl P. Schmidt, Chief
Curator of Zoology, recently made a brief
collecting trip to Arkansas and Texas,
accompanied by his son, Mr. John M.
Schmidt, and in the company of Mr. C. M.
Barber of Hot Springs, Arkansas, a former
member of the staff of Field Museum.
An active collector of living reptiles as well
as of Cretaceous fossils in his state, Mr.
Barber is a constant contributor of speci-
mens to the Museum. A trip at this time
of the year yields much information as to
the distribution of reptiles, especially snakes,
from the numerous specimens killed on the
highway by automobiles. These "dor"
specimens ("d-o-r" for "dead-on-road"), if
accurately identifiable, yield information as
to distribution and abundance of the species,
which, if accumulated in a systematic
manner, adds greatly to our knowledge of
geographic distribution in the area studied.

It was especially planned to meet as many
as possible of the amateur and professional
zoologists of Texas interested in the study
of reptiles. The party accordingly joined
the Annual Field Meet of the Texas Her-
petological Society at the Stephen F. Austin
State Park at San Felipe, in Austin County,
on April 19. Chief Curator Schmidt ad-
dressed this group and spoke also to the
active group of zoological students in the
Fish and Game Club of the Texas Agricul-
tural and Mechanical College, at the invi-
tation of Dr. Walter P. Taylor.

Dr. C. S. Smith, Professor of Biology at
the San Marcos State Teachers' College,
and President of the Texas Herpetological
Society, and his assistant. Dr. S. S. Wilks,
entertained the party at San Marcos and
gave them much aid in visiting local caves
in the vicinity. This region is of great zoo-
logical interest because of its development of
cave forms, including a remarkable blind
white salamander in underground waters.

En route north from San Marcos, a visit
was made to the Texas Memorial Museum
and the University of Texas, at Austin, and
to the John K. Strecker Museum at Baylor

University, Waco, Texas. Dr. Leo T.
Murray, Director of the Strecker Museum,
presented several lots of interesting snakes.
At Hot Springs, Mr. Schmidt addressed the
Hot Springs Natural History Society, on
"A Naturalist's Glimpse of Peru."

SOME STRANGE BIRDS

By RUDYERD BOULTON
curator of birds

An exhibit of some of the most extra-
ordinary and famous birds of the world was
recently installed in Hall 21. They comprise
typical and representative species belonging
to the families of herons, storks, flamingos,
ibises, hawks, eagles, and falcons. The most

Whale-headed Stork, or Shoebill

When specimens of this odd and somewhat sinister-
looking character from Africa first arrived in Europe in
1848, ornithologists could scarcely believe their eyes.
They concluded that it was "an abnormal pelican."

remarkable, perhaps, is the whale-headed
stork or shoe-bill, a gigantic stork-like bird
that lives in Africa. It gets its name from
the huge, ungainly bill, so large in fact
that when the first specimen was brought
to Europe in 1848 it was thought to be an
abnormal pelican. Later anatomical re-
search demonstrated the fact that this bird,
which stands almost five feet high, is inter-
mediate in character between herons and

true storks. Both of its common names refer
to the strange bill — even its Arabic name,
Abu-markub, means "father of a shoe."

Whale-headed storks are found only in
the Sudd marshes along the upper White
Nile, and are most common in the wide
stretches of papyrus swamp at Lake No.
Their nests are built of platforms of papyrus
stems in the marsh, and the eggs, being
white, are stork-like. The reputed diet of
these birds is no less extraordinary than
their other characters. They are said to
use their huge bills to dig aestivating lung-
fishes out of the mud; and these form an
important part of their food. ("Aestivating"
might be ambiguously but effectively de-
scribed as "hibernating in summer.")

The saddle-billed stork, another inhab-
itant of Africa, is perhaps a little more
normal in character, but no less distinguished
in appearance. This bird although more
slender, stands fully as high as the shoe-
bill, and its white and glossy black plumage
make it very conspicuous in the marshes
of the rivers of tropical Africa. For this
reason, probably, it is wary and shy. Its
parti-colored bill, black and scarlet, is more
than twelve inches long. The name of this
stork is derived from the fact that on top
of the bill, just in front of the eyes, there
is a saddle-shaped area of soft fleshy skin,
chrome yellow in color, while immediately
below there are two tiny wattles which orni-
thologists have fancifully likened to the
stirrups of a saddle.

LARGEST FLYING LAND BIRD

The best known bird of prey recently
placed on exhibition is the South American
condor, the largest flying land bird. This
bird is characteristic of the Andes, and it
is fairly common through the arid coastal
ranges of Peru, as well as in some places
in the mountains of southern Chile. The
wing spread of a condor is probably not
quite as great as that of a large wandering
albatross, but the area of the wings is greater,
and the condor weighs considerably more.

On the bird islands of Peru, populated by
millions of sea birds, condors become an
economic problem because they feed on
young pelicans, boobies, and cormorants.

Among other important birds that are
shown in this exhibit are the Chilian
flamingo, the straw-necked ibis of Australia,
the scarlet ibis of northern South America;
the white headed vulture and griffon vulture
of Africa and Asia respectively; the 1am-
mergaier of Europe, and the Bateleur eagle
of Africa.

Specimens have come from a number of
Field Museum expeditions, among them
being the Straus West African expedition,
the Chicago Daily News Abyssinian Expedi-
tion, and the Mandel-Orinoco Expedition.
Other specimens have been contributed by
the Chicago Zoological Society and the
Lincoln Park Zoo. The exhibit was pre-
pared by Staff Taxidermist John W. Moyer.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

June, 19U1

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893
Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lester Armour Albert W. Harris

Sbwell L. Avery Samuel Insull, Jr.

W. McCoRMicK Blair Charles A. McCui.loch

Leopold E. Block William H. Mitchell

BOARDMAN CONOVER GEORGE A. RICHARDSON

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field Albert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley Field Albert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

Albert A. Sprague First Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

Albert W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith . . , Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR

Clifford C. Gregg Director of the Museum

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Wilfred H. Osgood Curator Emeritus, Zoology

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichols Chief Curator of Geology

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curator of Zoology

MANAGING EDITOR
H. B. Harte Public Relations Counsel

Members are requested to Inform the Museum
promptly of changes of address.

A PEEK BEHIND THE STATISTICS

The broad extent of a museum's influence
has frequently been alluded to in these
columns and elsewhere. We have told, for
example, how Field Museum's educational
activities directly reach more than two mil-
lion persons a year when the number of
visitors is summed up together with the hun-
dreds of thousands reached extra-murally by
the lecturers of the Raymond Foundation
and the traveling exhibits of the Harris
Extension.

Only occasionally, however, do individuals
who have benefited from the Museum reveal
in detail what the institution has done for
them. Such narrowed-down "case histories,"
when they do come, give a more vivid picture
of the workings of the Museum's influence
than do mass statistics, and further, they
hint of the similar effects the institution may
have upon hundreds of thousands not heard
from who are comprised in the statistical
figures. Under the title "How I Came to
Collect Minerals," Miss Selma Jenner, of
Mayfield, Wisconsin, tells in a recent bulle-
tin of the Marquette Geologists Association
what Field Museum has meant for her.
Excerpts from her article follow:

" 'Here are some things that have turned
to stone.' — This statement was made by my
father when he brought them from the
depths of his numerous overalls pockets. He
had cleared the willows and shrubs from a
lowland, and was draining it and plowing it
when the black soil revealed perfect Silurian
petrified corals. . . . We then did not know

what they were, but our curiosity concern-
ing them was greatly aroused. We treasured
them highly and ... I finally took them to
Field Museum for classification, which
revealed them to be honeycomb corals, chain
corals, cup corals, organ pipe corals, a maca-
roni coral, a siphuncle of a cephalapod, and
several others. . . . The geologists of Field
Museum went a step further and told me
that these existed 500,000,000 years ago in
a tropical ocean extending over this part of
the country to the North Pole. This was
very thrilling to me, for I knew nothing of
geology. On the strength of that I inquired
how I could find out more about it. They
then directed me to the Museum's Library
... I also bought books and kept on nosing
around in paleontology and geology myself
until one day I complained to Chief Curator
Nichols about not being able to find any-
body interested in the subject outside the
Museum staff. Again my requirement was
graciously looked out for, and he directed
me to a group of his friends who were organ-
izing a geology club. ... I have never
mis.sed a meeting ... I have gained knowl-
edge of not only paleontology but also
mineralogy and now have a collection of
minerals — also a granite collection. ... I
am grateful beyond measure to the geologists
and friends who have helped me in this very
interesting hobby."

Mrs. James Nelson Raymond
Again Contributes Funds

Continuing the generous contributions
she has made at frequent intervals for years,
Mrs. James Nelson Raymond last month
again gave Field Museum $2,000 for use in
carrying on the manifold activities of the
James Nelson and Anna Louise Raymond
Foundation for Public School and Children's
Lectures. The Foundation, established by
Mrs. Raymond in 1925 with a munificent
endowment, is a vital factor in the success
of Field Museum's educational work, and
its services to school children and their
teachers have been notably expanded in
recent years. Such expansion has been
greatly expedited by the unceasing interest
and support given by Mrs. Raymond.

Museums Win Over tlie Movies

{From the St, Louis Post-Dispatch)

The results of a survey just announced at
Northwestern University should make par-
ents and teachers feel much more hopeful
about the younger generation. For Professor
Walter A. Anderson has discovered, by
questioning 560 children, that 54 per cent of
them would rather visit a museum than a
neighborhood movie.

To any beholder of the noisy and enthusi-
astic audiences found in most movie theaters
on Friday night or Saturday afternoon this
will be an amazing discovery. However, a
lot of that noise may be mass exuberance

rather than film appreciation. Interviewed
alone, many a youngster has some pretty
sharp criticism to make — too much "love
stuff" or "same old troubles and then a happy
ending" or simply "I have a headache."

Museums may seem dull to some adults,
but then some adults are blas6, fed up and
incurious. To the active and spongelike
mind of a boy or girl the museum's marvels
are a challenge, an inspiration, a source of
perpetual wonder and miles of questions.

Maybe parents have been overlooking a
bet by capitulating immediately when a
trip to the movies is proposed and not sug-
gesting that the museum might be interest-
ing instead.

Colonel Roosevelt, Museum Trustee,
Returns to His Regiment

Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, a member
of the Board of Trustees of Field Museum,
has been called to active duty in the United
States Army, and is again in command of
his old regiment, the 26th Infantry, at Fort
Devens, Massachusetts. During the first
World War, Colonel Roosevelt was a
member of this regiment overseas.

The Blue Bull of Asia

Have you ever seen a blue bull? In Asia
there is such an animal — it's a large antelope,
and is also called nilgai. A habitat group
of nilgai, which despite their name are not
really blue in color, is on exhibition in
William V. Kelley Hall (Hall 17).

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below :

November, December,

January, February ... .9 A.M. to 4 P.M.
March, April, and

September, October . . .9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
May, June, July, Aug\ist.9 a.m. to 6 P.M.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted free
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educational institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and Anna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
April, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines, Rapid Transit Lines (the "L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles at the Museum.

June, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

PALEONTOLOGICAL EXPEDITION
LEAVES FOR COLORADO

A Field Museum paleontological expedi-
tion to western Colorado left Chicago at
the end of May for a three and a half months'
stay in the field. The personnel consisted
of Mr. Bryan Patterson, Assistant Curator
of Paleontology, and Mr. James H. Quinn,
Chief Preparator in Paleontology; other
persons will join the party for various periods
of time. Other expeditions from the
Museum have operated in this region during
1932, 1933, 1937 and 1939; the present one
therefore carries on a well established pro-
gram. Much interesting material, a large
proportion of it previously unknown, has
been obtained during this work.

The field of operations of the expedition
will lie in Mesa and Garfield Counties, and
the main objective will be to collect fossil
mammals from early Eocene deposits.
Specimens from this early horizon are of
great interest to students of mammalian
evolution. The Age of Mammals was then
in its infancy; many groups that no longer
survive were flourishing, and several of the
dominant mammalian types of today were
just getting under way. To take but one
example, the horses of the early Eocene
were no larger than foxes, possessed four
toes in contrast to the modern horse's one,
and were barely distinguishable from con-
temporary primitive tapirs.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Staff Notes

Dr. Julian A. Steyermark, Assistant
Curator of the Herbarium, made a field
trip to Missouri last month to collect plant
material.

Mrs. Leota G. Thomas, of the Raymond
Foundation staff, attended the annual meet-
ing of the American Association of Museums
at Columbus, Ohio, May 15 and 16.

Mr. Paul G. Dallwig, the Layman Lec-
turer of Field Museum, presented a special
version of his lecture, "Gems, Jewels and
'Junk,' " on May 8 before the members of
the Hoosier Salon Patrons Association.

Dr. Louis B. Bishop, of Pasadena, Cali-
fornia, Research Associate in the Division
of Birds, recently visited the Museum to
consult staff members on the progress of
work upon the Bishop Collection of Birds,
for the formation of which he was respon-
sible. Acquired in 1939, this collection con-
tains approximately 50,000 specimens, and
is one of Field Museum's most important
accessions of recent years.

Mr. Rupert L. Wenzel, Assistant Curator
of Insects, recently visited museums in New
York, Washington, and Pittsburgh to con-
tinue research on various problems connected
with bat flies and histerid beetles.

Models Show Predecessors of Giant Steel Furnaces That Work for Defense Today

Today, with the defense of his country
uppermost in every American's mind, the
nation calls for steel — millions of tons of
steel — steel for ships and tanks and muni-
tions, steel for rails and wheels, steel for
motors and machine guns, steel for an almost
endless variety of products. Hundreds of
furnaces belch smoke and flame to the skies,
each pouring forth every day from about 100
to as much as 1,000 tons of the vital metal.
More than 30,000,000 tons were produced
in the course of even a normal year before
military requirements called for the super-
production now demanded.

An interesting contrast is provided by the
model (in Frederick J. V. Skiff Hall— Hall

represented in the model was capable of pro-
ducing about thirty tons of pig iron per day.
Formerly of chief importance for its own
product, iron, the modern blast furnace
today is of more importance as a supplier of
iron for further processing in open hearth
furnaces where it may be converted by vari-
ous formulae into the many different types
of steel. Steel, being so much stronger and
more workable, is more practical than iron
for the wide range of demands made by
modern industry. A large amount of iron,
of course, is still required for many purposes,
and heavy production of the iron blocks
called "pigs" is still an important function
of blast furnaces. Where a steel works is

Primitive Iron Smelting Plants

An exhibit in the Department of Geology. Model at left represents a Catalan forge of type in general use in
Europe during eighteenth century, and in this country at the time of the American Revolution. Model at the right
represents a cold blast furnace which was the type most common in the United States up to about ninety years ago.

37) of a Catalan forge which about 170 years
ago did a good day's work when it produced
a mere 300 pounds of iron each six hours.
This type of forge was in general use in
Europe during the eighteenth century, and
in this country at the time of the War for
Independence and for some years after.
Forges of the same general type have been
used among peoples of the more primitive
cultures in relatively recent times, and they
may have persisted in some places to the
present day, says Mr. Henry W. Nichols,
Chief Curator of Geology. The forge is
small, not much larger than an ordinary
blacksmith's forge.

Displayed with the Catalan forge are
models of a cold blast iron smelting furnace
of the type most common in this country
about ninety years ago, and of a modern hot
blast furnace. The cold blast furnace is so
called because the blast of air by which it
was kept in operation was not heated. It
was the immediate predecessor of the hot
blast furnace of today which has now com-
pletely superseded it. It was in general use
in this country during and for some time
after the Civil War. A furnace of the type

connected with the furnace plant, however,
the molten iron as tapped from the furnace
is conveyed in huge so-called "ladles" di-
rectly to the mills for conversion into steel.

Veteran Preparator Dies

Mr. Herbert Weeks, a preparator in the
laboratories of the Department of Anthro-
pology since 1918, died on May 13. Mr.
Weeks was a skillful artisan and was re-
sponsible for the installation of exhibits in
case after case throughout practically all
divisions of the department. His final, and
one of his finest installations was that of the
Department of Anthropology's section of
H. N. Higinbotham Hall (Hall 31, the Gem
Room) which may be opened some time
in June.

To understand animals, it is as necessary
to study their internal structure as to observe
their external appearance. For this reason
Field Museum maintains extensive osteo-
logical exhibits in Hall 19 where may be
found skeletons representing almost every
important group of vertebrates.

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

June, 19U1

JUNE GUIDE-LECTURE TOURS

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following is
the schedule for June:

Week beginning June 2: Monday —
Defense Weapons and How Wild Animals
Use Them (Miss Elizabeth Best); Tuesday
— General Tour; Wednesday — Plants With
Romantic Stories (Miss Marie B. Pabst);
Thursday — General Tour; Friday — Where
Did The Indians Come From? (Miss
Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning June 9: Monday — The
Earth As a Geologist Sees It (Bert E.
Grove); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— Tree Dwellers of the Animal King-
dom (Miss Elizabeth Best); Thursday —
General Tour; Friday — The Rights of Men
(Miss Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning June 16: Monday — Trees
of the Chicago Region (Miss Marie B.
Pabst); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— Plants and Animals Through the Ages
(Bert E. Grove); Thursday — General Tour;
Friday — The Meat-eaters (Miss Elizabeth
Best).

Week beginning June 23: Monday — How
the Ancient Egyptians Lived (Miss
Elizabeth Hambleton) ; Tuesday — General
Tour; Wednesday — Development of Plant
Life (Miss Marie B. Pabst); Thursday —
General Tour; Friday — Chicago During the
Ice Age (Bert E. Grove).

Monday, June 30 — Modern People and
Our Ancestors (Miss Elizabeth Hambleton).

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director, spe-
cial tours are available to parties.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month :

Department of Botany:

From Instituto del Museo, La Plata,
Argentina — 61 herbarium specimens, Argen-
tina; from Dr. Hugh Cutler, St. Louis, Mo.
— 193 herbarium specimens, Guatemala,
Mexico, Louisiana, and Texas.

Department of Geology:

From C. M. Barber, Hot Springs, Ark. —
9 specimens of fossil vertebrates, Arkansas;
from Edwin B. Faber, Grand Junction,
Colo. — 3 specimens of fossil shark and ray in
matrix, Colorado; from W. G. Rinehart,
Batesville, Ark. — 3 mineral specimens, Ar-
kansas.

Department of Zoology:

From Instituto Butantan, Butantan, Bra-
zil— 12 coral snakes, Brazil; from Emil
Liljeblad, Villa Park, 111.-2,409 beetles and
other insects, California; from H. B. Conover,
Chicago— 3 birds. Virgin Islands and Peru;
from Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield,
111. — 11 birds, 5 mammals, and an albino
bull snake; from Clyde T. Reed, Gregory,
Tex. — 107 fish specimens, Texas; from
Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago — a hinge-back
tortoise, a skink, a clawed frog, and 20

turtle eggs; from John G. Shedd Aquarium,
Chicago — a turtle, Florida; from Leslie
Hubricht, St. Louis, Mo. — 4 salamanders,
a frog, and 9 lizards, Utah, Arizona, and
New Mexico; from James Simpson, Jr.,
Chicago — a mounted wild sheep head. Cen-
tral Asia; from Mr. and Mrs. L. F. Brown,
Naples, Fla. — 4 Florida duck skins; from
Major R. D. Hildebrand, Fort Worth, Tex.
— 3 wood duck skeletons, Texas; from
Robert Burton, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa — 47
snakes, frogs, and salamanders, Iowa; from
Dr. Clay G. HufiF, Chicago — 2 blue grouse
skins, Montana; from Charles Breder, New
York City — 60 fish specimens, Florida.

The Library:

Valuable books from American Petroleum
Institute, New York City; and Conoco
Travel Bureau, and Rupert Wenzel, both of
Chicago.

Layman Lecture Season Ends;
To Resume in November

With the completion of his Sunday after-
noon lectures in May, Mr. Paul G. Dallwig,
the Layman Lecturer of Field Museum, has
closed a season showing the highest attend-
ance since he inaugurated this activity in
October, 1937. During the 1940-41 season
which began in November, Mr. Dallwig
lectured before thirty audiences in the halls
of Field Museum, with a total attendance of
3,040, or an average of 101 persons at each
lecture. Many more would have attended
if it were physically possible to extend the
number of permitted reservations, but
parties must be limited in size to make it
practicable to conduct them through the
halls containing exhibits used to illustrate
the lectures.

Since the inauguration of the Sunday
lectures in 1937, Mr. Dallwig has appeared
before a total of 128 audiences aggregating
11,191 persons. Mr. Dallwig has also been
in demand as a platform speaker, and has
appeared before twenty-one clubs and other
organizations during the last year.

Mr. Dallwig will resume his lectures next
season, commencing in November, 1941,
and running through May, 1942. He plans
on adding one new lecture to his series each
year. This year the lecture on "Mysterious
'Night-Riders' of the Sky" was new. For
next season he plans on adding "Who's Who
in the Mounted Zoo" to his repertoire,
making a total of seven different lecture
subjects, one for each of the seven months
during his lecture season.

dried, forms the opium of commerce which
is used chiefly in the form of its alkaloid
morphine to allay physical suffering. The
seeds have no physiological action and are
commonly dusted on cookies and buns, to
which they impart a distinctive flavor.

Single Poppy Species Yields Opium

Poppies of various kinds are well known
as flowering plants, but only one species
Papaver somniferum, is used to produce
opium. The flowers are solitary, large, with
four white to purple petals. A several-
celled ovary develops into an ovoid capsule
about two inches long, having many small
seeds. Opium is obtained from the unripe
fruits which are incised with a guarded knife
to allow the juice to exude. This juice, when

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members of
Field Museum during the period from April
16 to May 15:

Associate Members

Mrs. Willis Roland Ford, Mrs. James M.
Hopkins, Jr., Dr. Beveridge H. Moore,
Glenn W. Traer.

Annual Members
Jay Adler, Royal V. Andrus, A. D. Arado,
William H. Beckman, Joseph L. Berman,
Edward L. Berry, L. R. Boulware, Dr.
Henry P. Bourke, Mrs. Benjamin W.
Bradley, Rev. Joseph H. Branham, Louis A.
Breskin, John P. Bretschneider, John H.
Brine, N. F. Clayborne, Dean W. Davis,
Gabriel Dunkleman, Dr. Nicola Emanuele,
Robert B. Emery, Paul Hansen, Miss
Susan D. Hoyne, Dr. Thomas G. Jones,
Mrs. W. L. Keady, Ronald J. Lambert,
Mrs. Louis Lindenthal, Thomas J. McKitt-
rick, Joseph M. Moskow, N. A. Nelson, Jr.,
Dr. Nicholas B. Paveltic, J. J. Reingold,
Dr. Mary G. Schroeder, Ezra Sensibar,
John W. Walz, Ernest N. Warner, L. F.
Wilson.

MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD MUSEUM

Field Mxiseum has several classes of Mem-
bers. Annual Members contribute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and are
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually for six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Resident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Resident Associate Members $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
Resident memberships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles or more from Chi-
cago. Those who give or devise to the Museum
$1,000 to $100,000 are designated as Contribu-
tors, and those who give or devise $100,000 or
more become Benefactors. Other memberships
are Honorary, Patron, Corresponding and Cor-
porate, additions under these classifications
being made by special action of the Board of
Trustees.

Each Member, in all classes, is entitled to
free admission to the Museum for himself, his
family and house guests; and to two reserved
seats for Museum lectures provided for Mem-
bers. Subscription to Field Museum News is
included with all memberships. The courtesies
of every museum of note in the United States
and Canada are extended to all Members of
Field Museum. A Member may give his
personal card to non-residents of Chicago, upon
presentation of which they will be admitted to
the Museum without charge. Further informa-
tion about memberships will be sent on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum of Natural His-
tory may be made in securities, money, books or
collections. They may, if desired, take the form
of a memorial to a person or cause, named by
the giver.

Contributions made within the taxable year,
not exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net
income, are allowable as deductions in computing
net income for federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum
with the provision that an annuity be paid to
the patron for life. These annuities are guaran-
teed against fluctuation in amount, and may
reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTED BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

Fieldl

tt&News

Published Monthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

JULY, 1941

No. 7

GEMS AND JEWELS GAIN NEW SPLENDOR IN REBUILT H. N. HIGINBOTHAM HALL

A "gem of a room" for the housing of one
of the world's most comprehensive collec-
tions of gems and jewels — that was the aim
of the administration of Field Museum in
closing H. N. Higinbotham Hall (Hall 31)
last September, temporarily removing the
priceless treasures, and completely rebuilding
the hall architecturally and as to style of
installation and lighting of exhibits.

This reconstruction has now been com-
pleted, and the gems and jewels, with the
addition of a number
of new specimens,
have been reinstalled
in a manner that
brings out their full
beauty of color, luster,
and brilliance as never
before. In all, more
than 3,000 specimens
are displayed in new
"jewel-box" cases
which rival the gems
themselves in scintil-
lating brightness.

The original and
major part of the col-
lection was presented
to Field Museum by
the late Harlow N.
Higinbotham, a promi-
nent leader in Chicago
civic affairs during his
lifetime. Mr. Higin-
botham was a Trustee
of the Museum from
1894 until his death
in 1919; he was also
the second President
of the institution,
serving with great distinction in that
capacity from 1898 to 1908. The collection
he presented had been assembled through
the efforts of Dr. George F. Kunz, and
had been exhibited by Tiffany and Com-
pany at the World's Columbian Exposi-
tion in 1893. This notable gift, and his
many other contributions to the Museum,
place Mr. Higinbotham's name among the
foremost benefactors of this institution.

Additions have been made to the collec-
tion, from time to time, as desirable pieces
have been obtained by Museum expeditions
or as gifts from other benefactors.

NEW GIFT FROM MRS. CRANE

A few days before the official opening and
tea given by the Museum June 19 for its
members and their guests, Mrs. Richard T.
Crane, Jr. (a daughter of the late Harlow

N. Higinbotham) made a notable gift of
gems and jewelry. The new pieces, which
are of high value and great interest, were
immediately installed in their proper places
with relation to the rest of the exhibits.
The collection presented by Mrs. Crane
consists of gems assembled originally by
Dr. Kunz of Tiffany and Company who
brought together the original Higinbotham
collection. Included among the new speci-
mens are seven fine Ceylonese sapphires of

The full brilliance and
modern types of exhibition

A GLIMPSE OF PART OF H. N. HIGINBOTHAM HALL
color ol a magnificent collection of gems and jewels is brought out
cases equipped with fluorescent lightmg. A TifTany glass window enl

several colors aggregating 58 carats in
weight. Two specimens are of varieties
new to the Museum collection, viz. — a
green sapphire from Australia, and a blue
variety of tourmaline from Brazil, known as
indicolite. Other gems include a fine ruby,
a zircon, several topazes, and specimens of
kunzite, chrysoberyl, and garnet.

Months of study and preparation were
spent in planning the new installation to
provide remedies for the defects of the hall
as formerly installed. The new cases were
designed by the best available talent. The
principal collection is placed in eight island
cases. These have an exterior of English
harewood matching the trim of the hall,
and the glass is framed in polished bronze.
Interiors are of bird's-eye maple. The gems
are illuminated by concealed fluorescent

lights which enhance their brilliancy. Seven-
teen smaller cases in the walls contain the
jewelry collection and three special collec-
tions. High on the wall facing the entrance
is a stained glass window by Tiffany which
represents a mermaid rising from the sea.
The collections in Higinbotham Hall
divide into two classifications. First, there
are the materials of interest chiefly as
mineralogical specimens, providing a vista
of the whole range of precious and semi-
precious stones as
they occur in nature,
together with cut
specimens of the same
stones. Second, there
are objects whose
principal interest is
not so much the
precious material it-
self as what Man has
done with it through
the ages of history —
how he has wrought
it by his arts and
crafts into things of
imagination and
further beauty for use
as personal ornament,
for decoration of his
dwelling places, or for
mystic purposes. In
the present article,
therefore, the follow-
ing section on the
mineralogical aspects
of the collection is the
contribution of Mr.
Henry W. Nichols,
Chief Curator of Geol-
ogy; and the section on gems and jewelry
in their relation to archaeology and eth-
nology was contributed by Dr. Paul S.
Martin, Chief Curator of Anthropology.

1. MINERALOGICAL ASPECTS

The gem collection is one of the most
complete and valuable of any in existence.
It contains nearly every known variety of
precious and semi-precious stones in the
finest cut examples and as crystals, cleav-
ages, and rolled grains. It also contains
examples of the better kinds of ornamental
as distinguished from precious stones. Each
of these is shown rough, in plain polished
form, and as carvings. Supplementary col-
lections illustrate the folklore of precious
stones and show some of the native forms
of gold, silver and platinum, the metals in

as never before, by new
hances the room's beauty.

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

July, 19 Ul

THE LATE HARLOW N. HIGINBOTHAM

Mr. Higinbotham was the contributor of the original

and major part of the Museum's gem collection. He was a

Trustee of the Museum from 1894 until his death in 1919,

and was the second President of the Museum (1898-1908).

which valuable jewels are usually mounted.
Jewelers arbitrarily divide gems worn for
personal adornment into two classes, pre-
cious and semi-precious. They regard the
diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire as
more valuable and attractive than other
gems and class them as the only true pre-
cious stones. All other gems are classed
as semi-precious. This division is arbitrary,
since a semi-precious stone of high quality
may easily outrank in beauty a precious
stone of inferior grade. Stones rarely used
for personal adornment but used for other
decorative purposes classify as ornamental.

ENGRAVED LIKENESS OF A KING

The most interesting specimen among the
diamonds is one which has engraved upon
it in intaglio a bust of William II of Holland.
This ten carat stone is pear-shaped and half
an inch long. The engraving is so delicate
that it has been necessary to mount a
magnifying glass over it. It is the work of
the famous diamond cutter, De Vries of
Amsterdam, and the work consumed all
his spare time for five years.

There are many blue, yellow, and white
sapphires and rubies from Ceylon, Burma,
Russia, Brazil, and North Carolina. There
are six large star sapphires, three of which
weigh more than 130 carats each, and two
good star rubies. Star quartz and star
garnet appear among the semi-precious
stones. With the cut emeralds there are
uncut crystals of the gem, among them
three from Brazil, three to five inches long,
of rich emerald color with many transparent
portions. The semi-precious stones are
present in great variety. Many display
such brilliancy that one may wonder why
they have been classed as semi-precious.

A NINETY-POUND TOPAZ

The collection of blue, white, pink, and
golden cut topazes is unusually choice and
complete. A gigantic topaz crystal which
weighs 90 pounds was, when received, the
largest gem topaz known (several larger
ones have since been collected). Likewise
noteworthy are the numerous beryls and
aquamarine gems which differ from the
emerald only in color. The largest is the
unusually perfect Crane aquamarine which
weighs 341 carats.

THE SUN-GOD OPAL

The several varieties of precious opal
are given adequate representation. From
a historic standpoint, the most remarkable
among them is the Sun-God Opal which was
kept in a Persian temple for three centuries.
It is not known that it had any part in the
temple ceremonies but, from the manner
of its mounting and its traditional name,
it may have been connected with the worship
of the sun. It is cabochon cut, one inch
long and three-quarters of an inch wide.
It is carved to represent a human face and
is mounted in a cup of gold inscribed with
black figures of Oriental design. Long taper-
ing prongs of gold extend radially from it.
The resemblance to a miniature sun and
its rays is striking. The opal is of Mexican
origin but the carving does not have Aztec
characteristics. It came from the collection
of Philip Hope.

The better kinds of ornamental stones,
such as alabaster, selenite, and agate, com-
monly used for decoration other than
personal ornament, are represented both in
the rough and in polished, cut, and carved
form. Among the agates, the moss agates
are illuminated by transmitted light which
brings out well their "landscape" and other
imitative patterns. A rock crystal screen
shows "The Finding of Moses" elaborately
carved (in Vienna) on a thin section of quartz
with delicacy and in great detail; but like
many medieval masterpieces it presents a
gross anachronism, for Pharaoh's daughters
are dressed in the costumes of medieval
princesses, and in the background there
appear a number of castles of types con-
temporary with the artist's rather than
Moses' time.

2. ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASPECTS

Gems and jewelry have always been of
considerable human importance and interest,
whether as signs of wealth and social posi-
tion, or as means of personal adornment.
They therefore form a major element jn
anthropological studies, both for the archae-
ologist and the ethnologist. Practically
every culture, primitive or civilized, ancient
or modern, includes the use of precious
stones or trinkets in one form or another.

KISH JEWELRY 5,000 YEARS OLD

The oldest pieces of jewelry in H. N.
Higinbotham Hall (Hall 31) are gold from
Kish, the ancient Babylonian city who.se
archaeology otherwise is comprehensively

covered by the exhibits in Hall K. These
are dated at 3000-2500 B.C., which means
that they were made five or six hundred
years before Abraham. Incidentally, gold is
not only a favorite material for jewelry, but
one of the first metals worked by man.
Objects fashioned from gold are found in the
earliest civilizations of the Near East.

EGYPTIAN GOLDSMITHS' ART

The Egyptian gold jewelry varies in fine-
ness from 17 carats (70.8 per cent) to 23.5
carats (99.8 per cent). The latter grade is
from the Graeco-Roman period in Egypt.
This period also saw an increased use of
brightly colored stones on jewelry and a
decline in the goldsmiths' workmanship.
Amethyst, bloodstone, plasma, garnet, onyx,
jasper, carnelian, and pearls were commonly
used, as well as glass imitations.

The delicacy of ancient objects created by
goldsmiths of Etruria, Italy, from the 7th
to the 5th centuries B.C. has rarely been
equaled. During this time quality of work-
manship was prized rather than display of
colorful stones. The technique of apply-
ing fine gold granulations and looped or
twisted wire reached its peak at this time.
After the 5th century B.C. the quality of the
goldsmiths' workmanship grew increas-
ingly inferior.

JEWELRY IN EARLY AMERICA

A thousand years later (a.d. 500), and a
thousand years before Columbus came west-
ward across the Atlantic, the Peruvian
Indians in South America had already dis-
covered the process of metal working. This
knowledge spread northward to Mexico,

JEWELS and GEMS

by Lucile Saunders McDonald.

If gems and jewels have a fascina-
tion for you, the stories Mrs.
McDonald tells and the information
that you will find yourself acquiring
as you read her book will enhance
your appreciation many times, say
Field Museum's geologists. As this
Museum opens its Hall of Gems, many
visitors will wonder about the stories
behind the stones. In this book the
best of them are well told. The
origin of our customs regarding gems
and jewelry, the tale of the Peacock
Throne, and the stories of gems found
in America, are examples of the sub-
jects treated. Attractive decorations
by Vera Bock, four fine color plates
of mounted gems, and a good index
add greatly to the beauty and useful-
ness of the volume.

On sale at THE BOOK SHOP of
FIELD MUSEUM. Price $2.

Books may be ordered by mail.

July, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 3

and patterns became more intricate with
the discovery of welding, alloying, casting,
and annealing. Examples of metal work
from Colombia are on display in the gem
room. The draftsmen of Quimbaya, Colom-
bia, used gold and an alloy of gold and cop-
per, displaying extraordinary delicacy in
execution of detail and complex patterns.

FILIGREE AND ENAMEL WORK OF INDIA

Then there is the more modern (in point
of time) jewelry of India and Africa. The
Indian jewelry is characterized by delicacy
of workmanship, lavish use of color, and an
impression of elaborate ornamentation.

The delicacy is due mainly to the filigree
work in which the goldsmiths of India are
masters. The flexibility of gold and silver
permit the drawing of wires of these metals
through increasingly small holes in a steel
plate until the desired diameter is obtained.
These wires are then bent into the patterns
being used, and are soldered together one
by one under a blow pipe.

A great deal of the colorful effect of
jewelry of India is achieved by the applica-
tion of enamel. Such pieces are rarely made
directly for a customer but are ordered by
rich jewelers. Customers select designs
from a book of patterns prepared by an
artist. The goldsmith then forms the article
to be enameled, and afterwards passes it on
to the engraver who engraves the pattern.
The article then goes to the enameler who
applies the colors in the order of their hard-
ness, or power of resisting fire, beginning
with the hardest.

Although precious metals and jewels are
used as convenient media for keeping in
handy form the fortunes of the very wealthy
in India, a surprising quantity of gold and
silver is worn even by the poorer classes.

"MAGICAL PROPERTIES" OF GEMS

According to ancient popular beliefs in
India, certain precious stones possess spe-

cial magical properties: agate will strengthen
the heart, cure snake bites, and is a charm
against the plague; carnelian insures victory;
coral keeps away evil spirits; diamonds calm
anger (instances of their use for this purpose
are not unusual in modern American domes-
tic situations — although candy or flowers
are more practical for most persons). The
opal preserves from malaria, but is also fatal
to love, and it sows discord between the

^f"

giver and the recipient; fortunately, the
emerald promotes friendship and thus may
be used to counteract the discord caused
by the opal.

A final interesting feature of the exhibits
consists of a number of pieces of massive,
gay jewelry from Algeria, North Africa. Its
size, if not its flashy imitation stones, puts
to shame the current, splashy fashion of
costume jewelry in this country.

Ena^

i

^

w

EXHIBIT OF ORNAMENTAL STONE OBJECTS IN GEM ROOM
In center foreground is a rare and delicately carved bowl of rose quartz crystal, presented to the Museum by the late
Richard T. Crane, Jr. In the center rear is a rock crystal screen upon which has been elaborately carved, on a thin section
of quartz, "The Finding of Moses." A product of old Vienna, it is believed to be the largest of its kind in existence.

Expedition Obtains Material
for Beach Fauna Groups

Dr. Fritz Haas, Curator of Lower In-
vertebrates, has returned from a two months
expedition to southern California, bringing
back a collection of several thousand speci-
mens of representative species of Pacific
shore animals. In addition to collecting
specimens. Dr. Haas, through the courteous
co-operation of the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography at La JoUa and the Hopkins
Marine Station at Pacific Grove, studied
the Pacific beach fauna "on location" and
gathered data necessary for the creation of
future ecological groups planned for Field
Museum. Both .stations provided Dr. Haas
with laboratory accommodations and active
assistance in various ways.

The Palm Collection

Palm material from almost all tropical
parts of the world is included in exhibits in
Hall 25. Many unusual and interesting

specimens, such as the so-called double coco-
nut of the Seychelles Islands, which has the
largest seed in the plant kingdom, are shown.
There are also numerous entire clusters of
fruit, among which those of the South Ameri-
can Mauritia and Orbignya palms are not-
able for their size. Most impressive of all
for large size is the fruit cluster of a rafiia
palm. A case is devoted to a display of the
enormous leaf stems of the larger palms in
which the entire length of a leaf may be as
much as forty feet. A spiny palm from
Surinam and a Nipa palm from the East
Indies also are shown, as is the flowering and
fruiting top of a coconut palm.

Palms furnish many of the necessities of
life in the tropics, yielding edible fruits such
as dates and coconuts, edible oils, sago,
sugar, and drinks both fermented and unfer-
mented. The stems are used in construction
of dwellings, the leaves for thatching, basket-
making, hats, mate, etc., and the fibers for
making ropes and textiles.

Museum Expedition Will Collect
Fossil Invertebrates

An expedition to collect invertebrate
fossils of the Paleozoic era for Field Museum
will leave early in July. Dr. Sharat K. Roy,
Curator of Geology, is in charge. The
material to be sought is needed to fill, as
far as practicable, some of the gaps existing
in the Museum's present collection.

