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CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


January-February,  191,6 


HAPPY  NEW  YEAR 

The  "montage"  of  pictures  on  the 
first  page  of  this  Bulletin  is  just  a 
reminder  that  these — and  thousands 
of  other  exhibits — are  available  to 
you  and  your  friends  at  the  Museum 
every  day  of  the  year  (except  Christ- 
mas and  New  Year's  Day)  and  that 
new  exhibits  are  constantly  being 
added  to  the  permanent  collections. 

On  page  3  is  a  calendar  of  special 
events  scheduled  for  1946,  to  which 
you  are  cordially  invited. 


"IN  LOVING  MEMORY" 

By  WILFRID  D.  HAMBLY 

CURATOR  OF  AFRICAN  ETHNOLOGY 

The  worship  of  ancestors  has  been  com- 
monplace in  many  parts  of  the  world. 
Among  African  Negro  tribes  there  is  a  firm 
belief  that  souls  of  the  dead  carry  on  their 
existence  in  a  world  of  spirits  in  much  the 
same  way  as  they  lived  on  earth.  The  chief, 
king,  or  other  person  of  high  distinction 
will  remain  opulent  after  his  death,  and  he 
therefore  requires  cattle,  servants,  and 
various  worldly  possessions  to  be  buried 
with  him.  In  many  African  tribes  the  initial 
sacrifices  at  the  death  of  the  king  were  not 
enough,  and  elaborate  annual  ceremonies 
were  held  for  replenishing  the  king's  house- 
hold by  a  sacrifice  of  slaves. 

In  many  of  the  islands  of  Melanesia  there 
is  a  firm  belief  in  the  power  of  ghosts  for 
good  or  evil.  Funeral  rites  must  be  properly 
carried  out,  and  at  periods  offerings  of  food 
must  be  placed  on  the  graves.  This  is 
necessary  because  the  ghosts  of  the  departed 
are  in  close  touch  with  the  lives  of  living 
people  whose  welfare  they  can  profoundly 
influence. 

An  extremely  interesting  example  of  a 
human  effigy  which  is  connected  with 
spiritual  beliefs  has  been  presented  to 
Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  by  Com- 
mander Ward  E.  Guest.  It  was  collected 
by  him  during  war  service  in  the  Pacific. 
The  effigy  was  made  by  the  Big  Namba 
tribe  of  Malekula  Island  in  the  New  Hebrides 
group,  and  is  typical  of  similar  objects  made 
in  other  islands. 

In  order  to  preserve  the  memory  of  the 
dead,  many  Melanesians  who  inhabit  a  large 
number  of  islands  in  the  West  Pacific 
treasure  human  skulls.  These  are  often 
kept  in  men's  clubhouses  where  no  woman  is 
allowed  to  enter.  Sometimes  ancestral 
skulls  are  preserved  outdoors  in  a  sacred 
rock  shelter  or  in  a  hollow  tree  trunk. 
Many  of  the  skulls  are  lavishly  decorated 
with  masses  of  clay  ornamented  with  various 
pigments. 

The  effigy  given  by  Commander  Guest 
has  a  total  length  of  66'^  inches  and  con- 
sists of  the  original  human  skull  to  which  a 
body    has    been    attached.      The    body    is 


entirely  artificial.  The  lower  limbs  con- 
sist of  bamboo  tubes,  and  the  arms  are  made 
of  sticks.  This  wooden  structure  is  thickly 
plastered  with  clay  and  fiber  which  is 
decorated  with  stripes  of  yellow,  blue,  and 
white  pigments. 

The  skull  is  thickly  encased  with  clay 
which  has  been  molded  to  take  the  form  of  a 
human  face,  and  this,  like  the  body,  is 
decorated  with  colored  stripes. 

The  creation  of  this  human  effigy  is  the 
expression  of  a  very  natural  desire  not  to 
forget  the  dead;  and  the  sentiment,  though 
no  doubt  an  expression  of  regret,  arises  to 
some  extent  from  fear  of  the  havoc  that 
might  be  wrought  by  an  offended  ghost 
who  feels  that  his  memory  has  been  neg- 
lected. Such  effigies  as  this  are  planned 
before  the  death  of  a  person  of  note,  who  in 
some  instances  makes  payments  before  his 


BIG  NAMBA  TRIBAL  MONUMENT 
Effigy  from  Malckula  in  the  New  Hebrides,  collected  for 
the  Museum  by  a  naval  officer  in  the  Pacific  command.    It 
consists  of  a  wooden  and  clay  body  attached  to  the  original 

skull  of  the  person  whose  memory  is  preserved. 

death  on  the  understanding  that  such  an 
effigy  will  be  well  constructed  and  carefully 
preserved  in  a  hiding  place  known  only  to 
some  of  the  older  and  more  important  males 
of  the  tribe. 

In  the  cave  or  other  shelter  where  effigies 
and  skulls  are  preserved  there  is  usually  an 
elderly  attendant  who  guards  the  relics  and 
tends  a  slow,  smoky  fire  which  serves  as  a 
means  of  protecting  the  sacred  objects 
against  dampness  and  the  attacks  of 
insects. 


PREHISTORIC  AMERICAN 
COPPER  OBJECTS 

By  GEORGE  I.  QUIMBY 

CURATOR  OF  EXHIBITS,   ANTHROPOLOGY 

Examples  of  objects  representing  the  first 
use  of  copper  in  North  America — probably 
before  a.d.  700,  by  the  "Old-Copper 
Indians" — are  shown  in  a  new  exhibit  just 
added  to  the  Hall  of  American  Archaeology 
(Hall  B). 

Few  people  realize  that  a  copper  industry 
had  been  developed  so  early  in  America. 
These  Indians,  representing  the  archaic 
stage  of  the  early  Woodland  tribes,  made 
their  tools  and  weapons  of  copper — and 
were  thus  advanced  in  this  respect  not  only 
over  their  predecessors  but  even  beyond 
later  American  Indians  who  were  still  using 
bone  and  stone  for  these  purposes  centuries 
later.  Their  use  of  copper  was  entirely  for 
utilitarian  purposes;  they  did  not  use  it  for 
ornaments  as  was  done  by  later  tribes. 

The  Indians  who  did  this  work  inhabited 
the  upper  Great  Lakes  Region  and  obtained 
their  raw  copper  from  the  south  shore  of 
Lake  Superior.  They  shaped  their  imple- 
ments and  weapons  by  cold  hammering 
or  by  alternate  heating  and  hammering — 
the  melting  and  casting  of  copper  were 
unknown.  In  the  exhibit,  several  of  the 
specimens  have  been  cleaned  to  show  how 
they  looked  when  new;  others  have  been 
left  with  their  full  patina  as  discovered. 


An  exhibit  in  Hall  34  contains  pictures 
taken  without  light,  by  emanations  from 
the  radium  in  uranium  minerals. 


FISH  MODELING  TECHNIQUE 
EXPLAINED  IN  EXHIBIT 

"Only  God  can  make  a  tree,"  says  the 
song,  but  the  Museum  recently  placed  on 
exhibition  a  display  of  something  just  as 
intriguing — "How  to  Make  a  Fish" — or,  to 
be  more  exact,  at  least  how  to  make  a  model 
of  a  fish. 

Actual  fish  specimens  are  impractical  for 
preservation  in  a  lifelike  condition  for 
museum  exhibition,  but  the  hundreds  of 
fish  models  included  in  the  Museum's 
piscatorial  hall  (Hall  O)  are  so  lifelike  that 
visitors  frequently  ask  "How  do  you  do  it?" 
This  is  a  difficult  question  to  answer, 
involving  many  steps  and  processes,  so 
Staff  Taxidermist  Leon  L.  Pray,  who  pre- 
pares most  of  the  fish  exhibits,  was  assigned 
to  devise  an  exhibit  which  would  give  a 
visual  demonstration  to  answer  such  ques- 
tions. 

The  exhibit  represents  these  steps: 

The  fish  freshly  received  from  the  lake, 
laid  out  in  moist  sand  ready  for  casting;  the 
making  of  the  mold  of  plaster-of-paris; 
removal  of  fish  cast  from  the  mold;  prepara- 
tion of  model  for  attachment  of  fins; 
natural  fins  and  the  carved  celluloid  fins 
made  to  duplicate  them;  application  of 
"pearlessense"  in  liquid  celluloid  to  give 
the  fish  model  a  lifelike  body  sheen;  finally 
the  finished  fish  model,  painted  and  waxed — 
with  the  colors  applied  thinly  over  the 
pearly  coat. 


January-February,  19U6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Pages 


MUSEUM  STAFF  APPOINTMENTS:  DEPUTY  DIRECTOR  AND  NEW  HARRIS  EXTENSION  CURATOR 


Mr.  John  Randolph  Millar,  a  member  of 
the  Museum  staff  for  29  years,  and  Curator 
of  the  Department  of  the  N.  W.  Harris 
Public  School  Extension  since  1938,  has 
been  appointed  Deputy  Director  of  the 
Museum,  effective 
January  1,  1946. 

Mr.  Richard  A. 
Martin,  Curator  of 
Near  East  Archae- 
ology since  1937, 
has  been  appointed 
to  replace  Mr.  Mil- 
lar as  Curator  of 
Harris  Extension. 
Both  appoint- 
ments were  af- 
firmed by  the 
JOHN  R.  MILLAR  Museum's  Board 

of  Trustees  at  its 
last  meeting,  held  on  December  17. 

As  Deputy  Director,  Mr.  Millar  will 
assist  Colonel  Clifford  C.  Gregg,  Director, 
in  many  details  of  the  administration  of  the 
Museum  as  a  whole,  and  serve  for  the 
Director  in  his  absence.  He  will  give  particu- 
lar attention  to  selection  and  preparation  of 
material  for  special  exhibits,  a  number  of 
which  he  has  formerly  handled  with  out- 
standing success.  In  addition,  he  will  have 
charge  of  certain  other  activities  to  which 
hitherto  no  staff  member  has  been  specifi- 
cally assigned. 

Interested  keenly,  even  before  finishing 
high  school,  in  natural  history  and  in  the 
work  being  carried  on  by  the  then  Field 
Museum,  to  which  he  had  often  been  a  visi- 
tor, Mr.  Millar  had  an  early  opportunity  to 


enter  the  museum  field.  Shortly  after  gradua- 
tion, he  was  employed,  in  1917,  by  Dr.  B.  E. 
Dahlgren,  now  Chief  Curator  of  Botany,  in 
the  preparation  of  a  greatly  magnified 
model  of  a  mosquito  for  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History  in  New  York. 
A  few  months  later  he  began  regular  em- 
ployment as  a  preparator  in  the  Plant 
Reproduction  Laboratory  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Botany  of  this  Museum.  At 
various  periods,  he  continued  his  education 
in  courses  at  the  Armour  (now  Illinois) 
Institute  of  Technology,  and  the  University 
of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Millar  has  been  a  member  of  four 
important  Museum  expeditions.  The  first 
was  to  southern  Florida  in  1918-19.  In 
1922  he  was  a  member  of  the  Stanley  Field 
Expedition  to  British  Guiana.  In  1926  he 
again  went  to  South  America  as  a  member 
of  the  Marshall  Field  Expedition  to  Brazil. 
In  1938'  he  conducted  the  Sewell  Avery 
Expedition  to  the  Bay  of  Fundy  which 
obtained  the  collections  and  data  necessary 
for  the  Maine  seacoast  diorama  in  Martin 
A.  and  Carrie  Ryerson  Hall  (Plant  Life, 
Hall  29). 

Since  his  appointment  as  Curator  of  the 
Harris  Extension,  Mr.  Millar  has  done 
much  to  improve  and  expand  the  effective- 
ness of  that  department's  activities  in  pro- 
viding and  circulating  supplementary  educa- 
tional material  throughout  Chicago's  public, 
parochial  and  private  schools. 

NEW  HARRIS  EXTENSION  CURATOR 

Mr.  Martin,  the  new  Curator  of  the  Harris 
Extension,  is  known  for  his  excellent  work 


in  assembling  and  preparing  the  Babylonian 
collections  in  Hall  K  of  the  Museum,  and 
particularly  for  his  restoration  of  the  Kish 
gateway  exhibit  which  is  the  outstand- 
ing feature  of  that  hall.  Before  joining  the 
Museum  staff,  Mr. 
Martin  was  Field 
Director  of  the 
Syrian  Expedition 
of  the  Oriental  In- 
stitute of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago, 
and  spent  seven 
years  in  the  Near 
East  and  contigu- 
ous regions,  direct- 
ing excavations 
and  making  studies 
of  ancient  civiliza-  RICHARD  A.  MARTIN 
tions. 

In  1934  he  was  a  member  of  the  Marshall 
Field  Anthropological  Expedition  to  Iraq, 
Iran,  and  other  areas  of  the  Near  East  for 
this  Museum.  In  1935,  the  Museum 
engaged  him  to  work  on  material  collected 
at  Kish  by  the  Field  Museum-Oxford 
University  Expedition.  He  was  appointed 
Curator  of  Near  Eastern  Archaeology  in 
early  1937.  In  addition  to  his  work  on  the 
Kish  hall,  he  has  thoroughly  reorganized 
the  collections  in  the  Hall  of  Egyptian 
Archaeology  (Hall  J),  and  the  ancient 
Roman  and  Etrurian  collections  in  Edward 
E.  and  Emma  B.  Ayer  Hall  (Hall  2).  He 
is  the  author  of  a  number  of  publications  in 
his  field.  In  recent  months  he  has  been 
assisting  Mr.  Millar  in  the  work  of  the 
Harris  Extension. 


January: 

First  International  Salon  of  Nature 
Photography.  Opening  January  28 
(continuing  to  February  28  inclusive). 

Sunday  Afternoon  Layman  Lectures 
by  Paul  G.  Dallwig.  "Digging  Up  the 
Cave  Man's  Past."  2:30  p.m.,  each 
Sunday  (Jan.  6,  13,  20,  27). 

February: 

First  International  Salon  of  Nature 
Photography.  (Throughout  the 
month). 

March: 

Raymond  Foundation  Free  Educa- 
tional Programs  for  Children. 
Saturday  mornings  (Mar.  2,  9,  16,  23, 
30).    Performances  at  10  and  11  A.M. 

Illustrated  Lectures  on  Science  and 
Travel  for  Adults.  Saturday  after- 
noons (Mar.  2,  9,  16,  23,  30).    2:30  P.M. 

Sunday  Afternoon  Layman  Lectures 
by  Paul  G.  Dallwig.  "Gems,  Jewels 
and  'Junk'."  2:30  P.M.,  each  Sunday 
(Mar.  3,  10,  17,  24,  31)'. 

April: 

Raymond  Foundation  Free  Educa- 
tional   Programs    for    Children. 


DATES  TO  REMEMBER 

1946  CALENDAR 

Of  Special  Events  at  the  Museum 


Saturday  mornings  (Apr.  6,  13,  20,  27). 
Performances  at  10  and  11  A.M. 

Illustrated  Lectures  on  Science  and 
Travel  for  Adults.  Saturday  after- 
noons (Apr.  6,  13,  20,  27).     2:30  P.M. 

Sunday  Afternoon  Layman  Lectures 
by  Paul  G.  Dallwig.  "Who's  Who  in 
the  Museum  Zoo."  2:30  each  Sunday 
(Apr.  7,  14,  21,  28). 

May: 

Sunday  Afternoon  Layman  Lectures 
by  Paul  G.  Dallwig.  "The  Pageant 
of  Prehistoric  Monsters."  2:30  P.M., 
each  Sunday  (May  5,  12,  19,  26). 

July: 

Raymond  Foundation  Summer  Pro- 
grams for  Children  on  Thursdays  at 
10  and  11  a.m.  (July  11,  18,  25), 
(continuing  each  Thursday  to  August 
29  inclusive). 

August: 
Raymond    Foundation    Summer    Pro- 


grams for   Children   on   Thursdays 
at  10  and  11  a.m.  (Aug.  1,  8,  15,  22,  29). 

October: 

Raymond  Foundation  Free  Educa- 
tional Programs  for  Children. 
Saturday  mornings  (Oct.  5,  12,  19,  26). 
Performances  at  10  and  11  a.m. 

Illustrated  Lectures  on  Science  and 
Travel  for  Adults.  Saturday  after- 
noons (Oct.  5,  12,  19,  26).     2:30  P.M. 

November: 

Raymond  Foundation  Free  Educa- 
tional Programs  for  Children. 
Saturday  mornings  (Nov.  2,  9,  16,  23, 
30).     Performances  at  10  and  11  A.M. 

Illustrated  Lectures  on  Science  and 
Travel  for  Adults.  Saturday  after- 
noons (Nov.  2,  9,  16,  23,  30).    2:30  p.m. 

Sunday  Afternoon  Layman  Lectures 
by  Paul  G.  Dallwig.  2:30  p.m.,  each 
Sunday  (Nov.  3,  10,  17,  24).  Title  to 
be  announced). 

December: 

Sunday  Afternoon  Layman  Lectures 
by  Paul  G.  Dallwig.  2:30  p.m.,  each 
Sunday  (Dec.  1,  8,  15,  22,  29).  (Title 
to  be  announced). 


Page  k 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


January-February,  191,6 


ANCIENT    PERSIA'S    CULTURES    FROM    4000    TO    500    B.C.    TRACED    IN    MUSEUM    COLLECTION 


By  RICHARD  A.  MARTIN 

CURATOR  OF  NEAR  EASTERN  ARCHAEOLOGY 

Several  thousand  objects  representing 
various  cultural  areas  of  ancient  Persia  and 
dating  from  Neolithic  to  Achaemenid  times 
(4000-500  B.C.)  were  recently  acquired  by 
the  Museum  for  integration  with  the  arti- 
facts of  other  ancient  cultures  of  the  Near 
East  already  on  exhibition  in  Museum 
halls,  and  in  its  reference  collections.  These 
objects  made  up  the  personal  collection  of 
Dr.  Ernst  Herzfeld,  noted  scholar  and 
authority  on  Iranian  history,  Institute  for 
Advanced  Study,  Princeton  University. 

The  Iranian  plateau  was  the  highway 
between  the  Near  East  and  southern  and 
eastern  Asia,  and  was,  consequently,  a  place 
for  the  interchange  of  ideas  between  the 
peoples  of  the  civilized  world.  By  the  third 
millennium  B.C.  clearly  integrated  cultures 
extended  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the 
Indus  Valley.  It  is  this  mingling  of  cultures 
that  laid  the  foundations  for  our  civiliza- 
tion, and  by  studying  material  from  this 
critical  area  we  are  able  to  trace  early 
developments  in  our  own  culture. 

PERSIA'S  ART  ZENITH 

The  pottery  vessels  in  this  valuable  col- 
lection of  Iranian  material  are  especially 
noteworthy  because,  in  addition  to  their 
archaeological  value,  they  represent  some 
of  the  finest  forms  of  Persian  art  of  the 
various  periods.  All  are  complete  specimens. 
Inasmuch  as  the  painted  wares  of  Sumer 
were  Iranian  in  cultural  origin,  the  collec- 
tion contains  painted  pottery  from  ancient 
Samarra  near  Baghdad,  from  which  devel- 
oped the  much  later  Jemdet  Nasr  pottery 
now  on  display  in  the  Hall  of  Babylonian 
Archaeology  (Hall  K).  There  are  beauti- 
fully painted  pots  of  the  buff-ware  cultures 
of  western  Iran,  strikingly  ornamented  with 
ibexes  and  eagles.  On  some  of  this  ware  the 
animal  designs  are  glazed,  the  earliest  known 
appearance  of  glazing  on  pottery  (circa 
3000  B.C.).  Representative  of  certain  cul- 
tures from  northern  Iran  are  exquisite 
black  vessels  with  burnished  designs,  and 
beautifully  polished  ware  of  brilliant  red. 
From  Sawa  in  central  Iran,  and  exemplify- 
ing an  early  type,  we  have  red-slipped  ware 
with  painted  black  designs.  There  are 
delicate  hand-turned  cups  of  the  fourth 
millennium  from  Tall-i-Bakun  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Fars.  And  finally,  from  the  borders 
of  Baluchistan  we  have  the  thin,  flinty  ware 
of  Sistan,  land  of  the  "120-day  wind." 

This  newly  acquired  pottery  from  Persia, 
combined  with  the  Neo-Persian  (Sassanid) 
material  already  collected  in  excavations 
conducted  by  the  Museum,  gives  an  excel- 
lent picture  of  the  development  of  the 
potter's  art  in  Persia  up  to  the  time  of  the 
Arab  Conquest. 

In  addition  to  pottery,  there  are  in  this 
collection  representative  specimens  of  other 


phases  of  material  culture  from  the  various 
periods  in  Iranian  history.  But  it  is  from 
excavations  at  the  huge  burial  mound 
known  as  Tepe  Giyan  near  Nihawand  in 
northern  Luristan  that  some  of  the  finest 
items  in  the  collection  were  found.  Here, 
from  the  graves  of  warriors,  are  objects 
delineating  progressive  developments  over 


FASHION  OF  1300  B.C. 
A  FAD  OF  A.D.  1946 

It  wasn't  today's  bobby-soxers  who 
thought  up  those  currently  popular 
bangle  bracelets  loaded  with  charms 
representing  sets  of  false  teeth, skulls, 
whistles,  bells,  and  animals — nor  was 
it  the  designers  whose  job  it  is  to 
create  fads  for  the  benefit  of  novelty 
manufacturers  and   merchants. 

It  was  the  ancient  Persians,  circa 
1300  B.C.,  as  is  proved  in  a  temporary 
exhibit  of  3,200-year  old  bangle 
bracelets  and  necklaces  recently 
placed  in  Stanley  Field  Hall  of  the 
Museum. 

Curator  Richard  A.  Martin,  who 
prepared  the  exhibit,  tells  about 
these  and  the  larger  collection  of 
which  they  are  a  part,  in  the  accom- 
panying article. 


some  two  thousand  years,  from  3000  to 
1000  B.C.  The  fabulous  bronzes  of  exquisite 
workmanship  and  detail  which  created  such 
interest  in  the  art  world  when  they  were 
first  discovered  in  Luristan  a  few  years  ago 
date  from  the  latest  period  of  the  Tepe 
Giyan  burials,  1400-1000  B.C. 

Some  of  the  finest  examples  of  Luristan 
bronzes  are  horse  trappings.  From  the 
graves  of  warriors  we  have  horse  bits  with 
highly  ornamented  cheekplates,  tassel  caps, 
harness  ornaments,  and  jingles  for  chariot 
poles.  Lance  and  arrow  points,  mace  heads, 
daggers  with  inlaid  hilts,  beautifully  shaped 
drinking  cups,  some  with  round  bottoms  so 
they  could  not  be  put  down  until  drained 
of  their  contents,  and  delicately  wrought 
personal  ornaments  from  those  graves  are  in 
the  collection. 