In adding the new material to the exhibits
in Frederick J. V. Skiff Hall (Hall 37) the
entire collection is to be reinstalled on an
elaborate new plan. On one side of the hall
the specimens will be arranged chrono-
logically repre-senting age relations, and on
the other side there will be a systematic
series showing biologic relationships. This
will increase the usefulness of the collection
to the serious student, and add interest as
well for the casual visitor.

Models of a record size squid and octopus
are exhibited in Hall M.

Page i

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

July, 191,1

THE CAUSES OF COLOR, "FIRE," AND OTHER GEM QUALITIES

are much lower in the scale of hardness,
and are therefore less durable.

Chatoyancy is an optical phenomenon
which results from a very finely fibrous
structure or from an inclusion of parallel
striae. The minerals which best exhibit
this property are tiger-eye (quartz) and
caVs eye (chrysoberyl). When a mineral of
this type is cut cabochon (i.e., with a high
convex surface), a well defined, narrow band
results from a concentration of reflected
and diffracted light from the interior of the
stone. The band lies perpendicular to
the aggregate of fine fibers in the tiger-eye
and the striae in the cat's-eye, and moves
appreciably when the position of the stone
is changed with reference to the light source.
"star" gems

The phenomenon of asterism is closely
related to chatoyancy. Instead of one
chatoyant band, as in the cat's-eye, there
are in star sapphire, star ruby, and star
quartz three chatoyant bands which in-
tersect at angles of sixty degrees, thus
producing a "six-rayed star." Asterism in
garnet is most facinating. Two types of
"four-rayed stars" and two types of "six-
rayed stars" have been found on crystals
of this mineral occurring in different locali-
ties. In the gem room of Field Museum
there are two garnet spheres, each of which
shows several "four-rayed stars." Each
is formed by the intersection of two chatoy-
ant bands. Two of the angles in each star
are 109° 28', and two are 70° 32'.

Beauty in all stones is brought out by
proper cutting and polishing.

Most gems are minerals, and hence occur
as constituents of rock formations. Ex-
ceptions are pearl, coral, amber, and jet —
these are from organic sources and are not
classified as minerals.

Some minerals form a great many vari-
eties of gems — for example, beryl occurs as
emerald, aquamarine, golden beryl, mor-
ganite, heliodor, davidsonite, and sixteen
other varieties. The chemical composition
and crystal structure are the same for all.
Each of these beryl gems is recognized
by its color, and the quality of color. Ruby,
blue sapphire, green sapphire, amethyst
sapphire, yellow sapphire, and thirty-five
or more other sapphires are all varieties
of the mineral corundum. Topaz not only
occurs in several tones of yellow, but also
of blue. It is inherently clear, transparent
and colorless.

•By albert J. WALCOTT

Man's first interest in gems arises from
their beauty. Other important factors are
durability, scarcity, and the dictates of
oft-changing fashion.

The essential attributes of beauty in
gems are color, brilliancy, luster, dispersion,
transparency and, in a limited number, the
phenomena of chatoyancy and asterism.

Color is accidental in many minerals,
resulting from the presence of a small per-
centage of a foreign substance which serves
as pigment. Examples of this type are:
emerald, aquamarine, ruby, sapphire, topaz,
tourmaline, amethyst, and rose quartz.
The pigments are not integral parts of the
chemical composition of these gems. In
emerald, for instance, the coloring is a
small amount of an oxide of chromium,
distributed in very finely divided state, in
the beryl crystal. The amount and uniform-
ity of distribution of the oxide determines
the quality of the green color. A stone in
which the tone and intensity of the color
are considered perfect, and without flaws,
is very rare indeed. This is equally true
of ruby and of blue sapphire.

In turquois, lapis lazuli, jade, rhodonite,
and malachite, on the other hand, the
colors are due to an element in each stone
which constitutes an essential part of its
chemical composition.

The great variety of deep rich colors
in opals is produced by interference of
light. In this gem the structure is such that
some of the component colors of the white
light which enters it are destroyed. The
result is that the light from the stone which
reaches the eye of an observer is the com-
bined effect of the remaining colors.

THE SPARKLE OF DIAMONDS

The principal factor of beauty in all of
the gems mentioned above is color. In these
varieties brilliancy and luster are unim-
portant. Diamond, however, possesses these
two qualities to a marked degree, and they,
together with the property of strong dis-
persion, are the reasons for its beauty.
Brilliancy and a striking luster are attributes
of diamond because it possesses the property
of affecting a pronounced retardation in the
velocity of light. Dispersion is the property
of separating white light into its component
colors. A strong beam of white light passing
through a prism will be thus dispersed.
Dispersion in diamond is very strong and
it is this property which produces the flashes
of color called "fire." Along with these
fascinating optical properties, diamond is
the hardest of all known minerals.

Other gems which possess optical proper-
ties similar to diamond are demantoid
garnet, sphene, and zircon. These, however,

*Dr. Walcott, although not a member of the staff of
Field Mxiseum, was for some time associated with the
Department of Geology in special research on gems.

GEM VARIETIES OF QUARTZ

Quartz affords an excellent example of a
mineral which occurs in many gem varieties.
"Crystal" is the term generally used to
designate the transparent, clear, colorless
variety. Other varieties of this mineral are
amethyst, citrine, rose quartz, smoky
quartz, milky quartz, siderite, aventurine,
and tiger-eye.

The above are crystalline varieties
There is also a group of varieties of quart;
classified as cryptocrystalline. These con
sist of heterogeneous aggregates of micro
scopic crystal particles and fibers. Som(
of the better known of these varieties an
chalcedony, carnelian, sard, sardonyx, chrys
oprase, heliotrope or bloodstone, and thi
many forms of agates. An excellent assort
ment of gem varieties of quartz is exhibite<
in Case 13 of Stanley Field Hall.

Between seventy and seventy-five minera
species occur in one or more varieties o
gem quality. Many of these are not wideb
known and receive little attention in adver
tising literature. Some are very rare
Benitoite, for example, a beautiful blui
stone, resembling blue sapphire, has beei
found only in San Benito County, California

The gem varieties of all minerals, witl
the exception of quartz, are limited ii
quantity. Specimens of gem quality an
found in comparatively few of the man;
mineral localities of the world.

Trustee Joseph Nash Field Called
to Duty as Naval Officer

Mr. Joseph Nash Field, a member of th(
Board of Trustees of Field Museum, wai
called on May 29 to active service as ai
ensign in the United States Navy, and i;
currently assigned to duty in the Head
quarters of the Ninth Naval District a'
Great Lakes, Illinois. Ensign Field is thi
son of Mr. Stanley Field, President of th(
Museum. He was commissioned an Ensign
United States Naval Reserve, on Novembei
1, 1938. Formerly Ensign Field was con
nected with Marshall Field and Company
as Superintendent of Customer Service.

Quinine in Guatemala

Guatemala is ably assisting in combatini
the problem of a possible shortage of supplie;
of the important drug quinine which migh
become unavailable from its present principa
source, the Dutch East Indies, in the even
of unfavorable developments in the inter
national situation. This is reported by Mr
Paul C. Standley, Curator of the Herbarium
who recently returned from a seven month;
expedition to that country. Quinine planta
tions, operated in Guatemala by Unite<
States capital, have been expanded rapidlj
and successfully, Mr. Standley says, an<
will be able to produce a supply of the besi
grade of quinine adequate for a large par
of American medicinal and industria
demands (industrially quinine is said to b(
used, for example, in certain steel makinj
processes).

Pointing to other possibilities in increasinj
the self-sufficiency of the western hemis
phere, Mr. Standley observed further tha
Guatemala is operating the only commercia
tea plantation outside the Orient.

July, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

AN EPITOME OF HUMAN HISTORY MAY BE FOUND IN THE STORIES OF FAMOUS DIAMONDS

{Editor's Note: — Following are a few ex-
cerpts from Famous Diamonds, Field Mu-
seum Geology Leaflet No. 10, by the late Dr.
Oliver C. Farrington, former Curator of
Geology. The complete leaflet, with 27 pages
of text and 5 illustrations, is available at
THE BOOK SHOP of FIELD MUSEUM,
price 25 cents).

^ Diamonds have long fascinated mankind.
The Greek name, adamas, meaning "uncon-
querable," shows early appreciation of the
diamond's properties, and in India diamonds
were highly esteemed before recorded history.

The form, size and color of a number of
these diamonds are recorded in models
displayed in H. N. Higinbotham Hall
(Hall 31) of Field Museum. Much that
is legendary is contained in accounts of the
older diamonds, and it is hardly possible
always to separate tradition from truth.

CULLINAN

Of all known gem diamonds, this is by
far the largest. Not only did it in the
rough greatly exceed in size and weight any
other of gem quality known, but a much
larger cut stone was obtained from it than

Imw

MODELS OF FAMOUS DIAMONDS

{Ahoid one-ihird o/^lual size)

On exhibition in H. N. Higinbotham Hall (Hall 31— the Gem Room)

KEY fof identification (relative positions of names below correspond to positions of diamonds in illustration above):

KOHINOOR
FIRST CUT

STEWART

GREAT MOGUL

REGENT
OR PITT

STAR OF THE
SOUTH

POLAR

STAR

STAR OF
ESTE

KOHINOOR
RE.CUT

HOPE

BLUE

DRESDEN
GREEN

TIFFANY
YELLOW

DRESDEN

ORLOFF

NASSAK

JUBILEE

PIGOTT

FLORENTINE

EMPRESS
EUGENIE

STAR OF
SOUTH AFRICA

SHAH OF
PERSIA

SANCY

PASHA OF
EGYPT

The high value of large diamonds is due
both to their extreme rarity and their size.
Appreciation in the value of the largest
diamonds, has led to records being made of
their ownership and changing fortunes.
Hence, many have fairly complete histories
which show rulers and nations striving for
their possession. Some of the basest as
well as some of the noblest of human traits
have been displayed to obtain and preserve
them. To some extent, the history of dia-
monds affords an epitome of human history.

had ever been produced before. The
CuUinan diamond, as found, weighed 3,106
metric carats, or more than one and one-
third pounds avoirdupois. Its dimensions
were 4 by 2]^ by 13^2 inches. It was found
in 1905, in the wall of a mine about twenty
miles northwest of Pretoria, South Africa,
by Mine Captain Frederick Wells. The
discovery, while the source of great elation,
is said to have been accompanied by fear
that a purchaser could never be found for
so large a jewel. The stone was named for

T. N. Cullinan, President of the Premier
Diamond Mining Company.

The Cullinan diamond was finally pur-
chased by the Transvaal Colony Assembly
as a present to King Edward VII. The
price is said to have been $800,000. In
London, owing to a defective spot at the
center, it was necessary to cut it in two to
obtain flawless gems. Thus the two greatest
known cut diamonds were secured. The
largest was a pendeloque or drop brilliant
weighing 530 metric carats. The second
large stone was a square brilliant weighing
309 3/18 carats. Many other flaw-
less blue-white gems, large and
small, were obtained. They were
delivered to the King and Queen
on November 1, 1908, and except
on special occasions rest with other
jewels of the English Crown in a
glass case within a double cage of
steel in the Tower of London.

GREAT MOGUL

About all that is known of thi.s
diamond is the account given by the
French traveler and gem merchant,
Jean Baptiste Tavernier, who saw
it in 1665 in the possession of the
Great Mogul of India. He described
the stone as having the form of an
egg cut through the middle. He
gave the weight as 279 9/16 carats,
and stated that the diamond was
rose cut, round, and very high.

From other allusions by Tavernier
and another traveler, Francois
Bernier, we learn that this diamond
had been found about 1650 a.d. in
the KoUur mine on the River KLstma
in India. It came into the posses-
sion of Emir Jemla, also called Mir-
ginola, an important official of the
kingdom of Golconda. Haras-sed by
the jealousy of other officials, he
sought to transfer his allegiance to
the Mogul Empire and lavished the
most costly gifts upon the emperor
Shah Jehan. Among these was this
great diamond. Shah Jehan's son
later usurped the throne and impris-
oned his father. The diamond thus
came into the possession of the son,
Aurungzeb, among whose treasures
Tavernier saw it. Tavernier stated
that in the rough it weighed 787 '-'2
carats. However, the cutter, Hortensio
Borgio, had cut it so poorly and reduced its
weight so much that the king, instead of
paying him, fined him 10,000 rupees.
Tavernier estimated the value of the
diamond to be more than $4,000,000.

What happened to the diamond subse-
quently has been the subject of a vast
amount of speculation. A number of English
investigators have identified it with the
Kohinoor, while others are equally sure it
must be the diamond now known as the

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

July, 19U1

Orloff. It may no longer exist. During the
sacliing of Delhi by the Persian Conqueror,
Nadir Shah, or at his death, the diamond
may have been stolen, and to escape detec-
tion may have been cut into smaller stones.

ORLOFF

The legendary history of this diamond
begins with the story that it served as one
of the eyes of an idol in a Brahmin temple
at Seringham, India. To obtain it, it is
said, a French soldier early in the eighteenth
century assumed the character of a native
devotee and displayed such zeal that he
was appointed guardian of the shrine. The
soldier took advantage of this opportunity
to tear the diamond from its socket and
escaped to Madras. Here he sold it for
$10,000 to an English sea captain who
brought it to London. After passing through
several hands, the diamond reached Am-
sterdam, where it was seen by Prince Orloff
of the Russian Court. In retirement on
account of having incurred the displeasure
of his royal mistress, Catherine the Great,
Orloff attempted to win her back by pre-
senting this remarkable gem. He purchased
it at a price variously given as from $200,000
to $450,000. Catherine accepted the gem
and gave costly presents in return, but it
is not recorded that any further restoration
of favor resulted. The diamond was
mounted in the royal scepter and remained
there during all the changes of rule in Russia.
It now forms a part of the Diamond Treasure
of the Union of Soviet Republics. It shows
exceptional purity, and is of an agreeable,
pale, bluish-green tinge. Its dimensions
are: height 22 mm. (J^ of an inch); width
31 mm. (1% inches), and length 35 mm.
(\% inches). Dr. A. Fersman, noted
Russian mineralogist, asserted that this is
the same diamond as that known as the
Great Mogul.

KOHINOOR

This is probably the best known of all
diamonds. For centuries it has served as
a symbol for supreme beauty and worth.
Several diamonds surpass the Kohinoor in
size, brilliancy and transparency, but none
equal it in the eventfulness of its history.

Carats

The carat, as is well known, is the unit almost
universally used for expressing the weight of
precious stones. The name is said to be derived
from a variety of locust tree which has seeds of
uniform size formerly used for weighing gems.
Until recent years, the value of the carat has
varied in different countries, so that to deter-
mine the exact weight of a precious stone when
given in carats, it has been necessary to know
whether the weight was stated in English carats,
for example, or in those of some other country
or town. Thus the carat of Florence weighed
197 milligrams, and that of Madras 207 milli-
grams, while that of most European countries
varied slightly from 205 milligrams. Fortu-
nately an international carat was finally
adopted with fixed weight of 200 milligrams
(1/5 of a gram). This is known as the metric
carat. In English weights this corresponds to
about 3 grains. A Troy ounce contains about
155 carats. Where weights are known they are
stated here in the form of metric carats, but as
it is not always possible to determine what
value of carat was originally used, the weight
of the gem cannot always be given metrically.

The story of the Kohinoor begins in the
dim past. According to tradition, it was
found in the Godavery River, South India,
four or five thousand years ago, and was
worn by a war chief. It descended to the
Rajahs of Malwar, and passed down through
many generations of these rulers until
A.D. 1304, when it was taken as part of the
spoils of battle. Sultan Baber, conqueror
of India and founder of the Mogul empire,
left the following account dated a. d. 1526:

"Bikeramjit, a Hindoo, who was Rajah
of Gwalior, had governed that country for

THE JEWELED TAJ MAHAL
Probably more richly adorned with precious stones
than any other building in the world is this famous
tomb at Agra. India. Shown above is a model exhibited
in Hall L of Field Museum. The Taj Mahal contains
the remains of the "Great Mogul," Emperor Shah Jehan,
who possessed during his lifetime such famous diamonds
as the Kohinoor, the Great Mogul, and the Shah of Persia.

upwards of a hundred years. In the battle
in which Ibraham was defeated, Bikeramjit
was sent to hell. Bikeramjit's family . . .
were at this moment in Agra. When
Humayun arrived, Bikeramjit's people at-
tempted to escape, but were taken . . . and
put in custody .... Of their own free
will they presented to Humayun a peshkish
(present) consisting of a quantity of jewels
and precious stones. Among these was the
famous diamond which had been acquired
by Sultan Aleaddin. It is so valuable that
a judge of diamonds values it at half the
daily expense of the whole world."

Humajrun was Baber's son, and succeeded
him on the throne. The diamond remained
one of the most valuable gems in the Mogul
treasury until 1739, when Nadir Shah, the
Persian conqueror, invaded India. Nadir
is said to have got possession of the diamond
by a cunning artifice. Nadir was informed
by one of the women of the harem that
Mohammed, the dethroned ruler, wore it
hidden in his turban, which he never laid
aside. Nadir, therefore, offered to restore
his dominions, making the occasion one of
grand display. During the ceremony, he
artfully proposed, in token of reconciliation,
to exchange turbans, an offer which Mo-
hammed dared not refuse. Later the
turban was carefully unfolded by Nadir
and the long-sought-for gem rolled out. He
delightedly exclaimed "Kohinoor!" (Mound

of Light). In Persia the stone remainet
with Nadir until an assassin killed him
Then his grandson, Shah Ruhk, inherited it

Shah Ruhk was governor of the. city o
Mesha, and Aga Mohammed, one of th(
small kings, determined to relieve him o
the Kohinoor. He captured Mesha ant
ordered the Shah to give up his treasures
The Shah declared he had already disposer
of them. Mohammed then ordered hi:
prisoner to be tortured, a threat whicl
caused the Shah to yield a large numbe
of gems. But as neither the Kohinoor no
an immense ruby were among them Mo
hammed ordered that the Shah's head b(
shaved and encircled with a crown of plaster
into which boiling oil should be poured
In agony the Shah surrendered the grea
ruby; but he still retained the Kohinoor
His health was permanently injured and hi
got rid of the Kohinoor soon after.

In 1751, Ahmed Shah, founder of thi
Afghan empire, came to his assistance an<
received the great diamond as the price o
his aid. He left it to his son Taimur Shah
who, on his death in 1793, bequeathed it ii
turn to his son. Shah Zaman. The latte
was deposed, imprisoned, and deprived o
his sight by his brother Shah Shuja ul-Mulk
He succeeded, however in retaining thi
Kohinoor, which he hid by embedding i
in the plaster of his cell. In time thi
plaster crumbled and exposed a sharp poin
of the gem. A prison official discovered thi
missing Kohinoor, and delivered it to thi
cruel brother. It was while the Shah ShuJ!
had it that it was first seen by an English
man, Mr. Elphinstone, sent as an ambassa
dor to the powerful ruler. At the receptioi
given the English diplomat, the Shah ap
peared with the Kohinoor glittering on hi
breast. A short time after this, the Shal
was expelled from Cabul, but succeeded ii
taking the far-famed diamond, concealed oi
his person. Accompanied by his brother
Shah Zaman, whom he had himself blinded
he took refuge with the famous Runjit
Singh, "Lion of the Punjab." Runjit sooi
began to extort their treasures. Thinkin;
that the Kohinoor was in the possession o
the Begum, Shuja's consort, he endeavorec
by starvation and imprisonment to secun
the gem from her. This was continuec
until Shuja was prevailed upon to give ui
the gem for about $40,000 and a smal
annuity. Runjit had the stone set in <
bracelet. After his death it remained ii
the treasury at Lahore until the annexatiot
of the Punjab by the British in 1849. Th<
terms of the conquest stipulated that thi
Kohinoor should be presented to the Queer
of England, and it was brought to London
At that time it weighed 186 1/16 carats
Its form was that given it by Indian cutteri
centuries before. Their efforts had beei
chiefly directed toward saving as much o
the stone as possible. In England it wa:
recut to improve its symmetry and brilli
ancy. The work occupied thirty-eight day;

July, 19Jfl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

of twelve hours each and cost $40,000.
Eighty carats were removed. The stone
was then placed in the jewel room of the
Tower of London.

SHAH OF PERSIA

This diamond cost a man his life. On
January 30, 1829, A. Griboiedov, Russian
ambassador to Persia, was murdered in
Teheran. Feeling in Russia ran high and
war was threatened, until, to conciliate
Russia, this diamond was sent as a gift to
the Czar at St. Petersburg by a special
Persian envoy. Russia was thus appeased
and war was averted. The diamond was
kept in the Diamond Room of the Winter
Palace up to 1914. In that year it was
removed to Moscow and in 1922 was added
to the "Diamond Treasure" of the U. S. S. R.

Previously the diamond had had a long
and checkered career. It is one of the few
known engraved diamonds. The earliest
date and inscription on the stone are
"Burhan-Nizam-Shah II, 1000 years."
Burhan-Nizam-Shah II was a ruler of
Achmednagar, India, and the "1000 years"
corresponded to a.d. 1591. A second date
and inscription read: "Son of Johangir-
Shah-Jehan-Shah, 1051." This refers to
the Great Mogul, Shah Jehan, whose title
meant "Ruler of the Universe" and the
date corresponds to a.d. 1641. A third
date and inscription are "Kajar-Fatliali-
Shah Sultan, 1242." This refers to the
then reigning Shah of Persia and the date
a.d. 1824.

In 1591 the Great Mogul Akbar sent mes-
sengers to the rulers of some of the provinces
of India, to inform them that they were
henceforth under his control. In reply,
Burhan sent an "unsatisfactory answer"
and what was regarded as a "trifling"
present of fifteen elephants and five gems.
Angered, Akbar sent a military expedition
against Burhan which conquered his city
and returned with all his elephants and gems,
among them this large diamond. The
diamond then descended to Akbar's suc-
cessor. Shah Jehan, famous as the builder
of the Taj Mahal, which he constructed as
a tomb for himself and his favorite wife.
Its rich adornment of precious stones in-
dicates his fondness for gems. Shah Jehan's
son Aurungzeb rose against his father, thrust
him into prison and usurped his throne.

How the stone was later carried to Persia
is not known, but it is probable that Nadir
Shah, the Persian conqueror of India, took
it in 1739.

(To be concluded next month)

THINOS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Lectures on Gems

Although the Layman Lectures presented
on Sunday afternoons by Mr. Paul G.
Dallwig have ceased for this season, it is
timely, in view of the opening of H. N.
Higinbotham Hall of Gems and Jewels, to
point out that the autumn season, beginning
on the first Sunday in November, will open
with "Gems, Jewels and 'Junk.' "

Famous Snake Killers

Probably most people make their first
acquaintance with a mongoose by reading
Rudyerd Kipling's "Riki-tiki-tavi." As a
result, the Indian mongoose described in
that story exclusively represents the mon-
goose tribe, to many persons, or at least
assumes an unduly prominent position.

Actually, there are numerous kinds of
mongooses (and incidentally, even though
one knows it's wrong, how much more nat-
ural it would seem to write "mongeese" for
the plural!). A representative and interest-
ing collection of various species of mon-
gooses, from Asia, Africa, and Madagascar,
is on exhibition among the systematic series
of mammals in Hall 15.

Because they are so famous as killers of
poisonous snakes, there has been prevalent
an idea that mongooses are immune to
snakes' venom. This is only partly the case;
their success in killing the snakes is largely
due to their great agility — they are quicker

WATER MONGOOSE OF AFRICA
One of the group of famous snake.killers, various spe.
cies of wfitch are found in India, Africa, and Madagascar.

in striking, and sinking their teeth into the
neck of the reptile, than the latter is in mak-
ing its strike.

Despite its popular fame, and whatever
value it might have in killing American
rattlesnakes, the importation of mongooses
into the United States is now prohibited.
The reason they are unwelcome as immi-
grants is that they were introduced some
years ago into the West Indies and Hawaii,
but rapidly became pests, and the harm they
did, to birds and small mammals, out-
weighed any advantages they might offer as
snake killers. Mongooses feed on other small
forms of life, and not merely on snakes,
contrary to a widespread belief into which
many persons have been misled.

PREHISTORIC BOATS AND NETS

By henry field
curator of physical anthrofoukiy

Excavations on the shores of Lake
Neuchatel in Switzerland have revealed that
the Lake-Dwellers lived there at least 4,000
years ago. According to Dr. P. Vouga,
Director of the Neuchatel Museum, since
the boats of these people were dug from tree
trunks their customary form had a relatively
massive stern, almost vertical in the archaic

examples, later slightly curved in such a
way as to facilitate boarding.

With regard to the Lake-Dwellers' nets,
preserved at Robenhausen, various sizes of
mesh were used and they were constructed
so as to form a square, not a lozenge, as in
modern nets. The nets were supported by
square floats made of poplar bark and
pierced with a single hole in the center. This
hole was made by means of fire in the
examples found by Dr. Vouga.

As weights the Swiss Lake-Dwellers used
flat, ovoid stones about three or four inches
in length and notched near the center.
Similar weights were employed by fishermen
in Lake Neuchatel up to the middle of the
nineteenth century.

A reconstruction of a fishing scene at
Auvernier near Neuchatel forms the last in
the chronological sequence of dioramas in
the Hall of the Stone Age of the Old World
(Hall C). In Case 15, opposite the Lake-
Dweller scene, are examples of nets and
net sinkers excavated about fifty years ago
by Dr. J. Thiessing.

SUMMER MOTION PICTURES
OFFERED FOR CHILDREN

A series of six free programs of motion
pictures for children will be presented at
Field Museum on Thursday mornings from
July 10 to August 18 inclusive by the James
Nelson and Anna Louise Raymond Founda-
tion for Public School and Children's Lec-
tures. The programs will be given in the
James Simpson Theatre, and include motion
pictures with sound, some in color, and one
accompanied by a lecture — that of July 17,
on the subject "Exploring and Collecting in
Forest, Field and Stream." Mr. William
Hassler, a New Jersey naturalist will tell of
adventures on nature pilgrimages, and show
in colored motion pictures some of his own
experiences.

On three of the programs there will be
animated cartoons as well as the more
serious films. All six programs will begin
at 10 A.M. Children from all parts of
Chicago and suburbs are invited, and no
tickets are necessary for admission. Children
may come alone, accompanied by adults, or
in groups. Following are the details of each
program :

July 10— The Adventures of Chico (The

story of a Mexican boy).
July 17 — Exploring and Collecting in

Forest, Field and Stream (Films, and

lecture by William Hassler).
July 24 — Summer Time in the North

Woods (Animals and birds); and a cartoon.
July 31 — To The South Seas With Zane

Grey; and a cartoon.
August 7 — A Western Vacation in the

Ranch Country, Yosemite National

Park and the Grand Canyon (All color

pictures); and a cartoon.
August 14 — Tundra (An Arctic adventure).

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

July, I9il

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893

Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lester Armour Albert W. Harris

Sewell L. Avery Samuel Insull, Jr.

W McCoRMicK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Block William H. Mitchell

BOARDMAN CONOVER GBORGB A. RiCHAHDSON

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field Albert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley Field .\lbbrt H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field Preaiden

Albert A. Sprague First Vice-Prenident

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

.\LBERT W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith . . . Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR

Clifford C. Gregg Director of the Museum

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Wilfred H. Osgood Curator Emeritus, Zoology

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichols Chief Curator of Geology

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curator of Zoology

MANAGING EDITOR
H. B. Harte Public Relations Counsel

Members are requested to inform the Museum
promptly of chanf^es of address.

STAFF NOTES

The University of Chicago has conferred
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy upon
Mr. Sharat K. Roy, Curator of Geology.
The degree is based partly upon research
and publication in connection with geological
and paleontological problems in Baffin Land,
where he conducted investigations as a
member of the Rawson-MacMillan Sub-
arctic Expedition of Field Museum.

Columbia University, New York, recently
conferred the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
upon Mr. C. Martin Wilbur, Curator of
Chinese Archaeology and Ethnology. The
degree is a recognition of Dr. Wilbur's
exhaustive research and dissertation on the
subject of slavery in China during part of
the Han Period.

Mr. Clifford H. Pope, Curator of Reptiles,
recently made a collecting trip to the vicinity
of Havana, Illinois. With the help of his
wife and two sons he secured representatives
of nineteen species of reptiles and am-
phibians. Seven kinds of turtles were found,
the females of the aquatic forms being on
land busily making nests; such individuals
had lost all their usual wariness.

gaps in the collections of the Department
of Geology.

Mr. Frank C. Wonder, of Field Museum's
taxidermy staff, left Chicago last month to
join an expedition to Mexico under the
direction of Mr. Harry Hoogstraal, of the
University of Illinois. The party will spend
the summer in zoological collecting and
research in the state of Michoacan. Mr.
Wonder, while making a general collection
of the vertebrates of that area, will devote
himself especially to obtaining a representa-
tion of the small mammals. This is the
fourth Mexican expedition conducted by
Mr. Hoogstraal, and much of the material
from his previous trips has been presented
to Field Museum, or acquired by purchase.

Mr. Bryant Mather, Assistant Curator of
Mineralogy, left Chicago June 23 for six
weeks of field work in Maryland, Pennsyl-
vania, and Virginia. He will collect speci-
mens of various minerals required to fill

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

Department of Anthropology :

From Grow and Cuttle, Inc., Chicago —
4 pieces of Chinese ceramics, T'ang and
Sung periods.

Department of Botany;

From Paul H. Allen, Balboa, Canal Zone
— 52 herbarium specimens, Panama; from
Donald Richards, Chicago — 474 specimens
of mosses, Asia, Oceania, etc.; from Clyde T.
Reed, Gregory, Tex. — 49 specimens of
marine algae, "Texas; from Dr. M. J. Groes-
beck, Porterville, Calif. — 69 specimens of
algae, California and Nevada; from Dr.
W. Kiener, Lincoln, Neb. — 62 specimens of
soil algae, Nebraska; from Don Mariano
Pacheco H., Guatemala City, Guatemala —
59 photographs of Guatemalan bromeliads;
from Edward Kahl, Chicago — 4 samples of
soy bean grits and puffs.

Department of Geology:

From O. J. Salo, Red Lodge, Mont.— 8
specimens of dahlite, Montana and Wyom-
ing; from O. C. Barnes, Los Angeles, Calif.
— a Mexican onyx cross, Death Valley,
California; from Willard Bascom, Golden,
Colo. — 2 specimens of rare minerals, Colo-
rado; from John Butrim, Golden, Colo. —
a specimen of talctriphyllite, Royal Gorge
Quarry, Colorado.

Department of Zoology:

From L. F. Brown, Naples, Fla. — a
ribbon fish, Florida waters; from Professor
G. A. Moore, Stillwater, Okla.— 12 sala-
manders, Oklahoma; from John W. Moyer,
Chicago — an American bittern, Chicago;
from J. E. Johnson, Jr., Waco, Tex. — 3
snakes, Texas; from Lincoln Park Zoo,
Chicago — a lynx; from Chicago Zoological
Society, Brookfield, 111. — 23 birds, 2 mam-
mals, and an anaconda; from Dr. Delzie
Demaree, Monticello, Ark. — 16 snakes,
Arkansas; from Henry S. Dybas, Chicago
— 3 spiders and 141 insects, Illinois; from
Institute Butantan, Sao Paulo, Brazil — 9
coral snakes, Brazil; from Loren P. Woods,
Chicago — 398 fishes, a tadpole, and a mayfly
naiad, Illinois; from Clyde T. Reed, Gregory
Tex. — 46 fishes, coast of Texas; from Dr.

Murray L. Johnson, Baltimore, Md. — i
salamanders, Washington state; from W. L
Jellison, Hamilton, Mont. — a flea-slide
Alaska; from Adolpho Ortiz de Zarate
Najera, Prov. Logrono, Spain — 4 anatomica
preparations, 2 microscopic slides, and 5!
specimens of land shells, comprising 1'
species, Spain.

The Library;

Valuable books from Peter Gerhard, Win
netka. 111.; and from Miss Florence Hawley
Elmer S. Riggs, Dr. C. Martin Wilbur
Boardman Conover, and Albert B. Wolcott
all of Chicago.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Member
of Field Museum during the period fron
May 16 to June 14:

Contributors

Dr. Louis B. Bishop

Associate Members

Richard H. Aishton, Mrs. Alma K
Anderson, Mrs. Thome Bovingdon, S. L
Brenner, Q. P. Dorschel, Emanuel Loewen
herz, Harvey Pardee, A. D. Pashkow.

Annual Members

William R. Allen, F. I. Badgley, Mrs
Michael Blecker, Jr., Mrs. Arthur S. Bowes
Everett Robert Brewer, J. J. Brodsky
John H. Collier, P. Wilson Evans, John F
Fenn, A. J. Filkins, Carl Gorr, Mrs. Harriel
H. Hester, M. R. Hoffman, Robert L
Holland, Max Holmburger, Thomas G
Johnson, Dr. Emil Jonas, H. M. Kenyon
Dr. Olga M. Latka, Mrs. Charles M. Laury
Dr. Everett M. Laury, Miss Alice Stephans
Lee, Arthur L. Ludolph, F. E. Ludolph, Dr
George J. Musgrave, John J. Muszynski, A
Huntington Patch, Mrs. Clara L. Poulson
Mrs. Yvonne Sohn Revelli, Samuel A
Rinella, M. Drexel Rutherford, Mrs. Clar
ence W. Schaaf, Joseph F. Sirotek, Petei
Sissman, Sinclair G. Stanley, William Scoti
Stewart, Dr. F. Lee Stone, Henry Stude
A. D. Swanson, Mrs. Edward G. Todt
William E. VanDeventer, William A. Veto
Sidney Wallenstein, George W. Wegner
E. E. Willkie, Grant V. Wilson.

GUIDE-LECTURE TOURS

During July and August conducted toun
of the exhibits, under the guidance of staf
lecturers, will be given on a special schedule
as follows:

Mondays: 11 A.M., Halls of Primitive anc
Civilized Peoples; 2 P.M., General Tour o
Exhibition Halls.

Tuesdays: 11 A.M., Animal Groups; !
P.M., General Tour of Exhibition Halls.

Wednesdays: 11 A.M., Minerals and Pre
historic Life; 2 p.m.. General Tour o
Exhibition Halls.

Thursdays: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.. Genera
Tours of Exhibition Halls.

Fridays: 11 a.m., Plant Life Exhibits
2 P.M., General Tour of Exhibition Halls

There are no tours given on Saturdays
Sundays, or on July Fourth.

printed by field museum pbes

News

Pvblished Monthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

AUGUST, 1941

No. 8

EXHIBITS IN NEW HALL SHOW FISHES "AT HOME" IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA

By ALFRED C. WEED

CURATOR OF FISHES

The opening last month of the new Hall
of Fishes (Hall 0) provides Field Museum
with a more attractive as well as a more
instructive showing of mounted fish speci-
mens. The exhibits of fishes formerly
shared a hall of which one-half was occupied
by reptile exhibits.

The large new Hall of Fishes, which results
from the development of additional exhibi-

ferent species to each other, and shows the
parallel development of similar structures
and color patterns arising from biological
and ecological necessities.

Beginning our systematic series in the
northwest corner of the hall, the first cases
show some of the odd forms developed by
the sharks, rays, and chimaeras. These
primitive creatures have retained many
structural characteristics of their early
ancestors, with only such changes in form

heads are distinguished from ordinary sharks
by eyes that are set out at the ends of long
flat expansions of the sides of the head.
They are shore sharks, and seek their
food in shallow bays. Consequently they
require ability to turn quickly so that they
may avoid collisions with rocks, wharves,
vessels and other obstructions, and may
follow the movements of darting fishes
seeking escape. They use their fiat eye-
stalks as vertical rudders in quick turns.

UNDERSEA MARAUDERS AMONG THE CORAL REEFS
A section of the latgc Bahama Islands habitat group in the new Hall of Fishes, showing hungry tiger sharks in search of their prey. Most of the reef fishes and other small creatures
have taken refuge in the coral to remain there until danger seems to have passed. Many of the brightly colored and boldly patterned reef fishes are shown in other sections of this group.

tion space on the Museum's ground floor,
is now appropriately adjacent to the Hall
of Marine Mammals, which in turn adjoins
the Hall of Marine Invertebrates. Open
space in the center of the new hall permits
the exhibit to be viewed as a whole in a
manner not possible formerly, and brings
out the pleasing effect of the entire mass of
brightly colored sea denizens. The speci-
mens shown are for the most part entirely
new. The addition of several elaborate
undersea habitat groups adds much in-
terest and beauty to the fish exhibits as
now displayed.

The construction of long cases around the
walls of the new hall has made it possible
to arrange the specimens in a linear series
that indicates the relationship of the dif-

occurring as were demanded by the diffi-
culties of their environment. Some became
streamlined for speed, others became flat-
tened for living on the bottom of the sea,
and still others became eel-like and thus
able to creep through holes in rocks.

Prominent is a life-sized model of a large
thresher shark captured off the coast of
New Zealand by Mr. Michael Lerner, well-
known New York sportsman. It has a
long tail-fin used to round up groups of
small fishes for ease in feeding. A half-
grown great white shark, caught in Florida
waters, exemplifies one of the species
definitely known as a "maneater."

A very strange shark, well known to
sport fishermen, is the hammerhead, of
which there are many species. Hammer-

Another extraordinary creature is the
"angel shark" or monk fish. With its
broad pectoral (arm) fins, flattened body,
and wide mouth this shark resembles a
ray or a skate. The angel shark is well
known along the rocky eastern and northern
coasts of England and Scotland where
fishermen say it hides in ma.sses of seaweed
while waiting for its prey — big fishes, and
birds as large as cormorants.

The frilled shark of Japanese waters is
one of the oddest types known. It is caught
on long lines set at a depth of more than a
thousand feet in the Sagami Sea. The
frilled shark is thus named because the
edges of its gill openings are so large they
form a sort of ruffle around its "neck."
Instead of having the usual fish shape, this

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

August, 19U1

THE HUGE WHALE SHARK IN THE HALL OF FISHES
To provide a basis of comparison an artist has sketched in, to scale, the figure of a six'foot man. The Museum's speci-
men of this, the largest of all extant fishes, is a young male, some twenty-five feet long. Adults are known to attain lengths
up to sixty feet. The tail measures seven feet in height. The mouth, nearly four feet wide, contained many hundreds of
small teeth. Despite its formidable appearance, this shark is wholly unaggressive, and fails even to defend itself if attacked.
It feeds only on small forms of animal life. The Museum's specimen is a gift from Spencer W. Stewart and Robert J. Sykes.

shark is very long and slender like an eel.
Like most sharks it bears living young, but
unlike most of its more specialized relatives
the eggs are completely developed to the
point of being covered by a tough shell
inside which the development of the young
takes place. After the eggs hatch, the
young are released from the body of the
mother. Frilled sharks grow to a length
of about five feet. The young are about
two feet long at birth.

Among the skates or rays, which may be
thought of as "winged sharks," there are
many strange types. All differ from sharks
by having the pectoral fins so large that
they can be used like wings by means of
which the ray "flies" through the water.
Some of them are among the fastest swim-
mers in the seas.

The wing spread of butterfly rays is
greater than the length of the animal even
including its ridiculously short tail. A
stingray has on the upper side of its tail a
sharp, barbed, and poisoned spine to stab
any enemy. The devil fish has, on the
sides of its head, a pair of extra fins which
can be rolled up when traveling, or can be
opened as a sort of funnel to guide food to
its mouth. The sawfish can inflict terrible
wounds by swinging the long broad blade
on the end of its snout, armed on each side
with a row of strong sharp teeth. Skates
are diamond-shaped flat creatures that live
on the sea bottom. They crush crabs,
lobsters, and shellfish with their strong jaws;
their backs are armored with sharp, thorny
spines. The electric ray is in shape not
unlike a skate, but it has no spines to protect
itself. It would make a tasty morsel for an
enemy were it not for the fact it has in its
body a "battery" that produces a strong
electric current to shock attackers.

One large case is devoted entirely to a
half-grown young whale shark, about

twenty-five feet long. This great creature
was caught in Acapulco Bay, Mexico, by
Messrs. Spencer W. Stewart and Robert J.
Sykes, of New York, who presented it to
the Museum. It was a surprise catch.
The two anglers were trolling for Spanish
mackerel and, naturally, using rather light

SCORPION FISH

tackle. Suddenly they saw a huge brownish
shape come to the surface under their lines.
Trying to jump their lures over the shark,
Mr. Sykes hooked the monster's tail.
When the boat captain saw what had
happened he got out his harpoons and soon
had a line fast to the shark. By sunset
they had the shark subdued and were
ready to tow it to the beach.

"living fossils"

Beyond the sharks and rays is an exhibit
of primitive fishes sometimes called "living
fossils" because they are most nearly like
the fish-like creatures that flourished in the
foul swamps of the Age of Coal and in ancient
seas. Most of the "fishes" of the Carboni-
ferous swamps were protected by an armor
of hard scales or plates in structures essen-
tially similar to teeth — that is, they are
composed of a body of dentine covered
with a shiny coating of enamel. Modern
representatives of the ancient groups ex-

hibited in this case include gars, the bowfln
sturgeons, lungfishes, and lampreys.

In the next case are fishes that retair
some of the primitive structure, but whicl
are of great economic importance. Amonj
these is the tarpon, one of the most highlj
prized game fishes of the Gulf of Mexico
Pirarucu is the Brazilian name of a fish that
grows to an immense size in the waters o:
the Amazon; stories of its dimensions anc
ferocity have grown so rapidly that the fisl
could hardly be expected to live up t(
them. Salmon and trout are importan'
game fishes and valuable market species
Herring are of little importance as game o:
sport fishes but are so valuable for market
ing that the herring fishery alone employ:
great fleets of ships and numbers of men

HUGE MARLINS CAUGHT BV MICHAEL LERNEI

At the east end of the hall are fishe;
arranged in the order of their evolutionary
specialization — that is, in the degree o
their divergence from their primitive an
cestors. Among these are the swordfisl
and the spearfishes. The latter include thi
marlins and sailfishes.

The swordfish's snout is armed with <
long, flat blade of hard bone with whicl
the fish strikes and disables its prey. Com
pletely streamlined, it is one of the fastes
swimmers in the ocean. For unknowi
reasons it occasionally attacks boats, strik
ing so violently that there are records o
its sword having penetrated as much as i
foot of hard oak.

Spearfishes are similar in having the snoui
armed, but the "sword" is a round piki
with a sharp point instead of a flat blade
The fish uses this bony snout as a club, no
as a spear, to disable its victims. Threi
gigantic spearfishes in the exhibit — thi
Pacific black, Atlantic blue, and Atlantii
white marlins — were all landed with roc
and reel by Mr. Michael Lerner, and Mrs

BOOKS ABOUT FISHES ON SALE
IN MUSEUM BOOK SHOP

Nonsuch, Land of Water, by William

Beebe. $1.49.
The World Under the Sea, by Webster

Smith. $3.
Natural History of the Seas, by E. G.

Boulenger. $3.
Life Story of A Fish, by Brian Curtis.

$3.
Fishing for Bass, Muskalonge, Pike

and Panfishes, by Ray Schrenkeisen.

$1.50.
Fishing for Salmon and Trout, by Ray

Schrenkeisen. $1.50.
American Food and Game Fishes, by

Jordan & Evermann. $5.
Young Folks' Book of Fishes, by Ida

Mellen. $2.
The Sea for Sam, by W. Maxwell

Reed. $3.

— and various others.

August, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Pages

Lerner, who presented them to the Museum.
The blue marlin weighed 537 pounds. Also
presented by Mr. Lerner is a specimen of
the true swordfish.

Mr. Leon Mandel, of Chicago, is the donor
of specimens of the fish with the peculiarly
intriguing name "wahoo," as well as a
mako shark, and a devil fish. A large
McGuire's sailfish from Florida waters is a
gift from Mr. John W. Moyer of the Mu-
seum stafif.

Several flounders, including the halibut
which is the largest of this type of fish, are
shown in one case. The halibut's head is
so large and heavy that fishermen decapitate
it to save transportation charges. This
has given rise to a fantastic story that the
fish's head is so horrible in appearance the
government forbids bringing it to market

HALIBUT

for fear of disturbing nervous people.
Nearby is shown the common sole of Europe,
one of the best known of all sea fishes.

fish's-eye views of undersea scenes
The west end of Hall O, and about half
of the south side, are occupied by habitat
groups representing undersea scenes in
actual places where fishes have been studied,
to show some of the associations of marine
plants and animals. One group represents
conditions on a seaward-facing rock wall of
an island in Frenchman's Bay, near Bar

SHORE FISHES OF THE TEXAS COAST

One of the habitat groups in the Hall of Fishes. The rock-like masses on the sea bottom arc "oyster lumps" built up

by oysters and other mollusks on an original single shell. Only the oysters in the outer layer remain alive. These oyster

lumps shelter a variety of crustaceans and other invertebrates, and are frequented by large fishes seeking food. Fishes in

the group include Spanish mackerel, electric ray, shovel-nose shark, sawfish, black drumfish, red drumfish, and many others.

nearly matching color, while some specimens
on the sand at the bottom are a neutral gray.
Another group represents conditions in
southern Texas near the shore of the Gulf
of Mexico, where conditions are favorable
for the growth of oysters. Very young
oysters swim until they find firm places to
which they can attach themselves. As they
grow larger, other young oysters settle in
turn on them and grow upward in a clump.
As this process continues the oysters in the
center of the mass become smothered and
die, but their shells bind the mass together
and it continues to grow as new oysters
lodge on the top and sides. The rounded

WEST INDIAN MORAY, A LARGE TROPICAL EEL

Harbor, Maine. The fishes are shown to-
gether with sea weeds and various animals
that attach themselves to the rocks. The
color changes which occur in some fishes in
response to the hue of their surroundings
are shown. A sculpin on a bare rock with
a few red sea weeds appears gray with a
few red markings. Another sculpin, near a
heavier patch of red sea weeds, has much
more pronounced red markings. Still an-
other, on a yellow sponge, appears in a,

mass thus formed is locally known as an
oyster "lump."

Crabs of many kinds gather under the
edges of the lumps because of the shelter
and abundant food they find there. Toad-
fishes find convenient hiding places in holes
between the shells. Red drumfishes search
the outside of the lumps to catch crabs.
The lumps furnish anchorage for plume-like
sea weeds and bright green sea-lettuce.

The third and largest group represents

the inner edge of a coral reef on one of the
Bahama Islands. It occupies the entire
west end of the hall. The scene is arranged
as it would appear if the Museum visitor
were standing in one of the cave-like hollows
of the reef, looking out toward the shore of
the island. A group of hungry sharks is
seen in search of food. Most of the reef
fishes appear to be darting into crevices of
the coral, while a band of amber-jacks
swings in over the arms of a big coral to
pick up whatever scraps the sharks may
leave from their feast.

Specimens and data for this group were
collected by the Field Museum-Williamson
Undersea Expedition, members of which
descended to the sea floor through a sub-
marine tube.

The hundreds of reproductions of fishes
in this hall are predominantly the work of
Staff Taxidermist Leon L. Pray. Others
concerned with the preparation of the hall
are Staff Artist Arthur G. Rueckert, Prepa-
rator Frank H. Letl, Staff Taxidermists
Julius Friesser and C. J. Albrecht, Assistant
Curator Loren P. Woods, and the writer.
The hall is notable for the advanced tech-
niques employed in the installation and
lighting of the exhibits, as well as for the
high quality of the specimens.

PERMIT FISH, A LARGE POMPANO

Page i

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

August, 19 hi

FIELD MUSEUM HONOR ROLL

Now in the Ser\-ice
of their Country-:

Theodore Roosevelt, Trustee —
Colonel, U.S. Army, commanding
26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Mass.

Joseph Nash Field, Trustee — Ensign,
U.S. Na%'y, Headquarters, 9th
Naval District, Great Lakes, 111.

Clifford C. Gregg, Director — Major,
U.S. Army, Assistant Adjutant
General, 6th Corps Area, Chicago.

John Rinaldo, Associate, South-
western Archaeology — Private, U.S.
Army, 51st Field Artillery, Camp
Roberts, Calif.

Patrick T. McEnery, Guard— Chief
Gunner's Mate, U. S. Navy Train-
ing School, Na%->' Pier, Chicago.

FOSSIL FISHES

By P.*UL O. McGREW
assistant cxtrator of paleontology

The waters of the entire world are now
dominated by the group of fishes known as
the teleosts, the most highly developed of
the bony fishes. This order is characterized
by the presence of weak, thin scales (or
none at all), an internal skeleton composed
entirely of bone, special modifications of
fins and tail, and other peculiarities. The
teleosts are far more varied than any other
equivalent group of vertebrates, containing
more than twenty thousand species. These
fishes have only recently, speaking geolo-
gically, occupied such a dominant position
— only since the beginning of Cretaceous
time, a mere 120,000,000 years ago.

During the Triassic and Jurassic periods,
before the heydey of the teleosts, a more
primitive group of fishes, the Holostei,
ruled the waters. In numerous internal
characters and in the presence of hea%-y
scales these forms were much more primi-
tive than the teleosts. It was from some
ambitious holostean that the latter arose.
The Holostei were numerous and varied, but
now only two are extant, the gar-pike and
the bow-fin.

A third group, and one from some member
of which the Holostei were evolved, was
common during the geologic periods preced-
ing the Triassic. These, the Chondrostei,
or ray-finned fishes, were dominant before
the more progressive holostians came into
being. The Chondrostei, too, have left a
few survivors, of which the sturgeon is
perhaps the most commonly known.

NATURE IS TOUGH ON THE OBSOLESCENT

The three groups discussed above tell an
interesting story of the value of eflScient
and progressive structural modification.
Each of the more primitive orders enjoyed
"world" domination when no other group.

more efficiently adapted, was present to
offer them competition. However, when
new and improved structural features ap-
peared, perhaps in a single member, that
member spread and diversified so rapidly
and so efficiently that the hundreds of more
backward forms of the parent group were
practically erased from the earth. The
few sur\nvors thus attract especial attention
as so-called "li\'ing fossils."

The large division of fishes which includes
the teleosts, the holosteans and the chon-
drosteans is known as the Osteichthyes, or
bony fishes. This major group also contains
other orders which are for the most part
extinct. One order, of which there are a
few surviving members, is the Dipnoi or
lung fishes. These are of particular interest
because they have functional lungs and may
actually breathe air.

The crossopterygians, or so-called tassel-
finned fishes, another order of Osteichthyes,
were thought to be extinct until 1939, at
which time a live specimen was caught off
the coast of Africa. This specimen was
found to be very close to some fossil forms
which lived more than a hundred million
years ago. From some early member of
this group the land vertebrates evolved.

Of the ten or more major groups of shark-
like fishes that lived during the later part of
the Paleozoic era, only small remnants of
two are now living. The living representa-
tives are the sharks, skates, rays and
chimaeras. The extinct types were greatly
diversified and took on many forms and
structures not found in any living fishes.

THE EARLIEST KNOWN FISHES

Among the most interesting of fossil
fishes is a rather large group known as
ostracoderms (shell-skinned or armored
fishes). These were the earliest fishes to
appear in the geologic record and by far
the most primitive. The oldest ostra-
coderms are found in rocks deposited some
480,000,000 years ago during the Ordo-
vician period. The ostracoderms differed
from more advanced forms in many ways.
The best known types had a body that was
rather fish-like in form but which was
covered with very thick, bony scales. The
head was flattened and was covered by a
heavy bony shield. From each side of
this shield projected a sharp spur. Certain
marks on the top of the head shield indicate
that, as in some rays and other fishes, at
least some of these early forms were pro-
tected by electric organs which dealt a
strong shock to any molester. Of particular
interest also is the fact that the ostracoderms
had no jaws. Their mouth consisted merely
of an open slit. In many cases the mouth
was on the under side of the head, indicating
that these fish were bottom-feeders, perhaps
scavengers. The absence of jaws is an
exceedingly primitive character.

The lamprey eel and the hag fish, now
living, have several characters in common
with the primitive ostracoderms and it is

very probable that these living forms are
degenerate survivors of that primitive stock.
In Ernest R. Graham Hall (Hall 38)
many fossil specimens of fishes now extinct
are exhibited.

A FLOWER FESTIVAL

Recently The Chicago Tribune carried an
account of the "Fiesta de Amancaes" which
is celebrated every year on the slopes of a
mountain near Lima, Peru, beginning June
24 (St. John's Day).

No mention was made of the origin of
the festival, and its close association with
the blooming of the bright yellow daffodil-
or jonquil-like flowers, the "Amancaes"
(Hymenocallls Amancaes) which late in
June color in golden sheen many of the
slopes of Mount Amancaes with thousands
upon thousands of brilliant blossoms.

Perhaps the most vivid description of the
festival is that written by Stewart in the
late 1830's in Visit to the South Seas.

His entertaining account of the merry-
making is introduced by this paragraph:
"The Amancaes is an annual festival cele-
brated at Lima on the 24 of June: it is
something similar to our May Day; the
occasion of it being the height of bloom at
that time of a flower peculiar to Peru called
the 'Amancaes' to gather which the citizens
of every class, in the afternoon of the day,
hasten, as a gala, to a spot in the \icinity
of the city deriving its name as well as the
festival itself from the flower which grows
more abundantly there than in any other
place."

After describing the appearance of the
multitude and their gaiety as evidenced in
talk and laughter, dancing, singing, drinking,
and eating, he remarks: "Every person was
decorated with the 'Amancaes' and clusters
of its flowers were placed in the bridles and
harnesses of the horses as well as in the
hats and headdress of the riders." Clearly
the inspiration of this famous Peruvian
festival was and is to this day the blossoming
of this beautiful plant of the amaryllis
family. — J.F.M.

Tiffany Window is Gift
of Mr. F. G. James

Many comments have been received since
the opening in June of H. N. Higinbotham
Hall (Hall 31— the Gem Room) on the
beauty of the Tiffany glass window in the
wall opposite the entrance to the hall. This
stained glass picture, showing a mermaid
rising from the sea, in colors which blend
harmoniously with the general atmosphere
of the hall, came to the Museum as a gift
from Mr. F. G. James, of Cleveland, Ohio.
Originally it decorated the wall of the
personal studio of Louis Tiffany over a
period of twenty-five years. In its new
location it adds greatly to the tone of the
Gem Room, and the administration of the
Museum is deeply grateful to Mr. James.

August, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

THINQS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Breadfruit

Breadfruit has had an unusual literary
as well as botanical and economic history.
It plays an important part in such books
as Robinson Crusoe and Mutiny on the
Bounty. Probably most Americans and
Europeans made their first acquaintance
with breadfruit in reading the story of

"BREAD" THAT GROWS ON A TREE

The fruits of the breadfruit tree are a staple in the
diet of the inhabitants of most South Pacific islands. The
flowering and fruiting branch shown above is on exhibition
in Martin A. and Carrie Ryerson Hall (Plant Life— Hall 29).

Daniel Defoe's hero on a "desert island."
In recent years perhaps the story of Captain
Bligh's ill-fated expedition to Polynesia, in
quest of the breadfruit tree, has received
more prominence, especially since a motion
picture version attained wide popularity.

In Martin A. and Carrie Ryerson Hall
(Plant Life— Hall 29) Field Museum has
an exhibit of a flowering and fruiting branch
of breadfruit. This is supplemented by a
cut section of the fruit showing the edible
pulp, and also some of the resinous gum
obtained from the breadfruit tree and used
by natives of the South Sea islands to caulk
their canoes. The timber of the breadfruit
tree is used by the Polynesians in various
types of construction; exposure causes it
to attain the color of mahogany.

Originally a native of Malaya, breadfruit
became widely dispersed by the Polynesians
through the islands of the south Pacific.
It has been introduced in most tropical
regions — a few of the trees have even been
grown in Florida. Its introduction to
Jamaica was the aim of Captain Bligh's

expedition on the Bounty (1787-89); his ship
had been loaded with the plants, but be-
cause of the famous mutiny did not reach
its destination. However, a second expedi-
tion four years later was successful.

The breadfruit tree belongs to the mul-
berry family. Its scientific name is Arto-
carpu^ incisa. In the Museum exhibit is
shown also the related, much larger, jack-
fruit (Artocarptis integrifolia) likewise used
as a food.

The pulp of the breadfruit is whitish.
It is farinaceous, and of a constituency
between that of new bread and sweet
potatoes. The fruits are round or oval in
shape, and about as large as cantaloupes.
The seedless variety, which is that used for
food, has a rather smooth exterior. It is
the principal dietary item in most of the
south Pacific islands, where the fruit is
usually baked in underground ovens heated
by hot stones. For this purpose it is
plucked before it is ripe. Various other
methods of preparing it for consumption
have been developed.

MORE FAMOUS DIAMONDS

{Editor's Note: — Republication of excerpts
from Famous Diamonds, Field Museum
Geology Leaflet No. 10, by the late Dr.
Oliver C. Farrington, former Curator of Geol-
ogy, was begun in last month's Field Museum
News. Data on a few other diamonds are
presented herewith. The complete leaflet, with
27 pages of text and 5 illustrations, is avail-
able at THE BOOK SHOP of FIELD
MUSEUM, price 25 cents.)

PIGOTT

Lord Pigott, an Irish Peer who served as
Governor of Madras, India, brought this
diamond of 85.8 carats to England about
1775. It is supposed to have been presented
to him by an East Indian princess.

In 1818 it was sold to Ali Pasha, Khedive
of Egypt. He was assassinated in 1882 by
his enemy, Raschild Pasha, but before ex-
piring ordered that the diamond should be
crushed to powder in his presence and that
his wife, Vasilica, should be strangled. His
wife escaped, but the diamond was destroyed.

REGENT OR PITT

The tradition associated with this dia-
mond is that it was found by a slave in India
in 1701. Instead of reporting the find to
his master, the slave cut his leg and in the
bandage covering the wound enclosed the
diamond. He gave the diamond to an
English skipper for free passage to another
country. The skipper threw the slave into
the sea, sold the stone to a merchant for
$5,000, squandered the money in dissipation,
and hanged himself.

Sir Thomas Pitt, Governor of Fort St.
George at Madras, bought the diamond
reputedly for $100,000. Governor Pitt on
returning to England in 1710 found that
reports of his acquisition had preceded him,

and he was accused of having procured it
by unfair or violent means. He developed
a morbid fear that he would lose or be
robbed of the gem, and is said to have
gone about much in disguise and rarely to
have spent more than two nights under the
same roof.

The Duke of Orleans, then Regent of
France, purchased it for the French Crown
in 1717. The large diamond remained
among the French Crown jewels until 1792,
when, with many other jewels, it was stolen
from the Garde Meuble. Some weeks later
an anonymous letter informed the Commune
that some of the stolen objects could be
found in a ditch in the Champs-Elysees.
The Regent diamond was among the gems
returned in this mysterious way.

Later it was for a time pledged to the
Dutch Government as security for a loan
to carry on the Napoleonic wars. Then,
as Emperor, Napoleon is said to have had
it mounted in his sword hilt. Afterwards
it remained in the French treasury. It
has been appraised as high as $2,040,000;
a more likely valuation is $900,000.

SANCY

Although not a large diamond, the Sancy
has had a more extensive circulation among
the kings and queens of Europe and a
longer authentic history than any other
except, perhaps, the Kohinoor. Like some
other famous diamonds, it was at one time
the price of a man's life.

This stone was brought from the East
to France by Nicholas Harlai, Seigneur de
Sancy, French Ambassador to the Ottoman
Court, about 1570. It was loaned or sold
to Henry III of France, later returned to
de Sancy. Henry IV made de Sancy his
superintendent of finance and shortly after
desired to borrow the diamond. The
messenger entrusted with carrying the
diamond was killed on the way, evidently
by robbers. Knowing the trustworthiness
of the messenger, de Sancy believed that in
some way he had found means to outwit
the robbers. Accordingly he had the body
disinterred, and in the stomach the diamond
was found.

De Sancy sold the diamond to Queen
Elizabeth of England between 1590 and
1600. It seems to have remained among
the English Crown Jewels until the widow
of Charles I, Queen Dowager Henrietta
Maria, presented it to Somerset, Earl of
Worcester. By purchase or gift it again
came to the English Crown, for we next
hear of it in the possession of King James II.
James is said to have sold it for $125,000
to Louis XIV of France about 1695. It
then passed to Louis XV and Louis XVI.

In the famous robbery of the Garde
Meuble in Paris (1792) the Sancy was
among the Crown Jewels stolen, but it
suddenly reappeared in 1828. In 1875 it
was sent to Bombay and sold to the
Maharaja of Patiala.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

August, ISi

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893

Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lester Aruour Albert W. Harris

Sewell L. Aviiry Sauuel Insull, Jr.

W. McCoRMicK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Block William H. Mitchell

Boardhan Conover George A. Richardson

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field Albert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley Field .\lbert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

.\lbert .\. Sprague First Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

.\LBERT W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith. . . Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR

Clifford C. Gregg Director oj the Museum

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Wilfred H. Osgood Curator Emeritus, Zoology

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichols Chief Curator of Geoiofy

Karl P. Schmidt C*i>/ Curator of Zoology

MANAGING EDITOR
H. B. Harte Public Relations Counsel

Members are requested to inform the Museum
promptly of changes of address.

Assistant Curator Appointed

Mr. Donald Collier has been appointed
.\ssistant Curator of Ethnology at Field
Museum of Natural History, effective from
August 1. Mr. Collier for several years
has been teaching at Washington State
Teachers' College, Pullman, Washington.
After completing his under-graduate work
at Leland Stanford University, Mr. Collier
engaged in graduate work at the University
of California, and at the University of
Chicago, specializing in studies related to the
aboriginal populations of South American
countries. For the Andean Institute, New
York, he conducted two expeditions to Peru.

the United States, principally in the state
of Washington.

Staff Notes

Mr. C. J. Albrecht, Staff Taxidermist,
who is engaged in preparing models of
whales for a separate cetacean hall in the
Museum, left Chicago July 16 to visit the
whaling station at Eureka, California. He
will make photographic studies of whales,
take color notes, and study the modeling
of his gigantic subjects.

Mr. Llewelyn Williams, Curator of Eco-
nomic Botany, left Chicago July 5 for a field
trip of about one month's duration, in the
course of which he will collect exhibition
material of a few species of trees needed to
complete the representation of North
American woods in Charles F. Millspaugh
Hall (Hall 26). Mr. Williams' work will
be conducted along the northwest coast of

Mr. Alfred C. Weed, Curator of Fishes,
will leave the Museum early in August
for a stay at the United States Fisheries
Commission Station at Beaufort, North
Carolina, where he will study shore fishes of
the Atlantic Coast. Mr. Weed has been
asked by an editorial board of co-operating
American ichthyologists to review the mul-
lets of the North Atlantic region for a general
account of Atlantic Coast marine fishes
which they plan to publish.

Mr. Paul C. Standley, Curator of the
Herbarium, and Dr. Julian A. Steyermark,
Assistant Curator, visited several state parks
of northwestern Illinois during a recent
weekend trip and collected several hundred
specimens of flowering plants and cryp-
togams for the Museum Herbarium.

Dr. Steyermark also recently spent a
month collecting in various parts of Missouri.
He has presented 3,000 specimens of plants
to the Museum Herbarium.

Messrs. Emmet R. Blake, Assistant
Curator, and Meh-in A. Traylor, Jr.,
Associate in the Division of Birds, returned
from a collecting trip in the southwestern
United States late in July. They have been
engaged in collecting specimens of birds
and related material for a new exhibit
planned for Hall 21.

Museum Gives Irish Antiquities
To University of Chicago

Field Museum recently presented part of
its collection of facsimiles of Irish antiquities,
formerly exhibited in the Department of
Anthropology, to the University of Chicago;
the balance is destined to go to Father
Flanagan's Boys' Town in Nebraska.

A formal presentation of the University's
portion was made by Mr. Stanley Field,
President of the Museum, to Dr. Ulrich A.
Middeldorf, Chairman of the University's
Department of Art.

At the University, the gold-embossed
reproductions, executed by Irish craftsmen
from among the major antiquities of Ireland,
will be made available to scholars in the
field of Irish history, art, and literature, and
to others interested in Ireland's cultural
evolution. The collection did not fit
properly within the scope of Field Museum.

The gift was arranged through Major
Clifford C. Gregg, Director of the Museum,
and Dr. Tom Peete Cross, Professor of
English and Comparative Literature at the
University, who is an authority on ancient
Irish culture.

The reproductions include the Ardagh
Chalice, the Crozier of Cormac MacCarthy,
the Shrine of St. Patrick's Tooth, and the
Tara Brooch.

Izaak Walton League Officers
Visit Hall of Fishes

Several of the officers of the Izaak Walto
League of America attended the press pn
view of the new Hall of Fishes, and expresse
great enthusiasm for the manner in whic
the installations have been made, and th
extensiveness of the collection. Mr. Williar
D. Cox, National Secretary of the Leagu
(and President of its Chicago Chapter), an
Mr. Kenneth A. Reid, Executive Secretar
of the Chicago Chapter, stated that the
would recommend visits to the hall in th
bulletins they circulate among the League
membership of many thousands.

Gem Society Visits Museum;
Hears Layman Lecturer

The Chicago Metropolitan Chapter <
the American Gem Society entertained th
Milwaukee Chapter on the afternoon c
July 20 with a visit to H. N. Higinbothai
Hall of Gems and Jewels at Field Museun
where Mr. Paul G. Dallwig, the Layma
Lecturer, presented a special rendition c
his talk, "Gems, Jewels and 'Junk.' " I
the evening, Mr. Dallwig again lecture
before the group at their annual banque
this time on the subject "The Romance c
Diamonds from Mine to iAanJi

The famous Sequoias or giant redwoo
trees of California and the northern Pacifi
coast are the subject of an exhibit in Charlt
F. Millspaugh Hall (Hall 26, North Amer
can Woods Collection).

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below :

November, December,

January, February 9 A.M. to 4 P.M.

March, April, and

September, October . . .9 A.M. to 5 P.M.
May, June, July, .\ugust.9 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted free
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educational institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and .\nna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
.\pril, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines. Rapid Transit Lines (the *'L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
moi[>iles at the Museum.

Augiisl, ISlfl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

FISHES PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN HUMAN CULTURES

(A Symposium by Members of the Staff of the Department of Anthropology)

Wherever man can catch fish he always
has, and fishes have played an important
role in his cultures not only because they
were used for food and in some cases for
other utilitarian purposes, but also because
they have further provided a motif for many
of his artistic expressions.

At Field Museum the antiquity of man's
dependence upon fish for a large part of
his food, and his development of fishing

writing of the Sumerians (who were the
ancient inhabitants of Kish and its surround-
ing country) had a pictograph for fish.
Various gods have been associated with
fish in the mythology of the ancient civiliza-
tions of the Near East. The early Christians
adopted the fish as a symbol from the Greek
word for fish — Ichthys. This developed as
an acrostic from the Greek name of Jesus:
/esous CHristos, THeou HYios, Soter

Copyright Field Museum of Natural History

FISHERMEN IN SWITZERLAND 4,000 YEARS AGO
Prehistoric Swiss Lake Dwellers hauling in their fishnets on Lake Neuchatel, as depicted in one of the diorainas in the
Hall of the Stone Age. Their nets and net sinkers, as shown by specimens in the Museum, were much like modern ones.

techniques, is emphasized in the Hall of the
Stone Age of the Old World (Hall C) by
one of the life-size dioramas restoring various
types of prehistoric man — that of the Swiss
Lake-dwellers who are shown hauling their
catch out of Lake Neuchatel. Their nets
are not vitally different in form from some
of those employed by commercial fishermen
today, according to Dr. Henry Field,
Curator of Physical Anthropology.

Bronze fishhooks used on the river
Euphrates thousands of years ago are on
exhibition in the Hall of Babylonian Archae-
ology (Hall K).

The use of fishes in design and decoration
is exemplified by various objects exhibited in
Edward E. and Emma B. Ayer Hall (Hall 2,
Archaeology of Etruria and Rome); the
Hall of Egyptian Archaeology (Hall J), the
Hall of Babylonian Archaeology (Hall K),
George T. and Frances Gaylord Smith Hall
(Hall 24, Archaeology of China), and Hall D
(African Ethnology).

AN EARLY CHRISTIAN SYMBOL

Mr. Richard A. Martin, Curator of Near
Eastern Archaeology, makes this observation
on fish in ancient times:

"Fishing played an important part in the
economic life of Egypt, as well as Babylonia,
because the life of its people was as inti-
mately bound up with the great river Nile
as were the lives of the Babylonians with
the Tigris and Euphrates. The earliest

(Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior) — the
italicized capitals beginning each word
combine to form the word Ichthys."

FISH IN AMERICAN INDIAN CULTURES

On the northwest coast of North America
practically the entire culture of the local
Indian tribes — a fairly high type of culture —
is built upon and revolves around fishes and
fishing, says Dr. Alexander Spoehr, Assistant
Curator of American Ethnology and Archae-
ology. On the other hand, at Tierra del
Fuego, the island lying off the southernmost
tip of South America, one of the lowest of
all human cultures is built upon the fish,
one of the lowest of all vertebrates. Among
the Indians of southeastern North America
the jaws of garfishes were used to scratch
children as a punishment.

Man's methods of catching fish vary in
different localities, ranging all the way
from casting poison in the water to stun
the fish to the expensive and complicated
equipment of the modern Izaak Waltons
who pursue their hobby in the coastal waters
and on almost every lake, river and stream
of America. Even the depth bomb principle
of wrecking submarines by concussion has
been used for fishing, the catch being killed
or stunned by hurling exploding dynamite
in the water. Indians in Honduras use a
.simple form of the concussion method —
wading in the water, they pound river bed
rocks with other heavy rocks, and the

shock is transmitted through the water
to the fishes, stunning them sufficiently to
make it possible to catch them by hand.

ASIA'S FISHING CORMORANTS

Dr. C. Martin Wilbur, Curator of Chinese
Archaeology and Ethnology, contributes the
following note on a most specialized form
of fishing:

"Commercial fishing by means of trained
cormorants is an East Asiatic addition to
fishing practices. In China and Japan,
cormorants, which are natural fish-catchers,
are trained to bring all or part of the 'take'
back to their masters, instead of gulping
down each fish as it is captured. Sometimes
a ring is placed around the bird's neck to
make it impossible for it to swallow any but
the smallest fish. The Japanese are credited
with being the first people known to have
used cormorants in this way, for a Chinese
history, written during the 7th century of
our era, describes the practice among the
Japanese of that day. The Japanese method
is not, however, as developed as that of the
Chinese, who alone have actually domesti-
cated cormorants, and created numerous
refinements in the methods of fishing with
them. On many of the canals and lakes of
eastern and southern China, one may see
boats and narrow rafts of the fisherman,
with flocks of cormorants perched on special
railings or poles, or plunging about in the
water after fish."

AFRICAN FISHING PRACTICES

Dr. Wilfrid D. Hambly, Curator of African
Ethnology, sketches the subject of fishing
in Africa as follows:

"In African lakes and rivers are many
species of edible fish which the natives
catch by a variety of methods — nets, weirs,
spearing, drag-baskets, lines and bait, shoot-
ing with arrows, poisoning, and using torch-
lights as lures to bring the fish to the surface
of the water. The method used may depend
first upon the season. For example, poison,
made from a tuberous root, is sprinkled on
the water to stupefy the fish when rivers
are shallow in the dry season. It would
not be effective in deep running water during
the rainy season. Customs associated with
division of labor between the sexes, also
have a bearing. Usually, only women drag
baskets against the stream, although the
men may help if the current is swift. Women
generally use the poison method, but men
usually do all of the spearing and the shoot-
ing with arrows.

"Curious beliefs sometimes center about
the fisherman's craft. The Bavenda say
that a certain lake is inhabited by ancestral
spirits, and no fisherman has succeeded in
landing a fish from the sacred waters.

"Beliefs in the sacredness of catfish
survive in Liberia and Nigeria. At Ife, in
the latter, I saw a pool of sacred catfish. Be-
cause of its sacred character, the catfish was
often used as the motif of designs on bronze
plaques made in Benin, west Africa, where
religion and art were closely connected."

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

August, 191(1

EXPEDITION TO PERU

Mr. Colin C. Sanborn, Curator of Mam-
mals, sailed from New York July 18 on
an expedition to southern Peru. The
principal part of his work will be the collect-
ing of data on the life history of species of
bats native to that country, as the second
half of a project he began under a fellow-
ship awarded to him in 1938 by the John
Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Field Museum is also sponsor of part of his
work in the field so that he may continue
studies begun in 1939-40 on the Magellanic
Expedition of this institution, the main task
in this connection being the collection of
topotypes or key specimens required for
the solution of taxonomic problems of
Peruvian mammals. After arrival in Peru,
Mr. Sanborn will be accompanied by a
student from the University of Arequipa or
University of Cuzco.

In southern Peru Mr. Sanborn will visit
localities not covered by the previous ex-
pedition. The fields of collecting will range
from sea level at the coast to an altitude of
more than 15,000 feet on the plateau above
Lake Titicaca. Some work will be done in
three river valleys in the eastern interior.
Returning, Mr. Sanborn will make certain
studies in central and northern Peru.

TWO MORE SUMMER PROGRAMS
TO BE GIVEN FOR CHILDREN

The final two free programs of motion
pictures for children in the summer series
presented by the James Nelson and Anna
Louise Raymond Foundation for Public
School and Children's Lectures will be given
on August 7 and August 14. On the first
of these dates the films to be shown are
"A Western Vacation in the Ranch Country,
Yosemite National Park, and the Grand
Canyon," all in color pictures, together
with an animated cartoon. The second of
the Thursday programs will feature the
film "Tundra," the story of adventures in
the Arctic regions. Both programs begin
at 10 A.M. Children from all parts of Chicago
and suburbs are invited, and no tickets are
necessary for admission. Children may
come alone, accompanied by adults, or in
groups from various centers.

GUIDE-LECTURE TOURS

During August conducted tours of the
exhibits, under the guidance of staff lec-
turers, will be given on a special schedule,
as follows:

Mondays: 11 a.m.. Halls of Primitive and
Civilized Peoples; 2 p.m.. General Tour of
Exhibition Halls.

Tuesdays: 11 a.m.. Animal Groups; 2
P.M., General Tour of Exhibition Halls.

Wednesdays: 11 a.m.. Minerals and Pre-
historic Life; 2 p.m., General Tour of
Exhibition Halls.

Thursdays: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.. General
Tours of Exhibition Halls.

Fridays: 11 a.m.. Plant Life Exhibits;
2 P.M., General Tour of Exhibition Halls.

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director,
special tours are available to parties.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
June 16 to July 15:

Contributors

F. G. James

Associate Members

Leon J. Caine, Dr. M. R. Freeland,
Jo.seph R. Willens.

Annual Members

Herbert W. Anderson, Mrs. J. Bertley
Arnold, James L. Baldwin, P. S. Billings,
Louis L. Cohen, Mrs. C. B. Cook, William
A. Eckenroth, Gurdon H. Hamilton, William
J. Hudson, Dr. Adelaide Johnson, Dr.
G. Erman Johnson, R. T. Johnson, Vilas
Johnson, James A. Joy, Miss Thesy R.
Lehmann, Mrs. Frances R. Macfarland,
Edward J. Murnane, Mrs. Paul Newcomer,
Dr. Louis B. Newman, Dr. H. C. Niblack,
Harold F. North, J. R. O'Connell, Dwight S.
Parmelee, Jack Pass, Samuel D. Ruby, Mrs.
Clara Sandel, G. F. Sprague, Frederick A.
Stresen-Reuter, Bruce W. Strong, Mrs.
Kimball E. Valentine, Dr. George E.
Wakerlin.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

Department of Anthropology :

From Mrs. Richard T. Crane, Jr., Chicago
— 2 Pomo Indian baskets, California; from
Major Oliver S. Picher, Hubbard Woods,
111. — 9 ethnological specimens, China,
Hawaii, Dakota, and southwestern United
States.

Department of Botany:

From Mrs. D. M. Donaldson, Aligarh,
U. P., India — 41 samples of plant drug
materials and 162 herbarium specimens,
Iran; from Museo Nacional, San Jos§, Costa
Rica — 122 herbarium specimens, Costa
Rica; from Donald Richards, Chicago —
142 specimens of mosses, chiefly New Zea-
land; from United States Fisheries Labora-
tory, Logan, Utah — 220 specimens of algae.
Rocky Mountain states; from Dr. Walter
Kiener, Lincoln, Neb. — 20 specimens of
soil algae, Nebraska; from L. J. King,
Chicago — 108 specimens of algae, Illinois,
Indiana, and Michigan; from Dr. V. O.
Graham, Chicago — 102 specimens of fleshy
fungi, Illinois; from W. A. Daily, Cincinnati,
Ohio — 105 specimens of algae, Ohio, In-
diana, and Kentucky.

Department of Geology:

From Dr. R. F. Barton, Manila, P. I.—
12 specimens of tektites, Philippine Islands;
from Miss Sherry Wagner, Northfield, 111,

— a specimen of pyrite and marcasite, lUi
nois; from Mrs. Clarice Thacker, Woodstock
111. — 6 fossil bones, Illinois; from Dr
Benedict Gresky, Chicago — 4 white beryls

Department of Zoology:

From Boardman Conover, Chicago—
522 bird skins and a bat, Mexico; fron
Andrew Sorensen, Pacific Grove, Calif. — ;
species of California marine bivalves in un
usually large specimens, California; fron
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Universitj
of California, Berkeley, Calif. — 4 kangarot
mice, Nevada; from Loren P. Woods
Chicago — 1,642 fish specimens, Illinois
from C. M. Barber, Hot Springs, Ark.—
4 snakes and 4 lizards, Arkansas; from J. E
Johnson, Jr., Waco, Texas — 8 snakes, Texas
from P. D. Armour, Lake Bluff, 111. — i
milk snake, Illinois; from Gordon Gunter
Corpus Christi, Texas — 7 fish specimens
Copano Bay, off Texas coast; from Dr
J. D. Barger, Linton, N. D. — a wild-ca
skin, Saudi Arabia; from Dr. C. S. Smith
San Marcos, Texas — 2 snakes, Texas; fron
Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, 111
— 3 mammals and one reptile; from Dr
James G. Needham, Ithaca, N. Y. — 13i
dragon flies, Chile, West Indies, and Texas

The Library:

Valuable books from Marquess Hachisuka
Tokyo, Japan; from American Museum o
Natural History, New York; from Dr
Henry Field, Washington, B.C.; and fron
Rupert Wenzel, Chicago.

MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum has several classes of Mem-
bers. Annual Members contribute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and are
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually for six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Resident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Resident Associate Members $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
Resident memberships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles or more from Chi-
cago. Those who give or devise to the Museum
$1,000 to $100,000 are designated as Contribu-
tors, and those who give or devise $100,000 or
more become Benefactors. Other memberships
are Honorary, Patron, Corresponding and Cor-
porate, additions under these classifications
being made by special action of the Board of
Trustees.