ANCIENT  AND  MODERN  PARALLEL 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  of  these  orna- 
ments, which  were  worn  by  both  men  and 
women,  are  necklaces  with  amulets  bearing 
a  striking  resemblance  to  the  charm  brace- 
lets which  are  a  popular  "fad"  today. 
These  ancient  charms  are  of  bronze,  silver, 
stone,  bone,  and  faience.  Most  of  them  are 
miniature  ibexes,  horses,  dogs,  frogs,  animal 
heads,  pots,  and  human  hands  and  feet 
— as  odd  and  unrelated  an  assortment  as 
young  girls  in  this  country  currently  assem- 
ble, piece  by  piece,  on  their  bangle  bracelets, 
and  apparently  with   as  little  significance 


apart  from  the  desire  for  ornamentation. 
However,  it  is  possible  some  of  these  objects 
may  have  been  associated  with  superstitions 
or  religious  symbolism  more  than  the 
modern  ones, 

Many  of  the  non-metallic  amulets  are 
charmingly  glazed  and  painted.  Of  silver 
and  bronze  are  spiral  earrings,  coiled  brace- 
lets with  ends  cast  in  the  form  of  animal 
heads,  flat-band  bracelets  with  bells  and 
jingles,  finger  rings,  and  torques.  There 
are  large  ornamental  hairpins  of  bronze 
with  beautifully  designed  heads.  Of  course, 
with  all  these  objects  of  beauty  and  frivolity 
there  would  be  mirrors.  And  mirrors  there 
are,  made  of  highly  polished  bronze. 

Stylistic  affinities  between  certain  of  these 
Luristan  bronzes  and  objects  of  similar 
nature  recently  unearthed  in  inner  Mongolia 
suggest  a  common  origin.  Allowing  for  the 
time  lag  that  always  occurred  in  cultural 
movements  to  the  Far  East,  the  Luristan 
material  quite  possibly  may  furnish  a  clue 
as  to  the  age  of  the  recently  found  artifacts 
in  Mongolia. 

Also  in  the  collection  are  voluminous 
strings  of  exquisitely  formed  beads.  Those 
from  Samarra  are  of  shell  and  stone — the 
earliest  stone  beads  as  yet  known.  Those 
from  Tepe  Giyan  represent  various  periods 
in  ancient  Iranian  history  and  are  made  of 
stone,  shell,  bone,  faience,  bronze,  silver, 
and  glass. 

FIRST  DRAFT  ANIMALS 

It  is  of  interest  that  it  was  the  ancestors 
of  these  same  sophisticated  peoples,  appar- 
ently so  concerned  with  frivolous  articles  of 
adornment,  who  first  developed  many  of 
our  cultivated  plants — most  of  the  fruits 
and  small  grains  that  are  significant  in  our 
present-day  economy.  And  it  was  these 
same  ancestors  who  first  harnessed  animal 
power  by  domesticating  the  ox,  the  ass,  and 
the  horse.  We  are  apt  to  forget,  when  we 
trace  our  cultural  development  from  the 
Greeks  and  Romans,  that  these  peoples  in 
turn  took  their  heritage  from  the  great 
civilizations  of  the  ancient  Near  East. 

Some  of  the  material  from  this  collection 
has  been  placed  on  temporary  exhibition  in 
Stanley  Field  Hall. 


Collecting  in  Salvador 

Under  a  co-operative  arrangement  be- 
tween Northwestern  University  and  Chicago 
Natural  History  Museum,  Dr.  Margery 
Carlson  of  the  Department  of  Botany  of 
the  University  left  Chicago  December  16 
by  plane  for  Central  America.  She  expects 
to  spend  about  three  months  in  botanical 
studies  in  the  Republic  of  Salvador,  and 
part  of  her  collections  will  come  to  the 
Museum.  They  will  be  used  here  for  pub- 
lications now  in  preparation  upon  the  plant 
life  of  Central  America. 


January-February,  19^6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  5 


"COSTUME  JEWELRY"  OF  ANCIENT  PERSIA -See  preceding  page 

Special  exhibit  currently  in  Stanley  Field  Hall  shows  the  remarkable  resemblance  between  the  motifs  of  ancient  personal 

ornamentation  and  some  of  the  popular  types  used  today  such  as  bangle  bracelets  with  figures  of  animals,  human  heads  and 

feet,  and  miniature  footballs,  pianos,  and  hundreds  of  other  odd  and  unrelated  objects. 


VENOMOUS  OKINAWA  SNAKES 
REACH  MUSEUM  ALIVE 

On  November  9,  1945,  two  rare  Okinawa 
pit  vipers  arrived  at  the  Museum.  These 
snakes  were  flown  in  two  days  from  Okinawa 
to  San  Francisco  by  Dr.  R.  D.  Callison, 
U.S.N. R.;  from  San  Francisco  they  were 
sent  to  Chicago  by  rail  express.  Lieut. 
James  R.  Slater  of  Chicago,  while  in  charge 
of  a  malaria  control  team  on  Okinawa, 
secured  the  snakes. 

One  of  the  two  species  is  called  habu  by 
the  Japanese  and  is  found  only  on  Okinawa 
and  neighboring  islands  where  it  has  an 
especially  bad  reputation.  The  Japanese 
have  long  prepared  an  antivenin  against  the 
bite  of  this  reptile,  which  reaches  a  length 
of  six  feet  and  is  more  or  less  arboreal  in 
habits.  This  is  the  first  live  specimen  to 
reach  Chicago  and  one  of  the  first  to  reach 
this  country.  The  other  species,  called 
kufah  on  Okinawa,  is  extremely  rare  in 
museum  collections.  So  far  as  we  know, 
no  living, specimen  has  reached  this  country 
before.  It  is  smaller  and  less  dangerous  than 
the  habu.  The  habu's  scientific  name  is 
Trimeresurus  flavoviridis;  the  kufah's  is 
Trimeresurus  okinavensis. 

The  two  pit  vipers  have  been  sent  to  the 
Lincoln  Park  Zoo  where  Director  Marlin 
Perkins  is  attempting  to  feed  them  on  mice. 
So  far  they  have  refused  to  eat;  one  of  them 
has  been  without  food  at  least  since  August 
20,  the  other  since  October  10.  If  they  can 
be  persuaded  to  feed,  they  will  be  exhibited 


at  the  zoo  until  their  death  when  they  will  be 
carefully  preserved,  returned  to  the  Mu- 
seum, and  entered  in  the  study  collection  of 
reptiles.  — C.H.P. 


Museum  Authorities  Meet 

The  eighteenth  annual  meeting  of  the 
Midwest  Museums  Conference  was  held  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  December  6-8,  1945.  The 
three-day  session  was  devoted  to  the  dis- 
cussion of  museum  problems,  plans,  and 
achievements,  and  to  the  inspection  of  the 
several  Cleveland  museums. 

The  Conference,  which  is  affiliated  with 
the  American  Association  of  Museums,  is 
composed  of  staff  members  from  art, 
historical,  and  natural  history  museums, 
principally  in  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin.  Mr. 
John  R.  Millar,  Deputy  Director,  attended 
as  a  member  of  the  group  and  representative 
of  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum. 


The  relationships  between  modern  ele- 
phants and  their  extinct  relatives  such  as 
the  mammoths  and  mastodons  are  illustrated 
by  an  exhibit  in  Ernest  R.  Graham  Hall. 


Contributions  to  the  Chicago  Natural 
History  Museum,  up  to  15  per  cent  of  a 
taxpayer's  net  income  within  the  taxable 
year,  are  allowable  as  deductions  in  com- 
puting net  income  for  federal  tax  purposes. 


NATURE  PHOTOGRAPHY  SALON 
OPENS  JANUARY  28 

The  First  Chicago  International  Salon  of 
Nature  Photography,  for  which  both 
amateur  and  professional  photographers 
have  been  making  and  entering  pictures 
during  the  last  several  months,  will  open 
at  the  Museum  on  Monday,  January  28. 

Displayed  will  be  the  best  of  the  hundreds 
of  photographs  submitted,  both  black  and 
white  and  in  colors.  The  judges  to  select 
those  for  prizes,  honorable  mention,  and 
display  are:  B.  D.  Holley,  of  Downers  Grove, 
111.,  an  associate  of  the  Photographic 
Society  of  America;  A.  H.  Longwell, 
Chicago,  professional  photographer;  James 
H.  Burdett,  Garden  Editor  of  The  Chicago 
Sun,  and  representative  of  the  Chicago 
Horticultural  Society;  and  Dr.  Paul  O. 
McGrew,  Acting  Chief  Curator  of  Geology, 
and  Karl  P.  Schmidt,  Chief  Curator  of 
Zoology  of  the  Museum. 

After  the  exhibit,  which  will  continue 
until  February  28,  it  is  expected  that  some 
of  the  color  slides  may  be  obtained  for  use 
in  educational  projects  for  the  school 
children  of  Chicago  through  the  Museum's 
James  Nelson  and  Anna  Louise  Raymond 
Foundation. 

The  salon  is  held  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Chicago  Nature  Camera  Club,  with  the 
participation  of  the  Chicago  Color  Camera 
Club,  and  the  Chicago  Horticultural  Society 
and  Garden  Center.  Each  of  these  organiza- 
tions is  awarding  prizes.  Associated  camera 
clubs  throughout  this  country  and  other 
nations  were  invited  to  participate,  but 
entries  were  accepted  from  any  photo- 
graphers regardless  of  affiliation  with  such 
clubs.  While  most  of  the  pictures  will  be 
outdoors  subjects  made  in  woods  and  along 
streams  throughout  the  Middle  West  and 
to  some  extent  throughout  the  world,  there 
may  be  some  also  of  outstanding  Museum 
material,  as  the  camera  clubs  staged  a  field 
day  for  this  purpose  at  the  Museum  on 
Sunday,  December  9. 

The  photographs  and  color  slides  are 
classified  in  six  divisions: 

Plant  life — flowers,  trees,  shrubs,  fungi, 
etc. 

Animal  life — mammals,  birds,  insects, 
reptiles,  tracks,  etc. 

Scenery — with  particular  emphasis  on 
geological  aspects  and  natural  phenomena. 

Gardens — especially  Victory  Gardens  and 
their  products. 

Anthropology — ethnological  and  archaeo- 
logical subjects;  primitive  man,  native 
habitations,  sites  of  ancient  cultures  and 
civilizations,  etc. 

Color  slides — any  subjects  in  the  foregoing 
classifications. 

A  number  of  accepted  pictures  will  be 
reproduced  in  the  Journal  of  the  Photographic 
Society  of  America,  and  elsewhere. 


Page  6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


January-February,  191,6 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt  Road  and  Field  Drive,  Chicago 

Telephone:  Wabash  9410 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 
Lester  Armour  Marshall  Field 

Sewell  L.  Avery  Stanley  Field 

W.  McCorhick  Blair  Samuel  Insull,  Jk. 

Leopold  E.  Block  William  H.  Mitchell 

Boardman  Conovbr  George  A.  Richardson 

Walter  J.  Cummings  Solomon  A.  Smith 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jk.  Albert  A.  Sprague 

Howard  W.  Fenton  Silas  H.  Strawn 

Joseph  N.  Field  Albert  H.  Wetten 

John  P.  Wilson 

OFFICERS 

Stanley  Field President 

Albert  A.  Sprague First  Vice-President 

Silas  H.  Strawn Second  Vice-President 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr. Third  Vice-President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg Director  and  Secretary 

Solomon  A.  Smith  . . .  Treasurer  and  Assistant  Secretary 


THE  BULLETIN 

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 

Paul  O.  McGrew Acting  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Karl  P.  Schmidt Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 
H.  B.  Haute Public  Relations  Counsel 


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


THE  MUSEUM  HOISOR  ROLL 

With  the  beginning  of  1946,  the  Chicago 
Natural  History  Museum  Bulletin  omits 
as  a  regular  feature  its  Honor  Roll  of  per- 
sonnel absent  in  the  nation's  service.  The 
Museum  is  proud  of  the  record  of  its 
Trustees  and  employees  in  the  military  and 
naval  service,  in  all  grades  from  private  to 
brigadier  general,  and  in  other  war  work. 
However,  with  the  passing  of  the  year  which 
witnessed  the  close  of  hostilities,  we  are 
setting  our  sights  in  a  new  direction.  Our 
people  are  returning  in  ever  increasing 
numbers  to  civil  life  and  to  the  service  of  the 
Museum.  Our  Honor  Roll  marks  a  by-gone 
period,  and  we  look  ahead  toward  new 
accomplishments  in  our  own  field  of  research 
and  the  dissemination  of  knowledge. 


Trustees  Joseph  Field,  Samuel  Insull 
Return  from  Service 

Mr.  Joseph  Nash  Field,  Museum  Trustee, 
who  has  served  during  the  war  in  the  Navy 
with  successive  promotions  from  the  rank  of 
Ensign  to  Lieutenant  Commander,  and  Mr. 
Samuel  Insull,  Jr.,  who  served  as  Lieu- 
tenant-Commander and  Commander,  have 
been  released  from  active  service.  Both 
have  resumed  their  activity  as  members  of 
the  Museum's  Board  of  Trustees. 


Charles  A.  McCulloch,  one  of  its  members. 
Mr.  McCulloch's  resignation  was  due  to  ill 
health  which  prevented  him  from  devoting 
his  time  further  to  the  Museum's  affairs. 
He  had  been  a  Trustee  since  1936.  His 
resignation  leaves  two  vacancies  on  the 
21-man  board,  the  other  having  been 
caused  by  the  death  in  France  of  Brigadier 
General  Theodore  Roosevelt  in   1944. 


Staff  Notes 


Several  more  members  of  the  Museum 
staff  in  the  armed  forces  have  been  released 
recently  and  returned  to  their  posts  at  the 
Museum: 

Lieutenant  Commander  Colin  C.  Sanborn, 
who  has  been  on  duty  in  Navy  intelligence 
in  South  America  and  engaged  in  other 
duties  later  at  Pearl  Harbor,  has  resumed  his 
work  as  Curator  of  Mammals. 

Mr.  D.  Dwight  Davis  has  returned  to 
his  work  as  Curator  of  Anatomy  after  37 
months  in  the  Army,  including  six  months 
in  the  European  theater  with  the  1162nd 
Combat  Engineer  Group  Headquarters. 
He  was  awarded  a  battle  star  for  participa- 
tion in  the  Rhineland  campaign.  Mr.  Davis 
studied  Russian  under  Army  auspices  and 
served  as  interpreter  to  a  group  of  more  than 
300  Russians  in  France. 

Henry  S.  Dybas,  Assistant  Curator  of 
Insects,  is  back  at  the  Museum  after  serving 
in  the  Army  Medical  Corps  as  a  Staff 
Sergeant.  He  was  engaged  in  malarial  con- 
trol work  in  the  Marianna  and  the  Palau 
Islands,  with  headquarters  at  Saipan. 

Lieutenant  Marie  B.  Pabst  (WAVES), 
has  completed  her  tour  of  duty  and  is 
scheduled  to  return  to  her  position  as  a 
lecturer  on  the  staff  of  the  James  Nelson 
Anna  Louise  Raymond  Foundation  as  of 
January  2. 

Lieutenant  Alexander  Spoehr,  U.S.N. R., 
has  been  released  from  service  and  will 
return  to  his  post  as  Curator  of  North 
American  Ethnology  and  Archaeology  at 
the  Museum  on  January  2. 


Mr.  Paul  C.  Standley,  Curator  of  the 
Herbarium,  has  been  elected  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Sociedad  Botanica  de 
Mexico. 


Llewelyn  Williams,  Curator  of  Economic 
Botany,  recently  returned  to  the  Museum 
from  war  service  with  the  Foreign  Economic 
Administration,  is  again  on  leave  of  absence 
from  the  Museum,  for  special  work  in 
South  America. 


New  Museum  Fund 

A  new  fund,  to  be  known  as  the  Broadus 
James  Clarke  Fund,  has  been  established  in 
the  Museum  in  memory  of  the  late  Chi- 
cagoan  of  that  name.  The  fund  was 
established  by  Mr.  Clarke's  widow,  and  will 
become  a  part  of  the  general  endowment 
of  the  Museum. 


Clay  Judson  Elected  a  Patron 

Mr.  Clay  Judson,  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  legal  firm  of  Wilson  &  Mcllvaine, 
has  been  elected  a  Patron  of  the  Museum 
in  recognition  of  the  many  eminent  services 
he  has  rendered  to  the  institution. 


Trustee  McCulloch  Resigns 

The  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Museum  has 
received  and  accepted  the  resignation  of 


Miss  Norma  Lockwood  has  been  ap- 
pointed to  the  Division  of  Illustration  as 
Staff  Illustrator. 


NEW  MEMBERS 

The  following  persons  became  Members 
of  the  Museum  during  the  period  from 
October  16  to  December  15: 

Associate  Members 

Archie  Angelopoulos,  William  F.  Brown, 
H.  C.  Bruhn,  R.  Stanley  Cederlund,  Philip 
A.  Danielson,  William  F.  Donohue,  J.  Frank 
Eaton,  Veit  Gentry,  Dr.  Helen  L.  Button 
Goldstein,  Dr.  Charles  A.  Meyer,  Fred  A. 
Preston,  Mrs.  Edgar  P.  Rupprecht. 

Annual  Members 

Walter  S.  Aagaard,  Mrs.  Arthur  L.  Allais, 
Mrs.  Ross  M.  Babbitt,  Peter  A.  Bach, 
Thomas  J.  Bach,  Paul  Bechtner,  Otto  A. 
Benzin,  G.  J.  Bichl.  Mrs.  Leon  D.  Bloom, 
Dr.  E.  L.  Bolla,  Mrs.  Marie  J.  Bovenkerk, 
Mrs.  John  R.  Boyle,  J.  T.  Branit,  Wallace 
C.  Bridgeman,  Henry  J.  Briede,  Mrs.  Grace 
Greenwood  Browne,  Dr.  E.  M.  Buchner, 
Mrs.  Harry  L.  Canmann,  Mrs.  William  T. 
Carlisle,  George  Wallace  Carr,  Mrs.  James 
Lyle  Cassidy,  Dr.  P.  J.  Christenson,  Mrs. 
James  M.  Cleary,  Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Cochran, 
Mrs.  John  Coleman,  Mrs.  Eve  Charles 
Costigan,  Knight  C.  Cowles,  Mrs.  Tilden 
Cummings,  John  A.  Dawson,  Mrs.  S.  E. 
Dean,  Jr.,  Roy  R.  Deffenbaugh,  Dr.  N. 
Alfred  Diggs,  Mrs.  V.  B.  Dixson,  Mrs. 
William  Doepp,  Dr.  John  C.  Dubiel,  A.  D. 
Elden,  Mrs.  Arthur  Farwell,  Mrs.  John 
Favill,  Lawrence  P.  Flavin,  Oscar  Getz, 
W.  P.  Gilbert,  Edward  B.  Groble,  William 
Holabird,  Herbert  Horwitz,  Miss  Bohnmilla 
Hrdlicka,  Mrs.  John  D.  Hrdlicka,  Marshall 
E.  Huntwell,  Harry  Kroll,  Morris  Kroll, 
Harry  Leaf,  Miss  Theodora  Leitz,  J.  Francis 
Linthicum,  Ralph  O.  Linville,  Abelardo  G. 
Lopez,  Joseph  G.  Lopez,  George  Loung,  Jr., 
A.  B.  McMaster,  Lyle  Munson,  Dale 
O'Brien,  Elmer  E.  Ogilvie,  Miss  Janet 
Patzelt,  Charles  S.  Pearce,  George  A.  Pon- 
ton, Charles  G.  Reskin,  Mrs.  Agnes  H. 
Reynolds,  Bernard  J.  Rix,  Mrs.  Anthony 
M.  Ryerson,  Dr.  Robert  H.  Saunders,  Dr. 
A.  L.  Schiller,  Dr.  Carl  V.  Shipley,  Milton 
Silverstein,  Ramond  Silverstein,  Dr.  S. 
Sinclair  Snider,  Dr.  D.  L.  Stormont,  Dr. 
August  Strauch,  Peter  VanDahm,  Miss 
Marguerite  Lorraine  Wallen,  Dr.  William 
Wood,  Edwin  W.  Zipse. 


January-February,  19^6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  7 


Meteorite  to  Planetarium 

The  co-operation  that  exists  between 
scientific  and  educational  institutions  in 
this  city  as  well  as  those  throughout  the 
world,  in  the  exchange  of  information,  pub- 
lications, materials  for  study,  and  in  col- 
laboration in  research  projects,  is  exempli- 
fied by  the  Museum's  action  recently  in 
making  a  long-term  loan  of  a  meteorite  to 
the  Adler  Planetarium. 

The  Planetarium  had  lacked  an  example, 
and  urgently  needed  one  to  round  out 
its  exhibits  pertaining  to  celestial  phe- 
nomena. The  Museum,  having  a  col- 
lection which,  in  number  of  falls  represented, 
nearly  800,  is  the  most  complete  in  the 
world,  was  able  and  pleased  to  fulfill  the 
need  of  its  sister  institution.  The  specimen 
sent  to  the  Planetarium  is  a  1,015-pound 
mass  of  fused  iron  and  rock  from  Meteor 
Crater,  Arizona.  It  fell  some  50,000  years 
ago,  scientists  estimate. 


SCRIMSHAWS 

Bv  MARGARET  BAUER 

DEPARTMENT  OF  ZOOLOGY 

The  word  "scrimshaw"  originally  applied 
to  all  trinkets  made  by  whalers  of  the  early 
nineteenth  century  out  of  the  teeth  or  the 
bone  of  whales.  Nowadays  the  term,  as  a 
noun,  usually  refers  specifically  to  the  teeth 
engraved  by  the  whalemen.  The  origin  of 
the  word  is  unknown,  but  scrimshawing  was 
born  of  necessity  during  the  months  of 
unimaginable  monotony  and  loneliness  on 
long  voyages.  None  of  the  recreational 
facilities  now  enjoyed  by  sailors  were  avail- 
able to  these  men,  nor  was  any  amusement 
considered  necessary  to  their  well-being. 
They  might  cruise  six  to  eight  months  out 
of  sight  of  land,  waiting  at  times  three  or 
four  months  without  seeing  whale  or  sail. 
Many  of  their  voyages  in  the  Pacific  lasted 
for  three  or  four  years. 

As  sentimental  thoughts  of  home  traveled 
with  the  men  on  their  long  journeys,  it  was 
little  wonder  that  so  many  articles  for  use 
by  women  were  made.  Carved  'teeth  for 
bric-a-brac,  bodkins,  yarn-winders,  combs, 
and  toys  were  made  from  the  sperm  whale's 
large  teeth.  It  was,  no  doubt,  thoughts  of 
New  England  pies  that  had  an  influence  on 
the  production  of  so  many  pie-crimpers,  or 
jagging  wheels. 