Each Member, in all classes, is entitled to
free admission to the Museum for himself, his
family and house guests: and to two reserved
seat3 for Museum lectures provided for Mem-
bers. Subscription to Field Museum News is
included with all memberships. The courtesies
of every museum of note in the United States
and Canada are extended to all Members of
Field Museum. A Member may give his
personal card to non-residents of Chicago, upon
presentation of which they will be admitted to
the Museum without charge. Further informa-
tion about memberships will be sent on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum of Natural His-
tory may be made in securities, money, books or
collections. They may, if desired, take the form
of a memorial to a person or cause, named by
the giver.

Contributions made within the taxable year,
not exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net
income, are allowable as deductionsin computing
net income for federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum
with the provision that an annuity be paid to
the patron for life. These annuities are guaran-
teed against fluctuation in amount, and may
reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTED BY FIEID MUSEUM PRESS

News

Pitblished Monthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

SEPTEMBER, 1941

No. 9

CROCODILES, PERILOUSLY COLLECTED BY HUNTERS IN CANOE, NOW EXHIBITED

for an expedition to the Central American
tropics in which Mr. Walters and the writer
were associated. It was desired to apply
the new exhibition techniques to larger
reptiles, and especially to a habitat group.
For the habitat group we chose the
American crocodile, widespread in Central
America (the same species is found also in
the West Indies and in southern Florida).
We were extremely fortunate in finding for

By KARL P. SCHMIDT

CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY

The lifelike representation of reptiles for
museum exhibition was for a long time a
major problem of modern taxidermy. This
craft, as applied to the exhibition of birds
and mammals, was raised to the level of a
genuine art by Carl E. Akeley and other
critical museum workers in the 'nineties.
During subsequent years there was a great
development of mu-
seum exhibition in the
direction of the
habitat group, a por-
trayal of finely mount-
ed individual animals
in their natural en-
vironment, reproduced
with artificial vegeta-
tion and with a
painted landscape
background. In this
kind of exhibit, which
has steadily increased
in popularity, reptiles
and amphibians had
little place because of
the difficulties of pre-
paring mounted speci-
mens or models in any
way comparable to
the results obtained
with bird and mam-
mal skins.

The solution of the
problem of making

wholly lifelike exhibi- Habitat group of great American reptiles, as now exhibited in Albert W. Harris Hall (Hall 18). The

tion models of reptiles these animals was an outstanding adventure in the careers of Chief Curator K. P. Schmidt and Taxidermist L. L. Walters.

by the use of celluloid

as a casting medium was accomplished by
Mr. Leon L. Walters in the laboratories of
Field Museum. Staff Taxidermist Walters'
early experiments proved that celluloid,
dissolved to form a thick liquid and mixed
with the pigments desired, dried to form a
material exactly resembling reptile scales.
By the early nineteen-twenties, this tech-
nique of reproducing reptiles as celluloid
models for museum exhibition had been
perfected; it is now generally referred to
among museum workers here and elsewhere
as "the Walters Process."

The opportunity afforded by a reorganiza-
tion of the Museum's zoological divisions
in 1922, with a newly established separate
Division of Reptiles, was made the occasion

CROCODILES ON LAKE TICAMAYA, HONDURAS

our crocodile hunting a locality of great bio-
logical interest, where, at the same time,
the actual collecting of the crocodiles could
be efficiently undertaken.

Lake Ticamaya, a shallow but good-sized
body of water in the Ulna River valley in
Honduras, proved to be a veritable lake of
crocodiles. Sitting in concealment on the
bank, we could count as many as seventy-
five heads of crocodiles floating at the sur-
face of the water in a single bay, and the
glowing red eyes showed on every hand at
night when we set forth with the dugout
canoe and jacklight. The picturesque shores,
wooded with the gigantic cohune palm and
hardwood trees hung with Spanish moss, are
overgrown with cat-tail in the bays, but

have sand and gravel or even rocky banks
on the projecting points on which the
crocodiles haul out to sun themselves, some-
times evenly spaced in a row.

The water of Lake Ticamaya is filled with
microscopic plant life to such a degree as
to give it the consistency and color of pea
soup. The extremely soft mud at the
bottom, probably formed by the death of
this plant material, gives off marsh gas.
This, together with
oxygen given off by
the living algae, rises
to the surface and
forms a bubbly scum,
which is driven by the
wind to lee shores and
accumulates as vari-
colored mats, often in
regular zones of green,
pink, and brown,
parallel to the shore.
These singular con-
ditions determine the
method of hunting
crocodiles in common
use at the lake. The
ooze at the bottom
gives off gas at the
slightest touch, and a
slowly moving sub-
merged crocodile can
accordingly be fol-
lowed by means of
tracks of persistent
bubbles which register
on the surface above
him every footprint of
the hind feet below.
A fair estimate of the size of the crocodile
can be made from the breadth of his bubble
trail. With this means of following in-
dividual crocodiles, it is possible to get into
advantageous position for harpooning them.
We found it necessary to hunt early in
the morning before the forenoon wind dis-
turbs the surface of the water. With
harpoon, .22 rifle, 30-caliber Winchester
in case of trouble, and single paddles, we
set out from our camp to one of the upper
bays on the lake. There is no trouble in
finding a fresh crocodile "bubble trail," as
the shy crocodiles attempt to walk away
on the bottom when anyone approaches.
The harpooner stands in the front of the
dugout, and the paddler closely follows

collectmg

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

September, 19^1

the trail. Trial casts of the harpoon
frighten the crocodile, and he dashes off
under water, leaving a shooting trail of
bubbles. All the strength of the paddler
is required to keep up with him.

HUNTER 0\-ERBOARD AMONG "CROCS"

With continued pursuit, the crocodile
invariably gives up his under-water tactics
and s'A-ims at the surface. The canoe is
then driven forward, and the harptoon cast
into the crocodile's back. It is then well
to pay out the rope rapidly, to avoid possible
attack. With fifty feet of rope, the crocodile
can be played like a gigantic fish; he soon
tires but it proves impossible to tow him
with the canoe. It is necessary for one of
us to strip and step into the waist-deep
crocodile-filled water. With the rope over
his shoulder and a steady pull the hunter
can then land the animal on a rocky portion
of the shore. We found that our largest
specimens could be killed by a vertical shot
into the neck with the .22 pistol.

Obtaining the specimens is only the begin-
ning— then follows the arduous work of
mold-making. The task of making plaster
of Paris molds of the larger crocodiles
occupied a large share of the three weeks
we spent at the lake, and had to be done
under difficulties. The body of the freshly
killed specimen (the largest weighed more
than half a ton) had to be transported to
the nearest beach which we could reach with
our barrels of plaster. The posing of our
reptilian monsters was an important matter,
since the positions chosen were necessarily
final. The algae-filled water of the lake
could not be used in mixing the plaster, and
shallow wells had to be dug near the lake
shore, into which clear water filtered through
the sandy mud.

A RACE AGAINST TDIE

We applied the plaster of Paris in two
layers: a thin inner one of smooth plaster
was followed immediately by a heavy outer
one laid on with masses of tow soaked in
plaster. Working together at top speed, it
took us until past midnight of the day on
which our specimen was killed to complete
the work for the body alone, and on the
following morning there was a continued
race between the application of the plaster
and the advance of decomposition.

The packing of these large shells of
plaster for transportation to Chicago was
in itself a diflftcult problem. The largest
pieces of mold were six feet in length. We
purchased rough lumber at the mill in San
Pedro, hauled it out by ox-cart, and built
three large packingboxes, each six and a
half feet long, three and a half feet wide,
and a foot and a half deep. Frames of
straight green poles were fitted inside these
boxes, and the molds were lashed inside the
springy frames. This arrangement, devised
largely by Mr. Walters, proved so effective
that the huge plaster shells of our four
complete molds of crocodiles reached the
Museum without damage.

The final construction of the crocodile
models in the Museum required more than
a year's work by Mr. Walters. These speci-
mens, recently reinstalled in the Hall of
Reptiles (Albert W. Harris Hall, Hall 18)
include an eleven-footer in the typical lazy
pose of a sunning crocodile; a specimen
with mouth wide open, also a familiar sight
at the lake; a juvenile specimen in the
remarkably dinosaur-like pose taken when
getting on its feet preparatory to walking
into the water; and a floating specimen with
only the upper surface of its head exposed.
Something of the wealth of bird life at the
lake is shown in the foreground by a long-
toed jacana walking on the floating scum,
and a snake bird sitting in characteristic
pose on a dead limb. The panoramic back-
ground by Staff Artist Arthur G. Rueckert
reproduces the dense vegetation of the
shores thronged with sunning crocodiles.
In the sky are seen egrets, and the ever
present wheeling vultures.

SPECIAL NOTICE

All Members of Field Museum who
have changed their residence, or are
planning to do so, are earnestly urged
to notify the Museum at once of their
new addresses, so that copies of Field
Museum News and all other com-
munications from the Museum may
reach them promptly.

PALEONTOLOGICAL EXPEDITION
COLLECTS RARE SPECIMENS

Several specimens of one of the earliest
large mammals to walk the earth — the rare
Coryphodon, a creature about the size of a
hippopotamus, but in its special charac-
teristics unlike any animal living today —
have been discovered by the Colorado
Paleontological Expedition of Field Museum.
This is revealed in a recent report from Mr.
Bryan Patterson, Assistant Curator of
Paleontology and leader of the expedition.

Mr. Patterson, and his associates — who
include James H. Quinn of the Museum
staff, John and Robert Schmidt, and Ells-
worth Shaw, all of Homewood, 111., and
Edwin Galbreath, of Ashmore, 111. — have
completed reconnaissance, and are now in
the midst of excavating operations to remove
the specimens they have located from the
rocks in which they are deeply and firmly
imbedded. The sites where work is being
conducted are on the western slope of the
Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

The Coryphodon lived in the early Eocene
period, or about 50,000,000 to 60,000,000
years ago. It has no modem relatives.
Until now, there have been only three
reasonably complete Coryphodon skeletons
in the world. Mr. Patterson's report in-
dicates that Field Museum will have an
extensive collection including several com-

plete skeletons and a number of skulls,
leg bones, jaws, vertebrae, etc.

The rare animal is a member of the
Pantodonta, a group comprising only very
primitive types of hoofed mammals. It
was overtaken by extinction even before
the end of the Eocene period, which was
the earliest part of the Age of Mammals.
The bones indicate that the animal re-
sembled a hippopotamus only in size and
stocky build — it was extremely short in
stature for its length, and its head was
disproportionately large for its body.

Specimens of various other prehistoric
animals that inhabited Colorado millions
of years ago are also being collected.

RAYMOND FOUNDATION FILMS
OFFERED FOR CHILDREN

The James Nelson and Anna Louise Ray-
mond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures will present its autumn
series of nine free motion picture programs
for children on Saturday mornings beginning
October 4. The first program, "Indian Lore,
Life and Culture," features, in addition to
motion pictures, a personal appearance by
Charles Eagle Plume, who is partly Indian
himself. He will tell the children the story
of the life of the original Americans. He
will wear tribal costumes and illustrate his
subject with various dances.

The complete schedule of the programs
through November will appear in the next
issue of Field Museum News. All are to
be presented twice, at 10 and 11 a.m., in
the James Simpson Theatre of the Museum.
Admission is free, and no tickets are neces-
sary. Children from all parts of Chicago
and suburbs are invited, and they may come
alone, accompanied by adults, or in groups
from schools and other centers.

Mineralogist Completes Expedition;
Enters Service of U.S

Mr. Bryant Mather, Assistant Curator
of Mineralogy, returned on August 8 from
six weeks spent in eastern states collecting
mineral specimens. He visited many areas
from which Field Museum's collections
lacked specimens. Of these, certain regions
in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vir-
ginia, and northern Maryland yielded in-
teresting and valuable collections.

Mineralogists from Baltimore, Washing-
ton, and Philadelphia museums, from Johns
Hopkins and Princeton Universities, and
from Bryn MawT College generously gave
their time, information, and assistance in
field collecting. Approximately 1,000 speci-
mens were obtained.

Mr. Mather is now on leave of absence
from the Museum to ser\-e an emergency
appointment in a civilian capacity under
the direction of the Corps of Engineers of
the United States Army. He reported for
assignment at The Concrete Laboratory,
West Point, New York.

September, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Pages

NEW HUICHOL INDIAN EXHIBIT

By ALEXANDER SPOEHR

ASSISTANT CURATOR OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Field Museum's collection illustrating
Mexican ethnology has recently been aug-
mented by an important gift of Huichol
Indian material, presented by Mr. Henry J.
Bruman, Professor of Geology, Pennsylvania
State College. The more significant of
these specimens have been installed in the
Hall of Mexican Archaeology and Ethnology
(Hall 8), Case 23, where they make a colorful
addition to the exhibits.

The Huichol Indians live in the tall and
rugged mountains of the northwestern part
of the state of Jalisco. The wildness of
their country greatly impressed the early
Spanish Jesuit chronicler, Father Ortega,
who said of the Huichol homeland: "It is
so wild and frightful to behold that it, more
than the quivers of its warlike defenders,
took away the courage of the conquerors,
because not only did its ridges and valleys
appear inaccessible, but the extended sphere
of towering mountains and peaks perplex
even the eye." Yet despite the natural
defenses enjoyed by the Huichols, they
finally succumbed in 1722 to the Spanish
conquerors. Franciscan missionaries fol-
lowed, a number of churches were built,
and the Huichols were nominally converted
to Catholicism. However, missionary work
was later abandoned, the churches fell in
ruins, and the Huichols continued the
practices of their native religion, which
nevertheless assimilated numerous elements
of Christianity.

QUITE PRIMITIVE EVEN TODAY

This Indian culture was also greatly
affected by the introduction of metal tools
and of domestic animals such as cattle,
sheep, and horses. Yet even today, with
modern Mexican civilization surrounding
their mountain fastness, the Huichols remain
a relatively primitive folk, living in isolated
households, and growing crops of corn,
beans, and squashes in small fields scattered
over the mountain sides. There are today
about four thousand Indians in the tribe.

Of greatest interest in the new exhibit
are the ceremonial objects and the textiles.
The former consist mainly of votive bowls
and ceremonial arrows. The bowls are
sections of gourds decorated with animal
figures made of colored glass beads and
beeswax, and used as offerings. The arrows
represent a more common feature of Huichol
ceremonial life. When an Indian prepares
for a noteworthy event, he makes a decorated
ceremonial arrow and asks for protection
or a favor from the gods. The arrow is
thought to act as a messenger to the deities.

Among the textiles are included belts,
bags, head bands, men's dress neckerchiefs,
and a woman's poncho cape. Embroidery
is a favorite decorative technique and strik-
ing designs are carried out with care and

BENEFITS OF MUSEUM EXTENDED TO CRIPPLED CHILDREN

By JOHN R. MILLAR

CURATOR, N. W. HARRIS PUBLIC SCHOOL EXTENSION

In recent months, ten hospital schools
have been added to those receiving the
portable museum cases prepared and circu-
lated by the N. W. Harris Public School
Extension of Field Museum. The hospital
schools are branches
of regular or special
public schools. They
represent a successful
attempt to provide
continuing instruction
for children of school
age who, through mis-
fortune, must under-
go long hospitalization
for the treatment of
various non-infectious
maladies such as rheu-
matic heart, chorea,
or crippling deformi-
ties of various kinds.

Instruction in hos-
pital schools under
best conditions is
carried on under great
difficulties. In many
instances it requires
individual bedside
teaching. Under such
circumstances, the
Harris Extension
eases, in spite of their
claim to portability,
seemed to lack utility

as teaching aids or material for instruction.
To adapt the use of the cases to hospital
conditions, a tubular metal stand with
large, free-rolling casters was designed, and
a sample made by the Museum. It supports
the usual loan of two school cases at bed-
side or wheel-chair height, and provides an
almost effortless mobility for the cases,

permitting them to be moved with ease
from place to place in the hospital school.
With the exception of one, where the kind
of patient permits more formal classroom
instruction, all the hospital schools receiving
the Harris Extension cases have acquired
this type of stand.

Courccsy of Board ol Education Photo Labotatory

MUSEUM REACHES OUT TO HANDICAPPED YOUNGSTERS

Scene at Sarah Morris Children's Hospital (a division of Michael Reese Hospital)
where traveling exhibition cases like that shown in center are now being sent on
regular schedule by the N, W. Harris Public School Extension of Field Museum.

This contribution of the extension services
of Field Museum to the education and
welfare of handicapped children, who may
be required to lead a cloistered existence
the rest of their lives, will be regarded
with satisfaction by the several thousand
Chicagoans and others who support the
Museum's activities.

effectiveness. Two water color sketches,
executed by Miss Margaret Ross, Volunteer
in the Department of Anthropology, illus-
trate the Huichol method of wearing head-
bands and the manner in which women wear
their dress capes. Two additional sketches
by Miss Ross are mounted with a collection
of modern Aztec specimens, which have been
reinstalled in the same case.

Chicagoans, Please Note!

From a resident of Bluefield, West Vir-
ginia, who recently visited Chicago, the
Director of the Museum has received the
following letter:

"Just a note to tell you that the largest
value received for twenty-five cents was the
admission paid to see the Chicago Field
Museum. The vacation spent in Chicago
area by myself, wife, and son Jim was the
happiest we ever experienced."

5,000 BOLIVIAN BIRD SPECIMENS
RECEIVED AT MUSEUM

Field Museum recently received an in-
teresting collection of some 5,000 birds
from Bolivia. They were assembled by
Seiior Francisco Steinbach, of Cochabamba,
who carries on the tradition of exploring the
animal world of his country established
many years ago by his father, Jos§ Stein-
bach. The collection is particularly rich
in birds of the family of oven birds (not
related to the North American oven bird).
Also well represented are humming birds
and fly catchers.

These specimens, which fill an important
gap in the Museum's geographical coverage
of South America, will be of great value in
comparisons and studies on collections re-
cently made by the Magellanic Expedition
and other material recently received from
Paraguay, Peru, and Ecuador. — R.B.

Page i

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

September, 19^1

THE MITE AND TICK MENACE

By WILLIAM J. GERHARD

CURATOR OF INSECTS

That certain small creatures now called
insects, mites, and ticks are responsible for
much of the discomfort of man's outdoor
life must have been as true and as apparent
before the dawn of history as now. Only
during the past fifty years, however, has it
been discovered that a number of these
annoying pests serve as carriers, trans-
mitters, or intermediate hosts of viruses.

Phoro courcesy of National Institute of Hcalili, Rocky Mountain
Lalx>raiory, United States Public Healtti Service

A "PUBLIC ENEMY"
The Rocky Mountain fever tick, cause of a dangerous
disease, tfie mortality rate from which has recently focused
upon it the attention of the medical profession. A roman.
tic treatment of the research upon it was presented in
the popular novel "Green Light" by Lloyd C. Douglas.

Female (top) and male

bacteria, and protozoans that often cause
sickness or even fatal diseases in man and
animals. Of the disease-transmitting insects,
lice, mosquitoes, flies, and fleas are the most
familiar, but some of the mites and a number
of ticks are also a menace.

Mites are mostly minute, bean-shaped or
sack-shaped creatures with unsegmented
bodies. The members of two of the thirty
or more families of mites are comparatively
large, somewhat fiat, and are generally called
ticks. With few exceptions, all mites have
four stages in their development: the egg,
larval, nymphal, and adult stages. Like the
spiders, which are close allies, most mites
have four pairs of legs in their adult stage.

Of the many modes of life of these abund-
ant and widely distributed little creatures,
those that affect the interests and health
of man are the most noteworthy. Among
them are the mites that are predaceous on
injurious insects; those that are destructive

to plants, trees and food products; and those
that as parasites attack man and animals.
The mites destructive to vegetation are
the kinds that feed on the sap of fruit
trees and clover, the leaves of beans (red
spiders) and other economic plants, or on
bulbs and garden flowers. The cheese, ham,
and iiour mites, which bring forth their
young alive, are troublesome pests in Europe
and North America. Farm animals often
are the victims of species that have parasitic
habits. Some of them are the scab, mange,
and follicle mites that attack cattle; and
the feather, scaly-leg, and depluming mites
that live on poultry and other birds. Long-
known parasites of man and domestic
animals are the itch mites. They burrow
into the skin and cause intense itching which,
if not promptly treated with a sulphur
ointment, develops into a disease called
scabies or "barber's itch."

TEMPORARY PARASITES ON MAN

In the eastern half of the United States
there are mites that often prove very
troublesome as temporary parasites on
human beings. They are known as red
bugs or chiggers. In their minute larval
stage they crawl generally on the lower
half of a person's body and attach them-
selves by means of their specialized mouth
parts. In a few days they become engorged
with blood and nymph, and drop off. How-
ever, much irritation, severe itching, and
more serious complications often result from
their attacks. The adult red bugs are
predaceous mostly on insects. Harvest or
grain mites can also be regarded as tem-
porary parasites upon man. Normally they
are predaceous on insect larvae that feed on
farm products, but harvest hands and those
who handle insect-infested farm products are
sometimes attacked by them. A day or
two afterwards, their temporary host may
have a widespread rash accompanied in
severe cases by fever, nausea, and headache.

The members of the two families of mites
generally called ticks include about fifty
different kinds that live in the United States.
All of them are external parasites on verte-
brate animals. Five are known, and more
are suspected as transmitters to man of a
number of disease-producing organisms.
Some species feed and pass their different
stages on one host; others require two,
three, or more hosts for their full develop-
ment. Their food consists wholly of blood
and nymph, but, when none is available as
is the case generally during the winter, they
can live without nourishment for many
months. So well fitted are most ticks for
their blood-sucking habits that care must
be taken in removing them, to prevent the
mouth parts from separating from their
bodies and remaining anchored in the skin
of their hosts.

That ticks can be the vectors or trans-
mitters of disease organisms was demon-
strated for the first time in 1893. Two
investigators, Messrs. T. Smith and F. L.

Kilboume, of the United States Department
of Agriculture, discovered that a particular
species of tick in the southern states was
the vector of a protozoan (a single-celled
animal) that produces a serious and often
fatal disease in cattle and other domestic
animals in Texas and adjoining states.

These Texas fever ticks, as they are called,
are single host parasites. They pass their
different stages on one animal, finally mating
and dropping to the ground where the
females lay their eggs. As there is no
successful way of curing the afflicted animals,
the best method for checking the disease
is to kill the ticks on their hosts, and to
prevent the parasites from spreading into
other parts of the country by quarantine
regulations. In this manner the pests have
been greatly reduced in number, and the
area of their distribution has been restricted.
In Europe other species of ticks have been
found to be responsible for a disease similar
to the Texas or redwater fever.

THE SPOTTED FEVER TICK

The discovery that a certain kind of tick
was indirectly responsible for the red-water
fever which was once widespread among
cattle in Texas led investigators to believe
that some of the diseases of man might be
due to the feeding habits of similar parasites.
As a result of the investigations of the late
Dr. H. T. Ricketts and his associates, it
was ascertained in 1906 that a species of
tick was the transmitter of an organism that
caused the sickness and death of many
persons in the northern Rocky Mountain
states. Later, careful studies and experi-
ments made by the National Institute of
Health (United States Public Health Service)
in its Rocky Mountain Laboratory at
Hamilton, Montana, and by investigators
of various other institutions, disclosed the
intricate life-history of the Rocky Mountain
spotted fever tick and its surprising status
as a disease vector.

This important parasite proved to be a
three-host tick that requires two to three

GOING WEST?

Carry a copy of A Field Guide to
Western Birds, by Roger Tory Peter-
son, with you.

"The standard book for field identi-
fication," says Mr. Rudyerd Boulton,
Curator of Birds at Field Museum.
"Any bird student contemplating a
trip to the West cannot afford to be
without it. Well illustrated, like
Peterson's Eastern Guide, it is a
long awaited aid for bird lovers. It is
useful in the Chicago area as well as
in regions further west."

On sale at THE BOOK SHOP of
FIELD MUSEUM— $2.75. Books
may be ordered by mail.

September, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

FIELD MUSEUM HONOR ROLL
Now In the Service
of their Country:

Theodore Roosevelt, Trustee —
Colonel, U.S. Army, commanding
26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Mass.

Joseph Nash Field, Trustee — Ensign,
U.S. Navy, Headquarters, 9th
Naval District, Great Lakes, 111.

Clifford C. Gregg, Director — Major,
U.S. Army, Assistant Adjutant
General, 6th Corps Area, Chicago.

John Rinaldo, Associate, South-
western Archaeology — Private, U.S.
Army, 51st Field Artillery, Camp
Roberts, Calif.

Patrick T. McEnery, Guard— Chief
Gunner's Mate, U.S. Navy, Train-
ing School, Navy Pier, Chicago

John Syckowski, Guard — Chief Com-
missary Steward, U.S. Navy, 9th
Naval District, Great Lakes, 111.

years for its development from the egg to
the adult stage. Its range of distribution
is now known to extend from New Mexico
and Arizona northward to British Columbia
and Alberta. For a week or two the larvae
feed on small mammals, primarily rodents,
and, after becoming engorged, they drop to
the ground, molt, and change into the
nymphal stage. The nymphs likewise live
on small mammals and they finally also
leave their hosts, molt, and become adult
ticks. The adult parasites in turn feed
mostly on large mammals, and it is in this
stage that they attack man. Large mam-
mals seem to be immune to the results of
these tick bites, but man, monkeys, and
guinea pigs are not. The human death rate
from western spotted fever varies in different
localities from 5 to 85 per cent.

The organisms that the Rocky Mountain
fever tick transmits are called Rickettsi
bodies which some authorities believe to be
a virus. Rickettsi bodies are found in a
number of species of small mammals and
they serve as natural reservoirs for the virus.
By means of their eggs the ticks can pass
the virus to the next generation.

OTHER DISEASES FROM TICKS

Recent investigations have disclosed the
fact that the western spotted fever tick and
four allied species are at least partly respon-
sible for the transmission of four other
organisms which cause the diseases known
as tick paralysis, tularaemia, relapsing fever,
and Colorado fever.

It is now well known that spotted fever
occurs not only in the west, but also in the
middle Atlantic states, especially Maryland,
Virginia, and North Carolina. The eastern
strain of this disease seemingly is less virulent
than the western, the fatality of authentic
human cases averaging about 20 per cent.
It was only in 1931 that the American dog

or eastern wood tick was found to be the
vector of the spotted fever virus in the east.

The American dog tick is a three-host
parasite that apparently has an irregular
distribution in the United States and south-
ern Canada. During its different stages it
feeds on a variety of domestic and wild
animals. It is commonly found on dogs and
it often attaches itself to man. In Illinois
in 1939 two human cases of spotted fever
were officially reported and believed to be
the results of the bites of dog ticks that had
fed on two infected sheep. Besides being a
vector of the spotted fever virus, the com-
mon wood or dog tick also transmits the
bacteria causing tularaemia, a disease com-
mon in rabbits.

There is sufficient evidence to prove that
the attacks of a number of species of ticks
both in America and abroad have serious
and often fatal results to animals of economic
importance, and to man. All tick bites,
therefore, should i)e given prompt and
careful attention.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

EXPEDITION TO ECUADOR

Mr. Donald Collier, recently appointed
Assistant Curator of Ethnology, is leaving
September 1 to spend five months in
Ecuador supervising for the Institute of
Andean Research a program of archaeo-
logical investigations in which Field Museum
is collaborating. The project is sponsored
by the Co-ordinator of Commercial and
Cultural Relations Between the American
Republics.

Although little archaeological work has
been done in Ecuador, extensive prehistoric
remains are known to exist, and it is ex-
pected that an archaeological survey will
yield important results. The expedition
hopes to gather information which will tie
up the archaeology of Ecuador with that of
Peru to the south and Colombia to the north.

Ecuador was conquered by the Incas in
the 15th century, and the most recent
archaeological remains there pertain to the
Inca civilization. But there is also evidence,
in the form of elaborate pottery, gold and
silver objects, and intricate stone carving,
that important civilizations existed in
Ecuador before the coming of the Inca
conquerors from the south. It is the aim
of the expedition to study these earlier
cultures and to attempt to relate them to
early Indian civilizations that flourished in
other parts of the Andes.

Change in Visiting Hours
Begins September 2

Field Museum visiting hours, which have
been 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily during the
summer months, will change to the autumn
schedule — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — on Tuesday,
September 2, the day after Labor Day.
These hours will continue until October 31.
On November 1 the winter hours, 9 a.m.
to 4 P.M., will go into effect.

Closest Relative of Elephants
is a Rabbit-sized Animal

The dassie (also known as hyrax, and
cony or coney), an animal only about the
size of a rabbit, is the closest living relative
of the elephant. However, in appearance
it resembles a nondescript sort of rodent.
When its anatomy is examined it proves
to be related to the rhinoceroses and horses,
as well as to the elephants!

A small habitat group of these odd little
creatures which live in Africa (the North
American cony of our west is no close
relative) is on exhibition in Carl E. Akeley
Memorial Hall (Hall 22). The specimens
were collected in Ethiopia in 1926-27 by
the Chicago Daily News-Fie\d Museum
Abyssinian Expedition.

The relationship of the dassie to the
elephant is established by its internal
characters, and more especially by the
structure of its feet. The molar teeth are
strikingly like those of the rhinoceros. The
size and general appearance of the dassie

DASSIE OR CONEY
Related not only to Jumbo, but to rhinos and horses.

would lead the average layman to assume
that it was a rodent, but actually the little
animal belongs, as do both the elephant
and the rhinoceros, to the great assemblage
of ungulates or hoofed mammals. Its real
systematic relations are with the primitive
fossil hoofed animals of Eocene age that had
five fingers and five toes, and it would be
quite correct to refer to the hyrax as a
"living fossil."

The dassie has the distinction of being
mentioned in the Bible under its other
common name, coney: "The coneys are but
a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in
the rocks" (Proverbs: 30th Chapter: 26th
Verse). By the natives of Ethiopia the
dassie is called "chekoko" which resembles
in sound the curious chattering call which
makes the rocky hill habitations of these
little animals extremely noisy.

Remarkably modern in design is an
ancient Roman bronze bathtub, from Bosco-
reale, exhibited in Stanley Field Hall.

Paoe€

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

September, 1914

Field Museum of Natural History

Porvifflri BY Makshau. Field. 1893

Koowrelt Road and Fldd Drire. Chiofio

Telsfboke: Wasasb 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lbst^x Armoi'S Albest W. Haskis

Sbwsll 1* A'viatY Sami-kl Ivstll. Jr.

TV. MoCoRMiCK BuiR Charles .%. McCi-lloch

LBoroLD E. Blocj; William H. Mitchell

BOARDMAV CovO\-ER GBOItGK A. RiCHARnSOS

Walter J. Cnan>JGS Theodore Roose\'ELt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomox a. Smith

JosES^ N. Field Albert A. Spraguk

Masshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Staklet Field Albert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanlet FtSLD «. PnxUml

.\LSERT A. SpraGIjE Firgl Vict-Prrsiiiml

SiLA? H. Strawx Second V ic^Prenitieyt

Albert W, RaSSZS Third Vice-Prendenl

CUTTCXD C. Gkbog . Dirtctar and f^errettir]/

SoftjOMON A. Smxth . . TrBOKKrer and Aixitiant Secrrlarg

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR

CLIfTOKD C. GCBOG DirerUtr oj tii€ Jlf ii«iim

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

WiLFSED H. Osgood Cacrator Eimriiut, Zotdost

CONTRIBrTING EDITORS

Pali. S. MaSTIK Chitf CvraUir oj AnOirvpuloB]!

B. E. DAHliOEEN Cfetc/ CuraioT of Botany

Henry W. Xktbols Ckief Curaior of Geolon

Karl P. Schxidt Ckte/ Curaior o] Zoalon

liiAXAGIKG EDITOR
H. B. HartE PuUit RelatioTU Counml

Mcmbent are requgated tn infonn the Vlineam

A NEW VEGETABLE WAX

By B. E. DAHLGRB»I
chisf cntatok, is7artmevt of botant

Importers of South American ram-
materials are offering a new vegetable
product under the name of "ouricury wax."
Its appearance and physical properties are
very similar to the darker grades of the
weD-known camauba wax from northeastern
Brazil, which is the most important ingredi-
ent of floor-wax and automobile polishes.
Like eamauba wax, ouricury is the product
of a palm. It is not at all closely related
to the fan-leaved camauba palm, although
it grows in a somewhat similar environment
in the area to the south and east of the
semi-arid Camauba zone of northeastern
BraziL In both cases the ■wax is produced
as a thin coating on the leaves of the plant,
affording, no doubt, in a hot and dry region,
some protection against excessive evapora-
tion of water.

Of the two waxes, the ouricury is by far
the more troublesome to gather. Being
firmly adherent to the leaf even in the
dried state, it cannot be loosened like
camauba wax simply by beating the cut
leaves after a few days of drying. Ouricury
wax must be obtained from the dried leaves
by a much more time-consuming process of
scraping the upper surface of the many
divisions of the feather-veined leaf. This is
done with a knife or a piece of broken glass.
The result is a rather coarse, dirty-yellow
powder consisting of wax mixed with frag-
ments of leaf ejridermis. This crude wax is

then cleaned by sifting, liquefied by heat,
strained, and poured into molds.

The palm that yields the ouricuiy wax is
one of the small-fruited Cocos i)alms, numer-
ous in South America, and characteristic of
that continent. The species concerned.
Coco eoronata or Syagrus coronate, forms a
small or medium-sized tree, with a trunk
six to eight inches in diameter and a crown
of rather stiff and short feather- veined
leaves. The leaves are arranged in five
spiral rows, strikingly evident at the point
of their attachment to the trunk. The
palm is extremely abundant in the state of
Bahia, where its common name is "licury."
As a name for the wax this would have been
preferable to the market designation, "ouri-
cury." The latter has long been well-
known as the common name for a very
different palm from a region far removed
from that of the licury and is therefore
obviously confusing.

While licury palm wax is of relatively
recent introduction, the licury palm has long
been known and esteemed as a source of
oil. This is obtained from the kernels of
its fruit, generally by expression. Where
the palm is abundant the oil is a considerable
source of revenue. It is estimated that there
are billions of these palms in the state of
Bahia alone, a total capable of yielding the
inhabitants an income comparable to that
furnished by the coffee crop of other states.
Unfortunately, the extensive cutting of
leaves for wax is not conducive to the
^■^gorous growth required for great oil
production, but nevertheless the oppor-
tunities for the expansion of both of these
products are enormous. To date the
exploitation is confined to trees growing
wild. As usual in the case of tropical forest
products, not only the quality and abund-
ance of the product, but accessibility,
transportation facilities, and density of
population are important considerations
governing the prospects of the industry.

On exhibition in Hall 25 (Case 47) of the
Department of Botany are a leaf and fruit
of the ouricury palm, and a specimen of the
wax. In the same haD is an exhibit pertain-
ing to the camauba palm and its wax.

Botanical Expedition to California

An expedition left Field Museum toward
the end of August to study and collect the
cryptogamic plants of California. The party
will spend several weeks in the northern
mountainous counties, giving special atten-
tion to the algae and mosses of the region.
A week will be devoted to collecting in the
vicinity of San Francisco Bay to secure
additional material of, and to study in the
living condition, the numerous species of
microscopic algae described from there in
the past. The remainder of the six or eight
weeks will be taken up with studies of the
flora of the San Joaquin and Imperial

Valleys in the central and southern parts of
the state. The members of the expedition.
Dr. Francis Drouet, Curator of Cryptogamic
Botany, and Mr. Donald Richards, of the
Hull Botanical Laboratory, University of
Chicago, plan to return to Chicago during
the latter part of October.

Staff Notes

Mr. Llewelyn Williams, Curator of
Economic Botany, on a recent trip to the
state of Washington visited logging camps
and sawmills of the White River Lumber
Company, Enumclaw; The Weyerhaeuser
Lumber Company, Longview, and others.
He was a guest also of the Lathrop Pack
Forestry Station, La Grande. Selections
were made of exhibition material of noble
fir, Sitka spruce, and alder, three species
which are still needed to complete the
American timber display in Charles F.
Millspaugh Hall. Herbarium specimens
were collected along the Pacific coast.

Mr. Carl F. Gronemann, for many years

the Museum's Illustrator, has been retired
on pension, due to advancing years and
ill health. His assistant, Mr. John Janecek,
has been appointed Illustrator.

Dr. Fritz Haas, Curator of Lower In-
vertebrates, attended the annual meeting of
The American Malacological Union, at
Thomaston, Maine, August 26-29, and
lectured on "The Habits of Life of Some
West Coast Bivalves."

A FEW FACTS .\BOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below:

November, December,

Januao', February ... .9 A.M. to i P.M.
March, .\pril, and

September, Oct.ober . . .9 A.M. to 5 PJI.
May, June, July. August. 9 A.M. to 6 PJI.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted fr«e
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educational institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Sattirday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and t.ours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and .Anna Louise
Raymond Fotindation for Public School and
Children's Lecttires.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:S0 o'dock) in March,
-\pril, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
btisses pro\'ide direct transportation to the
Mtisetizn. Service is offered also by Surface
lines. Rapid Transit Lines (the "L"), inter-
urban elect.ric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles at the Museum.

September, 19^1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

SOUTHWEST EXPEDITION FINDS NEW AMERICAN CULTURE

The Field Museum Archaeological Expedi-
tion to the Southwest has resumed digging
the now famous SU (pronounced "Shu")
ruin. This ancient village is located in the
west central portion of New Mexico, on a
ridge in the Apache National Forest. The
expedition has been financed through the
generosity of Mr. Stanley Field, President
of the Museum.

For the past six weeks. Dr. Paul S.
Martin, Chief Curator of the Museum's

Pueblo, and the Hohokam. It has been
only within the last two years that knowl-
edge of a new major culture has begun to
unfold. This new group, called "Mogollon"
(pronounced "muggy-own") after the name
of a high mountain range near which it is
found, is distinct from the above two
cultures. Its house types, pottery, and bone
and stone tools follow a pattern distinctly
their own. The great importance of Field
Museum's SU site is that it stands at

pir?'iv.

;»»4»**

FARM HORSES AND EQUIPMENT AID ARCHAEOLOGISTS

"Pithouse J" — one of the prehistoric underground habitations of prehistoric Indians, uncovered by excavations of
the Field Museum Archaeological Expedition to the Southwest during the present season on the SU Site in New Mexico.
Such pithouses are estimated to be some 1,500 years old, and are probably the oldest type of shelter used in North America.

Department of Anthropology, and a crew
of twelve men have been uncovering the
remains of primitive pithouses. (A pithouse
is just what the term implies — a pit large
enough to live in.) These pithouses are about
15 feet in diameter, and represent probably
the oldest house type in North America.

Eight houses have been excavated and
these have yielded a vast amount of pot-
sherds, bone tools, stone weapons, and
household utensils, according to a recent
report received from Dr. Martin. It will
take months of study to digest the mass
of information they supply, and establish
reasonable conclusions and hypotheses.

Dr. Martin is able, however, to hazard
the judgment that the civilization unearthed
at the SU village is a hitherto unclassified
one, as only one or two sites even vaguely
like it have ever been found and dug.
Until recently, archaeologists have known
only two major cultural groupings in the
great Southwestern area: the Basketmaker-

what is apparently the beginning of the
Mogollon culture.

A DIFFICULT EXCAVATION TASK

The houses, tools, and pottery are so
crude and so early that they almost defy
description. It is a great triumph even to
locate the houses, because they are so deeply
and perfectly buried that they cannot be
detected by outward manifestations. There
are no walls showing as in better-known
ruins; there are no prominent mounds of
earth and stone waiting to be explored. The
only manner in which the Field Museum
crew can locate these ancient, crude houses
is by stripping off all the surface soil down
to glacial clays, or by trenching.