FAVORITE  TROPHY 

Though  the  lower  jaw  of  the  sperm  whale 
brought  not  a  cent  of  profit  to  the  thrifty 
Yankee  shipowner,  it  was  always  heaved 
aboard.  It  was  an  inviolable  prerogative 
for  all  to  share,  from  the  captain  to  the 
cabin-boy.  While  the  ivory  of  whale  teeth 
was  not  the  only  medium  used  by  the  artist 
(other  material  being  tortoise  shell,  mother- 
of-pearl,  coconut  shells,  even  emu  egg  shells) 
it  was  his  first  choice.  The  teeth  of  the 
sperm    whale,    which    could    crush    thirty- 


foot  boats  to  splinters,  were  used  because 
they  afforded  both  a  medium  for  art  work, 
and  a  trophy  of  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
and  romantic  pursuits  known  to  man. 

The  bone  of  the  lower  jaws  of  various 
kinds  of  whales  took  second  place  in  scrim- 
shaw work.  Long  straight  sections  of  the 
great  jaws  of  the  sperm  whale  were  excellent 
for  canes  and  yardsticks,  but  this  material 
did  not  have  the  polished  ivory  beauty  of 
the  teeth,  and  the  bone  had  a  tendency  to 
splinter.  Bone  from  other  parts  of  the  whale 
skeleton  was  used,  but  was  rather  unsatis- 
factory, being  brown  in  color  and  without 


GODEY  LADY  ON  SCRIMSHAW 

One  of  the  whale's  teeth  with  carved  design  by  a  sailor  of 
the  mid-19th  century,  exhibited  in  the  Hall  of  Whales. 

beauty  of  its  own.  The  whalebone,  from 
the  jaws  of  the  whalebone  whales,  was 
mainly  used  as  inlay. 

AN  AMERICAN  ART  FORM 

Some  marvelously  delicate  and  beautiful 
free-hand  etchings  were  made  with  the 
crudest  of  tools.  In  decorating  the  teeth, 
the  design  was  scratched  on  the  smooth 
hard  surface,  and  color,  such  as  India 
ink,  paint,  or  even  soot  was  rubbed  in- 
to the  incised  lines.  Many  sailors  less 
artistically  endowed  traced  designs  by 
pin-pricks  from  magazines  and  illustrated 
papers.  They  followed  standardized  mo- 
tifs mostly,  and  hence  we  find  many 
Godey  ladies,  portraits  of  Napoleon,  and 
stereotyped  scenes  of  all  kinds.  While  the 
more  original  etchings  were  often  cruder, 
they  were  more  interesting,  showing  authen- 
tic whaling  scenes  and  scenes  of  home  life. 

Examples  of  scrimshaw  work  may  be  seen 
in  the  Hall  of  Whales  (Hall  N-l). 


LAKE  MICHIGAN  "BARNACLES" 
ARE  SOMETHING  ELSE 

Although  there  are  no  fresh  water 
barnacles,  Lake  Michigan  yachtsmen,  after 
hauling  their  boats  out  of  the  water  for  win- 
ter lay-up,  are  usually  busy  for  a  time 
scraping  the  season's  accumulation  of 
"barnacles"  from  the  hulls. 

This  has  proved  very  disturbing  to  Dr. 
Fritz  Haas,  Curator  of  Lower  Invertebrates 
at  the  Museum,  who  in  addition  to  being  a 
biologist  is  a  language  purist.  Says  Dr. 
Haas: 

"One  might  think  these  sedentary  ani- 
mals, found  only  in  salt  water,  had  appeared 
in  Lake  Michigan,  for  I  heard  a  sailboat 
owner  here  say  it  was  time  to  clean  his  hull 
of  barnacles.  My  curiosity  was  obligingly 
satisfied  by  the  information  that  the  barna- 
cles were  just  an  outgrowth  of  weeds  and 
water  plants. 

"It  seems  that  local  yachtsmen,  either 
not  knowing  what  barnacles  really  are,  or 
merely  careless  in  their  use  of  language, 
have  applied  the  name  to  any  kind  of  out- 
growth on  a  boat's  hull.  This  explanation 
satisfies  the  biologist's  side  of  my  mind, 
since  it  shows  that  barnacles  have  not  really 
invaded  fresh  water,  which,  had  it  been 
true,  would  have  been  a  fact  of  considerable 
scientific  importance. 

"But  the  linguistic  portion  of  my  con- 
sciousness is  troubled.  If  the  term  'barna- 
cle' is  accepted  to  designate  any  outgrowth 
on  the  submerged  parts  of  boats,  the 
language  will  suffer  the  introduction  of  an 
inexactitude.  As  fresh  water  growths 
consist  entirely  of  plants,  whereas  barnacles 
are  crustaceans  and  thus  animals,  such 
change  from  the  original  meaning,  if  un- 
challenged, may  become  a  permanent, 
unfortunate  and  misleading  misnomer." 


Youth  of  4-H  Clubs 
In  Annual  Visit 

Continuing  their  custom  of  many  years' 
standing,  the  National  Congress  of  4-H 
Clubs  sent  delegations  of  selected  young 
people  from  the  farms  of  all  parts  of  America 
on  visits  to  the  Museum  during  their  sojourn 
in  Chicago  at  the  time  of  the  Fat  Stock 
Show.  A  group  of  350  4-H  girls  came  to  the 
Museum  on  December  3,  and  some  300  4-H 
boys  on  December  4.  Lectures  and  guidance 
were  furnished  by  staff  members  of  the 
Museum's  James  Nelson  and  Anna  Louise 
Raymond  Foundation  for  Public  School  and 
Children's  Lectures. 


Distension  of  the  ear-lobe,  even  with 
objects  as  large  as  round  cigarette  tins,  is  a 
fairly  common  form  of  African  Negro 
ornament.  In  Hall  E,  Case  33,  are  some 
examples  of  round  wooden  ear-plugs  and  fine 
metal  chains,  worn  in  the  ear-lobes  of 
Akikuyu  women  of  northeast  Africa. 


Page  8 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


January-February,  191,6 


<& 

-    J 

JANUARY  SUNDAY  LECTURES 
FEATURE  CAVE  MAN 

"Digging  Up  the  Cave  Man's  Past"  will 
be  the  subject  for  the  Sunday  afternoon 
lectures  by  Paul  G.  Dallwig  to  be  given 
during  January 
(Jan.  6,  13,  20 
and  27). 

In  these  lec- 
tures, illustrated 
by  prehistoric 
man  dioramas 
and  other  ex- 
hibits in  the 
Museum's  Hall 
of  the  Stone 
Age  of  the  Old  World,  Mr.  Dallwig  will 
trace  the  physical  evolution  of  man,  and 
his  cultural  development  through  the  Old 
and  New  Stone  Ages,  with  special  attention 
to  prehistoric  art.  As  a  special  feature  he 
will  dramatize  a  prehistoric  murder  as  it 
might  have  occurred  due  to  jealousy  over 
the  Magdalenian  woman  whose  skeleton  is 
on  exhibition  at  the  Museum  together  with 
the  weapon  that  killed  her. 

The  starting  time  of  the  lectures  is  2:30. 
The  heavy  demand  by  the  public  for 
Mr.  Dallwig's  lectures,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  limiting  the  size  of  each  audi- 
ence make  it  necessary  to  require 
advance  reservations.  Lectures  are 
necessarily  restricted  to  adults.  Reser- 
vations will  be  accepted  by  mail  or 
telephone  (WABash  9410). 

Mr.  Dallwig  will  not  appear  on  Sunday 
afternoons  during  February  because  of  out- 
of-town  lecture  engagements.  He  will 
resume  his  Museum  lectures  on  the  first 
Sunday  in  March,  continuing  through 
April  and  May. 


GIFTS  TO  THE  MUSEUM 

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

Department  of  Anthropology 

From:  Comdr.  H.  K.  Rendtorff,  Pullman, 
Mich. — a  ceremonial  mask  of  the  Big 
Namba  tribe,  New  Hebrides. 

Department  of  Botany 

From:  Iowa  State  College,  Ames,  Iowa — 
145  herbarium  specimens,  Guatemala;  Prof. 
J.  Soukup,  Lima,  Peru — 35  herbarium 
specimens,  Peru;  Dr.  Jos6  Cuatrecasas,  Cali, 
Colombia — 125  herbarium  specimens,  Co- 
lombia; Museo  Nacional,  San  Jos6,  Costa 
Rica — 62  specimens  of  orchids,  Costa  Rica; 
Dr.  Paul  D.  Voth,  Chicago — 59  cryptogams, 
Kansas,  South  Dakota,  and  Wisconsin;  J. 
Francis  Macbride,  New  Plymouth,  Idaho — 
249  cryptogams,  California  and  Arizona; 
Dr.  Maxwell  S.  Doty,  Evanston,  111.— 31 
specimens  of  algae,  Oregon  and  California; 
Lawrence  J.  King,  Wooster,  Ohio — 50 
specimens  of  algae,  New  York;  J.  H.  Smith 
and  Sons  and  Schick-Johnson  Company, 
Chicago — veneered  panel  of  English  yew; 
Escuela  Agricola  Panamericana,  Teguci- 
galpa,    Honduras — 400     herbarium    speci- 


mens, Honduras;  Donald  Richards,  Chicago 
— 29  bryophytes,  Maryland,  and  621 
cryptogams,  various  localities. 

Department  of  Geology 

From:  Stuart  H.  Perry,  Adrian,  Mich. — 
one  individual  meteorite  (Odessa),  and  one 
slice  of  Odessa  meteorite,  Texas;  Dr.  Rainer 
Zangerl,  Chicago — 5  specimens  of  verte- 
brate fossils,  South  Dakota  and  Wyoming; 
Mrs.  Tracy  Higgins,  Chicago — 11  rock 
specimens,  Pennsylvania;  Dr.  Henry  Field, 
Washington,  D.  C. — a  specimen  of  desert 
sand,  North  Africa;  Levon  Harris  Arpee, 
Chicago — 8  specimens  of  fossil  crustaceans 
and  plants,  Illinois. 

Department  of  Zoology 

From:  Chicago  Zoological  Society,  Brook- 
field,  111. — a  mammal,  a  bird,  and  a  snake; 
Lincoln  Park  Zoo,  Chicago — an  Eskimo  dog; 
Bryan  Patterson,  Chicago — 236  beetles, 
insects,  and  allies,  and  307  specimens  of  sea 
shells  and  marine  invertebrates,  Florida, 
California,  and  Illinois;  Cpl.  Eugene  Ray, 
U.  S.  Army — a  lizard  and  32  land  shells, 
Okinawa;  Dr.  Rainer  Zangerl,  Chicago — 80 
specimens  of  reptiles  and  amphibians, 
Switzerland  and  Ecuador;  William  J. 
Beecher,  Chicago — 28  cicadas,  ants,  and 
spiders,  Guadalcanal  and  New  Caledonia; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  G.  Rueckert,  Chicago — a 
millipede,  a  snake,  8  frogs,  and  8  lizards, 
Florida;  Lieut.  Comdr.  Colin  C.  Sanborn, 
U.  S.  Navy — 10  lizards,  Honolulu;  Dr. 
Julian  A.  Steyermark,  Chicago — 38  speci- 
mens of  marine  invertebrates,  Venezuela; 
E.  M.  Chenery,  Port-of-Spain,  Trinidad — 
11  bird  skins,  Trinidad;  Mrs.  Charles  J. 
Susong,  Coral  Gables,  Fla. — 91  specimens  of 
Florida  tree  snails;  Michael  S.  Bischof,  Los 
Angeles,  Calif. — one  coral  specimen,  and 
14  snails,  parasitic  on  coral,  California; 
Charles  D.  Nelson,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. — 
728  specimens  of  non-marine  shells,  United 
States;  Robert  R.  Kohn,  U.  S.  Navy— a 
lizard,  Admiralty  Islands;  Dr.  James  M. 
Brennan,  Hamilton,  Mont. — a  snake,  Mon- 
tana; Stephen  S.  Gregory,  Jr.,  Winnetka, 
111. — a  snake,  Michigan;  S/Sgt.  Henry  S. 
Dybas,  U.  S.  Army — 2  snakes,  7  lizards, 
and  a  frog,  Mariannas;  Capt.  Robert  Traub, 
U.  S.  Army — 4  lizards,  3  frogs,  and  a  snake, 
Burma;  Dr.  Clarence  R.  Smith,  Aurora,  111. 
— a  bat,  Illinois;  Lieut,  (j.g.)  J.  A.  Slater, 
U.  S.  Navy — 2  snakes,  Okinawa;  C.  J. 
Albrecht,  Homewood,  111. — a  jack  rabbit, 
South  Dakota;  Elaine  Anne  Thompson 
Collection,  Ferndale,  Mich. — 13  plaster 
casts  of  animal  tracks,  Michigan;  John 
Kurfess,  Hinsdale,  111. — 3  millipedes,  Ad- 
miralty Islands;  Miss  Theresa  Clay,  Lon- 
don, England — 10  paratypes  and  3  neo- 
paratypes  of  four  species  of  bird  lice  on 
five  microscope  slides,  Bolivia;  Dr.  Ruth 
Marshall,  Wisconsin  Dells,  Wis. — about 
5,500  water  mites,  over  600  vials,  holders, 
slides,  etc.,  and  861  copies  of  her  35  con- 
tributions on  water  mites;  Stanley  Jewett, 
Jr.,  U.  S.  Army — 5  bird  skins,  South  Pacific; 
Lieut.  Harry  Hoogstraal  and  Stanley  G. 
Jewett,  Jr.,  U.  S.  Army— 20  bird  skins, 
South  Pacific. 

Library: 

From:  Dr.  Henry  Field,  Washington, 
D.  C;  Dr.  Ruth  Marshall,  Wisconsin  Dells, 


LECTURE  TOURS  ON  WEEKDAYS, 
JANUARY  AND  FEBRUARY 

Conducted  tours  of  exhibits,  under  the 
guidance  of  staff  lecturers,  are  made  every 
afternoon  at  2  o'clock,  except  Sundays  and 
certain  holidays.  On  Mondays,  Tuesdays, 
Thursdays,  and  Saturdays,  general  tours 
are  given,  covering  all  departments.  Special 
subjects  are  offered  on  Wednesdays  and 
Fridays;  a  schedule  of  these  follows: 

January 

Wed.,  Jan.  2 — Solutions  to  the  Housing 
Problem — Substitutes  for  Park  Benches 
(Emma  Neve). 

Fri.,  Jan.  4 — Gains  for  Science — Some  of 
Man's  Most  Important  Discoveries  (Mrs. 
Roberta  Cramer). 

Wed.,  Jan.  9 — Designs  of  Winter — Trees, 
Tracks,  Birds  (Miriam  Wood). 

Fri.,  Jan.  11 — Primitive  Health  Insurance 
Charms  and  Witchcraft  (Emma  Neve). 

Wed.,  Jan.  16— No  Income  Tax,  But— How 
Primitive  People  Live  (Mrs.  Roberto 
Cramer). 

Fri.,  Jan.  18 — Plants  and  Animals  Through 
the  Ages  (Marie  B.  Pabst). 

Wed.,  Jan.  23 — Escaping  Winter — Hiberna- 
tion of  Animals  (Miriam  Wood). 

Fri.,  Jan.  25 — Costumes  Designed  for  Wear , 
Beauty  and  Simplicity  Combined  in 
Primitive  Dress  (Emma  Neve). 

Wed.,  Jan.  30 — Preparing  to  Be  a  Tourist — 
A  World  to  See  and  Hear  (Mexico)  (Afrs. 
Roberta  Cramer). 

February 

Fri.,  Feb.  1 — Designs  in  Wood — Tree 
Growths  that  Result  in  Beautiful  Patterns 
(Marie  B.  Pabst). 

Wed.,  Feb.  6— Bridges  and  Barriers — Like- 
nesses and  Differences  Among  Peoples  of 
Different  Cultures  (Afrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 

Fri.,  Feb.  8— The  Bond  of  Slavery— All 
People  Are  Slaves  (Emma  Neve). 

Wed.,  Feb.  13— True  Fish  Stories— The 
Biggest  Ones  Didn't  Get  Away  (Miriam 
Wood). 

Fri.,  Feb.  15 — Life  Usually  Unseen — Micro- 
scopic Plants  and  Animals  (Marie  B. 
Pabst). 

Wed.,  Feb.  20— The  Living  Past— Primi- 
tive People  (Natives  of  the  Islands  of  the 
Pacific,  Africa,  and  the  Americas)  (Emma 
Neve). 

Fri.,  Feb.  22 — Preparing  to  Be  a  Tourist — 
A  World  to  See  and  Hear  (South  America) 
(Afrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 

Wed.,  Feb.  27— Preview  of  Spring— Unfold- 
ing Buds  and  Sprouting  Seeds  (Miriam 
Wood). 


Wis.;  Dr.  Albert  R.  Shadle,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.; 
C.  E.  B.  Bremerkamp,  Amsterdam,  Hol- 
land; Stig  Ryden,  Goteborg,  Sweden; 
Third  Conferencia  Interamericana  Agri- 
cultura,  Caracas,  Venezuela;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  W.  Nichols,  Allen  Sinsheimer,  Col. 
Clifford  C.  Gregg,  Graham  Aldis,  all  of 
Chicago. 


PRINTED   BY  CHICAGO   NATURAL   HISTORY  MUSEUM   PRESS 


Chicagfo  Natural  History  Museum 

BULLETIN 

Formerly  Wit 


MAeum  News 


Vol.   17 


MARCH-APRIL,   1946 


Nos.  3-4 


FIRST  CHICAGO  INTERNATIONAL  EXHIBIT  OF  NATURE  PHOTOGRAPHY  AT  MUSEUM 


The  First  Chicago  International  Exhibi- 
tion of  Nature  Photography  was  scheduled, 
as  this  issue  of  the  BULLETIN  went  to  press, 


FIRST  IN  THE  SHOW 

"Velvet    Petals,"   by   Grace   M.   Ballentine.     Winner  of 

double  honors,  first  in  the  section  of  plant  life  as  well  i% 

top  place  in  the  entire  First  Chicago  International  Exhibit 

of  Nature  Photography. 

to  close  on  February  28,  after  being  dis- 
played in  Stanley  Field  Hall  of  the  Museum 
for  32  days. 

In  the  exhibit,  sponsored  by  the  Chicago 
Nature  Camera  Club,  were  197  black-and- 
white  prints  and  397  color  slides  adjudged 
best  out  of  a  total  of  more  than  1,750 
pictures  submitted  by  competitors  in  31 
states,  Canada,  Mexico,  Cuba,  and  Scotland. 
Entries  were  submitted  in  six  divisions: 
Plant  life,  animal  life,  gardens,  scenery, 
anthropology,  and  color  slides. 

First  prizes,  consisting  of  medals,  were 
awarded  by  the  Chicago  Nature  Camera 
Club  to  the  picture  selected  by  the  jury  as 
best  in  each  division,  and  an  additional 
medal  was  presented  to  the  garden  section 
winner  by  the  Chicago  Horticultural  Society 
and  Garden  Center.  Twenty-six  others 
were  winners  of  ribbons  denoting  honorable 
mention.  The  names  of  all  first  prize 
winners  are  to  be  inscribed  on  a  plaque 


presented  by  Mrs.  Charles  R.  Walgreen, 
of  Chicago. 

The  exhibit,  carrying  further  the  innova- 
tion made  by  the  "Lenses  on  Nature" 
photographic  exhibit  arranged  in  1943  as  a 
feature  of  the  Museum's  50th  anniversary 
celebration,  is  expected  to  be  followed  in 
future  years  by  similar  presentations.  A 
stimulation  of  popular  interest  in  nature 
photography  is  consistent  with  the  purposes 
of  the  Museum  in  its  role  as  an  educational 
institution.  It  is  not  unreasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  a  camera  fan's  primary  interest  in 
photography  may  lead  to  an  interest  in 
some  of  the  varied  aspects  of  nature  by 
compelling  the  careful  observation  and 
recording  of  natural  phenomena — the  first 
steps  in  the  methodology  of  science. 

The  black-and-white  photographs  were 
exhibited  in  standard  Museum  cases  suitably 
arranged  and  lighted  for  this  purpose.  The 
color  slides,  being  miniatures,  were  mounted 
in  a  special  four-sided  cabinet  illuminated 
from  the  inside,  furnished  by  the  camera 


FIRST  IN  ANTHROPOLOGY  SECTION 
"Cliff  Palace,"  by  Charles  A.  Girard. 

club.  In  this  way,  despite  their  small 
dimensions,  these  pictures  were  made  avail- 
able to  the  public  in  their  full  colors  and  all 
their  details.  In  addition,  on  Sunday  after- 
noon, February  17,  by  means  of  the  pro- 


jector and  screen  in  the  Museum  Lecture 
Hall,  they  were  shown  in  large  size  to  an 
invited  audience  and  the  general  public. 


FIRST  IN   ANIMAL  LIFE  SECTION 

"Ring.Billed  Gull,"  by  Ralph  E.  Lawrence,  awarded  the 

first  ptize  in  its  division  in  the  First  Chicago  International 

Exhibit   of    Nature    Photography    held    at    the    Museum 

January  28  — February  28. 

The  prize  winners  are: 

First  in  the  show,  and  first  in  the  section 
of  plant  life — Grace  M.  Ballentine,  Upper 
Montclair,  N.J.,  for  "Velvet  Petals";  first 
in  animal  life  section — Ralph  E.  Lawrence, 
Washington,  D.C.,  "Ring-billed  Gull"; 
first  in  garden  section — Ben  Hallberg, 
Hollywood,  111.,  "Earfull"  (cornstalk);  first 
in  scenery  section — Edward  C.  Crossett, 
Chicago,  "Erosion";  first  in  anthropology 
section — Charles  A.  Girard,  Chicago,  "Cliff 
Palace";  first  in  color  slide  section — V.  J. 
Roufs,  Minneapolis,  "Guest  in  the  Garden". 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  honorable  men- 
tion awards: 

Plant  Life  Section:  "Turk's-cap  Lily," 
Louise  K.  Broman,  Chicago;  "Oyster 
Mushroom,"  Juanita  Schubert,  Minden, 
Nev.;  "Mexican  Maguey,"  H.  J.  Johnson, 
Chicago;  "After  the  Rain,"  Charles  W. 
Manzer,  New  York;  "Desert  Sentinels," 
Mrs.  Caryl  R.  Firth,  Trappe,  Md. 

Animal    Life    Section:    "Osprey,"    Eliot 


Page  2 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


March-April,  19i6 


FIRST  IN  SCENERY  SECTION 

"Erosion,"  by  Edward  C.  Crossett. 

Porter,  Winnetka,  111.;  "Animated  Still 
Life,"  Miss  Hilleve  Lantz,  Chicago;  "Feed 
Me"  (cardinal  and  young),  Ralph  E.  Law- 
rence, Washington  D.C.;  "Centipede," 
H.  J.  Ensenberger,  Bloomington,  111.; 
"Feathery  Fingers,"  Martin  Bovey,  Jr., 
Concord,  Mass.  A  special  honorable  men- 
tion was  awarded  the  color  print  "Arizona 
Pyrrhuloxia"  by  Eliot  Porter,  Winnetka,  111. 
Scenery  Section:  "The  Jug  Handles," 
Charles  A.   Girard,   Chicago;   "Design  by 


FIRST  IN  GARDEN  SECTION 

"Earfull,"  by  Ben  Hallberg. 

Jack  Frost,"  Dr.  B.  J.  Ochsner,  Durango, 
Colo.;  "By  Wind  and  Water  Carved," 
Juanita  Schubert,  Minden,  Nev.;  "Erosion 
in  Sandpit,"  and  "Upside  Down  Icicles," 
H.  L.  Gibson,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Color  Slide  Section:  "Turret  Arch," 
Charles  A.  Girard,  Chicago;  "Secretary 
Bird,"  Viktor  M.  J.  Aagaard,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Calif.;  "Bleeding  Hearts"  (flowers), 
G.  W.  Blaha,  Chicago;  "At  Rest,"  R. 
E.  Carlson,  Park  Ridge,  111.;  "Cardinal 
on  Nest,"  R.  A.  E.  Cavendish,  Lafayette, 
La.;  "Cherry  Cluster,"  Mrs.  Harold  L. 
Medbury,  Bloomington,  111.;  "Skunk  Cab- 


bage," Frank  Proctor,  Chicago;  "Wild 
Plums,"  Frank  Rogers,  Chicago;  "Star  and 
Jelly  Fish,"  R.  H.  Taylor,  Chicago. 

The  jury  which  made  the  selections  was 
composed  of:  B.  D.  Holley,  of  Downers 
Grove,  111.,  an  associate  of  the  Photographic 
Society  of  America;  A.  H.  Longwell, 
Chicago,  professional  photographer;  James 
H.  Burdett,  garden  editor,  The  Chicago  Sun, 
and  representative  of  the  Chicago  Horti- 
cultural Society;  Dr.  Paul  O.  McGrew, 
Assistant  Curator  of  Paleontology,  and 
Karl  P.  Schmidt,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 
on  the  Museum's  staff. 

The  Chicago  Nature  Camera  Club  has 
compiled  an  illustrated  catalog,  copies  of 
which  are  available  by  communicating  with 
the  secretary  of  the  club,  Miss  Louise  K. 
Broman  at  5834  South  Western  Avenue, 
Chicago  36. 

Leading  magazines  devoted  to  photogra- 
phy and  associated  hobbies  made  arrange- 
ments   for    reproducing    selected    pictures 


FIRST  IN  COLOR  SLIDE   SECTION 

"Guest  in  the  Gafden,"  by  V.  J.  Roufs. 

which  appeared  in  the  show,  and  a  number 
were  reproduced  also  in  newspapers  of 
Chicago  as  well  as  in  papers  elsewhere 
served  by  national  news-photo  agencies 
such  as  Wide-World-Associated  Press  and 
Acme  News-Pictures. 

Installation  of  the  exhibit  was  made  under 
the  supervision  of  Mr.  John  R.  Millar, 
Deputy  Director  of  the  Museum. 


NEW  TYPE  OF  PROGRAMS  IS  OFFERED  FOR  CHILDREN  ON  SATURDAYS 


For  this  spring's  series,  the  James  Nelson 
and  Anna  Louise  Raymond  Foundation  is 
offering  an  improved  type  of  educational 
programs  for  children  on  Saturday  mornings 
during  March  and  April. 

In  order  to  give  more  scope  for  the  innova- 
tions being  made,  there  will  be  single 
presentations  at  10:30  a.m.  each  Saturday 
morning  in  those  months  (instead  of  two 
presentations,  at  10  and  11  a.m.  each 
Saturday  as  has  been  the  case  in  preceding 
seasons). 

Less  stress  will  be  laid  upon  the  motion 
picture  features  than  in  the  past,  although 
there  will  be  carefully  selected  educational 
films  on  all  but  two  of  the  nine  programs. 
To  make  the  programs  more  interesting  and 
more  out  of  the  ordinary  run  of  entertain- 
ments for  children,  there  will  be  a  greater 
number  of  personal  appearances  of  interest- 
ing men  and  women  to  tell  their  own  first- 
hand stories  of  various  peoples,  or  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  animal  and  plant  king- 
doms. 

Emphasis  is  placed  on  the  word  stories — 
these  will  not  be  formal  lectures,  but  rather 
will  be  intimate  narratives  designed  to 
strike  responsive  chords  within  the  children's 
mental  world — not  scaled  either,  to  so-called 
children's  levels,  for  the  Museum  authorities 
like  other  up-to-date  educators  realize  that 
children's  levels  are  usually  higher  than 
adults  are  apt  to  estimate,  and  that  they 
resent  attempts  at  "leveling." 

Children  may  come  alone,  accompanied  by 
adults,  or  in  groups  from  schools  or  other 
centers. 

Following  is  an  outline  of  the  programs 
scheduled: 

March  2 — The  Blue  Goose  Flies  South. 
Color  motion  picture  and  story  by  Peter 
Koch 


March  9 — El  Navajo. 
A    motion    picture    (courtesy    Atchison, 

Topeka  and  Santa  Re  Railroad). 
Also  a  cartoon. 

March  16 — Just  Sticks. 
Stories  of  people  and  places  told  with  a 
collection  of  sticks  and  canes  by  Edward 
L.  Jeambey. 

March  23 — The  World  Around  You. 
A    motion    picture    of    the    commonest 

things  from  ants  to  weeds. 
Also  a  cartoon. 

March  30 — Where  the  West  Begins. 
Color    motion     picture    and     story    by 
Alfred  M.  Bailey,  Director,  Colorado 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  Denver. 

April  6 — Song  of  Ceylon. 

A  documentary  motion  picture  from  the 

hills  of  Ceylon. 
Also  a  cartoon. 

April  13 — Strange  Neighbors. 

Color  motion  picture  and  story  by 
William  G.  Hassler. 

April  20 — My  Alaska. 

Story  of  Alaska  told  by  the  Eskimo 
Nulchuk  (Simeon  Oliver)  and  his  wife 
Sourdough  (Ethel  Oliver),  of  Anchorage, 
Alaska. 

April  27 — My  Friend  Flicka. 

A  motion  picture  story  of  a  boy  and  his 
horse. 


If  you're  going  to  Mexico,  get  a  pre- 
acquaintance  with  that  country's  archaeology 
and  ethnology  in  Hall  8  at  this  museum. 
If  you  can't  go,  this  hall  will  provide  you 
with  a  stay-at-home  tour. 


March-April,  19U6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


PageS 


HIROSHIMA  AFTER  ATOMIC  BOMB  IN  ONE  OF  SATURDAY  AFTERNOON  LECTURES  AND  FILMS 


Nine  illustrated  lectures  on  natural 
science  and  travel  in  many  parts  of  the  world 
will  be  presented  for  adults  in  the  annual 
Spring  Lecture  Course  on  Saturday  after- 
noons during  March  and  April. 

The  lectures,  most  of  which  are  accom- 
panied by  motion  picture  films  in  color, 
will  be  given  in  the  James  Simpson  Theatre, 
and  all  begin  at  2:30  P.M. 

Following  are  the  dates,  and  the  subjects 
and  lecturers  booked: 

March  2— Big  Bend. 

Peter  Koch. 

Mr.  Koch,  photographer  naturalist,  pre- 
sents a  picture  story  of  the  last  frontier  of 
America  in  the  heart  of  the  Rio  Grande's 
big  bend,  west  of  the  Pecos  River.  The  area, 
now  desert,  was  once  a  Jake,  and  before  that 
was  part  of  an  ocean.  Fossil  trees  a  million 
years  old  are  found  in  its  forests.  Volcanic 
action  time  and  again  covered  this  southern- 
most spur  of  the  Rockies.  The  flora  varies 
from  the  lush,  semi-tropical  species  along 
the  Rio  Grande,  through  desert  chapparal 
and  cacti,  to  the  forested  summits  of  the 
Chisos  Mountains.  As  in  a  "lost  world," 
birds,  mammals,  and  reptiles  of  species 
found  nowhere  else  are  isolated  there  by 
the  desert. 

March  9— Japan  After  Conquest. 

Bob  Hall. 

Mr.  Hall,  who  spent  thirteen  months  in 
photographic  work  as  a  member  of  the 
United  States  Strategic  Bombing  Survey, 
shows  in  color  motion  pictures  Japan  as  it  is 
today — the  people  and  the  country  under 
occupation  by  General  Douglas  MacArthur's 
forces.  A  feature  is  a  sequence  of  the 
ruins  of  Hiroshima  following  the  explo- 
sion of  the  first  atomic  bomb.  Other 
sections  of  the  film  are  devoted  to  Tokyo 
today,  rural  Japan,  the  beauties  of  the 
mountains  including  famed  Fujiyama,  and 
a  "G.I."  rodeo  in  Tokyo. 

March  16 — Alaska  Wild  Life. 

William  L.  Darden. 

Recently  returned  from  Alaska  after 
twelve  years'  of  residence  there  and  travel 
throughout  the  territory,  Mr.  Darden 
brings  color  motion  pictures  of  many 
"world's  largest"  members  of  the  animal 
kingdom — for  example,  the  Kenia  moose, 
and  the  Kodiak  bear,  both  the  biggest 
members  of  their  families.  Other  interesting 
animals  shown  in  Mr.  Darden's  pictures 
include  the  caribou,  fox,  beaver,  and  the 
rarely  seen  Dall  sheep,  the  beautiful  white 
animal  found  only  in  Alaska. 

March  23 — Grassroot  Jungles. 
Edwin  Way  Teale. 
Mr.  Teale  turned  an  old  orchard  into  an 


insect  garden  by  planting  the  things  most 
attractive  to  the  small  creatures.  He  then 
set  his  motion  picture  camera,  with  color 
film,  to  make  continuous  and  intimate 
studies  of  the  life  and  activities  of  the 
inhabitants  in  the  community  he  had  thus 
established.  The  result  is  a  most  unusual 
and  interesting  documentary  record  of 
natural  history  unobtainable  in  any  other 
manner. 

March  30 — The    Land    of    the    Long- 
horns. 

Alfred  M.  Bailey. 

Mr.  Bailey,  formerly  a  member  of  the 
zoological    staff    of    the    Chicago    Natural 


CHANGING  YOUR  ADDRESS? 

Members  of  the  Museum  who 
change  residence  are  urged  to 
notify  the  Museum  so  that  the 
BULLETIN  and  other  communi- 
cations may  reach  them  promptly. 
A  post  card  for  this  purpose  is  en- 
closed. 

Members  going  away  during  the 
summer  may  have  Museum  mat- 
ter sent  to  their  temporary 
addresses. 


History  Museum,  and  now  director  of  the 
Colorado  Museum  of  Natural  History  in 
Denver,  is  famed  for  his  explorations  in 
many  parts  of  the  Far  West,  and  for  the 
remarkable  color  motion  pictures  in  which 
he  records  the  highlights  of  his  natural 
history  studies.  The  present  lecture  and 
film  present  some  of  the  most  thrilling 
episodes  and  beautiful  pictures  in  a  life 
devoted  almost  entirely  to  the  study  of 
nature  in  all  of  its  manifestations. 

April  6 — The    Pacific — At    Peace    and 
War. 

Curtis  F.  Nagel. 

Mr.  Nagel's  "colorlogue"  films  bring  to 
the  screen  the  romance,  color  and  charm  of 
Hawaii — then  wing  out  over  the  vast  Pacific 
to  Midway  Island,  where  the  marvelous 
bird  life  of  that  little  coral  island  is  pictured 
as  well  as  the  amazing  undersea  coral  gar- 
dens of  Wake  Island,  with  their  exotic 
tropical  fish  and  sea  anemones.  The  native 
life  of  Guam  is  shown  and  then  the  Philip- 
pines— from  Manila  to  Zamboanga.  Explor- 
ing the  perilous  Igorot  country  of  Luzon, 
Mr.  Nagel  filmed  the  bizarre  "Head  Dance." 
The  film  ends  with  pictures  of  the  attack 
and  destruction  on  Wake  Island  and  the 
historic  Battle  of  Midway. 


April  13— The    Story    of    Tobacco    in 
Kentucky. 

Edward  T.  Camenisch. 

Mr.  Camenisch  presents  in  vivid  narra- 
tive, accompanied  by  color  motion  picture 
films,  the  things  few  people  know  about  the 
golden  brown  leaf  that  has  become  the  basis 
of  one  of  the  country's  biggest  industries. 
In  Mr.  Camenisch's  pictures  are  shown  the 
burning  of  the  beds,  planting,  seeding,  weed- 
ing and  transplanting;  the  young  leaves 
forming,  the  delicate  blossom,  the  topping 
of  the  plants,  and  threats  to  the  plants  such 
as  preying  insects  and  diseases.  The  story 
continues  through  the  cutting  and  storing 
in  spacious  barns,  from  the  stripping  and 
loading  for  market  to  warehouse  and  auction. 

April  20 — Alaska  and  the  Aleutians. 

Nutchuk  (Simeon  Oliver). 

Nutchuk  (Simeon  Oliver)  is  a  native 
Alaskan,  part  Aleut  and  part  Norwegian — 
his  father  was  a  trapper.  He  knows  Alaska 
and  the  Aleutian  Islands  as  few  men  do, 
and  for  two  years  during  the  war  served  the 
Army  Intelligence.  In  his  lecture  Nutchuk 
tells  about  Alaska  and  the  Aleutians,  and 
what  the  future  holds  for  their  people. 
His  material  on  Dutch  Harbor  is  illuminat- 
ing, and  he  gives  the  kind  of  intimate  and 
exact  information  about  the  people — White, 
Aleut  and  Eskimo — that  few  men  can  give 
but  which,  when  obtainable,  delights  an 
audience.  In  his  lecture  he  wears  a  native 
parka,  and  brings  to  the  platform  a  small 
but  interesting  exhibit. 

April  27 — Rainbow's  End. 

Earl  L.  Hilfiker. 

Mr.  Hilfiker,  former  science  teacher  and 
member  of  the  staff  of  the  Rochester  Museum 
of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  later  official 
photographer  for  the  New  York  State 
Conservation  Department,  presents  the 
story,  with  color  films,  of  the  beauties  of 
nature  in  the  great  out-of-doors  anywhere. 
He  emphasizes  the  fact  that  we  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  world  of  strange  sights 
and  interesting  creatures.  Commonplace 
things  and  ordinary  creatures  become  in- 
tensely fascinating  subjects  when  they 
are  shown  in  giant  proportions  and  in  full 
color.  This  film  features  our  native  wild 
flowers,  the  butterflies  and  the  giant  silk- 
worm moths.  It  also  shows  many  of  the 
interesting  creatures  of  our  woodland 
swamps  in  the  early  spring. 

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.  Re- 
quests 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. 


Page  J, 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


March- April,  i:i',i: 


AN  EXHIBIT  ILLUSTRATING  SOURCES  OF  PENICILLIN 

Penicillin — the  most  famous  recent  addition  to  materia  medica — what  it 
looks  like,  what  it  is  derived  from,  and  how  it  is  produced  in  quantity  for  use 
by  the  medical  profession — is  the  subject  of  a  special  exhibit  recently  installed 
in  Stanley  Field  Hall. 


Mr.  William  A.  Daily,  writer  of  the 
accompanying  article,  who  has  been  engaged 
in  research  on  penicillin  at  Butler  University, 
acted  as  scientific  consultant  for  the  Museum 
in  preparation  of  the  exhibit. 

A  notable  feature,  and  one  which  would 
not  be  available  to  the  average  layman  any- 
where else,  is  a  scientifically  accurate  model 
of  a  pinpoint  fragment  of  the  blue  mold 
(Penicillium  notatum) 
from  which  the  drug 
is  obtained,  magnified 
400  times.  Modeled 
in  glass  by  Mr.  Emil 
Sella  of  the  Museum's 
plant  reproduction  lab- 
oratories from  direct 
studies  of  an  actual 
specimen  under  the 
microscope,  it  resem- 
bles superficially  a 
cluster  of  ice-coated 
twigs  on  a  leaf-bare 
tree  in  winter.  Most 
of  the  profusely  branch- 
ing filaments  are  color- 
less, but  a  few  which 
stand  more  or  less  up- 
right bear  sparse  tassels 
formed  of  four  to  eight 
chains  of  the  reproduc- 
tive cells  or  spores  to 
which  Mr.  Daily  refers 
in  his  article  following. 
The  spores  in  mass 
impart  a  blue  color  to  the  mold.  Other 
branches,  as  shown  in  the  model,  grow 
more  or  less  downward,  and  from  these 
penicillin  diffuses  into  culture  bases  used 
in  the  production  of  penicillin. 


The  remainder  of  the  exhibit  consists  of 
material  illustrating  the  appearance  and 
growth  of  blue  mold,  and  the  methods 
devised  for  quantity  production  of  penicillin. 
Two  familiar  molds  found  on  rotting  fruit, 
stale  bread  and  other  organic  matter  are 
shown  as  they  grow  on  agar  to  which  food 
has  been  added.  Both  species  are  employed 
in  the  commercial  production  of  penicillin. 


THE  INVISIBLE  MADE  VISIBLE 
Model  of  a  pinpoint  fragment  of  the  blue  mold  Penicillium  notatum  as  seen  magnified 
400  times  under  the  microscope.  Included  in  the  exhibit  relating  to  the  sources  and 
production  of  penicillin,  prepared  in  the  plant  reproduction  laboratories  of  the  Depart' 
ment  of  Botany  and  currently  displayed  in  Stanley  Field  Hall.  Note  the  spores  on  the 
upright  filaments— it  is  these  which  impart  a  blue  color  to  the  fungus  organism  from 
which  Sir  Alexander  Fleming  first  extracted  the  antibiotic  substance  penicillin. 


One  model  is  of  a  culture  which  is  a  direct 
descendant  of  the  original  used  in  1929  by 
Sir  Alexander  Fleming,  the  discoverer  of 
penicillin  and  its  effect  on  bacteria,  thus 
lending  a  historical  aspect  to  the  exhibit. 


PENICILLIN— ITS  HISTORY, 
DERIVATION  AND  USES 

By  WILLIAM  A.  DAILY 

BUTLER  UNIVERSITY 

The  discovery  of  penicillin  is  credited  to 
Sir  Alexander  Fleming  of  London,  who  for 
this  reason  received  the  Nobel  prize  for 
physiology  and  medicine.  Fleming  was  by 
no  means,  however,  the  first  to  observe  the 
antagonistic  action  of  some  organisms 
against  others  growing  in  culture. 

Having  previously  isolated  a  substance 
from  egg  white  which  would  dissolve 
bacteria,  and  being  especially  interested  in 
finding  new  antibacterial  substances,  he 
made  an  extensive  study  when  he  found  the 
growth  of  a  culture  of  pathogenic  bacteria 
inhibited  by  a  contaminating  mold,  Penicil- 
lium notatum.  An  attempt  to  isolate  the 
active  agent  by  extraction  from  the  culture 
medium  in  which  the  mold  grew  was  only 
partially  successful,  because  the  substance 


obtained,  which  he  called  "penicillin,"  was 
unstable.  By  his  experiments,  however,  he 
demonstrated  that  if  it  could  be  obtained  in 
stable  form,  penicillin  had  qualities  recom- 
mending it  for  clinical  use. 

The  study  of  penicillin  was  not  resumed 
until  ten  years  later  when  Dr.  Howard  B. 
Florey  and  his  colleague,  Dr.  Ernest  B. 
Chain,  both  of  Oxford  University,  began 
the  work  which  resulted  in  the  successful 
isolation,  purification  and  clinical  testing 
of  this  substance.  They  likewise  have  been 
honored  by  sharing  the  Nobel  prize  with  Sir 
Alexander. 

Spurred  by  increasing  misfortune  in  war, 
Great  Britain  in  1941  sent  Dr.  Florey  to  the 
United  States  with  the  seemingly  difficult 
task  of  encouraging  American  scientists  in 
government  and  large  commercial  institu- 
tions to  take  up  the  study  and  preparation 
of  this  little-known  drug.  The  result  from 
combined  English  and  American  effort  is 


now  a  major  landmark  in  medical  history, 
and  large  quantities  of  penicillin  are  now 
being  produced  commercially. 

In  the  manufacture  of  penicillin,  strict 
attention  is  directed  toward  the  mainte- 
nance of  suitable  cultures  of  Penicillium 
notatum.  A  spore  of  this  "blue  mold" 
germinates  to  produce  a  thin-walled  cellular 
filament  (hypha)  which  branches  many 
times  to  form  a  prolific  whitish  fluffy  mold 
(mycelium).  From  this  mycelium  arise 
numerous  erect  branches  which  produce 
at  their  ends  chains  of  spores  in  a  brush-like 
arrangement.  The  characteristic  color  of 
the  mold  is  produced  by  the  spores  en 
masse  and  partly  by  the  aerial  and  sub- 
merged mycelium. 

In  the  popular  method  of  production, 
a  piece  of  the  mold  of  proper  specifications 
is  placed  in  a  huge  metal  tank  which  con- 
tains thousands  of  gallons  of  liquid  suitable 
for  the  growth  of  the  fungus.  Proper 
temperature,  aeration  and  agitation  are 
necessary  in  the  tank  during  the  period  of 
growth  to  ensure  the  maximal  production  of 
penicillin.  As  soon  as  the  mold  has  ceased 
producing  it,  the  penicillin  is  extracted  and 
purified  from  the  liquid.  Tests  are  made 
for  potency  and  safety. 

Penicillin  is  an  acidic  nitrogenous  com- 
pound with  a  marked  instability  toward 
heat,  acid,  and  alkali;  and  the  commercial 
product  is  a  deep  reddish-orange  fluid, 
yellow  in  dilute  solutions,  with  a  faint  but 
characteristic  odor  and  a  bitter  taste. 
Potency  is  lost  rapidly  while  in  the  liquid 
state;  therefore  penicillin  is  dried  in  vacuo 
as  a  sodium  or  calcium  salt  and  stored  as 
such.  Pure  crystalline  material  is  now 
being  prepared,  but  only  in  small  quantities. 
In  spite  of  nation-wide  intensive  research, 
efforts  to  synthesize  penicillin  have  been 
futile  to  date. 