Therefore, trenches four feet wide and
one foot deep are sunk into the top and sides
of the ridge on which the SU village is
located. If the men encounter "sterile"
(that is, undisturbed, primeval earth), the
soil will be yellowish and hard to dig.

But when the soil in the trench suddenly
becomes black, filled with pieces of charcoal
and broken pottery, and is easy to dig,
then the diggers know that they are in
"fill." This fill — which might be called the
archaeologist's "pay-dirt" — is soft, refuse-
laden soil which washes into abandoned
pithouses. Cleaning out this fill is an arduous
and delicate task, for if the digger is not
careful, he will dig right through a wall,
since it also consists only of dirt.

In the soft dirt which lies on the house
floor, tools of stone and bone, and broken
pieces of pottery are found. These dis-
carded, broken, partly disintegrated, and
forgotten fragments of an ancient civiliza-
tion are the clues which Dr. Martin and
his assistants use for piecing together the
story of this now extinct culture.

What people lived in these long abandoned
pithouses, and what became of them, are
mysteries which Dr. Martin would like to
solve. Did these people die out, leaving no
descendants? Did they migrate and merge
with other Indians, whose modern descend-
ants carry a strain of the ancient Mogollon
blood? Or did other Indians move in and
intermarry with the people of the SU
village? No one yet knows the answers to
these questions.

SKELETONS TO BE STUDIED

However, some light may be thrown on
this Mogollon race by the study of skeletons
which have been discovered. One such
skeleton, recently unearthed, was of partic-
ular interest. Apparently this person had
been buried in the debris of a burned house,
instead of in a small pit beneath the floor,
as was the usual custom. Later, the house
had served as a general dump for the rest
of the village. Two bone awls and five
pieces of mineral paints were found in the
lap of this individual. These articles had
presumably been contained in a leather bag,
all traces of which have long ago disappeared.
These paints were green (malachite); blue
(azurite); red (hematite); yellow (limonite),
and black (magnetite). This person had
probably been an artist or possibly a healer
who had achieved some importance in the
village. The sex and race of this skeleton
will be determined when the other skeletons
are studied, measured, and analyzed next
winter in the Museum laboratory.

Dr. Martin believes the SU village to be
1,500 years old, or older. Exact dates have
not yet been determined, although it is
hoped that the charred roof beams which
are being recovered and carefully preserved
will give the exact dating for this village.

Less spectacular than the fossil skeletons
of large prehistoric animals in Ernest R.
Graham Hall (Hall 38), but equally inter-
esting to the student of life forms and evo-
lution, are the exhibits of primitive inverte-
brates in Frederick J. V. Skiff Hall (Hall 37).

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

September, 19^1

SATURDAY LECTURES FOR ADULTS
TO BEGIN ON OCTOBER 4

The autumn season of free illustrated
lectures on Saturday afternoons will begin
on October 4. The first to be given is
"The Netherlands East Indies," by Mr.
Dillon Ripley, leader of two expeditions for
The Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia.

The complete schedule of these lectures,
to be given on each Saturday during October
and November, will appear in the next
issue of Field Museum News. All lectures
begin at 2:30 p.m., and are presented in the
James Simpson Theatre of the Museum.

No tickets are necessary for admission to
these lectures. A section of the Theatre is
reserved for Members of the Museum, each
of whom is entitled to two reserved seats on
request. Requests for these seats should be
made in advance by telephone (Wabash
9410) or in writing, and seats will be held
in the Member's name until 2:30 o'clock
on the day of the lecture. All reserved
seats not claimed by 2:30 p.m. will be made
available to the general public.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

Department of Botany:

From Dr. Narciso Souza-Novelo, Merida,
Yucatan, Mexico — 34 herbarium specimens,
Yucatan ; from Escuela Nacional de Agricul-
tura, Chimaltenango, Guatemala — 54 her-
barium specimens, Guatemala; from James
Zetek, Balboa, Canal Zone — 22 herbarium
specimens, Panama; from Rev. Padre
Cornelio Vogl, Caracas, Venezuela — 300
herbarium specimens, Venezuela; from Rev.
Brother Elias, Caracas, Venezuela — 250
herbarium specimens, Venezuela; from Miss
Netta E. Gray, Urbana, 111. — 100 specimens
of algae, Arkansas; from Donald Richards,
Chicago — 45 specimens of mosses; from Dr.
Walter Kiener, Lincoln, Neb. — 37 specimens
of algae, Nebraska; from Dr. Lee Walp,
North Truro, Mass. — 16 specimens of algae,
Massachusetts; from Dr. M. J. Groesbeck,
Porterville, Calif. — 97 specimens of algae,
California and Nevada; from Dr. Francis
Drouet, Chicago — 245 specimens of algae.
New York; from L. J. King, Chicago — 41
specimens of algae, Illinois and Indiana;
from Prof. H. Pittier, Caracas, Venezuela —
133 specimens of plants, Venezuela; from
Dr. C. M. Palmer, Indianapolis, Ind. — 23
specimens of algae, Indiana.

Department of Geology :

From A. H. Becker, Madison, Wis. — one
specimen of anorthoclase moonstone, Wiscon-
sin; from M. Cedric Gleason, Washington,
D.C. — 2 specimens of turquois, Virginia.

Department of Zoology :

From Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago — one
Asiatic porcupine; from John Kurfess,
Hinsdale, 111. — 9 snakes, Arizona, Illinois,
and Minnesota; from Edwin S. Cieslak,
Chicago — 149 garter snake skins, Illinois
and Washington; from Chicago Zoological

Society, Brookfield, 111. — 10 miscellaneous
birds; from Leslie Hubricht, St. Louis, Mo.
— 6 cave salamanders, Missouri; from Gray-
son Meade, Crockett, Tex. — 14 lizards and
one snake, Texas.

The Library:

Valuable books from Dr. Carlos A.
Marelli, La Plata, Argentina; from J.
McGregor Littell, Mt. Arlington, New
Jersey; and from Dr. Fritz Haas, Elmer S.
Riggs, and Loren P. Woods, all of Chicago.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
July 16 to August 15:

Associate Members

Mrs. Albert I. Ullmann, Samuel R.
Rosenthal.

Annual Members

Floyd D. Cerf, V. W. Coath, Samuel
Danits, John H. Denson, Joseph H. Don-
berg, Joseph I. Geneser, Martin Gorski,
Dr. A. H. Grimmer, Mrs. Ralph R. Hawkins,
J. A. Holmes, Irving A. Horwitz, Alfred C.
Johnson, Henry A. Juers, Dr. George G.
Knapp, George F. Leibrandt, Mrs. Grace
McDonough, A. E. Millard, Ralph New-
berger. Dr. George J. Porter, John P.
Robertson, Frank Ryan, Mrs. Joseph True
Steuer, William M. Stuart, Joseph P.
Sullivan, Merrill Symonds, John Symons,
William G. Taylor, Felix VanCleef, Arnold
Spencer Wahl, J. E. Waitman, C. Arthur
Wales, Louis R. Walker, West Wuichet,
Benjamin F. Wupper.

SEPTEMBER LECTURE TOURS

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for September:

Week beginning September 1: Monday —
Labor Day holiday, no tour; Tuesday —
General Tour; Wednesday — Life Under the
Waters (Miss Elizabeth Best); Thursday —
General Tour; Friday — The Races of Man-
kind (Mrs. Leota G. Thomas).

Week beginning September 8: Monday —
Plants in Modern Industrial Life (Miss
Marie B. Pabst); Tuesday — General Tour;
Wednesday — Men of the Stone Age (Miss
Elizabeth Hambleton); Thursday — General
Tour; Friday — Gems and Their Histories
(Bert E. Grove).

Week beginning September 15: Monday
— Some Modern Animals and Their An-
cestors of Yesterday (Miss Elizabeth Best);
Tuesday — General Tour; Wednesday — Bird
Life in the Chicago Region (Mrs. Leota G.
Thomas); Thursday — General Tour; Friday
— The Development of A Forest (Miss
Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning September 22: Monday —
The Near East, Cradle of Civilization (Miss
Elizabeth Hambleton) ; Tuesday — General
Tour; Wednesday — Prehistoric Life (Bert E.
Grove); Thursday — General Tour; Friday —
Where Did the Indians Come From? (Miss
Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning September 29: Monday
— Animals and the Uses We Find for Them
from Clothing to Transportation (Miss
Elizabeth Best); Tuesday — General "Tour.

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director,
special tours are available to parties.

Museum to be Represented
in Science Symposium

In the course of its fiftieth anniversary
celebration, the University of Chicago will
entertain the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. The feature of
the programs will be symposia on various
topics of especial current interest. In
advance of the meetings of the association
there will be a symposium on The Training
of a Biologist in which Chief Curator Karl P.
Schmidt of Field Museum's Department of
Zoology has been asked to take part. Mr.
Schmidt will represent the standpoint of the
field naturalist and systematic zoologist in
the discussion.

The manufacture of common brick in all
stages from digging the clay to loading the
finished product on cars is illustrated by a
large and elaborate model on exhibition in
Hall 36 of the Department of Geology.

MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD MUSEU.M

Field Museum has several classes of Mem-
bers. Annual Members contribute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and are
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually for six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Resident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Resident Associate Members $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
Resident memberships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles or more from Chi-
cago. Those who give or devise to the Museum
$1,000 to $100,000 are designated as Contribu-
tors, and those who give or devise $100,000 or
more become Benefactors. Other memberships
are Honorary, Patron, Corresponding and Cor-
porate, additions under these classifications
being made by special action of the Board of
Trustees.

Each Member, in all classes, is entitled to
free admission to the Mtlseum for himself, his
family and house guests: and to two reserved
seats for Museum lectures provided for Mem-
bers. Subscription to Field Museum News is
included with all memberships. The courtesies
of every museum of note in the United States
and Canada are extended to all Members of
Field Museum. A Member may give his
personal card to non-residenta of Chicago, upon
presentation of which they will be admitted to
the Museum without charge. Further informa-
tion about memberships will be sent on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum of Natural His-
tory may be made in securities, money, books or
collections. They may, if desired, take the form
of a memorial to a person or cause, named by
the giver.

Contributions made within the taxable year,
not exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net
income, are allowable as deductionsin computing
net income for federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum
with the provision that an annuity be paid to
the patron for life. These annuities are guaran-
teed against fluctuation in amount, and may
reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTED BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

News

PvAlished Monthly by Field MtLseum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

OCTOBER, 1941

No. 10

INTERTIDAL VEGETATION OF NORTH ATLANTIC COAST SHOWN IN NEW EXHIBIT

Bv FRANCIS DROUET

CURATOR OF CRYITOGAMIC BOTANY

A habitat group showing the intertidal
vegetation of the rocky north Atlantic shore
has just been completed and installed in
Martin A. and Carrie Ryerson Hall (Hall 29,
the Hall of Plant Life), in the Department
of Botany. Placed
immediately to the
right of the large
alpine meadow group
which occupies a cen-
tral position at the
north end of the hall,
the new group is of
the same size as the
Illinois woodland
scene installed about
a year ago in a corre-
sponding space on the
left side.

Work upon this ex-
hibit has been in ac-
tive progress for more
than a year. The
material and studies
on which it is based
were obtained by two
expeditions to the
north Atlantic coast,
one in 1939 by Mr.
John R. Millar, and
one in 1940 by Mr.
Emil Sella, Chief
Preparator in the
Department of
Botany. The first

was sponsored by Mr. Sewell L. Avery, a
Trustee of the Museum. Both expeditions
visited the shores of the Bay of Fundy.
The first one resulted in a large quantity
of material with photographic records and
observations which have served as a basis
for the planning of the general lines of the
group. A sketch model was prepared by
Mr. Millar (then a member of the Depart-
ment of Botany staff, now Curator of the
N. W. Harris Public School Extension) on
his return to the Museum. When other
duties later prevented Mr. Millar's further
attention to the project, it was taken over
by Mr. Sella who has since carried the work
to its present successful conclusion.

Although water covers nearly three-
fourths of the earth's surface, many of us

do not realize that there exists in it a
vegetation which perhaps exceeds in number
of kinds and individuals the more familiar
land vegetation. The large plants found in
fresh water are chiefly flowering plants.
A few mosses and algae are easily seen, but
the majority of species present are of micro-

SEA WEEDS ON ROCKS NEAR EASTERNMOST POINT OF UNITED STATES
At hundreds of places along the shores of Maine and Canada grow the conspicuous algal plants reproduced in this new
hahitat group just completed and opened to public view in Martin A. and Carrie Ryerson Hall (Hall 29, Plant Life).

scopic algae familiar to the naked eye only
at certain times during the year when
millions of individuals grow together as
scum and water-blooms.

Most of the water covering the earth's
surface is salty, however, and is to be found
far from Chicago in the oceans and the
seas. There the algae are represented by
thousands of species. Many are so small
that they can be seen only under the
microscope or where they have developed
in large enough masses to form floating
scums or coatings on submerged objects.
They range in size according to species and
habitat from minute few-celled plants to
giant kelps hundreds of feet long. Those
which are visible to the naked eye are popu-
larly called seaweeds.

The seaweeds, well-known to everyone
who has visited the coast, mostly grow
attached to rocks along the shore; the
familiar forms are those which cover the
rocks between high and low tide-levels.
On the Atlantic coast of North America
from Cape Cod southward, the water is
shallow along shore,
and vast meadows of
rockweeds (Ascophyl-
lum and Pucus) are
often seen exposed at
low tide wherever
rocks or stones are
present.

Some kinds of sea-
weeds grow only
where the water
covers them com-
pletely at all times.
Others grow only at
such heights between
tide-levels that they
are covered with
water for half of each
day. Others develop
only where they are
exposed to the air
most of the day and
are covered with
water for a short time
at high tide. This
peculiarity gives rise
to a distribution of
the species in hori-
zontal zones, especi-
ally where the rocks
rise steeply out of deep water. Along the
coast of northern Maine and Nova Scotia
the difference between high and low tide-
levels is in places more than fifty feet; where
the rocky shore is precipitous, one sees a
broad upper zone of certain species of
Fucus, a lower zone of other types of Fucus
mixed with Ascophyllum, and a still lower
fringe of a large number of species of red,
brown, and green seaweeds. At certain
levels, especially toward low tide-mark,
narrow fringes of dulce and Irish moss are
seen where only a certain peculiar degree
of submersion and exposure is to be found.
The greatest number of species is present
at and just below low tide-level. Here and
in deeper water the red algae predominate
in number of species, though rockweeds,

Page t

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

October, 191,1

kelps, and sea-lettuce may be more con-
spicuous in some places. On rocks in deeper
water the seaweeds are entirely red algae;
these are as a rule seen only when they are
dredged from the bottom or become caught
in fish-nets.

In the north Pacific Ocean the seaweeds
which attract attention are primarily the
brown algae. Here, mostly at and below
low tide-level, one finds giant kelps (Nereo-
cystis, etc.), the bodies of which are longer
than our highest trees. They present con-
siderable variety in structure, and many
of the larger ones possess bladders or floats,
filled with gas, which buoy up the free ends.
The rocks are covered with red algae quite
different from those on the Atlantic coast,
many attaining considerable size.

In shallow tropical and subtropical waters
the striking species are often the calcareous
seaweeds. These are mostly classed as
green and red algae. The green algae present
the bizarre sha|>es of shaving brushes,
parasols, and mushrooms. The red algae
(corallines) develop as fragile or stony
branching masses or occur as crusts on
rocks. These calcareous algae play a con-
siderable role, along with the corals (which
are animals), in the formation of coral
islands and reefs.

Some seaweeds exist in unattached state
in the warmer seas. Certain species of
sargassum, branching brown seaweeds which
possess small globular floats, so cover many
square miles of the tropical Atlantic Ocean
that a large area there has been called the
Sargasso Sea. Reports are that these algae
have at times been an impediment to
navigation. Certain microscopic algae
develop in such profusion as to cover the
water with a scum or to color its upper
layers markedly, as do the dinoflagellates
and Trichodesmium. The latter alga grows
aggregated into very small flakes that color
the water blood-red, and it is said to be
responsible for the naming of the Red Sea.

A small number of conspicuous algae
grow in brackish ponds along low-lying
coasts where the salt water is diluted
periodically by rains, and also in the mouths
of rivers where fresh water is mixed with
salt. In such places most of the seaweeds
are green algae: Enteromorpha, Ulva (sea-
lettuce), and Cladophora. Certain red algae,
especially species of Gracilaria, are often
in evidence. Such habitats are occupied
mainly by hundreds of species of sulfur
bacteria and of microscopic algae: diatoms,
flagellates, and blue-green algae.

The same type of vegetation is charac-
teristic of harbors polluted by wastes from
large cities. Ulva and Enteromorpha are
the conspicuous seaweeds, sometimes to the
exclusion of all others. It is here that most
people become acquainted with the huge
detached plants of the sea-lettuce, floating
or cast up on shore among an unappetizing
assortment of debris.

Though many of them attain massive

size and the majority are large enough to
attract the attention easily, the seaweeds
are scarcely comparable with the flowering
plants in shape and structure. Only a few —
sargassums and some of the rockweeds and
kelps — have organs which superficially re-
semble roots, stems, and leaves. Their
cellular structure is very different. Not the
least conspicuous feature about them is
their color. Most seaweeds contain in
every cell various chemical substances that
mask the green coloring matter which they
have in common with the cells of flowering
plants. Since differences in methods of
reproduction and certain features of internal
structure and outward appearance go hand-
in-hand with the type of coloring matter
present, the seaweeds are classified according
to their color. Thus the chief classes of
algae are designated as the red, brown,
green, and blue-green. The members of
the last class are mostly small, developing
as slimes on objects between tide-marks or
as crusts on rocks in the salt spray above
high tide-level; some, like the Tricho-
desmium mentioned above, give a distinc-
tive color to the water where they occur
in great numbers.

Among the red and green algae the plants
are made up of fine or coarse threads or
cords, variously branched; others are hollow
tubes or delicate or tough membranes. The
great variety of delicately branched forms
has always been a matter of interest to those
who enjoy making collections of beautiful
and artistic natural objects.

IMPORTANT IN "economy" OF OCEANS

The algae constitute the sole food of
myriads of marine animals and are thus of
fundamental importance in the economy of
life in the sea.

Seaweeds are useful to man in many ways.
In China and Japan they are a common
article of food. The bird"s-nest soup of the
Chinese is made mostly of algae. At least
in Japan many species used as food are
especially cultivated in sea-gardens. Certain
red algae — dulce and Irish moss — are often
used as food along the shores of the north
Atlantic Ocean. Much of the iodine of
commerce comes from the kelps. The egar
so widely employed in bacteriological labora-
tories and in medicine is prepared from
various seaweeds. Much interest has been
shown in extracting material from seaweeds
that can be used in place of rubber and
plastics. Along coasts where they are
plentiful the seaweeds have considerable
importance as agricultural fertilizer and as
a source of potash.

From the point of view of museum tech-
nique the new diorama is a notable achieve-
ment. In the hands of Chief Preparator
Sella, the usual plastic materials, from
plaster of Paris to lucite, employed with
great skill and judgment, have served to
produce a faithful replica of a bit of rocky
seashore with its seaweed covering exposed

at ebb-tide. Some of the purely repetitious,
mechanical work required for this, as for
other recent exhibits, was performed under
Mr. Sella's supervision by handicraft workers
furnished by the Works Progress Adminis-
tration. The background was painted by
Staff Artist Arthur G. Rueckert.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Tree Oysters

Oysters that live in trees are a strange
feature of life in the swamps of Florida.
They grow in clumps or groups, attaching
themselves to the roots of mangrove trees.
Half of the time they are in the water, and
half of the time they are high and dry, as

AMPHIBIOUS BIVALVES
These oysters, from the Florida swamps where they at*
tach themselves to mangrove roots, live out of the water
during alternate six-hour periods, when the tide is out.

the tides ebb and flow every six hours daily.
Tree oysters are especially adapted for this
type of living, according to Dr. Fritz Haas,
Curator of Lower Invertebrates. Ordinary
or normal oysters could not survive the
repeated periods of dryness, although they
might occasionally endure an isolated six-
hour period out of the water, he says.

A small group of these odd creatures,
attached to a section of mangrove as in
their life habitat, is on exhibition in the
Hall of Lower Invertebrates (Hall M).
Those shown in the accompanying illustra-
tion will be installed at a future date. They
have a distinctly plant-like appearance,
resembling some sort of fungus growth.
This is so marked that one of the Museum's
specimens attracted the attention of a
visitor to Dr. Haas's office and led him to
inquire why a "plant specimen" had been
transferred to the Department of Zoology.

October, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Pages

Raymond Foundation Receives
Gift From Its Founder

Mrs. James Nelson Raymond, founder
of the James Nelson and Anna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures, last month again gave
Field Museum a contribution of $2,000 to
be applied toward the expenses of the
Foundation's activities. This is a continu-
ance of the generosity which Mrs. Raymond
has exemplified several times a year since
the establishment of the Foundation in
1925, at which time she provided a large
endowment fund. Her gifts during 1941
now amount to $4,000, as she had contrib-
uted $2,000 earlier in the year.

The work of the Raymond Foundation is

recognized, both by authorities of Field
Museum and those of the various public,
parochial and private schools of Chicago,
as one of the most important and valuable
educational endeavors being conducted to
supplement the regular curriculum pre-
scribed for the children of this city. The
benefits extended by this Foundation are
manifold in form, and reach approximately
a quarter of a million children every year.

When you see something in a Field
Museum exhibit and would like to learn
more about it than is available from the
label, consult the Museum's reference
Library on the third floor. The Library
personnel will be delighted to serve you.

Mexican Mammals Collected
on Mount Tancitaro

Mr. Frank C. Wonder, of the Museum's
taxidermy staff, recently returned from a
season's field collecting in Mexico. He
worked in association with a party of stu-
dents from the University of Illinois, under
the direction of Mr. Harry Hoogstraal, on
Mt. Tancitaro, a well-isolated mountain
on the escarpment of the Mexican Plateau
in the state of Michoacan.

Mr. Wonder's collection of mammals
amounts to 329 specimens, and because of
the excellent quality of the skins and the
interest of the region from which they come,
it forms a most gratifying addition to the
Museum's Mexican mammals.

30-FOOT FOSSIL MARINE REPTILE SKELETON COLLECTED IN A SOUTH DAKOTA PRAIRIE

After collecting the skeleton of a marine
reptile, thirty feet long, in a South Dakota
pasture near the town of Kennebec, the
Field Museum Paleontological Expedition to
the West returned to Chicago September 6.
The members of the expedition were Mr.
Bryan Patterson, Assistant Curator of
Paleontology, who was leader of the party;
Mr. James H. Quinn, of the Museum's
staff; Messrs. John Schmidt, Robert Schmidt,
and Ellsworth Shaw, all of Home wood,
Illinois, and Mr. Edwin C. Galbreath, of
Ashmore, Illinois.

Work was conducted in both Colorado
and South Dakota. The Kennebec sea
reptile, which lived during the Cretaceous
period about one hundred million years ago
when a great salt sea covered what now
constitutes the middle western plains, was
a distant relative of the lizards. A member
of the group known collectively as Mosa-
saurs, it had a very large head, an exceed-
ingly long tail, flippers to paddle its way

through the water, and many conical teeth.
A notable feature was doubled-jointed jaws
making it possible to achieve a wider gape
for devouring the various other sea creatures
upon which it preyed, according to Assistant
Curator Patterson. The deposit from which
it was excavated by Messrs. Quinn and
Galbreath is known as the Pierre Shale.
Hitherto Field Museum has had only a
partial skeleton of this type of prehistoric
animal, and the present specimen, nearly
complete and much larger in proportions,
will provide material for a much more
effective exhibit. The Mosasaur preyed
upon various fishes, invertebrates such as
cuttlefish, and marine turtles which it
probably devoured shell and all.

In Colorado, as reported in last month's
Field Museum News, specimens were ob-
tained of one of the earliest large mammals
— the Coryphodon, a creature about the size
of a hippopotamus but in its special charac-
teristics unlike any animal living today.

Previously there had been only three reason-
ably complete Coryphodon skeletons known.
These animals, which have no modern rela-
tives, lived in the early part of the Eocene
epoch, more than forty million years ago.
Less spectacular, but offering even greater
possibilities scientifically are specimens of
small insectivores and primates of the early
Eocene. To properly assess their scientific
significance will require months of research,
says Mr. Patterson, but it is expected that
some of them will prove to be of species new
to science, and some may have special value
in the further study of the relationships of
the tarsiers, lemurs, and other primitive
members of the early monkey and man
group of animals. Also collected were speci-
mens of early relatives of the horse, rhino-
ceros and tapir, primitive rodents, and
groups of animals of which no members
exist in the modern world. The total collec-
tion of the expedition embraces more than
500 specimens.

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FLYING AND SWIMMING REPTILES, INCLUDING THE MOSASAUR

The huge grotesque animal in the center is Artist Charles R. Knight's restoration of a Mosasaur, a type of marine reptile recently collected in South Dakota by the Field Museum
Paleontological Expedition to the West. On the left in the picture, which is one of the series of large mural paintings in Ernest R. Graham Hall of Historical Geology (Hall 38),
are Pterodactyls, or flying reptiles which had wing-spreads of more than twenty-one feet. On the right is another contemporary, the gigantic sea-turtle of the genus Archelon.

Page U

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

October, 19^1

AUTUMN LECTURE COURSE FOR ADULTS OPENS OCTOBER 4

A region which currently figures in the
the critical news of the day — the Nether-
lands East Indies — will be the subject of
the first free illustrated lecture in the
Annual Autumn Course to be presented
for adults at Field Museum on Saturday
afternoons during October and November.
Two other lectures in the series of nine will
deal with countries in which there is special
interest at this time because of their strategic
positions with relation to the course of world
affairs — the nations of Latin America, and
our northern territory of Alaska.

The lectures are to be given in the
James Simpson Theatre of the Museum,
and each will begin at 2:30 p.m. All of them
will be illustrated with motion pictures, in
many cases by films in natural colors. The
demand for seats makes it necessary to
restrict admission to adults; but on the
mornings of the same Saturdays the James
Nelson and Anna Louise Raymond Founda-
tion will present free motion pictures espe-
cially for children. The theatre entrance
will be open at 2 o'clock each Saturday.

Following are the dates, subjects, and
speakers for the adult programs:

October 4 — The Netherlands East

Indies.

Dillon Ripley.

The Netherlands East Indies, romantic
and inaccessible, stretching for 3,500 miles
across the eastern seas, are much in the news
today. Rubber and tin, quinine and copra,
loom increasingly in the world's economy.
But parts of the East Indies are today
still as mysterious and little-known as ever.
From the experience and adventure gained
during three years in the East Indies, Mr.
Ripley presents a fascinating picture of life
in the unknown mountains and inaccessible
islands of this tropical paradise. He has
conducted two expeditions for The Academy
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. His
lecture will be illustrated with motion pic-
tures, mostly in color. Some of the places
shown had never before been visited by
white man, he says.

October 11 — American Holiday With

Wild Life.

Dr. Gustav Grahn.

Dr. Grahn has prepared an engrossing lec-
ture, illustrated with notable color motion
pictures of wild animal life in the Rocky
Mountains, in Alaska, and in the vast
wilderness areas of Canada. Some of the
remote regions covered are completely inac-
cessible except by travel with pack train,
on skis, or by airplane.

October 18 — Along Alaska Trails.

A. Milotte.

Since July, 1939, Mr. and Mrs. Milotte
have been pictorially "shooting" their way
through Alaska and northern British Co-

lumbia, preparing in color a vivid picture
of the International Highway of the future
to demonstrate its relationship to the
territory. Theirs is the first picture of the
proposed route through the vastness of
northern British Columbia.

From Fairbanks, the heart of Alaska, Mr.
Milotte's picture first traces the future
International Highway, which today is
largely an illusive trail through a vast
uncharted wilderness. The second part of
the picture follows the water highway
through the Inside Pas-sage and across the
Gulf of Ala.ska.

October 25 — Hunting for Walrus in the

Ice Floes.

Carl Dreutzer.

In the spring of 1940 Mr. Dreutzer was
commissioned by the Chicago Zoological
Society to hunt and capture young walrus
for their zoological gardens at Brookfield.
He captured three near Cape Prince of
Wales in the Arctic Ocean, transported them
by airplane to Nome, and thence by ship
and train to the Brookfield Zoo. Now,
Brookfield has the world's only live walrus
in captivity. In colored motion pictures Mr.
Dreutzer will show such features as a fight
between a killer and a sperm whale, great
slow-moving glaciers, panoramas seen while
flying over the frozen tundra, Eskimo life,
and the walrus hunt among the ice floes.

November 1 — From Seiashore to

Glacier.

Karl Maslowski.

In this lecture the audience travels with
Mr. Maslowski from the southernmost
specks of land in the great Florida reef, the
Dry Tortugas Islands, through the middle
west, to the glacier-crested mountains of
northwestern Montana, viewing through his
camera lenses the abundance of animal life
living in both strange and familiar places.
Mr. Maslowski has had a wide experience
as Curator of Birds for the Cincinnati
Society of Natural History Museum, as
photographer-naturalist for the Ohio Divi-
sion of Conservation, and as lecturer in
nature study at the University of Cincinnati.
His films are in natural colors.

November 8 — New Worlds Undersea.

Vincent Palmer.

Mr. Palmer writes: "This lecture is the
story of my work as an undersea reporter —
taking candid shots of John Q. Fish as if he
were a person! — how he eats, sleeps, fights,
communicates — all the intimate details I
could get in color motion pictures made
undersea. I have been especially keen on
portraying how a fish lives his daily life,
which is similar in many cases to the daily
life of humans. The fact that the pictures
show undersea creatures in their natural
habitat makes them scientifically unique."

Mr. Palmer's films include close-up views
of the octopus, porpoises, various crabs, sea
turtles, and many other creatures in their
normal routine of living.

November 15 — Florakeys.

James B. Pond.

The marine and floral life of the Florida
Keys is vividly depicted in natural color
motion pictures with which Mr. Pond illus-
trates his lecture. Many little-known forms
of marine life are shown. Part of the lecture
is devoted to a journey over the amazing
Overseas Highway, "the road that goes to
sea." Also shown are picturesque Key
West with its famous flowering trees, and
some intimate "shots" of the Seminole
Indians whose life is little changed from what
it was in "the old days."

November 22 — Pan American Highway.

James Sawders.

The Pan American Highway is probably
the greatest project of its kind ever con-
ceived. Ever since the perfection of the
automobile, motorists have dreamed of long
journeys into distant lands via this modern
"magic carpet." Mr. Sawders' lecture will
show how this wishful thinking is to become
accomplished fact, how the Inter-American
Highway to Mexico City is but a link in the
great road which before many years will
cover the entire length of the western hemis-
phere from Alaska to the Straits of Magellan.
He will speak of the vital interest the United
States government has in these roads from
the standpoint of defense, and of the inestim-
able value to us of trunk highways to both
Panama and Alaska in time of war.

November 29 — Through the Rainbow.

Stuart D. Noble.

Where are gems found? How are they
cut? As a gem cutter Stuart Noble has
answered such questions hundreds of times.
Constantly encountering this widespread
interest in gems, he decided to answer these
many questions definitely.

The program "Through the Rainbow" is
the result. By means of a lecture, gem
exhibit and motion picture, the story of
precious stones is told in a conci.se, under-
standable and fascinating manner. The
film shows the actual cutting of a gem
(said never before to have been accurately
photographed), and close-ups of many rare
and lovely gems, entirely in natural colors.

No tickets are necessary for admission
to these lectures. A section of the Theatre
is reserved for Members of the Museum,
each of whom is entitled to two reserved seats.
Requests for these seats should be made in
advance by telephone (WABash 9410) or in
writing, and seats will be held in the Mem-
ber's name until 2:30 o'clock on the day of
the lecture. All reserved seats not claimed
by 2:30 p.m. will be made available to the
general public.

October, IHl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

MUSEUM SENDS "THE WORLD, CUT OPEN," TO CHILDREN

By JOHN R. MILLAR gij-jo^ „{ ^ jj^jy ^f gojjj f^cts. It also means

CURATOR, N. w. HARRIS PUBLIC SCHOOL EXTENSION ^^^ development of HH inquiring attitude of

Concepts of the nature of the earth, the mind. Speculation as to the origin and

solar system, and the universe are taught development of the earth has perplexed

in every elementary grade under the spiral mankind for generations. The problem

SIMPLIFIED VERSION OF EARTH MODEL FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN

A new exhibit circulated by the N. W. Harris Public School Extension to assist Chicago teachers and their pupils. It
provides a graphic teprcsentation of facts about the interior of the earth in a form that youngsters can readily understand.

course* of study in science now in use in
the Chicago Public Schools. In furtherance
of the desire to provide exhibits definitely
related to the subject matter of the curric-
ulum, a diagrammatic model showing the
supposed structure of the interior of the
earth has recently been made for addition
to the portable school cases circulated by
the N. W. Harris Public School Extension.
It is an adaptation of a larger model which
has been on display for some time in Clarence
Buckingham Hall of Structural Geology
(Hall 35).

At first one might think that the subject
is too difficult for grade school pupils, and
that the findings of
scientists are none too ~ ;

conclusive about the
matter. However, the
value of the exhibit
lies not in its summary
of present day theories
about the structure
and composition of the
earth's interior, but
rather in the appeal
the subject makes to
the imagination of
most people, young or
old. Education in
science consists of
more than the acqui-

is still worthy of study by possessors of
the best intellects.

The new school exhibit is also of interest
as an example of the successful modification
of a more formal, large-sized museum model
to fit the limited space available in the
portable school cases. The small model,
done in relief only two inches high, conveys
a feeling of the roundness actually present
in the prototype. A deliberate attempt to
attract attention from a distance was made
through the bold use of color.

Further than this, the new case is the
first of a series of exhibits for school use
in the study, of geology— a series which.

when completed as planned, will illustrate
all the important concepts and principles
properly included in an elementary survey
of the subject.

The models in the new cases circulated
by the Harris Extension, and the more
elaborate model on exhibition in Clarence
Buckingham Hall, both represent the earth
with parts cut away to show the interior.
Instead of a thin crust over a molten interior,
as the earth's structure was once conceived,
the models show three concentric shells of
rock of increasing density enclosing a core
of hot metal.

Obviously, the features shown have not
been directly observed, since the earth's
diameter is 8,000 miles while the deepest
excavations for mines have penetrated only
into the outer crust, and that for less than
two miles. Yet, despite the impossibility
of direct observation, the major structural
features have been determined indirectly
by study and measurement of geological
and physical phenomena at the surface.

Scope of Zoological Exhibits

When it is considered that there are more
than 50,000 species of mammals, birds,
fishes, and reptilians, while the insects,
mollusks, crustaceans and other inverte-
brates run into hundreds of thousands of
species, it is evident that no institution
can exhibit more than a small part of them.
However, the zoological exhibits in Field
Museum are carefully selected and planned
to embrace the entire field of animal life
by representative species from the lower
invertebrates to the highest mammals.

* Under the "spiral*' sys-
tem the same subjects recur
in each grade, but the treat-
ment is adjusted! to meet
the growing knowledge and
intelligence of the children.

EXHIBIT IN MUSEUM SHOWING INTERIOR OF THE EARTH
Model in Clarence Buckingham Hall showing the various subterranean shells which,
according to current theories of the earth's internal structure, surround a molten metal core.

FIELD MUSEUM HONOR ROLL

Now In the Service
of their Country:

Theodore Roosevelt, Trustee-
Colonel, U.S. Army, commanding
26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Mass.

Joseph Nash Field, Trustee — Ensign,
U.S. Navy, Headquarters, 9th
Naval District, Great Lakes, 111.

Clifford C. Gregg, Director — Major,
U.S. Army, Assistant Adjutant
General, 6th Corps Area, Chicago.

John Rinaldo, Associate, South-
western Archaeology — Private, U.S.
Army, 51st Field Artillery, Camp
Roberts, Calif.

Melvin A. Traylor, Jr., Associate,
Birds — Private, U.S. Marine Corps,
Training Base, San Diego, Calif.

Patrick T. McEnery, Guard — Master-
at-arms, U.S. Navy, Training
School, Navy Pier, Chicago

John Syckowski, Guard — Chief Com-
missary Steward, U.S. Navy, 9th
Naval District, Great Lakes, 111.

George Jahrand, Guard — Chief Water
Tender, U.S. Navy, 9th Naval Dis-
trict, Great Lakes, 111.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

October, lUl

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893

Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lestek Armour Albert W. Harris

Sewell L. Avery Samuel Insull, Jr.

W. McCoRMiCK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Block William H. Mitchell

Boardman Conover George A. Richardson

Walter J. Ciimmings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field Albert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanley Field .\lbert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

.\lbert a. Sprague First Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

.\LBERT W. Harris Third Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith . . . Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR

Clifford C. Gregg Director of the Museum

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Wilfred H. Osgood Curator Emeritus, Zoology

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichous Chief Curator of Geology

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curator of Zoology

MANAGING EDITOR
H. B. Harte Public Relations Counsel

Members are requested to Inform the Museum
promptly of changes of address.

RAYMOND FOUNDATION OFFERS
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN

The James Nelson and Anna Louise Ray-
mond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures announces its autumn
series of nine free programs, chiefly motion
pictures, to be presented for children on
Saturday mornings at Field Museum during
October and November. These programs,
to which children from all parts of Chicago
and suburbs are invited, will be presented
twice each Saturday, at 10 a.m. and at 11,
in the James Simpson Theatre of the
Museum. No tickets are needed for ad-
mission. Children may come alone, accom-
panied by adults, or in groups from schools,
community centers, or other organizations.
The first program, on October 4, "Indian
Lore, Life and Culture," will consist of a
lecture by Charles Eagle Plume, a noted
authority on American Indians who is him-
self part Indian. He will tell the story of
Indian life, illustrating his subject with
dancing and costumes. The other programs
include motion pictures with sound, some
in color, and, as an added feature on several,
there will be animated cartoons. Following
is the complete schedule:
October 4 — Indian Lore, Life and Cul-
ture. Lecture by Charles Eagle Plume,
illnstraied with dancing and costumes.
October 11-— The Spirit of the Plains
(story of the plains region west of the
Mississippi); and a cartoon.
October 18 -Adventures in the far
North (birdx, animals, and people).

October 25 — South America (rubber, coffee,
chocolate, etc.).

November 1 — Mexico, Our Southern
Neighbor; and a cartoon.

November 8— Life in Our Southwest-
ern Desert; and a cartoon.

November 15 — Wild Animals (color mo-
tion pictures by Sam Campbell).

November 22 — Canada, Our Northern
Neighbor; and a cartoon.

November 29 — The River Nile, Egypt's
Life Line (from the time of the mummies).

Rare Reptile Hatchlings Received

Field Museum recently received from
Florida some hatchling alligator .snapping
turtles alive and in good condition. They
are the first hatchling alligator snappers
ever known to have reached a museum
alive, and even preserved ones are rare.
An average individual of this series has a
shell only one and three-fourths inches long
and weighs but .72 of an ounce; adults
often weigh more than a hundred pounds
or some 2,500 times as much as a hatchling.

This species, common in our southeastern
states, is unique among turtles in having a
red structure, on the floor of the mouth. This,
when wriggled, looks like a worm. It is
apparently used as a lure for catching fish
and other prey. — C.H.P.

Staff Notes

Mr. Rudyerd Boulton, Curator of Birds,
attended the recent meeting of the
American Ornithologists' Union in Denver.
He presented a paper, "Notes on Birds
from the Mandel Galapagos Expedition."
Mr. Boulton was re-elected Treasurer and
Business Manager of the Union, a position
which he has held since 1938.

Mr. Paul G. Dallwig, the Layman Lec-
turer of Field Museum, recently spoke
before the La Salle (Illinois) Women's Club,
and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority
Alumnae, of Evanston, on gem stones, with
particular reference to the collection in
H. N. Higinbotham Hall of the Museum.

School Extension Exhibits

If you have children in the schools of
Chicago, they are acquainted with the
natural history exhibits circulated by the
Museum through the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension. You may learn how this
service teaches science by inspecting sample
Harris Extension cases which are exhibited
in Stanley Field Hall.

OCTOBER LECTURE TOURS

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for October:

Wednesday, October 1 — Minerals in
Ancient and Modern Times (Bert E. Grove);
Thursday — General Tour; Friday — Wood in
Your Home (Miss Marie B. Pabst).

Week beginning October 6: Monday —
Color in the Animal Kingdom (Miss Eliza-
beth Best); Tuesday — General Tour; Wed-
nesday— Fashions from Cave Men On (Miss
Elizabeth Hambleton); Thursday — General
Tour; Friday — Conservation as a Part of
National Defense (Mrs. Leota G. Thomas).

Week beginning October 13: Monday —
Animals of the Past and Present (Bert E.
Grove); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— Travels of Plants (Miss Marie B.
Pabst); Thursday-General Tour; Friday —
Ornaments and Jewelry (Miss Elizabeth
Hambleton).

Week beginning October 20: Monday —
Why An Ever Changing Earth? (Mrs.
Leota G. Thomas) ; Tuesday — General Tour;
Wednesday — Ambassadors from Space (Bert
E. Grove); Thursday— General Tour; Fri-
day— Animals Found Around Chicago (Miss
Elizabeth Best).

Week beginning October 27: Monday —
Plants and Their Homes (Miss Marie B.
Pabst); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— The Story of Prehistoric Man (Mrs.
Leota G. Thomas); Thursday— General
Tour; Friday — Masquerade — Masks from
Many Parts of the World (Miss Elizabeth
Hambleton).

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.

The culture and religious practices of the
Potawatomi, a central Algonquian Indian
tribe which formerly inhabited the Chicago
region, are well illustrated by an exhibit in
Mary D. Sturges Hall (Hall 5).

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below;

November, December,

January, February ... .9 a.m. to 4 P.M.

March, April, and
September, October . .9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

May, June, July, August. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay 25
cents on other days. Children are admitted free
on all days. Students and faculty members of
educati<mal institutions are admitted free any
day upon presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entert-ain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum, are
provided by the James Nelson and Anna Louise
Raymond Foundation for Public School and
Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
April, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are avail-
able also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines, Rapid Transit Lines (the "L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles al the Mu.s*'um.

October, IHl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

RODENTS OF PAST AND PRESENT-

-ONE EVEN HAD HORNS!

By PAUL O. McGREW

ASSISTANT CURATOR OF PALEONTOLOGY

In Ernest R. Graham Hall (Hall 38) an
exhibit has recently been installed which
illustrates certain interesting facts concern-
ing the relationships of living and extinct
rodents of the western hemisphere.

Everyone is familiar with at least some
members of the order Rodentia, of which
the most commonly known are rats, mice,
rabbits, squirrels, porcupines, and guinea
pigs. Rodents differ from other mammals
in a number of characters, but principally
in having a single pair of long, broad, chisel-
like incisor teeth in front of the upper and
lower jaws.

"most successful" of mammals

Although most rodents are rather insignif-
icant in size, in other respects the group
may be regarded as the most successful of
all mammals. They have invaded all of
the large land masses of the world; they
contain more genera and species than any
other group of mammals, in fact more than
all other orders combined; and they contain
by far the greatest number of individuals.
Rodents have become adapted for arboreal,
terrestrial, burrowing, and .semi-aquatic life.
So-called "flying squirrels" have even be-
come semi-aerial. Such a variety of habitats
is occupied by no other order of mammals.

Until rather recently little was known of
the geological history of rodents. The
principal reason is that fossil specimens are
usually so small that they were overlooked
by early collectors. Another important
factor is that the numerous larger and more
spectacular forms claimed so much attention
that the few fossil rodents known were not
studied critically. Within the last few
years, however, these small forms have
attracted more and more attention, and the
history of some groups has been fairly well
determined.

Rodents, living and extinct, are divided
into four major groups, or sub-orders. These
are the Protrogomorpha, Sciuromorpha,
Myomorpha and Histricomorpha. The
differences between them are primarily in
structural details of the skull and muscle
attachments thereon.

The sewellel (sometimes called the moun-
tain beaver) of the Pacific northwest is the
only living member of the Protrogomorpha
and is the most primitive of all living
rodents. In Eocene deposits (50,000,000
years old) however, nearly all rodents found
belong to this general group. It appears
that all rodents have been derived from
this primitive type. Fossils of this sub-
order are found in North America, Asia
and Europe.

Of particular interest among the Protro-
gomorpha is an aberrant form known as the
Mylagaulidae. These are well distributed
as fossils throughout the western United
States. The mylagaulids became very

highly specialized by early Pliocene times
(7,000,000 years ago), and soon thereafter
became extinct. The most .striking character
possessed by some of them consisted of huge
horns on the nose — a structure found in no
other rodent.

The sub-order Sciuromorpha contains a
large variety of rodents, among them
squirrels, beavers, and gophers. Of these,
the squirrels are the most primitive in

FOSSIL RODENT WITH HORNS
Restoration by Artist John Conrad Hansen of a strange
species which lived some 7.000,000 years ago in the west.

structure and may be traced back to protro-
gomorph ancestors. The ancestry of beavers
and gophers is fairly well known but no
intermediate forms connect them definitely
with the protrogomorphs.

A GIANT BEAVER

Perhaps the most noteworthy of the
sciuromorphs is the giant beaver, Castoroides,
that lived during the Pleistocene (1,000,000
years ago) in North America, and its relative
Trogontherium, of the Pleistocene of the
Old World. The.se beavers reached a length
of six feet and were the largest rodents ever
to live. While for the most part they were
very similar to our living beaver there were
important differences in the detailed .struc-
ture of the .skull and dentition. These
differences show that Castoroides and its
relatives branched off from the main beaver
stem rather early in geologic time. Several
smaller types have been found in Tertiary
deposits that seem to be ancestral to the
giant beaver. Field Museum is particularly
fortunate in having an excellent skeleton
of Castoroides which is displayed in the
new rodent ca,se.

Among the Myomorpha, the true mice
and rats, are found a number of familiar
forms: the common house rats and mice,
muskrats, wood-rats, harvest mice, and
many others. The living representatives of
the group appear to be of Old World origin,
although in Oligocene times (30,000,000
years ago) members of this group lived in
North America. The house mice and rats
are not indigenous to America but were
brought in by white man. Myomorphs

now have practically a world-wide range.
In some way they succeeded in reaching
Australia, without the aid of man, after
that continent had become isolated — an
accomplishment duplicated by no other
land mammal.

The Histricomorpha are a particularly in-
teresting group. They have living members in
every continent except Australia. The only
North American form is the porcupine, and
it is a relatively recent immigrant from South
America. In the latter continent the his-
tricomorphs are the dominant rodents, and
until the beginning of Pleistocene time were
the only rodents represented there. A form
much like the American porcupine lives in
Europe and Asia. In Africa there are
several members of the sub-order.

INTERCHANGE BETWEEN CONTINENTS

In the exhibit recently installed an at-
tempt has been made to show the complex
phylogenetic history of a few well-known
rodents of the western hemisphere. Skulls
and jaws of extinct rodents have been
placed in the case to show their relationships
to those now living. Because skulls do not
give lay visitors much idea of the appearance
of live animals, paintings have been included
of all the recent forms displayed. Another
feature of the exhibit is a diagrammatic
picture of the migration during late Eocene
or early Oligocene times, of a primitive
North American form (probably a protro-
gomorph) to South America. This migrant
gave rise to all indigenous South American
rodents, (he Histricomorphs. In the later
part of the Pliocene Epoch, when a land
bridge rose to connect the two American
continents, certain American forms (the
squirrel) moved into South America while
the porcupine of the southern continent
moved into North America. This, too, is
indicated in the exhibit.

Why Men Behave like Apes
and Vice Versa,

or Body and Behavior, by Earnest
Albert Hooton.

"Here is lighter reading on such
normally heavy subjects as human
evolution, race, and the relation be-
tween your body build and personality
—preceded by a lively harangue on
how man tumbled to his present worse
than beastly condition of affairs,"
says Dr. C. Martin Wilbur, of Field
Museum's Department of Anthro-
pology. "This is physical anthropol-
ogy made fascinating for the layman
and instructive for the expert, by the
famous 'Hooton of Harvard,' author
of Apes, Men, and Morons."

On .sale at THE BOOK SHOP of
Field Museum — $3. Books may be
ordered by mail.

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

October, IHl

Dagucne Studio, Chicago

PAUL G. DALLWIG

The Layman Lecturer

RESERVATIONS OPEN THIS MONTH
FOR SUNDAY LAYMAN LECTURES

The Layman Lecturer of Field Museum
— Mr. Paul G. Dallwig, who has attained
a remarkable popularity during the past
several years among Chicagoans interested
in cultural subjects — will begin his 1941-42
season of Sunday afternoon lectures in the
exhibition halls in November. This is the
fifth season in
which he has con-
ducted this acti-
vity, and it will
continue for seven
months or through
May, 1942.

Because of the
recent opening of
Field Museum's
new Hall of Gems
and Jewels (H. N.
Higinbotham Hall),
Mr. Dallwig has
scheduled the lec-
ture "Gems, Jewels
and 'Junk' " for
the five Sundays in
November (November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30).
Subjects of Mr. Dallwig's other lectures
for this season are as follows: December,
"Mysterious 'Night-Riders' of the Sky"
(the story of meteors, meteorites, and the
moon); January, "Nature's 'March of
Time' " (prehistoric animals) ; February,
"Digging Up the Caveman's Past" (Hall of
the Stone Age of the Old World^ March,
"The Parade of the Races" (the races of
mankind as depicted by Malvina Hoffman's
famous sculptures); April, "The Romance
of Diamonds from Mine to Man" (including
the human interest stories surrounding many
of the world's most famous historic dia-
monds), and May, "Who's Who in the
Mounted Zoo" (a lecture never presented
before, on animals in the Museum's Depart-
ment of Zoology).

The heavy demand by the public for Mr.
Dallwig's lectures, and the necessity of
limiting each audience to 100 adults (children
cannot be accommodated), make it necessary
to require advance reservations. Persons
desiring to attend are advised to apply
several weeks in advance. Reservations will
be accepted by mail or telephone (Wabash
9410) throughout the month of October.

The Sunday afternoon lectures begin
promptly at 2 p.m., and end at 4:30. There
is a half-hour intermission midway for
refreshments in the Cafeteria.

The unique feature of Mr. Dallwig's
lectures, which distinguishes them from
other such presentations, is the manner in
which he dramatizes his subjects while at
the same time interpreting science with
complete accuracy based upon thorough
research. The Layman Lectures are given
purely as a public service, for which Mr.
Dallwig receives no compensation.

Museum Publication Wins Award

The William Brewster Medal of the Ameri-
can Ornithologists' Union has been awarded
to Mr. Adrian Van Rossem, of the University
of California at Los Angeles, and the late
Donald S. Dickey, for their book Birds of
El Salvador which was published in Field
Museum's Zoological Series.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

Department of Anthropology :

From Daniel A. Ray, Chicago — a wood
and shell dagger, Micronesia.
Department of Botany :

From Paul H. Allen, Balboa, Canal Zone
— 48 herbarium specimens, Panama; from
Dr. F. Webster McBryde, Berkeley, Calif.
— 29 herbarium specimens, Mexico; from
Donald Richards, Chicago — 35 specimens
of hepatics, Indiana; from William A. Daily,
Cincinnati, Ohio — 110 specimens of algae,
United States; from Illinois State Museum,
Springfield, 111. — 84 herbarium specimens,
Illinois.

Department of Geology :

From E. H. Sargent and Company,
Chicago — 7 specimens of refractories; from
John J. Moroney and Company, Chicago —
19 specimens of refractories; from M. Cedric
Gleason, Washington, D.C. — 2 turquois
specimens (crystals) on quartz, Virginia;
from Francis B. Chapman, Los Angeles,
Calif. — 2 specimens of minerals, California;
from John W. Jennings, Eureka Springs,
Ark. — 2 specimens of chert and chalcedony,
Arkansas; from John Skelly, South Mil-
waukee, Wis. — 4 specimens of nickel ore,
Canada.
Department of Zoology:

From Colorado Museum of Natural His-
tory, Denver, Colo. — a lizard, Bahamas;
from Professor J. Soukup, Lima, Peru — 767
insects, Europe and Peru; from Robert
Haas, Chicago — 5,963 fish specimens, Illi-
nois; from John M. Schmidt, Homewood,
111. — 31 mammals, 4 skeletons, and 5 odd
skulls, Colorado; from Henry S. Dybas,
Chicago — 50 dragonflies and 10 ant lion
adults, the Americas and the Philippines;
from Rupert L. Wenzel, Chicago — 115 in-
sects and allies. South Dakota and Indiana;
from Dr. Fritz Haas, Chicago — 853 speci-
mens comprising 23 species of lower inverte-
brates, Maine; from Loren P. Woods,
Chicago — 124 fish specimens, Illinois; from
Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, 111.
— 3 snakes.

The Library:

Valuable books from Dr. Fritz Haas,
Chicago; Mr. and Mrs. L. S. Dillon, Read-
ing, Pa.; Emil Liljeblad, Villa Park, 111.;
and Dr. Henry Field, Washington, D.C.

Harrison Extension:

From John W. Jennings, Eureka Springs,
Ark. — 18 specimens of chert and chalcedony,
Arkansas.

NEW MEMBERS ADDED
TO MUSEUM ROLLS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
August 16 to September 15:

Associate Members

Thomas J. Carney, Mrs. Ernest H. Hicks,
Forrest H. Redmond, Herbert Sieck.

Annual Members

Alexander Beck, Mrs. Bessie J. Best,
Ernest Blume, James G. Culbertson, Fred
Greenslade, Albert T. Hall, Miss Fanny A.
Hall, G. F. Hoope, Jr., Elmo G. Johnson,
Leonard O. Krez, Mrs. Oscar T. LeBeau,
Daniel Novick, William F. O'Keeffe, John B.
Phillips, Dr. Manuel Spiegel, Dr. David C.
Straus.

Museum Hours Change October 27

Due to a change in its lighting contract
with the Commonwealth Edison Company,
Field Museum will institute its winter
visiting hours, 9 A.M. to 4 p.m., on October
27, instead of November 1 as previously
announced.

Five Hopi altars, each dedicated to use
for a different kind of ritual, are included
among the exhibits in Hall 7 of the Depart-
ment of Anthropology.

Examples of the world's largest snakes —
the boas and pythons — are exhibited in
Albert W. Harris Hall (Hall 18).

MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD MUSEUM

Field Mxiseum has several classes of Mem-
bers. Annual Members contribute $10 annu-
ally. Associate Members pay $100 and are
exempt from dues. Sustaining Members con-
tribute $25 annually for six consecutive years,
after which they become Associate Members
and are exempt from all further dues. Life Mem-
bers give $500 and are exempt from dues. Non-
Resident Life Members pay $100, and Non-
Resident Associate Members $50; both of these
classes are also exempt from dues. The Non-
Resident memberships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles or more from Chi-
cago. Those who give or devise to the Museum
$1,000 to $100,000 are designated as Contribu-
tors, and those who give or devise $100,000 or
more become Benefactors. Other memberships
are Honorary, Patron, Corresponding and Cor-
porate, additions under these classiHcations
being made by special action of the Board of
Trustees.

Each Member, in all classes, is entitled to
free admission to the Museum for himself, his
family and house guests; and to two reserved
seats for Museum lectures provided for Mem-
bers. Subscription to Field Museum News is
included with all memberships. The courtesies
of every museum of note in the United States
and Canada are extended to all Members of
Field Museum. A Member may give his
personal card to non-residents of Chicago, upon
presentation of which they will be admitted to
the Museum without charge. Further informa-
tion about memberships will be sent on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum of Natural His-
tory may be made in sectxrities, money, books or
collections. They may, if desired, take the form
of a memorial to a person or cause, named by
the giver.

Contributions made within the taxable year,
not exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net
income, areallowableaadeductionsin computing
net income for federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum
with the provision that an annuity be paid to
the patron for life. These annuities are guaran-
teed against fluctuation in amount, and may
reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTED BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

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News

Pvblished Monthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

NOVEMBER, 1941

No. 11

HUNTING THE RARE AND ELUSIVE GREEN PEACOCK IN THE INDO-CHINA JUNGLE

By WILFRED H. OSGOOD

CURATOR EMERITUS, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY

The common domesticated peacock has
never become a barnyard fowl, since it is
more ornamental than utilitarian, but it is
known the worl(l over, and everywhere is a
symbol of splendor and pride.
For many centuries — in fact,
since the time of Solomon — it
has been kept in captivity, but
it still closely resembles its wild
progenitor, which is a native of
India and Ceylon.

There is, however, another
species of peacock, almost if not
quite as gorgeous, and compara-
tively little known — the so-
called green or Javan peacock.
This lives in the jungles of
Burma, Siam, Indo-China, the
Malay Peninsula, and the
island of Java. It is rarely
seen in captivity. It differs from
the common species in many
details, but mainly in the color
of the neck and breast which is
lively green, edged with golden,
and slightly squamate instead
of smooth deep blue. Its dis-
play plumage, formed by the
extraordinary development of
the upper tail coverts, com-
monly but falsely called the
"tail," is quite as magnificent
as in the better known bird.

In selecting subjects for
habitat groups to be shown in
Field Museum's hall of foreign
birds, it was early decided that
such an important bird as the
peacock could not be omitted
although space for only a few
Asiatic species was available.
Therefore, in 1937, when I set
out for Indo-China with many
more commissions than I could
hope to fulfill, the green peacock
was on my list. I was not ex-
pecting to do any extensive
hunting or collecting, but the possibility of
making the acquaintance, in the wild, of
one of the world's finest birds was some-
thing of a challenge, and soon after land-
ing in Indo-China I began making inquiries
that might lead to success.

For several weeks, in the vicinity of
Saigon and in the highlands behind it in

extreme southeastern Indo-China, reports
were discouraging. Peacocks did occur,
but they were rare and seldom seen. Once,
while motoring over one of the excellent
roads the French have built through the
forest, I had a glimpse of a half-grown male

LARGEST MEMBER OF THE PHEASANT FAMILY
Green peafowl of Indo-China, roosting in a dead tree of the tropical lowland ra

which they inhabit. Specimens for this new exhibit in the Hail of Birds were obtained by Dr.
Wilfred H. Osgood, Curator of Zoology Emeritus, on an expedition which he both sponsored and
conducted as a contribution to the Museum. The male bird's long train is a courtship device.

officials which had been given me by the
French naturali-st, M. Jean Delacour, and
further by invaluable assistance received
from several American and Canadian
resident missionaries, most especially from
Mr. Herbert Jackson and Mr. Gordon Smith.
As a result, I soon found my-
self encamped a few miles south-
east of Banmethuot in central
Annam among the native tribe
known as Raday, and as I
awoke on the first morning I
heard the loud calls of peacocks
from all directions. Thereafter,
during the one short week that
I was there, peacocks were seen
daily. At this time (April) the
birds were in pairs and especially
in the early morning and to-
wards evening the males were
calHng. The cry is much like
that of the common peacock,
and the name for the bird, pao,
which is used both by the
French and the natives, is
doubtless derived from it.

Although not at sea level, it
was hot country with a seasonal
forest, including much bamboo
and scattered openings either
natural or cleared for the culti-
vation of rice. In the old rice
fields and meadow-like openings
the peacocks were found feeding
towards evening at some dis-
tance from any cover, but so
alert that approach to them in
such places did not succeed.
With a small rifle and expert
marksmanship, plus some very
patient stalking, a few might
have been brought to bag; but
I was carrying only a shotgun,
and after several attempts to
get within range at the expendi-
ture of much perspiration and
profanity, scratched hands and
face, and encounters with

1 fo

that slipped across the highway in front of
the car, passing quickly from one dense
thicket into another. I began to think this
might be my only sight of a peacock, but a
little later I was able to arrange a trip
farther north and inland to the outskirts
of administered territory. This was made
possible through introductions to local

hordes of ants, other methods
of hunting naturally began to find favor.
The birds, in parties of four to six, often
mixed with herds of domestic buffalo which
were feeding in the open fields, and in such
cases approach to them was doubly difficult.
It was soon found, however, that if these
birds were not alarmed, they could be
watched until darkness set in when they

Page II

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

November, 19^.1

made their way to tall trees to roost. Then
with care and good luck it was possible to
get a shot. After the breeding season the
birds gather in flocks, often numbering
thirty or forty individuals, and then other
methods of hunting are possible.

Since the birds were nesting, they were
confined to definite areas, so by noting the
calls from time to time, and with the help
of native guides, roosting places were
located and several specimens, mostly im-
mature males without well developed "tails,"
were obtained. It was found, however, that
ordinary shotgun loads, such as might be
used for geese, were seldom effective against
the big birds and it was necessary to use
buckshot. Once, after very careful stalking,
I felt quite certain that I was under the
large tree in which a bird was perched.
The foliage was rather thin and, although
it was fairly dark, everything was outlined
against the sky. For some five minutes I
scanned the silhouetted branches one by
one and finally concluded my game must be
in the next tree beyond, but when I started
toward it, the bird crashed out behind me
from almost directly over my head.

Through a reward offered the natives,
one nest was found. This contained five
heavily incubated eggs (on April 5) and was
situated under a spiny palmetto at the edge
of a small clearing. To visit it required a
hot walk of five miles and back, guided by
barefooted Radays over narrow trails and
through dry crackling thickets of bamboo.
The female was found sitting on the eggs,
and as we approached a male bird was seen
slipping away from the vicinity. The eggs
lay in a slight hollow at the base of the
palmetto, merely resting on loose soil and
debris without any evidence of nest building.
While sitting, the bird was almost entirely
concealed by the overhanging frond-like
branches of the palmetto and the thick
grass which grew about it.

RUN BETTER THAN THEY FLY

As the time for my stay in this locality
expired, I found myself only with specimens
of females and young male peacocks with
short trains. A good adult male had not
been secured although several had been
seen. One fine bird had been observed with
field glasses while it was displaying before
a female, but it was some two hundred
yards away and quickly disappeared. The
old males doubtless roost in trees like the
others, but the long heavy train is evidently
a handicap and they do not take to flight
readily, preferring to escape by running,
and at this they were most competent.
Although they were seen foraging in open
fields, their stomachs were found to contain
large seeds, nuts, and miscellaneous mast
plainly obtained by ranging the forest floor.

Most of our hunting had been done on
foot, but although there were no roads, we
were able in the dry season to get about
with a car kindly supplied by Mr. Gordon

Smith, over trails made by the natives and
connecting their villages. On leaving, there-
fore, we took a somewhat roundabout route
in a final hope of seeing another peacock.
Within a few miles one was sighted not too
far from the edge of an old rice field. Having
tailed so often under similar circumstances,
I readily accepted Mr. Smith's offer to try
for it. So I sat in the car, waiting while
he made a long detour and crawled to the
edge of the field. Some fifteen minutes after
he had gone, I was suddenly brought up
standing by the sight of a magnificent pea-
cock carrying a long train and slipping across
the trail less than two hundred yards in
front of me. Probably, but not certainly,
it was the same bird my companion was
stalking. At least it was apparently on the
go, and although I was thrilled at the sight
of it, I felt that it was hopeless to try to
follow it under the circumstances, and that
our last chance had gone.

SUDDEN GOOD LUCK

A few minutes later, as we drove down
the trail and I was pointing out the place
where the bird had crossed, we were both
amazed to see the bird standing in the light
scrub not twenty yards away. A quick
shot through the open windshield wounded
it, and as it started away we leaped from
the car and after it just in time to bring
it down with another load. It slumped down
with its wings slightly spread, its neck
extended, and its gorgeous train glittering
in the tropical sun. I walked up to it as
it lay against a background of light brown
bamboo litter and fairly gasped at the
beautiful sight before me.

The satisfaction of securing this fine
specimen was somewhat qualified by the
difficulties of transporting and preserving it.
Although the weather was dry, it was very
hot and at the time I was entirely without
assistance. The next day it was safely
skinned, but for a week thereafter minister-
ing to it was a constant burden at a time
when I was obliged to be traveling from
place to place.

Photographs and samples of vegetation
were taken at and near the site of the nest
in the expectation that they would be
reproduced in a habitat group, but practical
considerations dictated a different installa-
tion and, as illustrated herewith, the group
now completed in the Museum shows the
birds in roosting position overlooking the
forest, instead of guarding their nest. The
birds were mounted by Staff Taxidermist
John W. Moyer; the numerous accessories
are by Mr. Frank H. Letl, Preparator of
Accessories; and the painted background is
by Staff Artist Arthur G. Rueckert.

The form and color of such soft-bodied
invertebrate creatures of the sea as jellyfish,
sea-anemones, and sea-cucumbers may be
studied in a series of accurate reproductions
in glass, on exhibition in Hall M.

NAVAJO INDIAN METHODS
OF CURING SICKNESS

A few years ago a group of Navajo
Indians visited Field Museum. While view-
ing the exhibits they discovered a complete
set of Navajo Night Chant masks which are
exhibited in Hall 6, Case 11. The Indians
were at first not at all pleased to find their
sacred masks in a glass case. Dr. Paul S.
Martin, Chief Curator of Anthropology,
mollified his guests by explaining that the
masks had not been used in any ceremony.
He explained that the white man is curious
about the Navajo's religion, and eager to
learn about it. Further to pacify the tribes-
men. Dr. Martin assured them that none of
their sacred secrets had been told, and that
he himself knew little about the Night Chant
Ceremony. The gratified Navajos then
volunteered to tell the anthropologist more.

The Navajo Night Chant Ceremony lasts
ten days and nine nights. It is invoked
primarily for curing disease by means of
supernatural forces. The ceremony is per-
formed during the frosty days of late autumn
and early winter. This time is chosen
because the snakes are then hibernating.

The priest or chanter who performs the
ceremony seldom conducts any other ritual,
for it takes years to learn the Night Chant.
A single error in any part of the chant means
that the entire ceremony must start again.

The ceremony costs the equivalent of
from $200 to $700, depending upon the fame
and ability of the healer-priest. The family
of the patient must build the medicine lodge,
and provide food for all of the guests as well
as for chanters, sand-painters, and others.

This cure often takes the entire savings
of a family, but the expenditure is gladly
made both because it is hoped the sick one
will recover and because the occasion is a
great social event.

On the fourth night a vigil is kept over
the masks of the type that the Museum
possesses. The patient sacrifices to the
masks by sprinkling pollen upon them. Next
is the love-feast of men and gods, the gods
being fed first by feeding the masks. After
this the shaman smokes to the masks. He
puffs smoke to the earth and to the sky four
times and then to each mask individually.
The last part of the prescribed ceremony of
the masks is the shaking of the gods. Each
mask is picked up, shaken gently, and sung
to. At dawn the masks are ceremoniously
laid away in sacred recesses, to be used
again whenever ritual demands.

The last night is the famous Yeibichai
dance, which is attended by other Navajos
and by people from all over the country.
Whether or not the patient is better, the
dance which marks the end of the ceremony,
must go on.

The patient is given instructions which
must be obeyed during the period of con-
valescence. If these are not carried out, it
is believed the disease will return.

November, 19 Ul

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page S

MUSEUM ACQUIRES COLLECTION
OF 15,000 BEETLES

By RUPERT WENZEL

ASSISTANT CURATOR OF INSECTS

Because of the small size and retiring
habits of most beetles, few people realize
that they constitute nearly half the known
insect species, nor are they aware of the
tremendous number of beetles already known
to science — between three and four hundred
thousand species! This huge aggregate has
been divided into nearly two hundred
families, many of which are world-wide
groups with thousands or tens of thousands
of distinct forms. One of the smaller groups,
and a very interesting one, is the family
Histeridae, commonly known as the hister
beetles or histerids.

HISTERIDS ARE "iNSECT-ACTORS"

The hister beetles are supposedly named
after the Latin histrio, meaning an actor,
because of their habit of assuming a death-
like attitude when disturbed. They are
distributed throughout the world, with the
exception of the very cold regions, and are
recognizable by their clubbed and elbowed
antennae, their very compact form, and
exceedingly hard body surface. On the
whole, specific details concerning their
biology are lacking, though it is known that
most of the species are carnivorous and
extremely voracious feeders. They are fre-
quently found in decaying animal and
vegetable matter and under bark, where
they feed on the larvae of flies and other
insects. Because of their role as predators,
a few species have been used in biological
control work in fighting destructive insects.

While more or less uniform in their feed-
ing habits, the nearly four thousand known
species have evolved in adaptation to a
number of diverse habitat niches. Certain
species are found only in the nests of ants
(occasionally of termites), where they are
believed to feed almost entirely on the im-
mature stages of their hosts. The beetles
are tolerated in the nests because they pro-
duce glandular secretions which exude from
special structures on the body surface and
are eagerly sought after by the ants. The
histerids which live under bark are usually
very much flattened, in order that they may
move with ease in their restricted living
quarters. Others are of a cylindrical shape
and live in the round burrows of certain
wood boring beetles, upon whose young they
prey. A few hister beetles are known to
occur only in the burrows of particular
rodents (a kangaroo rat and a pocket gopher)
and even in the burrows of the land-dwelling
turtle of Florida. The exact role which
these beetles play is not understood, but
it is believed that they feed upon the larvae
of other insects which are restricted to these
burrows. Other distinctive habitats where
histerids may be found include birds' nests,
caves, fungi, soil, etc.

It is of great entomological interest that
Field Museum recently acquired the most

extensive collection of hister beetles in the
Americas, a collection which represents an
accumulation by purchase and exchange
over a period of twenty years by Mr.
Charles A. Ballou, Jr., former New York
publisher. Mr. Ballou had at one time in-
tended to monograph large sections of the
family but was forced to sacrifice his in-
terest because of ill health and lack of time.
While the collection is not a large one as
compared with general insect collections,
nevertheless the 15,000 specimens contained
in it represent approximately half the known

HISTER BEETLES
Two of the remarkable types of adaptation found in
insects of this group. The species on the left is a bizarre
Australian form which hves in the nests of ants. On ic
may be seen the secreting structures which attract the
ants and induce them to tolerate the beetle "guests." On
the right, from Burma, is a flattened form which hves under
bark. Similarly adapted beetles occur in the Chicago area.

species of hister beetles of the world, as
well as many undescribed ones. It is partic-
ularly rich in its representation of North
American, Indo-Australian, Asiatic, Euro-
pean, and African species. An excellent
opportunity for systematic research on this
family is thus afforded, and the collection
will be still further enriched by field collect-
ing and exchange.

It is perhaps interesting that such private
collections tend to gravitate to the larger
museums, and it is highly desirable that
they should do so. Only in this way can
they avoid being dispersed, destroyed, or
even lost after the death of the collector.
The first collection of this kind acquired by
Field Museum was the Strecker collection of
butterflies and moths, numbering fifty
thousand specimens.

Making Gold "Grow"

An interesting superstition attaches to a
group of tektites from the Philippine Islands
recently presented to the Museum. These
tektites are glassy nodules of mysterious
origin believed by many to be meteorites.
Dr. R. F. Barton, who presented them,
writes, "They were being used by native
gold panners of that place (Batobalani,
Philippine Islands) to 'increase' their pan-
nings. They put the gold away in a dark
place with the stone and believed the stone
increased it. Down there they call them
binso n di ginto or asauwa n di ginto (wife
or companion of the gold)."

The specimens are shown with other tek-
tites in the west end of Hall 34.

EXPEDITION TO MAKE STUDIES
ON AGE OF PANAMA ISTHMUS

An expedition which has as one of its
objectives the determination of the date at
which the Isthmus of Panama emerged from
the sea, is to be dispatched to Central
America about November 1. The expedi-
tion will be led by Mr. Paul O. McGrew,
Assistant Curator of Paleontology. He
will be accompanied by Mr. Albert Potter,
of Chadron, Nebraska, an experienced col-
lector of fossils who has worked in various
fields of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming,
and Arizona.

"At present the opinions of paleontologists
are divided on the question regarding the
emergence of the Isthmus of Panama,"
states Mr. McGrew. "We know that North
and South America were separated during
most of the Tertiary period (which began
about 55,000,000 years ago). There is
some indication that the two continents
were reconnected, via Central America,
near the beginning of Pliocene time (ap-
proximately 7,000,000 years ago), but also
there is evidence that the land bridge was
not present until the end of Pliocene time,
some five or six million years later.

"A solution of this problem would help
solve other related problems concerning the
migration of mammals in the geologic past.
It is believed that a study of mammals of
Pliocene age from Honduras, rather near
the ancient marine portal, would help
materially in answering this question."

A second objective is the determination of
the significance of homotaxis in the correla-
tion of widely separated faunas. Homotaxis
is explained by Mr. McGrew as follows:
"There is a rather well founded theory that
at least a large part of a geologic epoch was
required for faunas to migrate from a center
of dispersal, in the north, to the tropics.
Thus, if two forms that had reached the
same evolutionary level were found, one in
Central America and one in the great
plains of the United States, the beds in
which the former occurs would be later in
geologic time than the latter. This is an
important hypothesis which may or may not
be true. As yet few actual data are available
to check it. Study of fossil mammals from
Central America might afford enough evid-
ence to clarify this point."

The expedition will sail from New Orleans
to Puerto Cortez, whence the members will
fly to the capital, Tegucigalpa, and thence
to the town of Graeias. From Gracias the
explorers will use mules for transportation
while doing their field work.

The overland trade routes of ancient and
medieval times, and the chief centers of
origin of the world's principal food plants,
are shown in two large maps included
among the series of seventeen mural paint-
ings in Hall 25 illustrating various phases
of man's quest of vegetable food.

Page i

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

November, 19^1

EXPEDITION DISCOVERS NEW PREHISTORIC HOUSE TYPE

Bv PAUL S. MARTIN

CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY

After several months spent in excavating
the ruins of an ancient New Mexico \411age
which was occupied sometime between 1,200
and 2,400 years ago by a prehistoric Ameri-
can Indian people belonging to what we
call the MogoUon (pronounced "muggy-
own") civilization — a culture which has
been recognized only within the last few
years — the Field Museum Archaeological
Expedition to the Southwest has completed
its 1941 season of operations and returned
to Chicago. The expedition, under the
leadership of the writer, was a continuation
of his work on one previous expedition in

Meanwhile, it is possible to make a few
general statements and to sketch hastily
the meaning of the season's work:

Was the expedition a success? Emphati-
cally, yes. Did we bring back any showy
specimens? No; but such acquisitions do
not constitute a proper criterion — archae-
ology is not a search for specimens, and
emphasis on them indicates a lack of per-
spective on "what it's all about." Archae-
ology is, instead, a study dealing with man's
history. Archaeologists try to recover and
interpret man's past; and in order to carry
out this purpose they excavate. In the
digging of a ruin in the Southwest, one
finds tools of stone and bone, and generally

STRANGE DESIGNLESS TYPE OF ANQENT HOUSE LAID BARE

Aerial view of one of the areas excavated by the 1941 Field Museum Archaeological Expedition to the Southwest. The

irregular lines of the inner enclosure mark the odd meandering walls of the hitherto unknown sort of dwelling place just

discovered by Dr. Paul S. Martin and his associates. The giant geometrical pattern formed by the outside lines illustrates

the technique of "stripping" employed this season as a means of assuring the finding of the site's every buried artifact.

the same area, and eight previous expedi-
tions for investigation of related cultures in
other regions of the Southwest. Personnel
included other archaeologists, research as-
sistants, and a "labor force" of twelve
workingmen for the actual digging.

Approximately 600 stone and bone tools
and 18,000 potsherds (pieces of broken
pottery) were brought to light on the site
excavated, which has been designated by
the name SU*. The stone and bone tools
are of an early type, and the pottery is
crude and without decoration. These rare
specimens, together with the facts gleaned
during the digging season, will be further
studied and correlated for a detailed report
within the next five or six months.

* SU (pronounced "Shu") is the brand mark used on
cattle at a large ranch near-by, and has become the
name also of one of the canyons in the region.

pottery and houses. These tangible remains
of the culture form the basis for reconstruct-
ing man's past, and in this respect specimens
achieve their prime usefulness. It should
always be remembered that probably 90
per cent of a civilization dies when a village
or town is deserted. From the dust, the
archaeologist cannot recover the language
spoken by the villagers, the dress, the
social customs, and a thousand and one
other items that make up any culture.
We can, however, by careful study and
observation make reasoned and reasonable
guesses about the past.

Why was the MogoUon civilization chosen
for study?

We are interested in studying the
MogoUon civilization for many reasons.
It represents an early stage in the develop-

ment and growth of towns situated in fertile
agricultural areas. The United States
government at the present time encourages
isolated farmers to gather in or near central-
ized communities, where they may benefit
from better social, psychological, and educa-
tional environments. To know whether
such an experiment would be successful
today, one must study the past.

We are also interested in the religious,
social, and economic structures which the
MogoUon Indians developed long ago; for
an understanding of these fundamentals
may guide our footsteps on the right path
to realize man's eternal urge for progress.

Furthermore — and this is what so closely
links the present with the past and gives
one a warm, comfortable feeling that one
is not an isolated phenomenon on this globe
without antecedents or successors — we are
interested in showing that in spite of differ-
ences in time, climate, race, and geography,
men possess certain fundamental urges which
cause them to act more or less similarly at
all times and in all places. Thus we can
easily see a sameness of development
throughout all civilizations.

Therefore, our reasons for digging at the
SU site are clear. We wished to learn how
these primitive folk lived, how they grouped
themselves socially, how they solved their
economic, agricultural, and religious prob-
lems, and why and how they lived in clusters
of houses or villages. We desire this informa-
tion because we must understand man in
both past and present if we are to under-
stand our own civilization and how it may
be improved.

THREE MAIN SOUTHWEST CULTURES

Until a few years ago, archaeologists
believed that there was only one civilization
in the Southwest and that it produced all
the various types of pottery, houses, and
tools that we dug up. We now know that
this idea was incorrect. Within the last
few years archaeologists have demonstrated
that there were two other civilizations which
left their mark on the Southwest. The
one most recently laid bare is the MogoUon
civilization, towards the discovery of which
the Field Museum Archaeological Expedi-
tions have greatly contributed.

What was the MogoUon civilization like?
— what were its chief characteristics? The
MogoUon civilization was a comparatively
poor one. The people of this culture lived
for the most part in pit-houses, which were
nothing but big holes in the ground, roofed
with logs, twigs, bark, and earth.

We discovered also that, in addition to
pit-houses, the MogoUon Indians built and
occupied other houses, the floors of which
were not sunk into the ground. The walls
of these consisted of upright poles set eight
to fourteen inches apart. Mud and small
sticks were placed in between these poles,
forming a good tight wall. This kind of
construction is called "wattle-and-daub"

November, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

and contrasts with the below-ground houses
found by the 1939 expedition to this site.

Firepits were not found in any of the
houses. Therefore, we believe that these
Indians rarely used fire inside the house
for cooking, warmth, or light. Extensive
digging outside the houses likewise failed to
bring to light any firepits, but large deep
pits were discovered and perhaps these
were used for barbecuing; or perhaps these
people did little or no cooking.

Most of the houses were equipped with
large or small entrance-tunnels which always
faced east. Why these tunnels faced east
is not known, although probably the
orientation was for religious reasons.