Some  of  the  bacteria  highly  susceptible 
to  penicillin  are  Streptococcus  pyogenes 
(causing  pus  formation  and  puerperal 
fever),  Staphylococcus  aureus  (causing  bone 
disease,  boils,  etc.);  both  of  which  are 
important  in  war  wounds,  and  Streptococcus 
pneumoniae  (causing  pneumonia).  The 
usually  fatal  staphylococcic  and  strepto- 
coccic septicemias  show  decided  improve- 
ment within  24  hours  after  treatment  with 
penicillin  has  begun.  Other  susceptible 
organisms  are  those  causing  diphtheria,  gas 
gangrene,  gonorrhea,  syphilis,  meningitis, 
tetanus  and  actinomycosis. 

Broadly  speaking,  the  Gram  positive 
bacteria  and  Gram  negative  diplococci  are 
sensitive  to  penicillin;  whereas  the  Gram 
negative  bacilli  are  affected  by  it  to  various 
degrees.  Some  of  those  much  less  sensitive 
to  the  effects  of  penicillin  are  the  bacteria 
causing  typhoid  fever  and  a  form  of  food 
poisoning;  while  some,  such  as  those  of 
plague,  cholera,  dysentery,  and  tuberculosis, 
are  quite  insensitive.  Malaria  has  not  been 
controlled  by  penicillin. 


March-April,  19i6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  5 


'LOST  WORLD'  BOTANIZING 
IN  THE  GRAN  SABANA 

By  JULIAN  A.  STEYERMARK 

ASSISTANT  CURATOR  OF  THE  HERBARIUM 

After  Dr.  Steyermark  had  terminated 
quinine  exploration  work  in  Ecuador  and 
Venezuela  for  the  United  Slates  government 
in  October,  1 9H  (as  reported  in  a  recent  issue 
of  the  Bulletin),  he  conducted  two  expedi- 
tions to  collect  botanical  specimens  for  the 
Herbarium  of  the  Museum,  from  October  to 
December,  19H,  and  from  February  to  May, 
1 91f5.  The  accompanying  article  relates  some 
of  his  experiences. 

ONE  of  the  unique  New  World  areas  yet 
to  be  completely  explored  scientifically 
is  a  portion  of  southeastern  Venezuela,  near 
the  Brazilian  and  British  Guiana  borders, 
known  as  the  Gran  Sabana.  Within  this 
area,  and  in  the  adjacent  Upper  Paragua  and 
Upper  Orinoco  River  regions,  lie  isolated 
mountains  of  sandstone  separated  from  one 
another  by  distances  of  from  five  to  200  or 
more  miles. 

Topographically  they  appear  like  huge 
truncated  mesas  protruding  above  the  flat 
forested  lowland  or  upland  savanna.  Their 
lofty  summits,  in  some  cases  towering  9,000 
feet  or  more  above  sea  level,  are  separated 
from  the  virgin  forests  that  envelop  their 
bases,  often  as  much  as  6,000  to  7,000  feet 
of  vertical  distance,  usually  by  sheer  per- 
pendicular sandstone  bLuffs  of  Roraima 
sandstone.  These  bluffs  usually  vary  from 
1,500  to  3,500  feet  in  height  and  thickness 
and,  since  they  extend  on  all  sides  of  these 
isolated  mountains,  usually  obstruct  any 
means  of  ascent.  Only  where  a  portion  of 
the  bluff  has  broken  or  weathered  off  to 
allow  soil  and  woody  growth  to  develop 
is  it  possible  to  reach  the  summit. 

If  one  is  fortunate  enough  to  reach  the 
summit  of  one  of  these  mountains,  one 
usually  finds  an  entirely  different  world 
from  that  over  which  one  has  traveled 
below,  for  here  on  top  may  be  rocky  forma- 
tions, of  diverse  shapes  producing  a  barren 
rocky  flat  summit,  or  the  summit  may  be 
broken  up  into  undulating  savanna-like 
or  forested  slopes  alternating  with  bluffs 
along  stream-laden  valleys  and  waterfalls. 

two  'lost  worlds' 

The  best  known  of  these  sandstone 
mountains  are  Roraima,  Duida,  and  Auyan- 
tepui.  Tepui  is  an  Indian  word  for  moun- 
tain. Mount  Roraima  has  been  termed  the 
"Lost  World,"  because  so  many  unique 
plants  and  animals  were  originally  collected 
on  it.  Auyan-tepui  was  called  another 
"Lost  World"  and  on  its  north  side  was 
recently  discovered  Angel  Falls,  considered 
to  be  the  highest  waterfall  in  the  world. 

Cerro  Duida  was  not  scaled  until  G.H.H. 
Tate  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History  of  New  York  climbed  it  in  1931  with 
the  help  of  Indian-made  ladders.  Tate's 
collection  of  animals  and  especially  of  plants 
from  the  summit  of  Duida  yielded  one  of  the 
richest  collections  of  endemic  new  species 


and  genera  ever  to  have  been  found  in  the 
New  World. 

The  same  was  true  of  Mount  Roraima 
when  it  was  first  scaled  in  the  late  part  of 
the  19th  century  by  Everard  F.  im  Thurn 
whose  botanical  collections  are  at  Kew. 
But  the  most  interesting  feature  of  these 
mountains  is  that  each  one  thus  far  explored 
shows  a  partly  endemic  flora  and  fauna 
characteristic  and  peculiar  to  it. 

The  writer  had  the  great  privilege 
during  his  exploration  work  in  Venezuela  of 
climbing  to  the  summit  of  both  Roraima 
and  Duida  in  1944;  the  ascent  of  the  latter 
was  made  without  the  use  of  rope  or  ladder. 
This  represents  the  only  ascent  to  the  sum- 
mit besides  that  made  by  Tate. 

Because  of  his  trips  to  Roraima  and 
Duida,  the  writer,  after  his  release  by  the 
government,  lingered  in  Venezuela  to  con- 
tinue the  study  of  the  flora  of  other  sand- 
stone mountains,  and  visited  the  group  of 
Ptari-tepui  and  Sororopan-tepui  about  100 
miles  northwest  of  Roraima.  These  had 
been  explored  previously  for  birds  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  William  Phelps,  Jr.,  and  Mr. 
William  Phelps,  Sr.  of  Caracas. 

LARGE  COLLECTIONS  OBTAINED 

Several  camp  sites  were  established  for 
one  or  two  weeks  at  a  time,  and  exploration 
trips  made  with  Indian  guides  and  carriers 
of  the  region.  Nearly  1,700  numbers  and 
about  5,000  specimens  were  obtained  for  the 
Herbarium.  These  include  many  specimens 
of  trees  and  shrubs,  and  represent  a  far 
greater  collection  than  has  ever  been  made 
from  either  Duida,  Roraima,  or  Auyan- 
tepui.  They  provide  the  herbarium  with 
genera  and  species  of  plants  hitherto 
unknown  to  it. 

Curious  insectivorous  plants  like  sundews 
(Drosera),  and  Heliamphora  related  to  and 
resembling  our  pitcher  plants,  grow  beside 
Bonnetia  with  pink  and  white  Camellia- 
like  blossoms.  There  are  Luxemburgia  with 
bright  yellow  blossoms  resembling  a  yellow 
rose,  and  curious  members  of  the  Rapa- 
teaceae  with  stiff  erect  iris-like  leaves. 
Odd  and  beautiful  large  purple-flowered 
bladderworts  also  occur,  their  lower  stems 
and  roots  submerged  in  the  water  found  in 
the  leaf-bases  of  the  large  bromeliad, 
Brocchinia.  Other  plants  found  are  striking 
and  endemic  ferns  of  the  genus  Pterozonium, 
and  lady-slipper  orchids  of  the  genus 
Phragmopedilum,  many  beautiful  brome- 
liads,  bladderworts,  pipeworts  (Eriocau- 
laceae),  Rubiaceae,  and  Melastomaceae. 
Hundreds  of  other  specialties  make  the 
flora  of  this  and  other  adjacent  mountains  a 
true  botanical  paradise. 

The  collection,  while  showing  relation- 
ships with  the  flora  of  Roraima  and  Auyan- 
tepui,  has  already  been  found  to  contain 
many  highly  interesting  new  species.  As 
study  progresses,  the  collection  is  expected 
to  yield  a  considerable  number  of  novelties. 


COLIN  C.  SANBORN 


FIRST  POST-WAR  EXPEDITION 
DISPATCHED  TO  PERU 

The  first  step  toward  resumption  of  the 
Museum's  world-wide  expeditionary  pro- 
gram, suspended  since  Pearl  Harbor,  was 
taken  with  the  departure  January  19  of 
Mr.  Colin  Campbell  Sanborn,  Curator  of 
Mammals,  to  con- 
duct the  Peruvian 
Zoological  Expedi- 
tion-1946.  This  ex- 
pedition will  take 
up  the  survey  by 
two  expeditions 
carried  on  from 
1939  to  1942,  and 
interrupted  by  the 
war's  advent. 

Mr.  Sanborn 
had  returned  to 
Chicago  and  his 
post  at  the  Mu- 
seum only  a  few 
weeks  ago,  follow- 
ing his  release  from 
the  Navy  as  a  lieutenant-commander  after 
more  than  three  years'  service.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  previous  Peruvian  expedi- 
tions, and  nine  months  of  his  naval  service 
also  was  spent  as  an  observer  in  Peru  for 
intelligence  purposes. 

JUNGLES  AND  MOUNTAINS 

Mr.  Sanborn's  first  destination,  after 
sailing  from  New  Orleans,  was  Callao,  port 
for  the  Peruvian  capital,  Lima,  where  he 
will  complete  organization  of  his  project. 
The  earlier  expeditions  worked  almost 
entirely  in  southern  Peru,  and  this  year  the 
collecting  will  be  principally  in  the  jungles 
of  Amazonian  Peru  and  in  the  mountains 
of  the  central  part  of  the  country.  The  work 
is  done  in  co-operation  with  Peruvian 
scientists  and,  as  in  the  past,  Mr.  Sanborn 
plans  to  arrange  to  have  a  local  student 
accompany  him. 

The  area  to  be  covered  this  time  will 
extend  the  scope  of  the  Museum  project 
which  aims  eventually  at  a  survey  of  most 
of  Peru,  which  has  never  before  received 
adequate  exploration  from  a  scientific 
standpoint.  The  main  objective  of  the 
expedition  is  the  assemblage  of  a  compre- 
hensive collection  of  mammals,  birds  and 
reptiles.  It  is  considered  likely  that  a  num- 
ber of  species  not  hitherto  recorded  will  be 
found,  and  special  efforts  will  be  directed 
toward  obtaining  specimens  of  certain 
known  rare  animals. 

Mr.  Sanborn  and  his  assistant  will  engage 
motor  trucks  for  most  of  the  travel  and 
hauling  of  equipment  into  and  specimens 
out  of  the  interior,  but  the  actual  work  of 
the  expedition,  when  collecting  areas  are 
reached,  will  be  done  afoot,  penetrating 
regions  inaccessible  in  any  other  manner. 
Mr.  Sanborn,  it  is  expected,  will  complete 
his  work  and  return  to  Chicago  about  the 
end  of  May. 


Page  6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


March- April,  191,6 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Rooserelt  Road  and  Field  Drlre,  Chicago 

Telephone:  Wabash  9410 


THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 
Lester  Armour  Marshall  Field,  Jr. 

Sewell  Lw  Avery  Stanley  Field 

W.  McCormick  Blair  Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 

Leopold  E.  Block  William  H.  Mitchell 

BOARDMAN  CONOVBR  GEORGE  A.  RICHARDSON 

Walter  J.  Cummings  Solomon  A.  Smith 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr.  Albert  A.  Sprague 

Howard  W.  Fenton  *Silas  H.  Straws 

Joseph  N.  Field  Albert  H.  Wetten 

Marshall  Field  John  P.  Wilson 

OFFICERS 

Stanley  Field President 

Albert  A.  Spragub Pint  Vice-President 

•Silas  H.  Strawn Second  Vice- President 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr. Third  Vice-President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg Director  and  Secretary 

Solomon  A.  Smith Treasurer 

John  R.  Millar Assistant  Secretary 

«  Deceased  February  4,  1946. 


THE  BULLETIN 

EDITOR 
Clifford  C.  Gregg Director  of  the  Museum 

ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 
Wilfred  H.  Osgood Curator  Emeritus,  Zoology 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Paul  S.  Martin C*t>/  Curator  of  Anthropology 

B.  E.  Dahlgren Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Bryan  Patterson  ....  Acting  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. 


SILAS  H.  STRAWN 

The  Museum  has  suffered  a  severe  loss  in 
the  death  of  Silas  H.  Strawn,  a  member  of 
its  Board  of  Trustees  and  Second  Vice 
President.  Mr.  Strawn  died  February  4, 
at  the  age  of  79. 

Mr.  Strawn  had 
been  a  Trustee  for 
22  years,  having 
been  elected  in 
March,  1924.  He 
became  Second 
Vice  President  in 
January,  1940.  He 
was  also  a  Patron, 
a  Contributor,  a 
Corporate  Member 
and  a  Life  Mem- 
ber. In  1929,  he 
contributed  a  sub- 
stantial sum  to- 
wards the  fund  for  the  creation  of  the  Hall 
of  the  Stone  Age  of  the  Old  World.  He 
took  an  extremely  active  part  in  the 
deliberations  of  the  Trustees,  and  rendered 
special  services  of  high  value  as  a  member 
of  the  Auditing  Committee  (1926-29), 
and  the  Executive  Committee  (1928-45). 
Mr.  Strawn  was  born  in  1866,  in  Ottawa, 
Illinois.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
that  city  in  1889,  and  began  practicing  in 
Chicago  in  1891.  In  1918,  he  became  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Winston, 
Strawn  and  Shaw.    He  was  on  the  board  of 


Phot*  bj  Harris  a  Ewinz 

SILAS  H.  STRAWN 


directors  of  several  important  corporations, 
and  took  a  prominent  part  in  civic  affairs, 
being  a  Trustee  not  only  of  the  Museum 
but  also  of  Northwestern  University  and  the 
Carnegie  Endowment  for  International 
Peace.  In  1926,  Mr.  Strawn  served  as  the 
United  States'  delegate  to  a  special  con- 
ference on  Chinese  customs  tariff  and  as 
chairman  of  the  Chinese  Extra- Territoriality 
Commission. 


institution.  He  was  well  known  for  his 
spectacular  business  career,  and  for  his 
participation  in  Chicago  civic  affairs. 


MARSHALL  FIELD,  JR., 
NOW  A  TRUSTEE 

Mr.  Marshall  Field,  Jr.  of  Lake  Forest, 
111.,  son  of  Mr.  Marshall  Field,  publisher  of 
The  Chicago  Sun,  was  elected  to  fill  a  va- 
cancy on  the  Museum's  Board  of  Trustees  at 
the  annual  meeting  held  January  21.  Mr. 
Field,  Jr.,  recently  was  released  from  the 
Navy  after  some  four  years  of  service  as  a 
lieutenant  in  gunnery,  notably  aboard  the 
aircraft  carriers  Enterprise  and  Cabot,  both 
of  which  were  in  major  action  in  the  South 
Pacific.  He  was  awarded  the  Silver  Star  for 
outstanding  valor  while  severely  wounded, 
as  well  as  the  Purple  Heart,  and  a  Presi- 
dential Unit  Citation. 

Mr.  Stanley  Field  was  re-elected  President 
for  the  37th  consecutive  year.  Also  re- 
elected were:  Colonel  Albert  A.  Sprague, 
First  Vice  President;  Mr.  Silas  H.  Strawn, 
Second  Vice  President  (deceased  since  the 
election);  Mr.  Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr.,  Third 
Vice  President;  Colonel  Clifford  C.  Gregg, 
Director  and  Secretary,  and  Mr.  Solomon 
A.  Smith,  Treasurer.  Mr.  John  R.  Millar, 
Deputy  Director,  was  elected  Assistant 
Secretary. 

Three  New  Contributors 

Three  new  names  have  been  added  to  the 
list  of  Contributors  to  the  Museum  by 
recent  action  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
(Contributors  include  all  persons  whose 
contributions  in  money  or  materials  range 
between  $1,000  and  $100,000,  and  their 
names  are  inscribed  in  perpetuity  on  the 
Museum  rolls). 

Two  of  the  new  Contributors  are  Mr. 
William  S.  Street,  until  recently  of  Chicago 
and  now  of  Seattle,  and  Mr.  Rush  Watkins, 
of  Chicago.  They  have  contributed  funds 
for  the  support  of  the  Museum's  expedi- 
tionary program,  suspended  during  the  war 
but  resumed  early  this  year. 

The  third  new  contributor  is  Mr.  Elmer 
J.  Richards,  of  Chicago,  donor  of  funds  for 
purchase  of  botanical  specimens. 


Charles  A.  McCulloch 

News  of  the  death  on  January  24  of 
Charles  A.  McCulloch,  former  Trustee  of 
the  Museum,  was  received  with  regret  by 
his  associates  on  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
Mr.  McCulloch  had  been  a  Trustee  since 
1936.  He  resigned  last  November  because 
ill  health  made  it  impossible  for  him  to 
devote  further  time  to  the  interests  of  the 


Staff  Notes 


The  Museum  staff  welcomes  back  to  its 
midst  a  number  of  members  returned  from 
service  in  the  armed  forces,  in  addition  to 
those  previously  reported  in  the  Bulletin. 
Among  recent  returnees  are  the  following: 

Rupert  L.  Wenzel,  Assistant  Curator  of 
Insects,  who  returned  after  several  years' 
service  as  a  captain  in  the  Army  Sanitary 
Corps.  Mr.  Wenzel  entered  the  service  in 
1942  as  a  first  lieutenant.  One  of  his  assign- 
ments was  in  Brazil. 

James  H.  Quinn  has  returned  as  Chief 
Preparator  in  the  Division  of  Paleontology. 
He  was  a  metalsmith  2/c  in  the  Navy. 

Dr.  John  Rinaldo,  formerly  Associate  in 
Southwestern  Archaeology,  has  returned 
to  the  Museum  to  accept  an  appointment 
as  Assistant  in  Anthropology.  He  enlisted 
in  the  Army  shortly  after  Pearl  Harbor, 
and  was  a  staff  sergeant,  serving  in  France 
and  Germany. 

Herbert  Nelson,  painter  at  the  Museum, 
has  returned.  He  served  in  the  Navy  as  a 
painter  1/c  from  early  in  1943. 

John  W.  Moyer,  Taxidermist  in  the  Divi- 
sion of  Birds,  has  been  released  from  his 
service  as  a  chief  specialist  (motion  pic- 
tures) which  took  him  virtually  around  the 
world  in  Navy  service.  He  is  scheduled  to 
return  to  his  Museum  post  March  1. 


Miss  Winona  Hinkley  has  been  appointed 
to  the  lecture  staff  of  the  James  Nelson  and 
Anna  Louise  Raymond  Foundation.  A 
resident  of  Lombard,  111.,  Miss  Hinkley 
is  a  graduate  of  Antioch  College,  and 
specialized  in  zoology.  She  was  engaged 
for  a  year  in  lecture  work  at  the  Cleveland 
Museum  of  Natural  History. 


Mr.  John  A.  Weber,  a  pensioner  of  the 
Museum,  died  at  his  home  in  Chicago, 
January  9,  at  the  age  of  77.  Joining  the 
guard  force  in  1901,  he  had  served  faith- 
fully for  almost  forty  years,  being  retired 
in  1940. 


Technical  Publications  Issued 

The  following  technical  publications  have 
been  issued  by  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum  Press  during  the  last  two  months: 

Fieldiana— Zoology,  Vol.  31,  No.  4. 
A  Bird  Collection  from  the  Solomon  Islands. 
By  W.  J.  Beecher.  December  21,  1945. 
$0.10. 

Fieldiana— Geology,  Vol.  10,  No.  2. 
Fossil  Specimens  of  Macrochelys  from  the 
Tertiary  of  the  Plains.  By  Rainer  Zangerl. 
December  21,  1945.    $0.15. 


March-April,  191,6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  7 


LARGE  FOSSIL  TURTLE 
FROM  ALABAMA 

By  RAINER  ZANGERL 

CURATOR  OF  FOSSIL  REPTILES 

This  is  a  story  of  how  scientific  discoveries, 
widely  separated  by  years,  and  made  by 
different  institutions  or  researchers,  finally 
interweave  to  build  up  our  knowledge. 

In  1895,  Professor  G.  R.  Wieland  dis- 
covered a  very  large  and  most  extraordinary 
turtle  in  the  Upper  Cretaceous  formation 
along  the  Cheyenne  River  in  South  Dakota. 
The  specimen,  a  giant  with  a  shell  about 
seven  feet  wide,  was  described  as  Archelon 
ischyros  and  is  now  reconstructed  and 
exhibited  in  the  Yale  Museum  collection. 

In  subsequent  years,  Dr.  Wieland  col- 
lected two  more  specimens,  one  a  fairly 
complete,  smaller  individual  and  the  other, 
only  partially  preserved,  appears  to  have 
been  even  larger  than  the  first  specimen.  Dr. 
Wieland  estimates  the  length  of  its  skull  in 
excess  of  three  feet!  Size,  however,  is  only 
one — and  to  the  anatomist,  perhaps  the 
least — interesting  feature  of  the  skeletal 
make-up  of  Archelon. 

The  upper  portion  of  the  shell  consists 
of  a  relatively  thin,  narrow  disk  extending 
from  the  base  of  the  neck  to  the  base  of  the 
tail,  and  a  chain  of  peripheral  bones  con- 
nected to  the  disk  by  strong  ribs.  The  lower 
part  of  the  shell  consists  of  two  pairs  of 
thick,  more  or  less  circular  plates  from  which 
finger-shaped  projections  radiate  all  around, 
and  some  lesser  bones  whose  exact  relation- 
ship to  the  rest  of  the  shell  is  still  somewhat 
uncertain.  The  skull  is  unusually  long  and 
ends  in  front  with  a  beak  not  unlike  that  of 
a  bird  of  prey. 

It  was  no  small  surprise  to  the  members 
of  a  recent  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum  field  party — Mr.  C.  M.  Barber, 
Mrs.  A.  Zangerl  and  the  writer — to  discover 
the  skeleton  of  an  Archelon  in  the  gray 
marls  of  the  Selma  formation  (Upper 
Cretaceous)  of  Alabama.  Although  the 
different  bones  were  not  preserved  intact — 
the  various  plates  were  scattered  over  an 
area  of  about  30  square  yards — there  was 
no  question  as  to  the  identity  of  the  find. 

The  specimen  is  now  being  prepared  and, 
while  the  skeleton  is  not  complete,  practi- 
cally all  the  major  structural  elements  are 
represented.  There  appear  to  be  consider- 
able differences  between  Wieland's  Archelon 
and  its  Alabama  neighbor.  For  one  thing, 
a  fairly  large  plate  belonging  to  the  lower 
shell  was  found  in  the  new  skeleton.  This 
plate  was  apparently  missing  in  all  of  the 
South  Dakota  specimens,  and  its  discovery 
will  solve  an  old  argument  concerning  the 
front  end  of  the  plastron,  a  question  that 
was  repeatedly  disputed  in  the  technical 
literature.  Numerous  differences  of  minor 
importance  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
materials  from  Alabama  do  not  belong  to 
the  same  species  as  the  South  Dakota 
skeletons,  but  to  a  new  species  yet  to  be 
described  and  named. 


The  skeletons  of  vertebrates  collected  in 
Alabama  are  for  the  most  part  very  frag- 
mentary, and  are  often  broken  into  hundreds 
of  pieces.  Thus  it  was  a  great  surprise  to 
find  that  another,  much  smaller,  specimen  of 


GIANT  FOSSIL  TURTLE 
Archelon  ischyros  Wieland  — close  relative  of  the  Alabama 
Archelon  recently  collected  for  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum.  The  picture  tepresents  the  reconstructed  type 
specimen  in  the  Yale  Museum  collection,  found  in  1895  in 
South  Dakota.   The  shell  is  about  seven  feet  wide. 

Archelon  was  collected  without  our  knowl- 
edge of  it  in  the  field.  The  two  skeletons 
seem  to  supplement  each  other  in  such  a 
way  that  the  skeletal  anatomy  of  this 
southern  Archelon  can  be  determined 
rather  accurately. 

Thus,  after  an  interval  of  nearly  fifty 
years,  the  famous  Archelon  has  reappeared 
in  the  form  of  a  close,  southern  ally. 


ALBINOS 


This  museum  possesses  one  of  the  largest 
and  finest  collections  in  existence  of  albino 
birds  and  mammals.  A  selection  of  typical 
ones  is  on  exhibition  in  an  alcove  north 
of  the  entrance  to  Hall  21 .  Several  hundred 
others  are  in  the  study  collection  maintained 
in  the  Department  of  Zoology  for  the  use 
of  scientists  and  students. 

Albinos  are  pure  white  birds  and  mam- 
mals, usually  with  pink  eyes,  which  occur 
occasionally  among  species  which  are 
normally  of  some  other  color.  There  are 
also  various  degrees  of  partial  albinism  in 
which  animals  are  flecked  with  white  or 
have  white  patches  not  normal  to  their 
species.  Very  beautiful  color  combinations 
often  occur  due  to  partial  albinism.  Many 
albinos  are  more  handsome  than  the  normal 
animals  of  their  species. 

Albinism,  explains  Dr.  Wilfred  H.  Osgood, 
Curator  Emeritus  of  Zoology,  is  caused  by 
the  .absence  of  color  pigment  in  the  hair  or 
feathers.  It  is  hereditary  to  a  certain  extent, 
but  it  is  not  accompanied  by  other  abnor- 
malities, and  does  not  indicate  any  physical 
weakness  in  the  animal.  Occasionally  it 
occurs  among  human  beings. 

Among  the  albino  birds  and  mammals 
exhibited  at  the  Museum  are  blackbird, 
crow,   red-tailed  hawk,  grouse,  brown 


thrasher,  mallard  duck,  red  cardinal,  robin, 
ruff,  quail,  sparrow,  porcupine,  skunk, 
woodchuck,  opossum,  raccoon,  and  gopher. 

Albinos  must  not  be  confused  with  animals 
which  are  normally  white,  such  as  polar 
bears,  Arctic  hares  and  many  other  mammals 
and  birds,  especially  those  which  are  found 
in  northern  climes. 

Normal  animals  often  react  with  repulsion 
toward  albinos,  but  nevertheless  consider- 
able inter-mating  occurs.  Breeders  of 
animals  and  birds,  particularly  chickens 
and  rabbits,  often  purposely  raise  a  con- 
tinued white  strain  by  mating  albinos 
exclusively. 

The  nucleus  of  the  Museum's  albino  collec- 
tion consists  of  two  famous  collections  given 
to  the  institution.  One  of  these  is  that 
gathered  by  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  of  Chicago, 
and  the  other  is  that  of  the  late  Nicholas 
Rowe,   a   Chicago    naturalist   and    editor. 


NEW  MEMBERS 

The  following  persons  became  Members 
of  the  Museum  during  the  period  from 
December  16  to  February  11: 

Patrons 
Clay  Judson 
Contributors 

Mrs.  Broadus  James  Clarke,  Elmer  J. 
Richards,  William  S.  Street,  Rush  Watkins. 

Life  Members 

Arthur  Rubloff 

Associate  Members 

Mrs.  Roland  I.  Bosworth,  Henry  S. 
Embree,  Mrs.  Nathan  Klee,  Maurice  Lazar, 
Mrs.  B.  S.  Majors,  Dr.  George  W.  Moxon, 
Dr.  Owen  O'Neil,  Richard  E.  Pritchard, 
John  P.  Spencer. 

Sustaining  Members 

George  Wolnak 

Annual  Members 

Harold  R.  Alex,  Dr.  S.  Glidden  Baldwin, 
Hagop  Berberian,  Lambert  Bere,  L.  G. 
Bratton,  Mrs.  Anna  W.  Burton,  Burtram 
B.  Butler,  Samuel  S.  Byron,  Mrs.  Anson 
Cameron,  John  I.  Cannon,  Miss  Mary 
Coffey,  Mrs.  Wallace  T.  Combiths,  William 
B.  Croney,  James  L.  Crowder,  Mrs.  Fred 
G.  Dickerson,  Mrs.  Ralph  K.  Dupee, 
Arthur  A.  Ellerd,  George  W.  Enke,  Carl  A. 
Erikson,  Godfrey  J.  Eyler,  Jospeh  T.  For- 
tin,  Rudolph  Frankenstein,  Mrs.  Kellam 
Foster,  Mrs.  George  B.  Frederick,  Hermann 
J.  Gaul,  Sr.,  Monroe  F.  Garrabrant,  Mrs. 
James  M.  Gilchrist,  Mrs.  Samuel  M. 
Golden,  Dr.  Abraham  Goldstein,  Joseph  W. 
Hibben,  Dr.  Eugene  T.  Hoban,  Miss 
Mirian  L.  Hockman,  Lawrence  Ingram, 
Paul  A.  Krumske,  Milton  I.  Holland, 
William  H.  Lerch,  Waldo  H.  Logan,  Edward 
M.  Olson,  Louis  L.  Penner,  Harry  Z.  Perel, 
Charles  H.  Praeger,  Miss  Margaret  A. 
Roberts,  Edwin  J.  Roos,  O.  Trumbull 
Scalbom,  Willson  Spielmann,  Robert  C. 
Springsguth,  Mrs.  E.  F.  Snydacker,  Charles 
Steffen,  Oscar  A.  Stoffels,  Dr.  Lillian  S. 
Tarlow,  Oscar  M.  Wolff,  Otto  H.  Theiss, 
Patrick  Warren. 


Page  8 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


March-April,  Wit; 


SUNDAY  LAYMAN  LECTURES 
RESUME  IN  MARCH 

Mr.    Paul    G.    Dallwig,    the    Layman 
Lecturer  of  the  Museum,  will  resume  his 
Sunday  afternoon  lectures  in  March  after 
an    absence    of 
one   month    to 
All  out-of-town 
lecture  engage- 
ments. 

His  subject  in 
March  will  be 
"Gems,  Jewels 
and'Junk,""and 
this  lecture  will 
be  presented 
each  Sunday  of 
the  month  (March  S,  10,  17,  U  and  SI). 
There  are  three  main  divisions  of  the  lecture. 
First,  Mr.  Dallwig  will  trace  precious  gem- 
stones  from  their  original  rock  sources 
through  the  operations  of  mining,  sorting, 
cutting,  and  marketing  to  the  jeweler's 
showcase  and  the  jewel  chest  of  the  ultimate 
owner.  Then,  he  will  relate  the  supersti- 
tions that  led  to  the  customs,  observed  in 
many  parts  of  the  world  and  many  ages,  of 
wearing  gem-stones  as  charms  against  evil 
and  illness,  or  to  bring  good  luck  and  further 
the  aspirations  of  those  enthralled  in 
romance.  Finally,  Mr.  Dallwig  will  describe 
the  production  of  imitation  and  synthetic 
gem-stones  and  disclose  methods  of  deter- 
mining the  genuineness  or  artificiality  of 
stones. 

The  starting  time  of  the  lectures  is  2:30. 

The  heavy  demand  by  the  public  for 
Mr.  Dallwig's  lectures,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  limiting  the  size  of  each  audi- 
ence make  it  essential  to  require 
advance  reservations.  Lectures  are 
restricted  to  adults.  Reservations  will 
be  accepted  by  mail  or  telephone 
(WABash  9410). 

On  Sundays  in  April,  Mr.  Dallwig  will 
lecture  on  "Who's  Who  in  the  Museum 
Zoo";  in  May,  his  subject  will  be  "The 
Pageant  of  Prehistoric  Monsters." 


GIFTS  TO  THE  MUSEUM 

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

Department  of  Anthropology: 

From:  Carman  Thomson,  Chicago — an 
object  of  carved  bone,  Wisconsin;  Frank  A. 
Love,  Chicago — an  ear-plug  of  fired  clay, 
Louisiana;  Maj.  Herschel  W.  Carney, 
Kalamazoo,  Mich. — 41  ethnological  speci- 
mens, New  Guinea. 

Department  of  Botany: 

From:  Mrs.  Christian  F.  Radden,  Chicago 
— 2  specimens  of  yew  (foliage  and  fruit); 
Robert  Runyon,  Brownsville,  Tex. — 22 
cryptogams,  Texas;  Dr.  Walter  Kiener, 
Lincoln,  Neb. — 107  specimens  of  algae, 
Mexico,  Texas,  etc.;  Robert  P.  Ehrhardt, 
Redmond,  Wash. — 18  specimens  of  algae, 
Washington;  Dr.  Fred  A.  Barkley,  Austin, 


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  2  (Labor  Day). 


Tex. — 74  specimens  of  algae,  Texas  and 
Mexico;  Lawrence  J.  King,  Wooster,  Ohio — 
135  cryptogams,  Ohio  and  Indiana;  Donald 
Richards,  Chicago — 460  specimens  of 
mosses,  Europe  and  North  America;  Univer- 
sity of  Texas,  Austin,  Tex. — 69  herbarium 
specimens,  Mexico;  Museo  Nacional,  San 
Jos6,  Costa  Rica — 171  herbarium  speci- 
mens, Costa  Rica;  Dr.  George  J.  Goodman, 
Norman,  Okla. — 100  herbarium  specimens, 
Mexico. 

Department  of  Geology: 

From:  James  H.  Quinn,  Chicago — probo- 
scidean femur,  Nebraska;  Dr.  Rainer 
Zangerl,  Chicago — a  specimen  of  Palaeoxy- 
ris,  Illinois;  Stuart  H.  Perry,  Adrian,  Mich. 
— 2  etched  slices  of  meteoritic  irons,  Ed- 
monton, Kentucky,  and  New  Westville, 
Ohio. 

Department  of  Zoology: 

From:  Chicago  Zoological  Society,  Brook- 
field,  111. — a  maned  goose,  a  kangaroo,  a 
Celebes  black  ape,  and  30  birds;  Roger 
Conant,  Philadelphia,  Pa. — a  scorpion  and 
5  mountain  black  snakes,  Hawaiian  Islands 
and  Maryland;  Henry  S.  Dybas,  Chicago — 
110  fishes,  2  snakes,  14  lizards,  2,411  moths, 
butterflies,  dragonflies,  insects,  and  allies, 
Pacific  Islands,  Florida,  Texas,  and  various 
localities;  Robert  R.  Kohn,  U.  S.  Navy— 6 
lizards,  Caroline  Islands;  Lincoln  Park  Zoo, 
Chicago — a  spotted  hyena  and  a  parakeet; 
Dr.  Ruth  Marshall,  Wisconsin  Dells,  Wis. — 
original  plates,  figures,  notes,  and  duplicate 
papers  on  water  mites;  Karl  Plath,  Chicago 
— an  Argus  pheasant,  Borneo;  Eugene  Ray, 
Chicago — 2  fish,  a  salamander,  2  snakes,  9 
frogs,  and  11  lots  of  land  and  fresh-water 
shells  and  other  invertebrates;  Louis  Ruhe, 
Inc.,  New  York — a  snow  leopard;  Colin  C. 
Sanborn,  Chicago — 2  geckos,  119  bat  flies 
and  mites,  water  bugs  and  beetles,  and  104 
lots  of  marine  invertebrates,  Hawaii  and 
Peru;  Dr.  Henry  van  der  Schalie,  Ann 
Arbor,  Mich. — 165  specimens  of  fresh- 
water mussels,  Michigan. 

Library : 

From:  Africa,  Madrid,  Spain;  Miss  Meri- 
beth  E.  Cameron,  Milwaukee,  Wis.;  Costa 
Rica  Servicio  Meterologico  Nacional,  San 
Jose,  Costa  Rica;  Stanley  Field,  Lake 
Forest,  111.;  Col.  Clifford  C.  Gregg,  Val- 
paraiso, Ind.;  Dr.  Marcel  Guinochet,  Nancy, 
France;  F.  W.  Haecker,  R.  Allyn  Moser, 
and  Janet  B.  Swenk,  Omaha,  Neb.;  Antonio 
Krapovickas,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina; 
Arthur  Posnansky,  La  Paz,  Bolivia;  Mrs. 
Harold  R.  Robertson,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.; 
Prentiss  Smith,  Homewood,  111.;  Dr.  Narciso 
Souza,  Meridio,  Yucatan,  Mexico;  O.  W. 
Tiegs,    Melbourne,  Australia;    Madison   S. 


LECTURE  TOURS  ON  WEEKDAYS, 
MARCH  AND  APRIL 

Conducted  tours  of  exhibits,  under  the 
guidance  of  staff  lecturers,  are  made  every 
afternoon  at  2  o'clock,  except  Sundays  and 
certain  holidays.  On  Mondays,  Tuesdays, 
Thursdays,  and  Saturdays,  general  tours 
are  given,  covering  all  departments.  Special 
subjects  are  offered  on  Wednesdays  and 
Fridays;  a  schedule  of  these  follows: 

March 

Fri.,  Mar.  1 — Mauna  Loa  and  Her  Sisters — 
The  Story  of  Volcanoes  (Marie  B.  Pabst). 

Wed.,  Mar.  6— The  Nature  of  China— In- 
sects, Reptiles,  Birds,  Mammals,  Plants 
(Emma  Neve). 

Fri.,  Mar.  8 — Natural  Storage  of  Foods — 
Seeds,  Roots,  and  Animal  Fat  (Miriam 
Wood). 

Wed.,  Mar.  13— Tails  Have  Tales— Animal 
Tails  and  Their  Uses  (Winona  Hinkley). 

Fri.,  Mar.  15— "The  Ides  of  March  Are 
Come" — Unlucky  Days  and  Bad  Luck 
Superstitions  (Mrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 

Wed.,  Mar.  20— Picture  the  Word— Natural 
Sources  of  Vocabulary  (Emma  Neve). 

Fri.,  Mar.  22 — Spring  Preview — Expecta- 
tions for  Firsts  Among  Birds,  Flowers, 
and  Reptiles  (Miriam  Wood). 

Wed.,  Mar.  27— Preparing  to  Be  a  Tour- 
ist— A  World  to  See  and  Hear  (Malaysia) 
(Mrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 

Fri.,  Mar.  29 — Pranksters  Among  the 
Animals — Every  Day  is  April  Fool's  Day 
(Winona  Hinkley). 

April 

Wed.,  Apr.  3 — Canopy  of  Flowers — Little 
Seen  Tree  Flowers  (Miriam  Wood). 

Fri.,  Apr.  5 — Courtship  Displays — Birds 
and  Animals  Win  Their  Mates  (Winona 
Hinkley). 

Wed.,  Apr.  10— Earth  History— How  the 
Face  of  the  Earth  Was  Shaped  (Marie  B. 
Pabst). 

Fri.,  Apr.  12 — Suggestions  for  Your  Easter 
Bonnet — Primitive  Peoples  Wear  "Funny 
Hats"  (Mrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 

Wed.,  Apr.  17 — Primitive  Heavens — Beliefs 
in  a  Next  World  [Emma  Neve). 

Fri.,  Apr.  19 — Animals'  Easter  Parade — 
Brilliant  Feathers  and  Furs  (Winona 
Hinkley). 

Wed.,  Apr.  24 — Bird  Tourists — Spring  Mi- 
grants of  the  Chicago  Area  (.Wane  B. 
Pabst). 

Fri.,  Apr.  26 — Preparing  to  Be  a  Tourist — 
A  World  to  See  and  Hear  (China)  (Mrs. 
Roberta  Cramer). 


Broscoe  and  Dr.  Henry  Field,  Washington, 
D.C.;  Warren  E.  Cox  and  Netherlands 
Indies  Board,  Surinam  and  Curacao,  New 
York;  and  Boardman  Conover,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  W.  Nichols,  Allen  Sinscheimer,  Swift 
and  Company,  and  Alex  K.  Wyatt,  all  of 
Chicago. 


PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO   NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  PRESS 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

7TIN 

Formerly  \Mt 


^Mwsum  News 


Vol.   17 


MAY-JUNE,   1946 


Nos.  5-6 


LIFE  IN  THE  BAYOUS  OF  LOUISIANA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS,  SHOWN  IN  NEW  DIORAMA 


By  GEORGE  I.  QUIMBY 

CURATOR  OF  EXHIBITS,  DEPARTMENT  OF  ANTHROPOLOGY 

A   new   miniature   diorama   recently  in- 
stalled in  the  Hall  of  American  Archaeology 
(Hall  B)   brings  to  life  an  extinct  Indian 
civilization  of  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley. 
This    old    civilization 
or  culture  had  ceased 
to  exist  by  the  time 
White  settlers  entered 
the  region,  and  thus  it 
is  known  only  through 
the   researches   of 
archaeologists. 

Now  in  1946,  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  we 
are  able  to  look  upon 
this  extinct  culture — 
an  illusion  produced 
by  the  science  of 
archaeology  and  the 
art  of  diorama  con- 
struction. We  are  able 
to  see  an  Indian  vil- 
lage, the  original  of 
which  was  seen  only 
by  pre-Columbian  In- 
dians. To  echo  the 
title  of  a  popular 
book,  "Columbus 
came  late" — too  late 
to  see  these  Indians  of 
the  lower  Mississippi 
Valley  and  too  early 
to  see  our  diorama. 

The  culture  depict- 
ed in  the  diorama  was  not  discovered  until 
1933.  At  that  time,  archaeologists  investi- 
gating a  prehistoric  village  site  on  the  bank 
of  Coles  Creek  in  southwestern  Mississippi, 
realized  that  they  had  discovered  a  new 
culture.  Looking  about  for  something  to 
name  the  culture  after,  they  chose  the 
stream;  hence  the  name,  "Coles  Creek" 
culture.  Later  investigations  showed  that 
there  were  many  other  Coles  Creek  sites  in 
Mississippi  and  particularly  in  Louisiana. 
The  village  shown  by  the  diorama  is  in  east- 
central  Louisiana. 

The  Coles  Creek  Indians  were  dominant 
in  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley  from  about 
a.d.    1300   to   1500.     These  broad-headed 


Indians  were  farmers  who  supplemented 
their  vegetable  diet  by  hunting,  fishing,  and 
the  gathering  of  wild  foods.  They  raised 
corn,  squashes,  and  beans.  Their  only 
domestic  animal  was  the  dog.  The  Coles 
Creek  villages  consisted  of  a  central  square 


SWAMP  COUNTRY  VILLAGE,   A.  D.   1300 
Community  of  prehistoric  mound'building  Indians  of  Louisiana  as  restored  in  a  new  miniature  diorama  recently  added  to 
the  Hall  of  American  Archaeology  (Hall  B).    The  culture  depicted  was  unknown  to  archaeologists  until  1933.    Recon- 
struction by  Dioramist  Alfred  Lee  Rowell;  data  supplied  by  Curator  George  I.  Quimby. 

or  plaza  with  one  or  more  large  mounds  at 
each  end.  The  mounds  were  truncated 
pyramids  made  of  earth.  An  earthen  ramp 
or  a  stairway  of  logs  led  to  the  summit  of  the 
mound  where  there  was  a  temple  made  of 
saplings  covered  with  thatch.  Surrounding 
some  temples  there  were  rows  of  poles  sur- 
mounted by  skulls — the  heads  of  enemies 
displayed  as  trophies,  or  perhaps  the  heads 
of  venerated  tribesmen. 

The  mounds  were  made  of  earth  and  clay. 
Single  basket-loads  of  earth  were  brought 
from  the  surrounding  areas  and  dumped  in 
place,  until  finally  a  mound  was  built.  At 
irregular  intervals  there  were  additions  made 
to  existing  mounds  or,  on  occasion,  the  sur- 


face of  an  existing  mound  was  capped  or 
plated  with  fresh  clay,  a  practice  analagous 
to  the  Central  American  custom  of  facing 
earthen  pyramids  with  stucco  or  stone. 

The  villagers  lived  in  small  huts  at  the 
sides  of  the  plaza.  These  huts  were  made  of 
saplings  and  thatch. 
The  Coles  Creek 
Indians  made  pottery 
vessels  of  several 
kinds,  and  tools, 
weapons,  and  utensils 
of  bone,  stone,  wood, 
and  shell.  Personal 
ornaments  were  made 
of  shell  and  fired  clay. 
These  Indians  smoked 
tobacco  pipes  of  stone 
or  clay,  some  of  which 
were  in  the  form  of 
crouching  figures  of 
animals  or  humans. 

The    dead    were 
buried    in    cemeteries 
near  the  village.    The 
bodies  were  flexed  or 
extended.     Very   few 
burial    offerings    were 
placed  in  the  graves. 
The     Coles     Creek 
diorama    depicts    a 
typical  village  in  east- 
central  Louisiana.    In 
the     left     foreground 
there  are  the   houses 
of     the     villagers,     a 
cornfield  between  the  houses  and  the  river, 
and  a  live-oak  tree  with  Spanish  moss.     In 
the  center  foreground,  Indians  with  baskets 
of  earth  are  building  a  mound. 

In  the  right  foreground  there  is  a  large 
pyramidal  mound  freshly  plastered  with 
clay.  On  top  of  it  there  is  a  thatched  temple 
surrounded  by  poles  displaying  trophy 
skulls.  In  front  of  the  temple  at  the  top  of 
the  log  stairway  there  is  an  Indian  priest. 
Behind  and  at  the  side  of  the  mound  is  a 
cypress  swamp,  palmettos,  dugout  canoes, 
and  a  freshly  killed  alligator.  Buzzards  look 
down  on  the  village  from  their  perches  in  the 
cypress  trees.  In  the  middle  ground  there  is 
a  priest  being  carried  on  a  litter  and  accom- 


Page  2 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


May-June,  191,6 


panied  by  his  retinue.  One  member  of  the 
retinue  is  blowing  a  conch-shell  trumpet  to 
announce  the  priest's  approach. 