Life in the underground houses must have
been somewhat dark, and perhaps damp and
not very comfortable. At some future time
we hope to reconstruct a roof over one of
the old pits, let it stand for several weeks,
and then burn it. In this way, we may
be able to learn the answers to some of
these puzzling questions.

The stone and bone tools of the Mogollon
Indians were crude and unlike those which
one ordinarily associates with Indians. In
fact, the stone tools, such as scrapers,
choppers, hammerstones, polishing stones,
and pestles, are so primitive that one would
probably pass them by without recognizing
that they had ever been used by human
beings for any purpose whatsoever. But,
finding many such stones in all the houses
caused us to note that they fell into distinct
patterns and types and therefore could not
be natural, unused stones.

It is interesting to note that no axes of
any kind were found. The absence of this
important tool makes us wonder how these
ancient Mogollon people felled their trees,
for we know that they used fair-sized trees
for roofing their houses.

BURIALS

The dead were always buried in pits.
Some of these lay outside the houses, and
some were dug in the house floors. The
corpse was wrapped in a sitting or doubled-
up position and was then placed in a pit.
Generally, burials were not placed in house
pits until after the house had been aban-
doned. But in some instances the family
continued to live in the house after a
burial, presumably of a family member,
had been placed in a floor pit. Of course,
the burial was covered with earth, and the
floor was thus completely restored. Offer-
ings to the dead were very rare. The only
objects we found with skeletons were
tobacco pipes and sometimes shell bracelets
and necklaces. Whole pottery was never
found, which may be an indication that
pottery had only recently been adopted by
this civilization and was therefore not yet
really part and parcel of it.

The human skeletons themselves were in
a very poor state of preservation, while
animal bones found in the same excavation

level were sound and well-preserved. This
may indicate that the animals obtained a
better-balanced diet than the Indians of
that period.

FOOD

During the season, only a few projectile
points (arrow- and spearheads) were found.
On the other hand, many food-grinding
tools were brought to light in great abund-
ance from all houses. It is assumed, there-
fore, that the Mogollon Indians of the SU
village lived mostly on berries, roots, herbs,
and grasses, and depended very little on
hunting or agriculture. This may also be
a sign that this civilization is ancient, as
the people were mostly seed-gatherers rather
than farmers.

AGE OF THE SU RUIN

The age of the houses, pottery, and stone
tools which the Field Museum Expedition
discovered at the SU Village is difficult to
determine. Dating the village by means of
tree-rings has thus far been impossible
because the rings on timbers from the ruins
do not fit into any known sequence. Some
light on this question can be obtained by
means of cross-dating or comparison of the
Field Museum tools with those from other
ruins. It is known, for example, that the
SU ruin is earlier than a.d. 700 because no
painted or decorated pottery was recovered
during the season. Painted pottery occurred
in that area after a.d. 700. The pottery
which we found is probably among the oldest
in North America.

Conversely, although the SU village stone
tools are similar to those found in southern
Arizona by Gila Pueblo investigators (in
the San Pedro time period which dates at
about 3000 B.C. to 500 B.C.), yet the SU
village must date after that period because
the SU villagers made pottery while the
San Pedro people did not.

Therefore, the Field Museum village must
have been founded and occupied sometime
between 500 B.C. and a.d. 700.

INVERTEBRATE FOSSILS OBTAINED

Dr. Sharat K. Roy, Curator of Geology,
has returned from a two and one-half
months' expedition to western and northern
New York where he collected exhibition
specimens of invertebrate fossils, chiefly
from the Upper and Middle Devonian
formations. Dr. Roy limited his field work
to type localities and for the most part
collected only those specimens that were
needed to fill some of the gaps existing in
the Museum's collection. The bulk of the
material is intended for the exhibits in
Frederick J. V. Skiff Hall (Hall 37), which
is scheduled to be reinstalled as soon as a
more complete representative collection
showing the stratigraphical and biological
sequence of the Paleozoic periods can be
made. Duplicate specimens will be added to
the study collection, and new species will be
the subject of research and publication.

ECONOMIC BOTANIST DEPARTS
ON VENEZUELAN EXPEDITION

Arrangements have been completed for a
joint Field Museum-Venezuelan Govern-
ment botanical expedition to the upper
Orinoco. It will be conducted by Mr.
Llewelyn Williams, Curator of Economic
Botany, who sailed late in October. The
territory south and east of the Orinoco
River, generally known as the Venezuelan
Guiana, has been visited or traversed by
famous scientists, but nevertheless it is still
regarded as one of the least explored areas
of tropical America.

This is the third expedition to the Vene-
zuelan Guiana to be conducted by Mr.
Williams. Early in 1939 he spent several
months in the lower and middle reaches of
the Caura, one of the principal affluents of
the Orinoco, and from March to July of the
following year he botanized in various widely
separated areas ranging from near the delta
of the Orinoco to the rapids of Atures,
almost 1,000 miles up-river.

In December Mr. Williams plans to leave
Caracas for Ciudad Bolivar, where he will
embark on a small sailing vessel for a 10-day
voyage to Puerto Ayacucho, the limit of
river navigation by vessels of deep draft.
Beyond this point he will travel in dugout
canoes, with several portages around rapids,
to Yavita and overland to the River Guainia,
which empties into the Rio N^gro, continu-
ing to the Brazilian frontier at El Cucuy.
The return will be made by way of the
Casiquiare and the Orinoco.

One of the greatest collections of weird
and grotesque artistry in the form of carved
wooden figures is to be seen in the Melane-
sian collections in Joseph N. Field Hall.

FIELD MUSEUM HONOR ROLL

Now In the Service
of their Country:

Theodore Roosevelt, Trustee —
Colonel, U.S. Army, commanding
26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Mass.

Joseph Nash Field, Trustee — Ensign,
U.S. Navy, Headquarters, 9th
Naval District, Great Lakes, 111.

Clifford C. Gregg, Director — Major,
U.S. Army, Assistant Adjutant
General, 6th Corps Area, Chicago.

Melvin A. Traylor, Jr., Associate,
Birds — Private, U.S. Marine Corps,
Training Base, San Diego, Calif.

Patrick T. McEnery, Guard — Master-
at-arms, U.S. Navy, Training
School, Navy Pier, Chicago

John Syckowski, Guard — Chief Com-
missary Steward, U.S. Navy, 9th
Naval District, Great Lakes, 111.

George Jahrand, Guard — Chief Water
Tender, U.S. Navy, 9th Naval Dis-
trict, Great Lakes, 111.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Notember, IHl

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893

Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lrstgr ARMOim Albert W. Harris

SBWBI.L L. Avery Sahubl Insull, Jr.

W. McCoRMicK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Block Wiixiam H. Mitchell

Boarduan Conover George A. Richardson

Walter J. Cituhinos Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Joseph N. Field Albert A. Sprague

Marshall Field Silas H. Strawn

Stanxby Field Albert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field Pmid*nt

Albert A. Sprague Firtl Vice-PraidnU

Silas H. Strawn Stcimd Viee-Prttidetit

Albert W. Harris Third Vice-Pretident

CUPFORD C. Gregg Dindor and Seerttam

Solomon A. Smith . . . Tmuunr and Amtlant Secrelart

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR

CUFTOBD C. Gregg Director o) Iht Mtae»m

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Wilfred H. Osgood Curator Emerilut, Zoology

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Ckitf Curator of Anthropotogi

B. E. Dahlgren Chitf Curator of Bolant

Henry W. Nichols Chitf Curator of Gtolott

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curator of Zooloft

MANAGING EDITOR
H. B. Harte Puklie RelaHom Countel

Members are requested to Inform the Museum
promptly of chanfles of address.

HARDEKOOL OR "LEADWOOD"

In 1932 there arrived at Field Museum a
heavy piece of wood, a cross-section of a
trunk without bark. It was painted on
both cut surfaces to insure slow and even
drying, and was stenciled with the name
of the Vemay-Lang Kalahari Expedition,
which had then recently visited Bechuana-
land in South Africa, The expedition had
transmitted to the Museum many specimens,
but the various lists made no mention of a
piece of wood weighing at least 100 pounds.
It was assumed that in the course of time
some information about it would be forth-
coming. The painted chunk of wood was
therefore placed in storage.

There it remained until recently when it
was decided to remove enough of the white
paint with which it was coated to permit an
inspection of the cut surface of the now
perfectly dry specimen. The wood was
found to be extremely hard, and the heavy
block, when cleaned, resembled a piece of
lignum-vitae of enormous size. An examina-
tion of the literature on hand concerning the
woods of South Africa quickly gave a clue
to its identity. In color, weight, and other
characters it corresponded to the description
of the "ironwood" (or, because of its weight,
"leadwood") of the region visited by the
expedition; and it was therefore identified as
a specimen of Combretum imberbe of the
buttonwood family. By the Africanders
this wood is called "hardekool."

Less than two inches of light-colored sap-
wood enclose a dark brown heart 26 inches

in diameter. Like lignum-vitae, the heart-
wood is so dense it is said to be useful for
slow speed machinery bearings and to have
served the natives as material for hoes
before the advent of iron, whence the name
"rooiblad" applied to the wood of this and
a closely related species.

The specimen is now on exhibition among
the African woods (Case 438) in the Hall
of Foreign Woods, — B.E.D.

Museum Admissions Are Now Taxed;
Children Still Admitted Free

It has become necessary for Field Museum
to charge a federal admission tax of three
cents in addition to the regular twenty-five
cents admission fee for adults on Mondays,
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, be-
cause the revenue act of 1941, recently
enacted by Congress and effective since
October 1, removes the exemption from tax
on admission charges which formerly applied
to religious, educational and charitable
organizations, and all other hitherto exempt
beneficiaries. The free days, Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays, are unaffected by
the provisions of the new legislation.

The Museum will continue to admit
school children free. Also, students and
faculty members of recognized educational
institutions will be admitted free on all
days upon presentation of proper credentials,
although the Museum will itself be required
to pay the three-cent tax on such admissions,
and on all children over twelve years old,
on the days when charge is made to other
persons. Likewise, all Members of the
Museum will retain the privilege of free
admissions for themselves, families, and
their guests. Admission will continue to be
free on all days to members of the armed
forces of the United States, in uniform,
whom the law specifically exempts from
the tax.

Staff Notes

Dr. Francis Drouet, Curator of Cryp-
togamic Botany, reports that he has nearly
completed the work of the expedition which
he has been conducting since August in
Utah and in various parts of California,
Large collections of algae, especially of
deserts and hot springs, have been made.
Dr. Drouet is now studying the cryptogamic
plant life of the Mojave Desert and the
Imperial Valley. Mr. Donald Richards, his
volunteer companion on the expedition, has
returned with a large part of the collection.

Nlr. J, Francis Macbride, Associate
Curator of the Herbarium, who is engaged
in work on the Fhra of Peru, is at present
studying the Andean collections in the
herbarium of the University of California,

Field Museum Staff Lecturer
Aids Trailside Museum

Mr, Bert, E, Grove, a member of the lec-
ture staff of the James Nelson and Anna
Louise Raymond Foundation at Field Mu-
seum, has organized and is now conducting
a group of natural science clubs at the
Trailside Museum of River Forest, Illinois,
at the request of that institution. The
Trailside Science Clubs meet every Saturday
afternoon in a special laboratory. Some of
the groups are for children, some for adults.

The purpose of the clubs is to foster, by
means of laboratory projects and field trips,
a deeper interest in the sciences of botany,
geology and zoology. Those joining the
clubs first take a three weeks' course in
laboratory technique to become familiar
with the use of microscopes and other
necessary equipment and materials, after
which they receive the designation "Junior
Scientists." At a recent meeting, Miss
Elizabeth Best, also of the Raymond
Foundation staff, demonstrated dissection
and taxidermy methods. Miss Virginia
Moe, Curator of the Trailside Museum,
co-operates in promoting the club work.

Ancient Rome and Etruria

Roman and Etruscan antiquities in great
variety are to be found in Edward E. and
Emma B. Ayer Hall (Hall 2), Truly worthy
of admiration are the simple, strong, and
yet highly artistic and utilitarian qualities
of many of the objects. The Roman bronzes,
and the Etruscan sarcophagi and funerary
couch merit special attention, and the
Roman wall paintings are unique among
American collections. Especially attractive
also is a fine exhibit of ancient glass objects.

Dr. Henry Field, Curator of Physical
Anthropology, has resigned, effective Octo-
ber 1, 1941,

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum li open evrrr day of the ytu (except
Chnitmu and New Ycm's Day) during the hour* indi-
cated below:

November, December,

January, February .... 9 A.M. to 4 P.M.

March, April, and

September, October ... 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.

.May. June, July, August . . 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Admixion i( free to Member* on all day%. Other
adults are admitted free on Thursdays, Saturdays, and
Sundays; non-members pay admission on other days:
Established price 25 cents, Federal tax 3 cents, total
2S cents. Children arc admitted free on all days.
Students and (acuity members of educational instiiu.
tions are admitted free any day upon presentation of
credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference daily
except Satutday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the schools of
Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public School Extension
Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertainments and
tours tor children at the .Museum, are provided by the
James Nelson and .^nna Louise Raymond Foundation
lor Public School and Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures lor adults arc presented tn
the James Simpson Theatre on Saturday afternoons {at
3:30 o'clock) in March, .^pnl, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are available also
for those bringing then lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26 busses pro-
vide diicct transportation to the Museum. Service is
offered also by Surlacc Lines, Rapid Transit Lines
(the "L"), interurban electric lines, and Illinois Cen-
tral trains. There is ample Irec parking space for
automobiles at the Museum.

November, 19U1

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

FIVE MORE CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS
OFFERED DURING NOVEMBER

Five more free programs of motion pic-
tures for children remain to be presented
during November in the autumn series
presented by the James Nelson and Anna
Louise Raymond Foundation for Public
School and Children's Lectures. These
programs, to which children from all parts
of Chicago and suburbs are invited, will be
presented twice each Saturday, at 10 a.m.
and at 11, in the James Simpson Theatre
of the Museum. No tickets are needed
for admission. Children may come alone,
accompanied by adults, or in groups from
schools, community centers, or other
organizations.

Following is the complete schedule:
November 1 — Mexico, Cub Southern

Neighbor; and a cartoon.

November 8— Life in Our Southwest-
ern Desert; and a cartoon.

November 15 — Wild Animals (color mo-
lion pictures and leclure by Sam Campbell).

November 22~Canada, Our Northern
Neighbor; and a cartoon.

November 29— The River Nile, Egypt's
Life Line (from the time of the mummies).

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Moss Agate or Scenic Agate

The delicate tracery of moss agate, like
the beautiful patterns of frost on window
panes, often so closely resembles the finest
ferns that it is difficult to believe at first
glance that it is entirely inorganic.

The specimen shown here is representa-
tive of dozens in the gem collection of Field
Museum, many of which are included in a
special display in Case No. 5-A in H. N.
Higinbotham Hall (Hall 31). No two speci-
mens of scenic or moss agate show exactly
the same pattern, yet all were formed in
much the same way.

The mineral chalcedony, under which all
varieties of agate are included, is common,
beautiful, and has long been known. The
name was used by Agricola as early as 1546
and is derived from the region "Chalcedon"
in Asia Minor. This mineral is mentioned
in the Bible (Book of Revelation) as one of
the foundation stones of the Holy City.

Chemically, chalcedony is composed of
silica and water. It has microcrystalline
structure, is characteristically waxy in
luster, and is usually translucent. Moss
agate and scenic agate result from the
spreading of dark mineral matter in light
colored chalcedony. This dark material is
usually the mineral pyrolusite, the oxide of
manganese, but in certain brown varieties
the coloring matter is iron oxide in the form
of the minerals hematite or goethite.

Chalcedony forms at low temperatures in
cavities or fissures in rocks by the precipita-

tion of silica from solution. It is thought
that this silica usually exists as a gel before
it becomes solid. The dark matter may be
introduced at this time and may diffuse in
a delicate branching pattern through the
gel — much as cream will diffuse through
coffee. In other cases the dark matter
appears to have been introduced into cracks
in the already hard chalcedony, and to have
diffused much as a drop of ink will spread in
a moss-like pattern between two sheets of
glass or paper.

In former times the best moss agates were
found in India and were known as "Mocha

?J.??S®^!^ ■'"'■."

»!«*"

laii.

♦ ^- *.*.«» ai».

MINIAl'URK LANUbCAFh INSIDE A S lONE
Example of moss (or scenic) agate from among tfiose in
2 display in H.N, Higinbotfiam Hall of Gems and Jewels.

Stones," a name which may refer to Mocha
in Arabia or may be a corruption of the
English name "moss-agate." In recent
years the best specimens, including all of
the scenic and so-called "landscape" agates,
have come from Montana, Wyoming and
Oregon. — B.M.

INSECT COLLECTION FROM MEXICO

Mr. Henry Dybas, Assistant in the
Division of Insects, returned to Field Mu-
seum recently after three months of collect-
ing insects in Mexico in company with Dr.
Charles H. Seevers, of the Department of
Zoology, Central Y.M.C.A. College, and
Mr. David Bergstrom. The party traveled
by automobile and made short stops of a
few days or weeks at various localities which
ranged from semi-arid country to luxurious
tropical forest. Most of the collecting was
done in the regions of Cordoba, Vera Cruz,
and the country to the south.

The material obtained by Mr. Dybas,
now acquired by Field Museum, numbers
over 17,000 specimens, mostly beetles.
Some of the most interesting of these are
three thousand fungus-dwelling beetles of
the family Ptiliidae. They are the smallest
beetles known, measuring half a millimeter
in length (one-fiftieth of an inch) and are
especially adapted to an existence within
the spore tubes of bracket fungi, where
both larvae and adults apparently feed
upon the soft, growing spores. They con-
stitute one of the least known of all insect
groups, and the Mexican specimens collected
by Mr. Dybas probably represent twice
as many species as were previously known
from all parts of the world.

SATURDAY LECTURES CONTINUE
THROUGH NOVEMBER

During November five of the lectures in
the annual autumn course for adults will be
presented on Saturday afternoons. All are
to be given by men eminent in various fields
of exploration and research, and all are
illustrated with motion pictures, largely in
natural colors. Admission to all the lectures
is free of charge.

The lectures are to be given in the James
Simpson Theatre of the Museum, and each
will begin at 2:30 p.m. All of them will be
illustrated with motion pictures, in many
cases by films in natural colors. The demand
for seats makes it necessary to restrict
admission to adults; but on the mornings of
the same Saturdays the James Nelson and
Anna Louise Raymond Foundation will
present free motion pictures especially for
children. The theatre entrance will be open
for the adult lectures at 2 o'clock each
Saturday.

Following are the dates, subjects, and
speakers for the adult programs:

November 1 — From Seashore to
Glacier.
Karl Maslowski.

November 8 — New Worlds Undersea.
Vincent Palmer.

November 15 — Florakeys.
James B. Pond.

November 22 — Pan American Highway.
James Sawders.

November 29 — Through the Rainbow.
Stuart D. Noble.

No tickets are necessary for admission
to these lectures. A section of the Theatre
is reserved for Members of the Museum,
each of whom is entitled to two reserved
seats. Requests for these seats should
be made in advance by telephone (WABash
9410) or in writing, and seats will be held
in the Member's name until 2:30 o'clock on
the day of the lecture. All reserved seats
not claimed by 2:30 p.m. will be made
available to the general public.

Wisconsin and Michigan Children
Visit Museum in Large Groups

Large groups of school children from Illi-
nois communities outside Chicago, and from
near-by states, are being brought on an
ever-increasing scale to Field Museum for
comprehensive tours correlating with their
scientific studies. Among notable groups
recently received were 1,150 rural pupils
of the schools of Rock County, Wisconsin,
brought to the Museum on October 9; and
1,400 from the schools of Allegan, Michigan,
who came on October 16. The Wisconsin
children were conducted on Museum tours
by their own teachers; the Michigan group
made tours led by guide-lecturers of the
Raymond Foundation.

Page 8

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

November, 19 Ul

LAYMAN LECTURES ON SUNDAYS
TO BEGIN THIS MONTH

On Sunday, November 2, and each
succeeding Sunday in November, Mr.
Paul G. Dallwig, the Layman Lecturer of
Field Museum, will speak on "Gems, Jewels
and 'Junk.' " This is the first of the seven
subjects which
he will present
during his 1941-
42 season of
Sunday after-
noon lectures,
which will con-
tinue through
next May.

The opening
lecture will be

illustrated with the exhibits in the recently
opened new Hall of Gems and Jewels (H. N.
Higinbotham Hall), and Mr. Dallwig will
tell the story of many of the most famous
precious stones in this hall, as well as giving
a general outline on the subject of gems and
jewels. It is Mr. Dallwig's aim to trace
vividly for his audiences the course of
precious and semi-precious gem stones from
their original home in the mother rocks to
their ultimate resting places in jewelry
stores, museums, and individual jewel chests.
He will also tell about the many supersti-
tions that have led to the wearing of gem
stones as talismans, amulets, and charms
against evil and illness, as well as to bring
good luck or to further the cause of love.
In addition, he will tell how imitation and
synthetic gem stones are produced, and how
they may be tested to determine whether
or not they are artificial in origin.

The heavy demand by the public for Mr.
Dallwig's lectures, and the necessity of
limiting each audience to 100 adults {children
cannot he accommodated), make it necessary
to require advance reservations. Persons
desiring to attend are advised to apply
several weeks in advance. Reservations
will be accepted by mail or telephone
(WABash 9410).

The Sunday afternoon lectures begin
promptly at 2 p.m., and end at 4:30. There
is a half-hour intermission midway for
refreshments and smoking in the Cafeteria.

In December the subject of Mr. Dallwig's
Sunday afternoon lectures will be "Mysteri-
ous 'Night-Riders' of the Sky" — the story
of meteors, meteorites, and the moon.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month:

Department of Anthropology :

From Mrs. Frank D. Gamewell, Phila-
delphia, Pa. — 3 tribal costumes, China;
from Mrs. Neva H. Farley, Minneapolis,
Minn. — Chinese sherds from South China
and the Near East, and one lot of Greek
pottery; from Mrs. Mortimer Frank,
Chicago — a painted figurine head, Mexico.

Department of Botany:

From Jose M. Ponce, Mexico City —
37 specimens of Mexican oaks; from George
Moore, Sullivan, Mo. — 9 herbarium speci-
mens, Missouri; from Dr. Erich F. Schmidt,
Chicago — 37 herbarium specimens, Iran.

Department of Geolo^:

From Steven Gulon, Chicago — one Mexi-
can onyx heart, Argentina; from University
of Chicago — skull and jaws of Eporeodon,
Wyoming; from A. H. Becker, Madison,
Wis. — 5 specimens of anorthoclase moon-
stone, Wisconsin.

Department of Zoolofty:

From Charles B. Cory, Homewood, 111. —
a sora rail, Illinois; from Mrs. Erika Cook
Bascom, Evanston, 111. — 4 lizards, Mexico;
from Mrs. Eunice Gemmill, Glen EUyn,
111. — a screech owl, Illinois; from Mrs.
Henry Dybas, Chicago — a starling, Illinois;
from Chicago Zoological Society, Brook-
field, 111. — 44 bird skeletons, 5 snakes, and
a lizard; from Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago —
a bird skeleton; from John G. Shedd
Aquarium, Chicago — 166 specimens com-
prising approximately 93 species of fishes;
from Mrs. Meriam Grey, Evanston, 111. —
66 specimens comprising 9 common shore
species of fishes, and 31 specimens comprising
10 species of marine invertebrates, Mary-
land; from Donald Shaw, Homewood, 111.
— a fox snake, Illinois; from Dr. Thomas
Poulter, Chicago — 2 penguin skeletons.
Little America; from C. M. Barber, Hot
Springs, Ark. — a desert tortoise skeleton,
Nevada; from Mrs. R. O. Grosjean, Fort
Wayne and Angola, Ind. — a weasel and a
star-nosed mole, Indiana.

The Library:

Valuable books from Metropolitan Mu-
seum of Art, New York; Stanley Charles
Nott, Palm Beach, Fla.; Dr. Henry Field,
Washington, D.C.; and Major Clifford C.
Gregg, Dr. Fritz Haas, Henry W. Nichols,
Dr. Julian A. Steyermark, Paul C. Standley,
and Emil Liljeblad, all of Chicago.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
September 16 to October 15:

Associate Members

J. J. Allin, Joseph Dorocke, Jr., Mrs.
Alfred Herz, Owen J. McAloon, John L.
Mclnerney.

Annual Members

Archie Angelopoulos, F. C. Armbruster,
Miss Jessie V. Behrens, Arthur A. Bransley,
Edwin T. Breen, Dr. Elmo F. Brennom,
W. B. Brodow, Morris Irving Cohn, Samuel
Drucker, George P. Foster, Gustav D.
Golding, C. G. Grove, William Hogenson,
Victor T. Holmsten, Anthony S. Holub,
Dr. M. B. Hopkins, Gilbert E. Humphrey,
Mrs. Roy L. James, C. C. Jung, Joseph
Kagan, Miss Lillian Kramer, John A. Leith,
Mrs. Ellis R. Lewis, Alex W. Munro, Max
Nierman, Sam Orner, Philip W. Pelts, Mrs.
L. A. Randall, Mrs. Harry Schlossberg,
Leo N. Soule, Jack C. Staehle, Haddon H.
Sundblom, Charles Ross Wallace, Frank M.
Whiston, Mrs. Elizabeth C. Wilson, Edward
J. Wormley.

WEEK DAY LECTURE TOURS
OFFERED IN NOVEMBER

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for November:

Week beginning November 3: Monday —
Hunting and Hunted Animals (Miss Eliza-
beth Best); Tuesday — General Tour; Wed-
nesday— Before the Dawn of History (Bert
E. Grove); Thursday — General Tour; Fri-
day— South America, Its People and Prod-
ucts (Miss Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning November 10: Monday
— Plants Prepare for Winter (Miss Marie
B. Pabst); Tuesday— General Tour; Wed-
nesday— Ancient and Modern Landscapes
(Bert E. Grove); Thursday — General Tour;
Friday — What the Indians Gave Us (Miss
Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning November 17: Monday —
Thanksgiving Foods (Miss Marie B. Pabst);
Tuesday — General Tour; Wednesday — Re-
lief Features of the Earth (Mrs. Leota G.
Thomas) ; Thursday — Thanksgiving holiday,
no tour; Friday — Chinese Arts (Miss Eliza-
beth Hambleton).

Week beginning November 24: Monday —
Animals of the Jungles (Miss Elizabeth
Best); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednesday
Rocks and How Man Uses Them (Bert E.
Grove); Thursday — General Tour; Friday —
Plant Societies (Mrs. Leota G. Thomas).

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director,
special tours are available to parties.

MEMBERSHIP IN FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum has several classes of Members. Annual
Members contribute $10 annually. Associate Members
pay $100 and are exempr Irom dues. Sustaining .Mem.
bers conrribute $25 annually lot six consecutive years,
alter which they become Associate Members and are
exempt from all furthet dues. Life Members give $300
and are exempt Irom dues. Non.Resident Life Mem.
bers pay $100, and Non-Resident Associate Members
$50; borh of these classes ate also exempr from dues.
The Non-Rcsidcnt membetships are available only to
persons residing fifty miles ot more Irom Chicago.
Those who give or devise to the .Museum $1,000 to
$100,000 are designared as Conrriburors, and those who
give or devise $100,000 or more become Benelactors.
Othet memberships are Honorary, Patton, Coffespond-
ing and Cotpotate, additions under these ctassificarions
being made by special action of the Board ol Trustees.

Each Member, in all classes, is entitled to free
admission to the Museum for himself, his family and
tiouse guesrs; and to two reserved seats for Museum
lectures provided lor Members. Subscription to FIELD
MUSEUM NEWS is Included with all memberships.
The courresies of every museum ol note in the United
States and Canada are exrendcd to all Members of Field
Museum. A Membet may give his petsonal card ro
non-residents of Chicago, upon presenration ol which
they will be admitted to the Museum without charge.
Further inlormation about memberships will be sent
on request.

BEQUESTS AND ENDOWMENTS

Bequests to Field Museum o( Natural History may
be made in securities, money, books or collecrions.
They may, tl desired, take the form o( a memorial to
a person or cause, named by the giver.

Contributions made "uhin the taxable year, not
exceeding 15 per cent of the taxpayer's net income, are
allowable as deductions in computing net income for
federal income tax purposes.

Endowments may be made to the Museum with the
provision that an annuity be paid to the patron for life.
These annuities are guaranteed against fluctuation in
amount, and may reduce federal income taxes.

PRINTED BV FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

News

Published Monthly by Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Vol. 12

DECEMBER, 1941

No. 12

d

s

STORY OF EARLY COFFEE TRADE

DEPICTED IN MUSEUM MURAL

By B. E. DAHLGREN
chief curator, department of botany

At a time when French ships in the Red
Sea would be news, and when the sea-
borne traffic to the Near East must resort
to the long route by way of the Cape of
Good Hope, one of the murals in Field
Museum's Hall of Food Plants (Hall 25),
viz., that of French
Coffee Buyers in
Arabia, appears to be
of particular interest.

It recalls the cen-
turies before the ex-
istence of the Suez
Canal when the same
sea-route, around the
southern tip of the
African continent, was
the only one available
for direct European
commerce with the
countries bordering
the Indian Ocean, the
Red Sea, and the
Persian Gulf. Those
who are at all histor-
ically minded will
remember that even
that route, now so
important for the
transportation of
supplies to the British
armies in the Near
East and of American
materials for Russia,
has been known only p^^^^, ^^ j^j,^^ ^^^^^^l

Smce the time OI the watcr-bome commerce was esca'

Portuguese navigators.

The painting depicts an historic incident
in the early days of the water-borne com-
merce which followed upon the discovery of
this route and not only made the West
independent of the ancient caravan trade by
bringing the products of all parts of the East
directly to Atlantic seaports, but also, and
fully as important, opened the way for an
enormous increase in the world's supply of
food and other products of vegetable
origin by initiating a far-flung distribution
of the useful plants of all continents.

Even at the present time, this process of

tion and (as described elsewhere in this issue)
new uses in North America. Peruvian bark
and the Brazilian rubber tree attained their
present importance in the tropics of the Far
East, whence after half a century of intensive
cultivation they are now returned, improved
and pedigreed, as stock for plantations in
their original habitat.

The most spectacular, if not the most
important, instance of the transposition of

transportation of economic plants from one
part of the world to another is still going on.
The Asiatic soybean, for example, grown in
the Far East since times immemorial, is
finding new and extensive areas of cultiva-

FRENCH COFFEE BUYERS IN ARABIA
in the Hall of Food Plants, showing a historic incident of
blished betwee.i Eutope and the countries on the Indian Ocean

a cultivated plant from one part of the world
to another far removed, is furnished by the
history of coffee, to which Mr. Moessel's
mural refers. Originally a native of the
highlands of Abyssinia, where it was of
relatively slight importance, the small tree
which produces coffee beans had been
introduced in southwestern Arabia some
few hundred years before it attracted general
attention. Though the beverage made from
its roasted seeds had become popular there
and its use had spread by way of Mecca
to all of the Mohammedan world, it was
not until it was sought by European buyers
that coffee became considered an important
article of commerce.

In Arabia the areas suitable for coffee
{Continued on page 2, column 1)

VISITORS SEE THE "INVISIBLE"
IN MUSEUM EXHIBIT

By henry W. NICHOLS

CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

The Department of Geology has encount-
ered and solved the problem of exhibiting
specimens that, from their nature, are act-
ually invisible. There are five rare gases
present in minute quantities in the air.
Like the principal components of the air,
oxygen and nitrogen,
they are absolutely
invisible, and a bottle
filled with them would
appear empty. Al-
though it is impossible
to show them in their
normal state, these
gases can be made to
glow with brilliantly
colored light when
they are excited by
an electric current.

Through the cour-
tesy of the Air Reduc-
tion Company it has
been possible to ex-
hibit tubes of these
gases. Although the
tubes appear empty
in their usual state,
they glow brilliantly
with the most beauti-
ful colors when the
visitor presses a
button.

These rare gases —
argon, neon, helium,
krypton and xenon —
are peculiar in that
they cannot be made
to enter into any chemical combination.
The most abundant, argon, is found in the
air in the proportion of one part argon to
125 parts air, and the most rare, xenon, is
present only in the proportion of one part
to 1,700,000 parts air. Rare as they are,
these gases have an important commercial
value, for they produce the light of the
numerous neon lights seen at night along
many of our city streets.

about the year 1706 when
, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf.

MUSEUM TO CLOSE CHRISTMAS
AND NEW YEAR'S DAY
in order to permit as many
employees as possible to spend the
holidays with their families.

Page 2

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

December, 19^1

STORY OF EARLY COFFEE TRADE

(Continued from page 1 )

growing are limited to the slopes of the
mountains and highlands adjoining the Red
Sea just above the western tip of the penin-
sula, a narrow zone where climatic conditions
and mountain streams make irrigation
possible. The production of the none-too-
extensive coffee gardens of the Arabs was
necessarily limited, but that part of the
crop which was not required for home
consumption passed up the Red Sea or
along its coast, and overland to near-by
Mediterranean ports, either to Cairo and
Alexandria, or to Acre, Jaffa, Tripoli or
other cities of the eastern Mediterranean
coast for transportation and sale to con-
sumers in Damascus, Aleppo, or in Con-
stantinople where coffee houses were opened
in 1554.

In Europe coffee was unknown until
travelers to the Levant returned with
stories of the black drink, which, in the
words of Francis Bacon, "comforteth the
brain and heart, and helpeth digestion."
From Constantinople coffee soon found its
way to Venice. This and other commercial
cities in the north of Italy obtained a supply
from Alexandria for resale to western Europe
and for a short time held a virtual monopoly
of this as of other exotic products of the
Near and Far East, until Marseilles on the
French Mediterranean coast, also securing
its supply from Alexandria, became the
center for the coffee trade in France. The
Dutch had in the meantime not been idle
and regular shipments arrived in Amsterdam.
Coffee was soon sold at public auctions
there, in London, and in New York. Dutch
traders obtained seeds from Aden and
planted coffee in Ceylon, where it did not
thrive, and later, more successfully, in the
Netherlands Indies. In 1706 a coffee plant
grown in Java was received in the botanic
gardens at Amsterdam.

It was about that time that merchants
of St. Malo, a small island off the channel
coast of France, decided to dispute the
French coffee trade with Marseilles and
dispatched three ships directly to Arabia.
The story of that expedition, which took
several years, was told by Jean La Roque
in his Voyage de V Arable Heureuse. How
the enterprise of the St. Malo merchants
afterwards led to the formation of the French
India Company and how the ships of the
French pioneers were followed by others,
including chartered American clippers, be-
longs to the history of commerce and would
take us too far afield.

The presentation to the king of France,
a few years later, of a coffee plant raised
from the seed of that in Amsterdam, is
however, a link in the story of coffee, for
the plant in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris
was carefully described and well figured by
the French botanist Jussieu, and seedlings
derived from it and from the parent coffee

trees in Amsterdam are said to have been
the first to reach the West Indies. At any
rate the French soon afterwards introduced
coffee plants in Haiti and Martinique; the
Dutch in Curasao and Dutch Guiana. Be-
fore the middle of the eighteenth century
coffee plants were being grown in almost all
West Indian islands and in all the Central
and South American countries, which have
since become the chief producers. Africa,
the original home of the coffee tree, was the
last to undertake its large-scale cultivation.
The destruction of millions of sacks of
surplus crop in Brazil is spectacular evidence
of the enormous increase which has taken
place in the production of this one com-
modity since the ships of the merchants of
St. Malo appeared in Yemen to bargain for
a share of the product of the Arabian coffee
gardens. Who could have predicted at the
time of the visit of the French coffee buyers
that the economy of entire nations in another
hemisphere some day would be largely
dependent on commerce in the dried seeds of
this Abyssinian plant!

EXOTIC BIRDS IN NEW EXHIBIT

By emmet R. BLAKE

ASSISTANT CURATOR OF BIRDS

Two temporary screens of mounted birds
recently installed near the southwest end of
Hall 21 illustrate in a striking manner the
great diversity of color, pattern, and form
to be found in the bird world. Sixty-two
species, representing more than thirty
families, are included. All of the birds are
of foreign origin, with the Australian region
particularly well represented.

Among the more striking exotic species
is a crowned pigeon of New Guinea. This
handsome bird, the largest member of its
family, attains the size of a small turkey
and superficially bears little resemblance
to any other pigeon. An erect fan-shaped
crest, dull bluish, like the general plumage,
arises from the top of its head and lends it
a particularly distinguished appearance.
Smaller, but scarcely less attractive, is the
Nicobar pigeon of Australasia with its
remarkably developed mantle of greenish-
bronze feathers.

Of sf)ecial interest is the kea, a large olive
green parrot of New Zealand. Keas inhabit
the higher mountains during the warm
months but descend to the sheep ranges in
winter. Although normally omnivorous,
these sturdy birds have become a serious
economic problem in some areas through
their attacks upon sick or weakened sheep
which they destroy by devouring the fat
about the kidneys.

Weaver finches, an Old World family of
extremely diverse sparrow-like birds, are
represented by nine of the more colorful
species. Several hundred forms are known
to science. Many have become popular as
cage birds because of their attractive colors
and hardiness in captivity. Our ubiquitous

CROWNED PIGEON
The largest member of its family, tfiis beautiful bitd
of New Guinea may grow to the size of a small turkey.

but relatively drab English "sparrow" is,
in reality, a weaver finch, which has spread
over most of this country since its introduc-
tion at Brooklyn, New York in 1850.

The bird fauna of the American tropics
is represented by numerous rare or beautiful
species. The oil bird of Trinidad and
northern South America constitutes an
anatomical link between owls and goat-
suckers and bears a notable superficial
resemblance to the latter. Oil birds dwell(

in caves from which they emerge at night
to feed upon palm seeds. Their name is
derived from the condition of the nestlings,
which become so distended with fat as to
attract native hunters who melt out the oil
for use as butter.

A quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala
(also represented in a habitat group in
Hall 20), a crested oropendola, a motmot,
an Australian tawny frogmouth, a Philippine
hornbill, and various tanagers and other
exotic species which pique the imagination or
delight the eye are also displayed. The
birds were prepared for exhibition by Staff
Taxidermist John W. Moyer.

Folk-lore of Christmas Plants

You have to have holly at Christ-
mas, of course, and you know what
to do when you encounter the mistle-
toe. But do you know why you do
these things? The origin of the
customs surrounding these Yuletide
shrubs is traced in Mistletoe and Holly,
a leaflet published by Field Museum.
This little book, which makes a charm-
ing Christmas gift itself, presents
in interesting form the principal
botanical facts about the plants.

On sale at THE BOOK SHOP of
FIELD MUSEUM. Price 25 cents.
Copies may be ordered by mail.

'^

December, 19il

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Pages

9

U. S. RANKS NEXT TO MANCHURIA IN SOYBEAN PRODUCTION

BY LLEWELYN WILLIAMS When refined, by washing the crude oil

CURATOR OF ECONOMIC BOTANY .,, , 11 i. 1 ^.

With a weak alkah solution to separate
certain undesired constituents, it is employed
for a wide variety of purposes, such as in
margarine and as a cooking oil; also in paints,
varnishes, enamels, waterproofing com-
pounds, and lithographic inks. One im-
portant soybean product, separated from
the extracted oil by centrifugal action, is
lecithin, a complex fatty, viscid, brown
substance. It finds application as an
addition to cocoa butter in the chocolate
coating of candy, and is used also in the
preparation of emulsions, and, more recently,
for painting gasoline tanks of airplanes to
prevent oxidation. The soybean is unusually
rich in protein, which serves, like casein, in
the manufacture of washable wallpaper,
cold water paints, leather finishes, paper
sizings, paper and wallboard coatings, textile
finishes, and plastics.