The  center  background  shows  another 
pyramidal  mound  with  a  temple  on  its 
summit,  and  additional  houses  of  the  vil- 
lagers. 

The  diorama  was  constructed  by  Alfred 
Lee  Rowell,  dioramist  in  the  Department  of 
Anthropology.  Archaeological  data  for  the 
diorama  were  supplied  by  the  writer. 


THE  MOST  IMPORTANT 
AMERICAN  WOODS 

By  ROBERT  H.  FORBES 

ASSISTANT  IN  DENDROLOGY 

IF  THE  cases  in  Charles  F.  Millspaugh 
Hall  of  North  American  Woods  (Hall  26) 
were  arranged  according  to  the  present  eco- 
nomic importance  of  the  eighty-three  trees 
represented,  the  existing  botanical  arrange- 
ment would  be  greatly  changed. 

The  conifers,  or  "softwoods,"  would 
remain  in  a  group  as  at  present.  That 
would  be  about  the  only  similarity  between 
the  existing  order  and  the  one  suggested 
here.  But  even  that  order  would  not  be 
unchanged,  although  the  conifers  are  more 
important  than  the  broad-leaved  trees,  or 
"hardwoods,"  if  the  quantity  of  wood  pro- 
duced be  the  criterion. 

The  wood  of  the  so-called  "hardwoods" 
might  assume  greater  value  from  a  dollars- 
and-cents  standpoint,  but  such  features  as 
growth  in  relatively  pure  and  dense  stands, 
ease  of  lumber  manufacture  and  favorable 
strength-weight  relationships  must  be  con- 
sidered. These  have  resulted  in  the  utili- 
zation of  five  times  as  much  "softwood" 
as  "hardwood." 

DOUGLAS  FIR  TOPS  LIST 

At  the  head  of  the  cases  would  be  the  one 
containing  Douglas  fir — the  world's  out- 
standing wood  tree.  According  to  the 
latest  available  statistics,  published  by  the 
U.  S.  Forest  Service,  it  appears  that  the 
recent  production  of  southern  pine  exceeds 
that  of  Douglas  fir  by  the  equivalent  of 
several  billion  board  feet. 

However,  it  should  be  realized  that  the 
cut  of  southern  pine  comes  mainly  from 
four  tree  species — longleaf,  loblolly,  short- 
leaf  and  slash  pines — whose  woods  are  so 
similar  that  official  statistics  do  not  attempt 
to  differentiate  between  them.  The  annual 
production  of  four  southern  pines  amounted 
to  the  equivalent  of  about  12,250,000,000 
board  feet  in  recent  years,  while  that  of  the 
single  species,  Douglas  fir,  was  about  the 
equivalent    of    7,500,000,000    board    feet. 

In  third  place  would  be  another  western 
conifer — ponderosa  pine — which  ranges  over 
a  greater  expanse  of  land,  in  commercial 
quantity  and  quality,  than  any  other  in 
in  the  United  States.  Ponderosa  pine  grows 
in  magnificent  stands  from  Canada  to 
Mexico  in  the  eleven  western  states,  plus 


North  and  South   Dakota  and   Nebraska. 

The  nine  cases  devoted  to  the  various 
oaks  would  be  next  in  order  of  importance, 
although  it  would  be  impossible  to  separate 
them,  beyond  the  first  two  species,  according 
to  their  relative  worth.  White  oak  may  be 
considered  first  among  the  many  oaks, 
and  black  oak  second,  wholly  on  the  some- 
what unsatisfactory  basis  of  the  estimated 
occurrence  of  the  two  species. 

It  is  safe  to  conclude  that  more  white  oak 
is  logged  than  black  because  the  forests 
contain  roughly  twice  as  many  merchant- 
able trees  of  the  former  species  as  of  the 
latter,  according  to  U.  S.  Forest  Service 
surveys.  And  the  number  of  standing 
black  oaks,  in  the  same  forests,  is  thought 
to  be  approximately  twice  as  great  as  that 
of  the  next  three  oaks:  red,  southern  red, 
and  chestnut  oak. 

Possibly  the  greatest  handicap  in  the 
presentation  of  the  total  quantity  of  wood 
used,  whether  in  regard  to  a  certain  species 
or  a  given  region,  is  the  fact  that  wood 
measurement  lacks  a  common  denominator, 
such  as  tons  or  other  unit  of  weight.  The 
board  foot  has  long  been  the  standard 
applied  to  more  or  less  rectangular  lumber  in 
this  country.  But  it  is  very  unsatisfactory 
when  dealing  with  pulpwood  or  fuelwood, 
wood  for  making  barrels,  poles,  shingles, 
mine  timbers  and  a  host  of  other  products. 

Therefore,  the  ranking  of  species  can  be 
little  more  than  an  estimate.  The  thirty 
most  important  woods,  as  of  the  period 
1943  to  1945,  in  the  Hall  of  North  American 
Woods  may  then  be  listed  in  this  order: 


"Softwoods"  or 

"  Hardwoods'*  or 

Conifers 

Broad-leaved  Trees 

Douglas  fir 
Southern  pine 

Oak 

Red  gum 

Ponderosa  pine 

Maple 

Western  hemlock 

Yellow  poplar 

Eastern  White  pine 

Tupelo 

Western  red  cedar 

Chestnut 

Eastern  hemlock 

Birch 

Western  white  pine 

Beech 

Southern  cypress 

Cottonwood 

Redwood 

Ash 

Sitka  spruce 

Elm 

Sugar  pine 

Basswood 

Western  larch 

Hickory 

Balsam  fir 

Black  walnut 

Port  Orford  cedar 

Sycamore 

If  the  woods  were  ranked  on  the  basis  of 
their  value  per  unit  measurement,  the  order 
would  be  quite  different. 

YEWS  AND  REDWOODS 

Two  conifer  products  in  the  exhibition 
hall  are  of  outstanding  value — the  archery 
bow  of  Oregon  yew  and  the  redwood  burl. 
Yew  is  one  of  the  choicest  of  the  coni- 
ferous woods  because  it  combines  the  quali- 
ties of  high  bending  strength  and  elasticity 
with  relative  scarcity  and  the  small  size  of 
individual  trees.  The  often  large  prolifera- 
tions, produced  upon  the  trunks  of  redwood 
trees,  are  of  as  great  interest  as  of  monetary 
worth.  These  groupings  of  thousands  of 
stunted  buds  are  so  valuable  that  the  only 
way  they  can  be  used  economically  is  by 
slicing  them  into  sheets  of  veneer. 

Because  of  their  growing  scarcity  and 
excellent  physical  properties,  at  least  three 


U.  S.  Forest  Service  photo 

STAND  OF  DOUGLAS  FIR 

This  species  of  tree  furnishes  more  wood  for  utilitarian 
purposes  than  any  other  single  variety.  Southern  pine 
total  production  outranks  it  but  only  by  combining  the 
footage  from  four  species.  Photograph  was  taken  in  a 
forest   of  Washington. 

lumber  producing  conifers  have  been  elevat- 
ed into  the  upper  brackets.  Eastern  red  ce- 
dar has  been  known  as  the  "pencil  cedar"  and 
"mothproofing  cedar"  because  of  its  fine, 
uniform  texture  and  fragrance,  respectively. 
The  southern  cypress  has  been  increasingly 
cut  and  manufactured  into  lumber  and  wood 
products  for  uses  which  demand  its  extreme 
durability.  Port  Orford  cedar  also  is  valued 
for  its  uniform  texture  and  gingery  odor. 

The  three  premier  "hardwoods"  may  be 
chosen  on  the  basis  of  exceptional  properties, 
scarcity  and  beauty.  The  most  strictly 
utilitarian  of  these  is  flowering  dogwood, 
whose  fine-textured,  hard,  heavy  wood  is 
unsurpassed  in  shock-resistance  and  wearing 
qualities.  It  became  a  critical  material  early 
in  the  war  because  no  satisfactory  substitute 
could  be  found  to  replace  it  in  textile  manu- 
facture, where  the  single  item,  shuttle 
blocks,  consumes  about  90  per  cent  of  dog- 
wood production.  Another  unique  dogwood 
use  is  for  golf  club  heads. 

Black  cherry  and  black  walnut  are  the 
two  most  beautiful  domestic  woods.  And 
they  are  all  the  more  beautiful  because  of 
their  desirable  properties.  Both  produce 
the  finest  furniture  and  cabinet  veneers  and 
both  are  much  sought  to  that  end.  Black 
cherry,  as  well,  occupies  a  unique  place  in 
the  printing  trade,  for  that  industry  used 
the  equivalent  of  3,000,000  board  feet  in 
1940  for  eloctrotype  backings  alone.  Black 
walnut  has  just  passed  the  period  of  its 
greatest  exploitation,  as  it  was  the  wood 
from  which  a  majority  of  the  millions  of 
gunstocks  for  World  War  II  were  manu- 
factured. Its  high  shock  resistance,  dark 
natural  color  and  light  weight  were  respon- 
sible for  an  accelerated  cut  of  the  species, 
mainly  in  the  eastern  United  States. 


May-June,  1946 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Pages 


GROTESQUE  ARE  THE  DENIZENS  OF  THE  COLD,  BLACK  SUB-DEPTHS  OF  THE  SEA 

not  penetrate  deeper  than  3,000  feet  into 
the  sea  and  traces  of  light  reach  that  depth 
only  under  optimum  conditions;  200  feet 
is  the  approximate  bottom  limit  for  enough 
light  to  be  effective  in  plant  production. 

Attached  animal  forms,  sponges,  sea- 
lilies  and  the  like,  mimic  members  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom  in  the  deep  sea  even  to 
the  possession  of  root-like  tendrils  anchoring 
them  in  the  bottom  ooze,  but  living  plants, 
the  kelps  and  grasses  so  characteristic  of  the 
seashore,  are  entirely  absent  in  the  depths 
except  for  a  few  parasitic  types  and  the 
still  little-known  bacteria. 

The  endless  masses  of  microscopic  vege- 
table matter  found  at  the  surface  of  the 
open  sea,  which  vastly  exceed  in  bulk  all 
of  the  visible  plant  material  of  the  oceans, 
are  not  represented  in  the  lightless  zone 
except  as  a  part  of  the  dead  food-rain  from 
above.  All  deep-sea  life  is  ultimately 
dependent  upon  surface  life,  since  animals 
exist  by  virtue  of  plants  and  plants  by  the 
agency  of  the  sun. 

A  deep-sea  angler  fish  may  swallow  a 
little  lantern  fish  that  had  in  turn  eaten  a 
tiny  crustacean.  The  crustacean  had  per- 
haps fed  upon  minute  plants,  either  at  the 
surface  at  night  or  as  corpses  slowly  sinking 
through  the  depths.  In  surface  waters  the 
plants  had  existed  through  photo-synthetic 
use  of  sunlight.  The  life  of  an  animal  is  so 
intimately  associated  with  its  surrounding 
environment,  and  with  its  neighbors,  that 
it  is  impossible  to  speak  of  one  without  also 
stressing  the  others. 

In  the  upper  reaches  of  the  deep  sea, 


By  MARION  GREY 

ASSOCIATE,  DIVISION  OF  FISHES 

Animals  dwelling  in  what  we  consider  an 
abnormal  environment  are  inclined  to 
develop  a  bizarre  and  exotic  appearance  due 
to  adaptive  changes  in  their  structure.  It 
is  not  surprising,  therefore,  to  find  the 
depths  of  the  sea  inhabited  in  part  by  inver- 
tebrate animals  and  fishes  that  surpass  in 
eccentricity  of  form  any  of  the  mythical 
creatures  that  man,  with  his  versatile 
imagination,  has  been  able  to  imagine. 

A  temporary  exhibit  of  paintings  by 
Staff  Taxidermist  Leon  L.  Pray  has 
recently  been  installed  in  the  corridor 
outside  Hall  O,  in  order  to  illustrate  a 
few  of  these  strange  animals. 

The  deep  sea  is  generally  considered  to 
include  all  of  the  waters  below  a  depth  of 
about  100  fathoms  (600  feet);  thus  defined, 
it  contains  92 14  per  cent  of  the  water  in  the 
sea,  and  more  than  half  of  it  exceeds  a  mile 
in  depth. 

The  most  outstanding  characteristics  of 
this  vast  volume  and  area  of  very  deep 
waters  are  its  cold,  pressure  and  darkness. 
Low  temperatures  are  an  all-important 
factor  in  deep-sea  life.  In  surface  waters, 
temperatures  vary  widely  in  different 
latitudes  and  they  also  change  with  the 
seasons.  But  below  a  depth  of  about  150 
fathoms,  there  is  no  annual  variation,  and 
the  water  gradually  becomes  colder  until, 
from  about  500  or  600  fathoms  downward, 
it  remains  more  or  less  constant  between 
41°  Fahrenheit  to  just  above  the  freezing 
point,  whether  in  the  tropics,  where  surface 


temperatures  are  high,  or  in  the  Antarctic 
or  Arctic,  whose  upper  waters  are  also  cold. 

It  is  partly  due  to  this  uniformity  of 
temperature  that  the  deep-sea  fauna  does 
not  vary  much  from  south  to  north  or  from 
west  to  east,  whereas  in  surface  waters  the 
animal  population  of  Arctic  waters,  for 
example,  differs  greatly  from  that  of  a 
tropical  coral  reef. 

Perhaps  the  most  awe-inspiring  character- 
istic of  the  deep  sea  is  the  immense  weight 
of  the  waters  above,  equalized  as  an  all- 
pervading  pressure.  However,  though  the 
weight  of  sea  water  increases  14  pounds  a 
square  inch  with  every  ten  meters  of  depth, 
the  influence  of  the  resulting  pressure  upon 
animal  life  is  less  vital  than  one  might  sup- 
pose, since  the  same  pressure  exists  on  all 
sides  of  a  marine  animal,  as  well  as  within 
its  tissues  and  body  fluids. 

The  loose  flesh  and  soft  or  cavernous 
bones  of  deep-sea  fishes  are  probably  largely 
adaptations  to  facilitate  the  equalization  of 
the  pressure  inside  and  outside  of  the  body. 
That  these  creatures  are  adjusted  to  great 
water  pressure  is  shown  by  their  frequent 
attempts,  when  alive  and  active  after  cap- 
ture, to  dive  through  the  shallow  vessels 
that  confine  them.  Sudden  changes  of 
depth  are  of  course  disastrous  to  some,  and 
if  accidentally  brought  out  of  their  normal 
depth  zone,  they  may  actually  "fall  up- 
wards." 

The  importance  of  light  to  deep-sea 
animals  lies  chiefly  in  its  absence,  although 
of  course  the  sun  is  the  original  source  of 
nourishment  even  for  them.    Sunlight  does 


SOME  OF  THE  WORLD'S  STRANGEST  CREATURES-INHABITANTS  OF  THE  DEEP  SEAS  BELOW  600  FEET 

High  among  desiderata  for  the  Depattment  of  Zoology  ate  the  fishes  shown  on  this  screen,  painted  by  Staff  Taxidetmist  Leon  L.  Pray  as  a  temporary  exhibit  in  the  Hall  of  Fishes  until 

specimens  can  be  obtained.   Note  the  grotesque  angler  fish  (Reganula  gigantea)  at  lower  left  which  carries  its  own  fishing  rod  and  bait  as  a  lure  to  smaller  fishes  which  it  devours.    All  these 

fishes  are  conditioned  by  Nature  to  withstand  the  intense  pressures,  cold  and  darkness  in  the  sub'depths  of  the  oceans. 


Page  U 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


May-June,  191,6 


called  the  twilight  zone,  we  find  many 
silvery  fishes  and  invertebrate  animals  with 
very  large  eyes  and  an  abundance  of  lumin- 
escent organs,  such  as  Argyropelecus  and 
the  little  myctophids. 

Below  this  twilight  zone  the  darkness  is 
absolute  except  where  broken  by  the  light 
produced  by  the  animals  themselves. 
Rooted  in  mud  on  the  bottom  are  luminous 
sessile  organisms  forming  oases  of  light  in 
the  blackness  that  surrounds  them,  and 
swimming  free,  far  above  the  bottom,  are 
the  erratic  moving  lights  of  various  kinds 
of  animals.  Some  of  the  fishes,  squids  and 
shrimps  have  very  complicated  light  organs 
and  others  glow  by  means  of  a  coating  of 
luminous  mucus. 

There  are,  of  course,  non-luminous 
creatures  as  well,  and  some  of  these  are 
blind.  Phoberus,  a  large,  pink,  lobster-like 
crustacean  inhabiting  the  sea  floor  about 
2,500  feet  beneath  the  surface,  has  only 
vestigial  eyes.  The  fish  Ipnops  is  appar- 
ently blind,  too,  but  for  some  obscure 
reason  has  developed  large  luminescent 
plates  where  its  eyes  should  be. 

Many  deep-sea  fishes,  particularly  those 
that  are  blind  or  with  small  eyes,  have 
acquired  various  sensory  organs  to  com- 
pensate for  the  darkness  or  for  their  poor 
vision.  Thus  Chauliodus  has  the  first  ray 
of  its  back  fin  elongated  and  directed  for- 
ward over  its  head.  Long  fin-rays  of  this 
sort  are  rather  common  and  are  considered 
to  be  tactile  in  function. 

Chin  barbels  are  another  form  of  sensory 
organ,  although  we  can  only  guess  at  their 
purpose.  Lamproloxus  wears  a  slender 
barbel  much  longer  than  its  body.  Lino- 
phryne  arborifer,  one  of  the  anglers,  has  a 
relatively  shorter  one,  stout  and  extensively 
branched,  with  some  of  the  branches  loaded 
with  little  sensory  swellings. 

FISHES  WITH  FISHING-RODS 

Linophryne  is  only  one  of  a  queer  lot  of 
angler  fishes.  Derived  from  surface  forms 
like  the  goose-fish  of  our  Atlantic  coast  or 
the  little  frog-fishes  that  live  among  sea 
weeds,  these  deep-sea  anglers  have  changed 
the  lure  of  the  surface  forms  into  a  luminous 
bait  to  attract  the  little  fishes  of  the  depths 
whose  curiosity,  or  whatever,  leads  them  to 
investigate  a  light  in  the  water. 

The  various  species  of  anglers  exhibit  an 
infinite  variety  of  lures  that  include  simple 
rod-like  structures  as  well  as  large  head 
lights  with  assorted  branches  and  tentacles. 
Lasiognathus  has  even  gone  so  far  as  to 
develop  three  horny  hooks  at  the  end  of  its 
long  rod.  The  rod  is  joined  to  the  head  in 
such  a  way  that  it  can  be  cast  forward  and 
then  withdrawn,  when,  presumably,  the 
fishing-fish  clamps  its  capacious  jaws  over 
the  prey. 

The  stomachs  of  many  deep-sea  fishes  are 
appallingly  distensible.  Among  others, 
Chiasmodon  niger  is  often  found  to  contain 
a  recent  meal  consisting  of  a  fish  larger  than 


itself.  The  act  of  swallowing  such  a  dis- 
proportionate morsel  is  made  possible  by 
possession  of  a  large  mouth  conveniently 
equipped  with  backwardly  depressible  teeth 
that  facilitate  the  entry  of  prey  but  at  the 
same  time  render  escape  difficult.  Indeed, 
the  fish  is  probably  unable  to  release  a 
victim  that  has  once  entered  its  mouth  and 
is  forced  to  swallow  whatever  is  seized, 
whether  he  will  or  no. 

PROTOZOANS  TO  WHALES 

Almost  every  large  group  of  the  animal 
kingdom  is  represented  in  deep  water,  from 
one-celled  protozoans  to  vertebrates.  There 
are  coelenterates  and  worms,  echinoderms 
and  mollusks.  Deep-sea  crustaceans  are 
most  common  of  all,  except  for  the  fishes, 
and  squids  have  also  evolved  into  a  wide 
variety  of  forms  ranging  from  less  than  an 
inch  in  length  to  a  giant  species  known 
mostly  from  fragments  found  in  the  stom- 
achs of  whales. 

The  most  abundant  and  highly  special- 
ized forms  of  fishes  are  found  among  primi- 
tive groups  whose  greater  age  has  given  them 
more  time  to  develop  special  adaptations 
to  insure  a  successful  tenancy  of  the  depths. 
Most  of  these  are  strange,  unfamiliar, 
and  entirely  lacking  the  popular  names  with 
which  their  more  available  cousins  have 
been  endowed.  Whole  families  and  even 
orders  of  fishes  are  entirely  confined  to  deep 
water,  and  some  of  them  are  so  unique  that 
relationships   to   other   fishes   are   obscure. 

One  of  these  nonconformists,  Styloph- 
thalmus,  was  assigned  a  family  to  itself 
until  proved  to  be  the  young  of  fishes  be- 
longing to  entirely  different  families.  The 
most  obvious  character  of  stylophthalmine 
fishes  is  that  the  eyes  are  carried  at  the  ends 
of  stalks,  which  are  gradually  absorbed  as 
the  infant  matures  and  acquires  its  other 
adult  characters.  Differences  in  shape  and 
proportions  render  these  baby  fishes  so 
alien  in  appearance  to  their  parents  that 
it  is  impossible  to  determine  their  true 
relationships  until  a  complete  series  of 
growth  stages  has  been  secured. 


A  BOTANICAL  EXPEDITION 
TO  UPPER  ORINOCO 

By  LLEWELYN  WILLIAMS 

CURATOR  OF  ECONOMIC  BOTANY 

History  relates  that  the  first  white  man 
to  explore  the  Orinoco  was  Ordaz,  who  in 
1531-32  ascended  as  far  as  the  estuary  of 
the  River  Meta.  In  1800,  Humboldt  and 
Bonpland  undertook  their  memorable  voy- 
age. About  50  years  later  the  English  bot- 
anist, Richard  Spruce,  entered  from  Brazil. 
They  were  followed  by  Richard  Schomburgk, 
Chaffanjon,  and  other  scientists. 

Despite  their  efforts,  the  southwestern 
section  of  Venezuela  remained  until  recent 
years  one  of  the  least  known  though  richest 
regions  of  the  western  hemisphere,  from  the 
standpoint  of  plant  life  and  forest  resources. 

In    collaboration    with    the    Venezuelan 


Ministry  of  Agriculture,  and  in  continua- 
tion of  previous  botanical  explorations  made 
in  1939  and  1940,  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum  sponsored  a  third  expedition  to  the 
Orinoco  basin  through  most  of  1942.  From 
Caracas  the  writer  traveled  by  truck  for 
several  days  through  the  Llanos  or  plains 
to  Cuidad  Bolivar,  thence  on  a  steamer  up 
the  Orinoco. 

With  field  equipment  and  food  supplies, 
and  accompanied  by  native  guides,  we  left 
Sanariapo  in  two  open  dugout  canoes, 
powered  by  outboard  motors,  arriving  two 
days  later  at  San  Fernando  de  Atabapo, 
a  center  30  or  40  years  ago  for  the  rubber 
tapping  industry. 

Except  for  the  small  rapids  of  Chamu- 
china  and  Guarinuma,  traveling  along  the 
Atabapo  River  presented  no  serious  hazard. 
Two  days  after  leaving  San  Fernando  we 
reached  Yavita,  and  entered  the  ancient 
trail  leading  about  11  miles  through  lofty 
forest,  which  furnished  the  shortest  and 
most  traveled  route  between  the  river 
systems  of  the  Orinoco  and  the  Amazon. 

On  the  return  trip  northward  from  San 
Carlos  we  retraced  the  route  over  Pimichin- 
Yavita  trail,  down  the  Atabapo  and  Orinoco 
to  Puerto  Ayacucho.  We  then  turned 
southward  to  San  Fernando  de  Atabapo 
and  continued  up  the  Orinoco.  In  these 
forests  one  frequently  encounters  stands  of 
cacao  trees,  remnants  of  those  planted  sev- 
eral hundred  years  ago  by  Spanish  colonists. 
We  continued  upstream  to  Esmeralda,  lo- 
cated in  a  plain  dominated  by  the  lofty 
mountain  Duida,  with  an  elevation  of 
8,000   feet. 

Between  Duida  range  and  the  mountains 
of  Guapo  and  Padamo  extend  wide  grassy 
plains.  A  semi-circular  ridge  of  fantasti- 
cally piled  granite  blocks,  in  whose  crevices 
grow  small  trees  and  scattered  shrubs,  cuts 
off  a  small  savanna  on  which  stands  Esme- 
ralda. Along  the  Orinoco  and  on  the 
margins  of  the  plain  rise  hills  of  granite 
and  schist,  some  nearly  naked,  others  forest- 
clad.  The  rock  is  chiefly  micaceous  schist, 
leading  the  Spanish  explorers  to  believe 
that  they  had  discovered  emeralds.  As 
Spruce  wrote  in  1854,  "If  you  can  fancy  all 
this  by  a  setting  sun — the  deep  ravines  that 
furrow  Duida  on  the  east  buried  in  nocturnal 
gloom,  while  the  salient  edges  glitter  like 
silver — you  will  realize  in  some  degree  a 
scene  which  has  few  equals."  But  though 
the  site  may  be  a  paradise  from  the  view- 
point of  panorama,  in  reality  it  is  an  inferno 
scarcely  habitable  by  man. 

The  vast  region  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing floristically  of  Venezuela.  Seven- 
eighths  of  its  area  is  covered  by  rain  forests, 
containing  a  wide  variety  of  palms,  narcotic 
plants  or  stimulants  and  many  latex- 
yielding  trees,  chief  of  which  is  Hevea 
rubber.  As  a  result  of  seven  months'  effort, 
a  large  and  valuable  collection  of  plant 
materials,  wood  specimens,  fibers  and  other 
products  was  obtained  for  the  Museum. 


May-June,  191,6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  5 


CALIPERS  AND   PATIENCE  EXTRACT  A  STORY   FROM   SKULLS 


By  WILFRID  D.  HAMBLY 

CURATOR  OF  AFRICAN  ETHNOLOGY 

ONE  of  the  few  benefits  of  war  was  a 
revision  course  of  our  geography,  and 
names  long  forgotten  were  revived  in  con- 
nection with  naval  strategy  and  major  sea 
battles.  So  it  was  with  the  New  Hebrides 
on  account  of  their  commanding  position  in 
the  Western  Pacific. 

But,  thanks  to  Jack  London  and  other 
writers  of  romances  of  the  South  Seas,  the 
geography  of  the  Pacific  had  not  been  quite 
forgotten.    The  thrills  of  hurricanes,  of  pearl 


portant  data,  and  little  attention  is  paid 
to  the  measurements  of  an  individual  skull. 
Before  recording  measurements,  the  skulls 
are  divided  according  to  the  localities  where 
they  were  collected;  then  follows  a  division 
by  sex.  The  males  are  distinguished  by 
heavier  brow  ridges,  larger  mastoids,  and 
stronger  muscular  attachments  at  the  back 
of  the  skull.  The  male  skull  is  usually 
thicker  than  the  female,  and  it  needs  to  be 
if  the  owner  is  to  survive  primitive  warfare 
with  stone  clubs.    Incidentally,  a  few  skulls 


VILLAGE 

SCENE: 

AMBRYM 

IN   THE 

NEW 

HEBRIDES 

Some 
Melanesian 

types 
studied  by 
Dr.  Hambly 

as  told  in 

accompanying 

article 


diving,  and  of  contacts  ashore  with  the 
cannibals  and  head  hunters  of  New  Hebrides 
and  other  islands  were  familiar  to  many 
readers. 

During  the  recent  war,  the  Museum 
received  from  Lieutenant  Commander  W. 
E.  Guest  decorated  ancestral  skulls  and  a 
sacred  effigy  of  a  distinguished  person  of  the 
New  Hebrides.  But  the  interest  of  this 
Museum  in  the  ethnology  of  Melanesia  goes 
far  beyond  current  events  to  the  period 
1909-13.  At  that  time  the  late  Dr.  Albert 
B.  Lewis,  then  Curator  of  Melanesian  Eth- 
nology and  leader  of  the  Joseph  N.  Field 
South  Pacific  Expedition,  made  a  large 
collection  of  human  skulls  in  New  Guinea, 
Solomon  Islands,  New  Britain  and  New 
Hebrides.  More  than  400  of  these  are 
adult,  in  excellent  condition,  and  under- 
rated, facilitating  accurate  measurements. 

It  would  be  natural  to  inquire  what  in- 
terest there  might  be  in  making  such  meas- 
urements. The  process  of  recording  dimen- 
sions, angles,  and  internal  capacity  of  the 
brain-box  is  tedious;  so  also  is  the  calcula- 
tion  of   averages.     Averages   are   the   im- 


indicate  a  knowledge  of  primitive  surgery 
in  removing  fractured  bone  that  pressed  on 
the  brain. 

When  the  average  measurements  for  the 
sexes  have  been  worked  out,  the  scientist  is 
able  to  study  sex  ratios  of  the  various  traits. 
These  generally  show  the  female  skull  to  be 
appreciably  smaller  than  the  male.  But  we 
must  not  argue,  because  the  feminine  brain- 
box  is  on  the  average  smaller  than  that  of 
her  consort,  that  the  latter  has  superior 
intelligence.  The  craniometrist  has  enough 
worry  with  instruments  and  technique  with- 
out setting  such  a  controversy  in  motion. 
The  fact  is  that  the  smaller  brain  is  corre- 
lated with  the  smaller  body  weight.  Nat- 
ure places  emphasis  on  quality  of  brain 
matter  rather  than  on  quantity.  So  when 
we  say  that  the  average  skull  capacity 
(brain-box  contents)  is  greatest  for  the  white 
race,  next  for  the  Mongolians  and  Poly- 
nesians, and  lowest  for  the  Negroes  and 
Australian  aborigines,  the  obvious  snap 
judgment  must  be  avoided. 

In  his  desire  to  know  something  of  the 
remote  history  of  Melanesians,  Polynesians, 


and  Australian  aborigines,  the  anthropolo- 
gist searches  for  evidence.  Where  did  these 
Pacific  peoples  originate?  What  were  their 
lines  of  migration?  And  was  there  a  mix- 
ture of  races,  languages  and  cultures? 

Years  ago,  the  study  of  languages  was 
relied  upon  as  a  hopeful  solution  of  these 
problems.  But  scientists  now  realize  that 
languages  mix  readily  through  trade  and 
warfare,  and  the  evidence  afforded  by  the 
presence  of  foreign  words  is  not  a  reliable 
guide  to  past  wandering  and  mating.  The 
Polynesians  had  no  written  language,  but 
their  priests  kept  verbal  records  of  sea 
voyages,  and  of  family  trees  (genealogies) 
for  many  generations.  The  deductions  from 
such  evidence  are  that  the  original  home  of 
the  Polynesians  was  near  northeast  India, 
and  that  they  voyaged  through  the  Pacific 
in  the  period  a.d.  500-1400. 

But  for  Australian  aborigines  and  Mela- 
nesians verbal  records  are  meager,  and  there 
is  not  even  a  guess  at  the  date  of  their  entry 
into  the  Pacific.  The  natives  of  Australia, 
a  non-Negro  people  with  wavy  hair  and 
heavy  brow  ridges,  seem  to  have  been  iso- 
lated in  Australia  for  a  long  period.  Their 
languages  have  so  far  shown  no  structural 
relationship  to  languages  outside  the  Austra- 
lian continent,  though  further  study  may 
establish  some  connection. 

The  research  technique  followed  in  this 
Museum  first  takes  cognizance  of  the 
average  measurements  and  general  appear- 
ance of  Negro  skulls  of  Africa;  and  the  same 
kind  of  data  are  recorded  for  skulls  of  native 
Australians.  Exactly  the  same  kind  of 
measurements  and  other  observations  have 
been  made  on  429  adult  Melanesian  skulls. 

From  Museum  records  and  those  pub- 
lished by  other  institutions  there  accrues 
a  vast  amount  of  statistical  data  which 
gives  the  following  main  results: 

There  are  groups  of  skulls  from  New 
Guinea  and  Solomon  Islands  (Melanesia) 
that  are  strongly  Negroid  and  many  average 
measurements  come  close  to  those  for 
African  Negroes.  Skull  measurements  for 
Melanesians  show  clearly  a  Negro  and  an 
Australoid  mixture  in  the  western  Pacific. 

In  New  Britain,  local  groups  of  Mela- 
nesians indicate  by  their  general  appear- 
ance and  skull  measurements  both  Negro 
and  Australoid  migrations. 

Cranial  measurements  afford  scarcely 
any  evidence  of  racial  crossing  between 
Polynesians  and   Melanesians. 

The  skulls  of  Ambrym  Island  (New 
Hebrides)  are  the  subject  of  research  in  a 
recent  Museum  publication.*  They  show 
some  affinities  to  Negro  skulls  of  Africa, 
but  heavy  brow  ridges  and  sloping  foreheads 
make  them  more  akin  to  Australians. 

The  craniometrist  emphasizes  the  impor- 
tance of  his  research  because  he  feels  that 
skull  characters  are  the  most  reliable  indi- 
cation of  the  presence  and  mating  of  differ- 
ent racial  types. 

*  See  "Scientific  Publications,"  p.  7. 


Page  6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


May-June,  19U6 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt  Road  and  Field  Drive,  Chicago 

Telephone:  Wabash  9410 


THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 
Lester  Armour  Marshall  Field 

Sewell  L.  Avery  Marshall  Field,  Jr. 

W.  McCormick  Blair  Stanley  Field 

Leopold  E.  Block  Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 

BOARDMAN  CONOVER  WILLIAM  H.  MITCHELL 

Walter  J.  Cummings  George  A.  Richardson 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr.  Solomon  A.  Smith 

Howard  W.  Fenton  *Albert  A.  Sprague 

Joseph  N.  Field  Albert  H.  Wetten 

John  P.  Wilson 

OFFICERS 

Stanley  Field President 

•Albert  A.  Sprague First  Vice-President 

Second  Vice-President 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr Third  Vice-President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg Director  and  Secretary 

Solomon  A.  Smith Treasurer 

John  R.  Millar Assistant  Secretary 

*  Deceased,  April  6,  1946. 


THE  BULLETIN 

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 

Bryan  Patterson  ....  Acting  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. 


ALBERT  A.  SPRAGUE 

The  Museum  suffered  a  great  loss  in  the 
death,  on  April  6,  of  Colonel  Albert  Arnold 
Sprague,  its  First  Vice-President,  and,  in 
point  of  number  of  years  served,  the  old- 
est member  of  its  Board  of  Trustees. 

Colonel  Sprague 
was  69  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of 
death,  which  fol- 
lowed an  illness  of 
several  months' 
duration.  He  was 
born  in  Chicago 
May  13,  1876.  Af- 
ter graduation 
from  Harvard,  he 
lived  in  and  de- 
voted most  of  his 
life  to  the  business 
and  cultural  inter- 
ests of  his  native  city,  and  municipal  affairs. 
He  began  his  long  association  with  the 
Museum  in  1910  when  he  was  elected  a 
Trustee  and  Corporate  Member.  In  1922 
he  was  elected  by  his  fellow  Trustees  to  the 
post  of  Third  Vice-President;  in  1929, 
Second  Vice-President,  and  in  1933,  First 
Vice-President.  He  was  also  a  Life  Member, 
an  Honorary  Member  in  recognition  of 
eminent  services  to  science,  a  Patron  in 
recognition  of  eminent  services  to  the 
Museum,  and  his  name  is  on  the  roll  of 
Contributors  for  his  generous  gifts  to  the 
institution. 


ALBERT  A.  SPRAGUE 


As  a  Trustee  and  Officer  of  the  Museum, 
Colonel  Sprague  was  one  of  the  most  active 
members  of  the  Board.  He  took  a  promi- 
nent role  in  directing  the  affairs  of  the 
Museum,  and  his  counsel  was  greatly 
respected  by  his  fellow  Trustees  and  the 
administrative  heads  of  the  institution. 
Especially  was  he  instrumental  in  obtaining, 
for  this  and  other  museums  in  Chicago, 
the  share  of  Chicago  Park  District  taxes 
upon  which  they  rely  for  part  of  their 
operating  expenses,  and  later,  when  the 
continuance  of  this  was  threatened,  he 
directed  the  course  which  assured  a  sympa- 
thetic ear  in  the  state  legislature  for  the 
plea  of  the  museums. 

Colonel  Sprague  was  prominent  also  in 
the  affairs  of  many  other  civic  organizations. 
After  service  in  World  War  I,  first  as  a 
private  and  later  as  an  officer,  he  took  a 
leading  part  in  the  founding  of  the  American 
Legion.  Among  other  institutions  which 
enjoyed  the  benefits  of  his  services  were  the 
John  Crerar  Library,  Shedd  Aquarium, 
Museum  of  Science  and  Industry,  Chicago 
Medical  Center,  Otho  S.  A.  Sprague  Memo- 
rial Institute,  Children's  Memorial  Hospital, 
National  Foundation  for  Infantile  Paralysis, 
American  Red  Cross,  Chicago  Symphony 
Orchestra,  and  various  charitable,  political 
and  religious  organizations. 

His  business  connections  included  the 
chairmanship  of  Consolidated  Grocers  Cor- 
poration (successor  to  Sprague  Warner  & 
Company  founded  by  his  father  and  uncle), 
co-trusteeship  of  the  Chicago  Rapid  Transit 
Company,  and  directorships  in  the  Con- 
tinental Illinois  National  Bank  and  Trust 
Company,  International  Harvester  Com- 
pany, Marshall  Field  and  Company,  Wilson 
and  Company,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road, B.  F.  Goodrich  Company,  and  other 
corporations.  He  served  twice  as  city 
commissioner  of  public  works,  under  Mayor 
Dever  and  Mayor  Cermak;  and  was  chair- 
man of  the  Chicago  Plan  Commission  for 
four  years  beginning  in  1935. 


partly  in  the  preparation  of  a  publication 
on  the  plant  life  of  Central  America.  For 
Northwestern,  Dr.  Carlson  collected  princi- 
pally living  orchids  for  use  in  the  university's 
greenhouse.  She  also  made  several  hundred 
color  photographs. 


LARGE  COLLECTION  OF  PLANTS 
BROUGHT  FROM  SALVADOR 

Approximately  1,000  different  kinds  of 
plants  with  an  average  of  four  specimens 
each  have  been  received  by  the  Museum 
Herbarium  as  a  result  of  the  expedition  to 
the  Republic  of  Salvador  conducted  for  this 
institution  and  Northwestern  University  by 
Dr.  Margery  Carlson.  Dr.  Carlson,  who  is 
a  member  of  the  botany  staff  at  North- 
western, left  Chicago  by  plane  for  Central 
America  last  December,  and  returned  April 
11.  She  was  accompanied  by  Miss  Kate 
Staley,  one  of  her  assistants. 

Dr.  Carlson  and  her  assistant  traveled 
some  2,000  miles,  and  were  the  first  women 
scientists  to  conduct  a  botanical  expedition 
in  the  Central  American  mountain  jungles. 
The  collections  obtained  for  the  Museum 
will  be  used  principally  for  study  purposes, 


NEW  MEMBERS 

The  following  persons  became  Members 
of  the  Museum  during  the  period  from 
February  12  to  April  15: 

Associate  Members 

Mrs.  Albert  V.  Bori,  Henry  P.  Conkey, 
Mrs.  Edward  G.  Elcock,  Miss  Clara  L. 
Emmerich,  Irwin  D.  Groak,  Dr.  S.  I. 
Hayakawa,  Mrs.  John  P.  Hovland,  Harry 
W.  Jarrow,  Fred  S.  Roller,  Dr.  Paul  E. 
Thai. 

Annual  Members 

Dr.  David  S.  Beilin,  Dr.  Allison  L. 
Burdick,  Kenneth  J.  Burns,  George  P. 
Butterfield,  Mrs.  William  Sherman  Carson, 
J.  Beach  Clow,  Arthur  B.  Craig,  Matthew 
J.  Cullen,  Donald  Davidson,  Roy  H.  Davis, 
Carl  A.  Dietz,  Mrs.  Herman  Drobny, 
Edward  R.  DuVal,  Nathaniel  E.  Duval, 
James  G.  Ehrlicher,  Stanley  V.  Ekman, 
Miss  Nancy  T.  Elmer,  Mrs.  William  A. 
Field,  Thomas  J.  Finnegan,  Mrs.  Juanita  E. 
Frederick,  Carl  Fredrickson,  Mrs.  Eugene 
White  Fuller,  James  W.  Gilman,  Charles  A. 
Girard,  Mrs.  Remi  J.  Gits,  Leon  G.  God- 
chaux,  Dr.  Robert  Elliott  Graves,  Dr. 
Robert  M.  Grier,  Charles  Grosberg,  Miss 
Dora  Gumbinger,  Rev.  David  Gustafson, 
Clifford  F.  Hall,  Bernard  J.  Hank,  Hardin 
H.  Hawes,  Herbert  H.  Holland,  George 
Hukar,  Mrs.  William  O.  Hunt,  Michael 
L.  Igoe,  Robert  W.  Jewell,  Mrs.  Charles 
E.  Kane,  Mrs.  Jerry  J.  Kearns,  George  M. 
Keranen,  Dr.  Nicholas  H.  Kern,  Alan 
Kettles,  James  E.  Kidwell,  Richard  E. 
Kidwell,  Mrs.  T.  L.  Knecht,  Dr.  Edward 
J.  Krol,  Albert  J.  Kuester,  Dr.  A.  F.  Lash, 
Mrs.  Theodore  E.  Lea,  Gerhard  Lessman, 
J.  Gus  Liebenow,  Mrs.  John  A.  MacLean, 
Jr.,  Henry  A.  Markus,  David  F.  Matchett, 
Richard  Mayer,  Edwin  T.  Maynard, 
Elmer  C.  Maywald,  Joel  Meyerson,  Mrs. 
Paul  H.  McDaniel,  James  J.  McNulty, 
Demetrios  Michalaros,  Harold  T.  Moore, 
Lucien  W.  Moore,  Harold  K.  Norton, 
Richard  R.  Novotny,  William  G.  Praed, 
Charles  H.  Ready,  William  Renouf,  Horace 
J.  Resag,  Jewett  E.  Ricker,  Ivan  Ricks, 
Mrs.  Joseph  A.  Riggs,  Theodore  B.  Robert- 
son, Dr.  Charles  A.  Sima,  Mrs.  G.  O.  Smith, 
Harold  A.  Smith,  Joseph  G.  Sola,  Carlos  A. 
Spiess,  D.  Earl  Steffey,  Robert  C.  Stratton, 
Robert  K.  Stuart,  Fitzhugh  Taylor,  Alfred 
J.  Teninga,  Dr.  Alfred  O.  Walker,  Miss 
Aileen  Wood,  Edward  W.  Wood,  William 
Henry  Wood. 


Visiting  Hours  Change  May  1 

Beginning  May  1,  summer  visiting 
hours,  9  A.M.  to  6  P.M.,  will  go  into 
effect  until  September  2  (Labor  Day). 


May-June,  19U6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  7 


STAFF  NOTES 


Captain  Melvin  A.  Traylor,  Jr.,  U.S. 
Marine  Corps  (in  civilian  life  Associate 
in  the  Museum's  Division  of  Birds),  is  a 
member  of  the  scientific  group  assigned 
by  the  government  to  make  a  study  of 
atomic  bomb  effects  at  the  time  of  the 
test,  now  deferred,  to  be  made  by  the 
Navy  at  Bikini  Atoll  in  the  Pacific. 

Captain  Traylor  has  already  been  dis- 
patched to  the  scene  for  preliminary  work. 
After  the  test,  he  and  his  associates  will 
collect  fishes  for  comparison  with  those  of 
similar  types  caught  in  advance  of  the  ex- 
periment. This  survey  is  under  the  direction 
of  the  Fish  and  Wild  Life  Service  of  the 
Department  of  the  Interior,  and  is  intended 
to  serve  information  needs  of  the  fishing 
industry  as  well  as  ichthyological  science. 

*  *     * 

Captain  Emmet  R.  Blake,  Assistant  Curator 
of  Birds,  has  returned  to  the  United  States  on 
terminal  leave  from  the  Army  after  service 
in  the  European  theater.  He  will  return 
to  his  post  at  the  Museum  on  June  1 . 

*  *     * 

Dr.  Alexander  Spoehr,  who  recently 
returned  to  the  Department  of  Anthro- 
pology after  several  years'  war  service  as  a 
lieutenant  in  the  Naval  Reserve,  has  been 
transferred  from  the  post  of  Curator  of 
North  American  Ethnology  and  Archae- 
ology to  Curator  of  Oceanic  Ethnology. 
His  casual  contacts  with  various  Oceanic 
cultures  during  his  naval  service  prompted 
him  to  request  the  change. 

*  *     * 

Mr.  Karl  P.  Schmidt,  Chief  Curator  of 
Zoology,  attended  a  meeting  of  the  National 
Research  Council  in  Washington,  D.  C,  in 
April.  He  also  presided  at  the  first  post-war 
meeting  of  the  American  Society  of  Ichth- 
ologists  and  Herpetologists  held  at  the 
Carnegie  Museum  in  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
was  joined  by  Messrs.  Clifford  H.  Pope, 
Curator  of  Reptiles,  Loren  P.  Woods, 
Assistant  Curator  of  Fishes,  and  D.  Dwight 
Davis,  Curator  of  Anatomy.  Messrs. 
Schmidt  and  Davis  also  attended  the  meet- 
ings of  the  American  Society  of  