The soybean differs from the usual culti-
vated legumes, such as lentils, peas, and
beans, by its low starch content. Its un-
usually high percentage of protein and oil

I

The soybean (Glycine max), an erect,
annual plant is native to southeastern Asia.
Also known as "soja" or "soyabean," it
belongs to the bean or pulse family. It has
been cultivated since ancient times in China,
Korea, and Manchuria, where it still forms
a substantial part of the natives' diet, as
well as the source of an edible oil. Despite
its antiquity and high nutritive value for
man and beast, it seems to have spread
slowly into countries outside of the Far
East. It was brought to Europe towards
the end of the eighteenth century and
planted in botanical gardens, but it did not
at that time attract much attention as a
plant of economic importance.

In recent years the soybean has been the
subject of considerable experimentation in
the United States, particularly in the middle
west and the eastern states. Due to the
ease with which it can be grown as a fodder
plant, its large yield and, more recently,
the application of the oil and meal from
the seed for varied industrial uses as well
as for food, this legume now forms an
agricultural crop of importance in this
country. The United States ranks second
only to Manchuria in world production.
The bulk of the soybean crop produced
here is used for fodder; the rest for the
extraction of oil and meal for use as ingre-
dients in the preparation of feed and food-
stuflfs, and for industrial purposes.
800 varieties; many uses

The number of varieties and types of
soybeans is said to exceed eight hundred,
distinguished largely according to the color,
size, and shape of the seed, and the time
required to attain maturity. The early
varieties are preferred for seed crops, and
the medium or late varieties for hay, forage
and ensilage. For the production of oil
the yellow varieties are considered the best,
but when meal is desired the green or black
beans are used.

The oil extracted from the soybean belongs
to the semi-drying class, that is, having
properties intermediate between drying oils
such as linseed, and non-drying oils exem-
plified by olive oil. Three methods are
employed to remove the oil from the seed.
The most primitive system is that in use
in the native mills of Manchuria, and in-
volves the crushing of the beans into flakes
beneath a granite millstone. The wafers
are then placed in gunny bags and steamed,
and pressure is applied to the resultant
mass to express the oil, the meal remaining
as a round, flat cake. In modern American
mills the oil is extracted by passing the
, crushed beans, in the form of flakes, through
a solvent (benzine or gasoline), or by the
expeller method, involving the application of
hydraulic pressure preceded by steam.

In the crude state the oil is used in the
manufacture of soap and insecticides.

A PLANT MUCH IN THE NEWS
City dwellers have heard and read 3 great deal about
manufactured products of soybean origin, often without
having seen the plant. Hence, this exhibit in Hall 28.

explains its nutritive value. What is true
of beans in general is true also of soybean.
In order that the nutrients contained in it
may be digestible, the soybean must be
cooked or treated in some way that breaks
down the cell walls — then its contents are
readily acted upon by the digestive juices.

SOURCE OF CHOP SUEY SAUCE

The soybean is used more extensively as
food in China and Japan than in other
countries. There it is usually prepared in
conjunction with other materials. One of
these Oriental foods is "natto," prepared
by boiling the seeds in water for several
hours to render them soft. The hot mass
is then wrapped in small portions in straw
and the bundles are placed in a cellar in

which fire has been kindled. There the
cooked beans are allowed to ferment in a
warm, moist atmosphere. The resulting,
thick mass has a peculiar, not unpleasant
odor. Bean cheese, or "tofu," is obtained
by soaking the beans in water for about
twelve hours, and crushing them between
millstones. The ground material is then
boiled with water for about an hour and
filtered. The liquid is white, opaque, and
has the general appearance of cow's milk.
Another food product prepared in the Orient
is "shoyu," a sauce prepared from a mixture
of cooked, ground soybeans, roasted wheat
flour, salt and water. The mass is allowed
to ferment in rice wine in casks for one to
several years. The resulting product is a
thick, brown liquid, commonly known to
us as soy sauce, and widely used in this
country with chop suey.

For use as human food in the United
States the soybeans are heated to remove
the bitter taste characteristic of the un-
treated seed. Finely ground soybean meal
is employed in admixture with wheat-flour
for bread. The white, fat-containing flour
is employed in the baking and packing in-
dustries, while the meal is made into pellets
of convenient size for feeding cattle and
sheep on the open range.

An exhibit of soybean was recently in-
stalled in Case 30, in the northeast corner
of Hall 25 (Hall of Food Plants).

FOURTH GUATEMALA EXPEDITION
DISPATCHED BY MUSEUM

Field Museum's fourth botanical expedi-
tion to Guatemala will depart from New
Orleans on December 3. It will be con-
ducted by Dr. Julian A. Steyermark,
Assistant Curator of the Herbarium, who
led a similar expedition to that country
in 1939-40. Dr. Steyermark will be accom-
panied by Mr. Albert Vatter, of Glenview,
Illinois. Mr. Vatter has had considerable
experience in wild flower photography, and
one of the results of the expedition should
be the acquisition of a large series of photo-
graphs of the Guatemalan flora to serve as
records and to supplement the dried speci-
mens collected for study purposes.

This expedition is expected to conclude
the field work in Guatemala carried on since
1928 in preparation for a flora of that country
by Curator Paul C. Standley and Assistant
Curator Steyermark. Dr. Steyermark plans
to remain in Guatemala about ten months,
and devote his time to the exploration of
those areas which have not been investigated
by previous expeditions, as well as areas
whose wealth of flora demand greater atten-
tion. Since none of the previous expeditions
had been in Guatemala throughout the
rainy season, one of the principal objectives
of the present expedition will be to make
collections during that season from the
many areas which then attain their maxi-
mum of floral development.

Page U

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

December, 19^1

EXHIBIT SHOWS PIG-LIKE ANIMALS OF THE BAD LANDS 30 MILLION YEARS AGO

By ELMER S. RIGGS

CURATOR OF PALEONTOLOGY

A new exhibit in Ernest R. Graham Hall
(Hall 38) includes members of four families
of animals, three of which are pig-like in
their structure and apparent habits, while
a fourth is similar in general proportions but
quite unlike the others in structure. This
arrangement of animals which are not
closely related is necessary in dealing with
groups in which only a few specimens of the
several families are available for exhibition.

The families included in this exhibit are:
the native American pigs or peccaries; a
larger pig-like family known as the Achae-
nodonts or short-faced pigs; and a still
larger and more imposing line of animals
known as the Enteledonts. Along with
these closely related families of animals are
exhibited members of a distinctly North
American family of hoofed animals known
as the Oreodonts. These animals were
similar to the pig-like families in general
proportions, but differ from them in the
structure of teeth and probably in general
feeding habits.

The peccaries are a distinctly American
family of animals. They are known from
this continent throughout a period of thirty
million years. The earliest specimen ex-
hibited in this case is of a small animal
called Perchoerus which lived in the Great
Plains region and whose fossil remains are
preserved, but rarely, in the Bad Land
formations which center about the Black
Hills of South Dakota.

A somewhat larger animal in this line is
found in the Miocene sandstones of western
Nebraska. Its kind are known under the
name of Desmathyus and may well be lineal
descendants of the little animal from the
Bad Lands mentioned above. In fact, the
various layers of Bad Land clays which
appear in the basin south of the Black Hills
are covered first by ledges of hard sand-

stones which appear in the face of Pine
Ridge and then by layers of softer sand-
stone, all of which laid one upon the other
form a continuous geological series recording
the history and preserving the bones of
many animals which lived thereabouts.
From these series of rock strata have been
collected the specimens of the two earlier
genera of peccaries.

LARGEST OP THE PECCARIES

The third and largest member of this
family exhibited is a peccary which attained
a size equal to that of the wild boar of
western Europe. The specimen is one of a
number of individuals which were found in
a cave deposit of Pleistocene age in western
Maryland. Specimens in another group,
classed with the above-mentioned animal
but distinguished as a different species,
were found near Goodland, Kansas, in a
bed of clay which was being dug out for
the purpose of making brick.

An individual of a species of peccaries
still living in South America is shown as a
modern representative of this line and com-
pletes the column of specimens representing
this family. This specimen of an extant
animal is somewhat smaller than the next
older extinct animal. Two living species of
peccaries range through the southwestern
states, Mexico, and parts of South America.
The South American species may be regarded
as immigrant descendants of the older North
American stock which reached that con-
tinent after land connections with the
northern continent were established.

The Entelodonts are known in North
America from the earlier part of the Oligo-
cene epoch. They are preserved in the Bad
Land formations along with the remains of
earlier peccaries, and were much larger
and stronger. They were a vigorous
stock represented by at least two distinct
types, a larger and a smaller. They con-
tinued through the Oligocene and well into

the lower Miocene epochs where they reach/'^
a size equal to that of the modern bison^
(a fine specimen of the larger type had to
be left out of this exhibit because of its size).
In the early part of the Miocene epoch they
disappeared from the fossil-bearing forma-
tions of North America. Whence they came
to the Great Plains area is still unknown.
Related animals lived in Europe about the
same time and survived there to a somewhat
later period.

The Achaenodonts are a kind of short-
faced pig which are known from a few skulls
found in the middle Eocene Bad Lands of
Utah and from a few specimens found in
an older formation. They are of a sturdy
stock as the short but massive skull indicates.
Whether or not their ancestral stock origi-
nated in North America is not known.
They disappeared entirely with the close of
the Eocene epoch leaving no known traces
in later formations.

The Oreodonts are only distantly related
to the pig-like mammals. They may be
characterized as the most distinctively
North American family of mammals. Speci-
mens of eight different genera are included
in this exhibit; more than three times that
number are known from formations on this
continent. Their entire history covers a
period of some thirty million years.

OREODONTS 100% NORTH AMERICAN f

The earliest oreodonts are considered by
some eminent paleontologists as closely
related to the camel ancestors of their time.
Their teeth are similar in structure and
arrangement to those of the cow and sheep,
although the upper incisors were present
and of use in all the thirty-odd genera of
the animals that have been found and
recorded from the Great Plains region.

While many families of animals have
developed on one continent and later
migrated to another — as examples we have
the honses, deer, and elephants — the oreo-

RESTORATION OF THE GREAT ENTELODONT (DINOHYUS)
The animals in the central foreground of this mural painting by Charles R. Knight (in the series on the walls of Ernest R. Graham Hall) represent one of the kmds of pig-like
mammals from the early Miocene deposits of Nebraska, as fossil specimens intricate it must have appeared when living. The animal was as large as a bison, with a head a yard in length.

December, 191tl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 5

»

donts are nowhere known outside the con-
tinent of North America. They were
distinctly a "stay-at-home" family. At the
same time they became so numerous and
so abundant on this continent that in
certain rock formations, such as the Bad
Lands of the Dakotas and neighboring states,
the fossil skulls and skeletons of these
animals are common objects. Sometimes
their skeletons are found in groups of four
or five lying close together and apparently
overcome and covered up by a sandstorm
or other natural calamity. Again, single
specimens may be found in a locality. Only
one mounted skeleton could be shown in
this exhibit although a number of other
entire skeletons are preserved in the study
collections of the Museum.

The specimens belonging to this family
are exhibited in four vertical columns, each
column being made up of the individuals
of a single geological epoch. A restoration
in color, a copy of the work of a well-known
animal artist, shows a species of these
animals in its native surroundings. Such
illustrations not only give a vivid picture
of the animals as they appeared in life, but
add a touch of color to the group and
enliven the whole exhibit.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Brides on the Installment Plan

Brides are purchased on the installment
plan in the Kei group of islands in the
Netherlands East Indies. A memorandum
representing a contract for the purchase of
a bride, carved on a wooden paddle, is
exhibited in the Hall of Malaysia (Hall G,
Case 53) at Field Museum. From the
number of payments specified it is apparent
that credit in Kei is more liberal than the
present eighteen-months limit on installment
sales of certain products in the United
States. Furthermore, the gold standard has
apparently not been abandoned there, as
it is specified that many of the payments
shall be made in the precious metal. There
is no indication as to what happens when a
bridegroom fails to make payments on time
— whether or not the father of the girl can
then repossess her as the furniture, radio
and automobile installment men repossess
their chattels here.

The price of a bride among the upper class
of Kei natives may amount to five hundred
dollars or more. Her father keeps an account
of the periodical payments by cutting a
record on the face of a board, such as that
displayed at the Museum, of the number
and kind of objects received in payment.
I When payments are completed, the board is
'given to the bridegroom as a receipt.

The Museum's account board has twelve
carved lines, each representing a series of
payments. First there are nine incomplete
rings representing gold bracelets, then four-

teen "rix-doUars" (silver coins introduced
into the islands by the Dutch, with a normal
value approximately equivalent to $1.20 in
United States money). Other lines are
carved notations
of the payment of
several kinds of
gold ornaments,
gongs, and more
dollars. One line of
payments includes
a pig, followed by
more gold objects
and more money.
The records of
similar payments
continue on the
reverse side of the
board.

The Kei Islands
are a small group
lying south of west-
ern New Guinea.
The original in-
habitants were ap-
parently quite
similar to the
Papuans. In the
seventeenth cen-
tury a large portion
of the inhabitants
of the Banda
Islands nearby were forced to move to the
Kei group. Later, natives from other
Malayan islands also settled in the islands.
The population now is partly pagan, partly
Moslem, and partly Christian.

BRIDAL CONTRACT

SPRING FLOWERS IN BLOOM
AT THANKSGIVING

By JULIAN A. STEYERMARK

ASSISTANT CURATOR OF THE HERBARIUM

Ordinarily we sit down to dinner at
Thanksgiving with cold winter blasts re-
minding us of the winter season to come.
Outside of chrysanthemums and late garden
stragglers we are not blessed with a multi-
tude of flowers to beautify the landscape.

This November, however, and well
through Thanksgiving week, so many plants
that ordinarily are only spring flowers came
into bloom that it seems worth-while to
record them. Most Chicagoans will agree
that October and November weather this
year left much to be desired. Most of the
days were either rainy, cold, or snowy, and
at first thought would not seem conducive
to plant life. Nevertheless, the abundance
of rain plus the moderately cool weather
somewhat simulated conditions which exist
generally in the first days of spring, minus
however, the sunshine of springtime.

Despite the lack of sunshine in October
and November, pear trees were found
flowering in October. Lilacs and a few
other spring-flowering shrubs were recorded
in bloom. Pitcher plants flowered again in
October and November, and also rue

anemone, wild blue violets, bird-foot violet,
and several other species. Finally, the
round-lobed hepatica (Hepatica amerieana),
which ordinarily is one of the flrst of the
spring wild flowers in the Chicago region,
blossomed again in October, and in the
woods around Barrington, at least, sent up
two lavender flowers during Thanksgiving.

Mayas, Aztecs, and Toltecs

Because of their great intellectual achieve-
ments, their artistic skill, and their city-
state organization, the Mayas have been
called "the Greeks of the New World."
The Aztecs, with their powers of political
and military organization, their vast empire,
and their borrowed arts and sciences, have
similarly been compared to the ancient
Romans. Collections representing these two
cultures, as well as that of the Toltecs who
preceded the Aztecs in the Valley of Mexico,
are on exhibition in Hall 8 of the Department
of Anthropology.

Ancient Corroded Metal Studied

A party of metallurgists from the Sun
Oil Company recently visited the Museum
to study the effects of centuries of corrosion
on buried metals collected in Kish and
Egypt. They were much interested in the
Fink electrolytic treatment for restoring
corroded metal. This method has been
employed in Field Museum laboratories
to restore hundreds of valuable specimens.

FIELD MUSEUM HONOR ROLL
Now In the Service
of their Country:

Theodore Roosevelt, Trustee —
Colonel, U.S. Army, commanding
26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Mass.

Joseph Nash Field, Trustee — Ensign,
U.S. Navy, Headquarters, 9th
Naval District, Great Lakes, 111.

Clifford C. Gregg, Director — Major,
U.S. Army, Assistant Adjutant
General, 6th Corps Area, Chicago.

Melvin A. Traylor, Jr., Associate,
Birds — Private, U.S. Marine Corps,
Training Base, San Diego, Calif.

Patrick T. McEnery, Guard — Master-
at-arms, U.S. Navy, Training
School, Navy Pier, Chicago.

John Syckowski, Guard — Chief Com-
missary Steward, U.S. Navy, Train-
ing School, Navy Pier, Chicago.

George Jahrand, Guard — Chief Water
Tender, U.S. Navy, Naval Armory,
Chicago.

M. C. Darnall, Jr., Student Guard-
Candidates' Class, U.S. Marine
Corps Reserve (Officers' Training
Course), Quantico, Va.

James C. Mclntyre, Student Guard —
Private, U.S. Army, Battery D,
31st Coast Artillery Training
Battalion, Camp Wallace, Hitch-
cock, Texas.

Page 6

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

December, 191fl

Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893

Roosevelt Road and Field Drive, Chicago

Telephone: Wabash 9410

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lester Armour Stanley Field

Sewell L. Avery Samuel Insull, Jr.

W. McCORMiCK Blair Charles A. McCulloch

Leopold E. Block William H. Mitchell

Boardman Conover George A. Richardson

Walter J. Cummings Theodore Roosevelt

Albert B. Dick, Jr. Solomon A. Smith

Howard W. Fenton Albert A. Sprague

Joseph N. Field Silas H. Strawn

Marshall Field Albert H. Wetten

John P. Wilson

OFFICERS

Stanley Field President

.\LBERT A. Sprague First Vice-President

Silas H. Strawn Second Vice-President

Clifford C. Gregg Director and Secretary

Solomon A. Smith . . . Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

EDITOR
Clifford C. Gregg Director of the Museum

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Wilfred H. Osgood Curator Emeritus, Zoology

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul S. Martin Chief Curator of Anthropology

B. E. Dahlgren Chief Curator of Botany

Henry W. Nichols Chief Curator of Geology

Karl P. Schmidt Chief Curator of Zoology

MANAGING EDITOR
H. B. Hartb Public Relations Counsel

Members are requested to Inform the Museum
promptly of changes of address.

TRUSTEE A. W. HARRIS RESIGNS;
H. W. FENTON ELECTED

Mr. Albert W. Harris, a member of the
Board of Trustees of Field Museum since
December 20, 1920, and Third Vice-Presi-
dent since January 16, 1933, recently pre-
sented his resignation, which has been
regretfully ac-
cepted by the
Board of Trustees.
Mr. Harris's resig-
nation was ten-
dered for personal
reasons, and be-
came effective im-
mediately.

In the twenty-
two years during
which Mr. Harris
has been associated
with the administration of the Museum, he
has taken an active part in the deliberations
of the Board and has contributed exceedingly
valuable counsel in connection with the
policies and practices of the Museum. Mr.
Harris is a Benefactor, an Honorary Mem-
ber, and a Life Member of the Museum. He
has for many years been a most enthusiastic
supporter of the work of the N. W. Harris
Public School Extension which was founded
in 1911 by his father, the late Norman Wait
Harris. The foundation was established by
Norman Wait Harris with an endowment
of $250,000, and this has been more than
doubled by the contributions of Mr. Albert
W. Harris, whose gifts over the years have
reached a total exceeding $250,000.

ALBERT W. HARRIS

At a meeting of the Board held on
November 17, Mr. Howard W. Fenton,
President of the Harris Trust and Savings
Bank, was elected a Trustee of the Museum
to fill the vacancy occasioned by Mr. Harris's
resignation. Mr. Fenton, has been promi-
nent in Chicago business and civic activities
for many years. He joined the staff of the
Harris Bank in 1895, became its Treasurer
in 1907, a Director in 1909, Vice-President
in 1911, and President in 1923.

Honorary Appointment to Maya Expert

Mr. J. Eric Thompson, of the staff of the
Division of Historical Research at the
Carnegie Institution of Washington, D.C.,
has been given an honorary appointment on
the staff of Field Museum, as Research
Associate in Middle American Archaeology.
Mr. Thompson is well-known as an expert
on the archaeology and ethnology of the
Mayas, and has written a number of books
on these subjects, some of them published
by Field Museum Press. Prior to join-
ing the Carnegie Institution staff, Mr.
Thompson was for a number of years on
Field Museum's staff as Assistant Curator
of Central and South American Archaeology,
and conducted for this institution a series
of expeditions to British Honduras under
the sponsorship of Mr. Marshall Field. On
these expeditions he made researches in the
Maya field which were the basis of some of
his most important publications.

NEW MEMBERS

The following persons became Members
of Field Museum during the period from
October 16 to November 15:

Associate Members
William B. Basile, Joseph F. Garen,
Edwin I. Guthman, William C. Hill, George
M. lUich, Jr., Herman L. Kretschmer, Jr.,
Mrs. Albert F. Madlener, Jr., Mrs. Feme T.
Mollan, Richard H. Peel, Miss Elizabeth W.
Pfaelzer, E. W. Puttkammer, Mrs. Jean
Hippach Scharin, Robert Roy Schurig, Miss
Maud E. Scott, Mrs. John Stephan, Mrs.
Louis Vierling, Siegfried Weiss.

Annual Members

W. p. Bair, Sheldon M. Booth, Richard
Bronwell, Robert M. Cobb, Hubert S.
Conover, William C. Danne, Frank D.
Darling, Samuel Edward Dean, Mrs. Albert
J. Deniston, Jr., G. A. Freeman, G. E.
Handtmann, Sister Mary Henry, Frank O.
Hilburn, Theodore Holm II, Walter C.
James, Miss Mary A. Kennedy, Mrs.
Nathan Klee, Mrs. Alden J. Klein, Mrs.
Nellie Kreber, Rev. A. R. Kretzmann, Mrs.
William L. Leeds, W. R. Maxwell, George
S. Nussear, Mrs. George H. Parkinson, Mrs.
C. H. Phelps, Malcolm E. Shroyer, David
Snyder, Dr. Fred Stenn, Raleigh R. Steuber,
Arthur E. Stolle.

Death Takes Carl F. Gronemann,
Former Museum Illustrator

Mr. Carl P. Gronemann, Illustrator on\
the staff of Field Museum for many years,
died November 4 at his home in Elgin,
Illinois. Mr. Gronemann was first employed
at the Museum in 1917. After a few years
during which he was engaged in illustrating
an important encyclopedia, and other art
activities, he rejoined the Museum staff in
1922 and remained until the summer of 1941,
when because of advancing years and ill
health he was retired on pension. Mr.
Gronemann was a capable artist, and made
illustrations for many of the Museum's
publications, as well as preparing maps,
paintings, and drawings for use as posters,
as elements of various exhibits, and for other
purposes. He was deeply interested in the
conservation of wild life, and was the founder
and past president of the Elgin Audubon
Society, and the Elgin Nature Study Society.
He was also for a time chief commissioner
of Elgin's botanical park, and active in the
work of many horticultural associations and
garden clubs.

At the time of Mr. Gronemann's retire-
ment his assistant, Mr. John J. Janecek,
was appointed as Illustrator to succeed him.

Eastern Educator Visits Museum

Field Museum was host to Mrs. Jane
Garrison, Director of the Children's Mu-,
seum, Brooklyn, New York, on her recent
visit to Chicago to acquaint herself with the
developments and progress of work with
children as carried on here and at other
institutions in this city.

Some of the earliest chariot wheels ever
found by archaeologists are exhibited in the
Hall of Babylonia (Hall K).

A FEW FACTS ABOUT FIELD MUSEUM

Field Museum is open every day of the year
(except Christmas and New Year's Day) during
the hours indicated below:

November, December,

January, February . .9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

March, April, and

September, October . .9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

May, June, July, August. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission is free to Members on all days.
Other adults are admitted free on Thursdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays; non-members pay
admission on other days: Established price 25
cents. Federal tax 3 cents, total 28 cents.
Children are admitted free on all days.
Students and faculty members of educational
institutions are admitted free any day upon
presentation of credentials.

The Museum's Library is open for reference
daily except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Traveling exhibits are circulated in the
schools of Chicago by the N. W. Harris Public
School Extension Department of the Museum.

Lectures at schools, and special entertain-
ments and tours for children at the Museum,
are provided by the James Nelson and Anna
Louise Raymond Foundation for Public School
and Children's Lectures.

Free courses of lectures for adults are pre-
sented in the James Simpson Theatre on Satur-
day afternoons (at 2:30 o'clock) in March,
April, October, and November.

A Cafeteria serves visitors. Rooms are
available also for those bringing their lunches.

Chicago Motor Coach Company No. 26
busses provide direct transportation to the
Museum. Service is offered also by Surface
Lines, Rapid Transit Lines (the "L"), inter-
urban electric lines, and Illinois Central trains.
There is ample free parking space for auto-
mobiles at the Museum.

^

December, IHl

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

Page 7

CURATOR ROY RECOUNTS HIS EXPERIENCES IN THE ARCTIC

I

Latest addition to Field Museum's Geol-
ogy Memoirs is The Upper Ordovician Fauna
of Frohisher Bay, Baffin Land, by Dr. Sharat
Kumar Roy, Curator of Geology.

Unlike most technical publications this
quarto-size volume of 212 pages is partly
devoted to a lively account of the day-by-
day doings of the members of the Frederick
H. Rawson Expedition to Labrador and
Baffin Land. Although the expedition con-
ducted its work during the fifteen months
beginning in June, 1927, this book is the
first detailed narrative to be published.
Other duties prevented Dr. Roy from pre-
paring his manuscript earlier.

MOSQUITOES WORST PEST OF FAR NORTH

The average stay-at-home reader's con-
cepts of the hardships of Arctic exploration
are apt to receive a startling jolt from the
following paragraph in Dr. Roy's book:

"At dawn on July 8, Battle Harbor,
Labrador, was sighted. We steamed past
it and anchored in Assizes Bay. Now, for
the first time, we encountered the dreaded
mosquitoes and black flies! It is well to
emphasize here that they are far more
formidable a menace than is usually believed.
Although we were equipped with the best-
known protections against these horrible
pests, none proved equal to the situation.
Of the two evils of the North — mosquitoes
I and flies in summer and bitter cold in
winter — the latter is by far the more
bearable."

It may be noted, in passing, that Dr.
Roy is a native of India, accustomed to a
semi-tropical climate. So far as is known,
he is the only East Indian ever to have
gone into the Arctic regions.

DOUBT CAST ON "VIKING RUINS"

On Sculpin (or Kanaiotok) island, sup-
posed Viking ruins were investigated. "It
is commonly believed that this island was
settled by Norsemen some 900 years ago
and that the ruins found there might be
Norse," writes Dr. Roy. "A survey of the
ruins and examinations of the artifacts,
however, led our anthropologist. Dr. William
Duncan Strong, to conclude that the site
represents an early Eskimo spring or autumn
camp of the Thule culture."

TRAGIC LIFE OF NASKAPI INDIANS

On arrival in Anatalak Bay the expedition
made first contact with the Naskapi Indians.
"Rarely, in North America today, can one
get the thrill that comes with the first sight
of a Naskapi, for the Naskapi are truly wild
Indians, living by the hunt as their ancestors
did before them. From Northwest River
to Ungava Bay ... is an unexplored area
of 300,000 square miles entirely unoccupied
ksave by one hundred Indians .... The
riot of a Naskapi is not a happy one ....
On snowshoes, the hunter wanders day after
day on the lookout for such caribou as the
Caribou God may send in answer to his
prayers .... When the caribou are not to

be found, the Indians starve; often the
men drop in their tracks."

The expedition retraced the course of Sir
Martin Frobisher, first explorer of the
American Arctic, who made three voyages
between 1576 and 1578 under the patronage
of Queen Elizabeth. Frobisher took back
to England hundreds of tons of rock which
he and his companions supposed to be gold
ore, but which turned out to be worthless.
At Kodlunarn Island, where Frobisher
planned a colony, the Museum party found
house ruins, mining trenches, water reser-
voirs, and fragments of supplies.

STRANGE NATURAL PHENOMENA

Among the natural phenomena which
Dr. Roy observed are the movement by ice
expansion of great boulders weighing many
tons, and lakes domed with ice to twenty
feet or more above their summer water levels.

"A constant topic of conversation during
the winter in Labrador is that of the 'drift.'
The term 'drift,' as used by the natives, is
not what we generally call snowdrift but
is a living, moving mass of powdery snow
dust that has been picked up and carried
along by the wind. Very often it reaches
a height of ten feet or more. No one dares
to go out into it, for to do so is almost
certain suicide. Objects within arm's length
cannot be seen. In it one loses all sense
of direction; pathways that may be followed
on the darkest night become strange and
unfamiliar. When accompanied by a strong
wind it cuts like a sand blast and facing
it is all but impossible. The dust is so
powdery that it enters the very smallest
opening and packs solidly inside the
clothes ....

WATER THAT DOESN'T FREEZE AT 30° BELOW

"Of all phenomena relating to ice and
snow, the most interesting was the presence
of fresh flowing water on the beaches and
near-by areas at air temperature many
degrees below freezing. This water is known
locally as 'quor' water. What the term
means is not known unless it be the degen-
erated form of the word 'queer,' but to find
flowing water when even the swiftest brooks
have frozen to a depth of a foot or more is
perplexing .... Apparently, it is some form
of seepage from considerable depth below
the level of the frozen ground, where
circulation of water is possible. Yet it is
difficult to explain why the water should
collect in streams and flow out on the
accumulated ice without freezing ....

"Although 'quor' water is a great blessing
as a source of abundant drinking water, it
is also a real menace. Because of the con-
stant seepage, the snow is kept so mushy
that it is extremely difficult, and often
impossible, to walk along the beaches, where
the 'quor' water seems to be more prevalent
than elsewhere. Wet feet, when the tem-
perature is around 30 degrees below zero,
are likely to freeze without warning."

In the technical portion of the book. Dr.
Roy gives scientific descriptions of hundreds
of fossils he collected. Included among a
number of new species are four which he
named Receptaeuliies fieldi, Westenoeeros
greggi, Krausella rawsoni and Calymene
macmillani in honor respectively of Mr.
Stanley Field, President of the Museum,
Major Clifford C. Gregg, Director of the
Museum, the late Frederick H. Rawson,
Chicago banker who sponsored the expedi-
tion, and Commander Donald B. MacMillan
who led the expedition.

In addition to Dr. Roy and Dr. Strong
(the latter now a professor of anthropology
at Columbia University), other members of
the expedition were Mr. Alfred C. Weed,
Curator of Fishes; Mr. Arthur G. Rueckert,
Taxidermist; Mr. Joseph N. Field (son of
President Stanley Field), then a young boy,
now an ensign in the United States Navy
and a Trustee of the Museum; and Mr.
Kennett Rawson, son of the sponsor, who
later served as navigator with Admiral Byrd
in the Antarctic.

WEEK DAY LECTURE TOURS
OFFERED IN DECEMBER

Conducted tours of exhibits, under the
guidance of staff lecturers, are made every
afternoon at 2 o'clock except Saturdays,
Sundays, and certain holidays. Following
is the schedule for December:

Week beginning December 1: Monday —
Animals of the Six Continents (Miss
Elizabeth Best); Tuesday — General Tour;
Wednesday — Egypt and the Mummies
(Clarence L. Brown); Thursday — General
Tour; Friday — Weavers and Potters of the
Southwest (Miss Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning December 8: Monday —
Fur-bearing Animals (Miss Elizabeth Best);
Tuesday — General Tour; Wednesday — The
Beauties and Beasts of the Deep (Clarence L.
Brown); Thursday — General Tour; Friday —
Traveling by Land and by Sea (Miss
Elizabeth Hambleton).

Week beginning December 15: Monday —
Fruits (Miss Marie B. Pabst); Tuesday —
General Tour; Wednesday — Earth Features
and Their Meanings (Bert E. Grove);
Thursday — General Tour; Friday — The
Races of Mankind (Mrs. Leota G. Thomas).

Week beginning December 22: Monday —
The Wild Relatives of Some of the Domesti-
cated Animals (Miss Elizabeth Best);
Tuesday — General Tour; Wednesday — Ad-
ventures of a Fossil Hunter (Bert E. Grove);
Thursday — no tour, Christmas holiday;
Friday — Designs in Wood (Miss Marie B.
Pabst).

Week beginning December 29: Monday —
Animal Life of Polar Regions (Mrs. Leota G.
Thomas); Tuesday — General Tour; Wednes-
day— Geology in National Defense (Bert E.
Grove).

Persons wishing to participate should
apply at North Entrance. Tours are free.
By pre-arrangement with the Director,
special tours are available to parties.

Pages

FIELD MUSEUM NEWS

December, 19 Ul

Christmas Shoppers, Believe It or Not —

There IS a Santa Glaus!

The above may seem like a shocking state-
ment for a scientific institution to make.

But Field Museum is prepared to prove
it by being a Santa Claus to help you in
the solution of some of your Christmas
problems. We not only have the reindeer
(see the habitat group in Hall 16) but we
have other facilities to make your Christmas
shopping painless.

Would you like to avoid the rush and
confusion of the crowds on State Street?
Field Museum makes it possible for you to
do your shopping while sitting cozily at
your desk in your own home or office.

When you wrap packages, do you tear
the fancy gift paper, get the string tangled
and your own nerves into a snarl, and end
up with a cumbersome parcel that makes
the man at the post office frown? Field
Museum stands ready to relieve you of all
such grief.

Do you hate standing in line to have
packages weighed, stamped, and insured?
Field Museum makes it unnecessary for
you to go near a post office.

The Museum offers its services in two
forms which, we believe, reduce the diffi-
culties of Christmas shopping to the ?ith
degree. All you need is a pen — we even
furnish the postage.

Here are the plans:

1. Christmas Gift Memberships in
the Museum. With this issue of Field
Museum News there are enclosed Christmas

Membership application forms, and postage-
prepaid envelopes for returning them. All
you need to do is designate the name of the
person you wish elected to membership, and
send the form in with your check. The
Museum will handle all details, sending
the recipients attractive Christmas cards
notifying them that they have been elected
Members of this institution through your
courtesy. With the card will be sent in-
formation about their privileges as Members,
as well as the regular Membership cards
(and Certificates in the case of Life and
Associate Members).

2. Services of the Book Shop of Field
Museum. The Book Shop is prepared to
furnish books, endorsed for scientific authen-
ticity by members of the Museum staff,
for both adults and children. Also, the Book
Shop has in stock a wide selection of other
appropriate gifts, such as book ends, illu-
minated globe-maps of the world, and animal
models suitable for use as library decorations
or as toys for children. You are invited to
browse in the Book Shop during part of
your next visit to the Museum. Where
desired, the Book Shop will handle mail
and telephone orders, and will undertake
all details in connection with wrapping,
and the dispatching of gift purchases to the
designated recipients, together with such
forms of greeting as the purchaser may
specify. Purchasers may also indicate the
date upon which delivery is to be made.

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM

Following is a list of some of the principal
gifts received during the last month;

Department of Botany :

From Paul H. Allen, Balboa, Canal Zone
— 58 herbarium specimens, Panama; from
Dr. Cesar Vargas G., Cuzco, Peru — 64
herbarium specimens, Peru; from Donald
Richards, Chicago — 47 herbarium speci-
mens; from Dr. Francis Drouet, Chicago —
398 specimens of cryptogams, eastern
United States; from Arkansas Agricultural
and Mechanical College, Monticello, Ark. —
370 herbarium specimens, Arkansas.

Department of Geology :

From Edward L. Holt, Grand Junction,
Colo. — 2 mineral specimens, and 110 fossil
shells and plants, Colorado and Utah; from
Henry E. Lee, Rapid City, S. D. — a speci-
men of algal agate, South Dakota; from Dr.
Paul C. Boomer, Chicago — 24 gems; from
United States Gypsum Company, Chicago
— 8 samples of sheet rock.

Department of Zoology:

From Robert Kellogg, Milton Township,
111. — 30 reptiles and amphibians, Canada;
from Boardman Conover, Chicago — 19 bird
specimens, Celebes and Mexico; from
John M. Schmidt, Homewood, 111. — 2 garter

snakes, Colorado; from Charles M. Barber,
Hot Springs, Ark. — a king snake and a
beetle, Arkansas; from Rev. Adolph M.
Krahl, Yuma, Ariz. — 2 rattlesnakes, Arizona
and California; from Illinois Department of
Conservation, Springfield, 111. — 3 rattle-
snakes, Illinois; from Thomas Kramer,
Harvey, 111. — a fox squirrel, Illinois; from
Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, 111.
— 3 bird specimens; from Chicago Academy
of Sciences, Chicago — a water snake, Texas;
from Dr. W. G. Clark, Minneapolis, Minn.
— 2 toads, Cuba.

The Library :

Valuable books from Kenneth I. Van
Cott, New York City; Dr. Henry Field,
Washington, D.C.; and Karl P. Schmidt,
Paul C. Standley, Dr. C. Martin Wilbur,
and Rupert Wenzel, all of Chicago.

Harris Extension:

From Mrs. Charles B. Cory, Sr., Chicago
— 157 pressed and mounted plants, 68
butterflies, 62 moths, 11 dragonflies, and a
katydid.

DECEMBER SUNDAY LECTURES
—"NIGHT-RIDERS OF SKY"

"Mysterious 'Night-Riders' of the Sky"(
is the topic of the Sunday afternoon lectures
to be presented during December by Mr.
Paul G. Dallwig, the Layman Lecturer of
Field Museum. In this lecture Mr. Dallwig
will explain the differences between comets,
meteors, and meteorites, and tell the history
of some of the noteworthy "falls" of celestial
iron and stone masses during the years
since records of such phenomena have been
made. A second feature of the lecture will
be an imaginary trip to the moon, in which
all observations are based upon scientific
facts. In this part of the lecture Mr.
Dallwig will employ the technique of drama-
tizing science which has accounted for the
popularity of so many of his lectures. The
moon adventure will be divided into three
parts: Scene 1, The "Take-off"; Scene 2,
A Trip Through the Stratosphere, and
Scene 3, A Day on the Moon.

The same lecture will be presented on
each of the four Sundays during December.
Heavy public demands for Mr. Dallwig's
lectures make it necessary to limit each
audience to 100 adults {children cannot be
accommodated). Those desiring to attend
should make reservations as far as possible
in advance. Reservations will be accepted
by mail or telephone (WABash 9410).

The Sunday afternoon lectures begin/ "
promptly at 2 p.m., and end at 4:30. \ _^

In January Mr. Dallwig's subject will be
"Nature's 'March of Time.' "

STAFF NOTES

Dr. Paul S. Martin, Chief Curator of
Anthropology, and Dr. Alexander Spoehr,
Assistant Curator of American Ethnology
and Archaeology, were lecturers before a
large class of students of Rosary College,
Lake Forest, Illinois, who visited the Mu-
seum recently for special studies. After the
lectures, the students were introduced to
actual research methods, with the study
collections of the Department of Anthro-
pology as working material.

Mr. Loren P. Woods, Assistant Curator
of Fishes, recently gave a lecture on Field
Museum and its work before an assembly
of students and faculty of Lake Forest
College, Lake Forest, Illinois.

Dr. Julian A Steyermark, Assistant
Curator of the Herbarium, gave an illus-
trated lecture on November 13 at Field
Museum before the Illinois Wild Flower
Preservation Society. His subject was
"Wild Flowers of Guatemala." ,

No forms of life are more fascinating than
those of the sea. Have you visited Field
Museum's new Hall of Fishes (Hall O)?

Chief Curator of Zoology Karl P. Schmidt
lectured at the Royal Canadian Institute,
at Toronto, November 22, on the subject
"A Naturalist in the South Seas."

PRINTED BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS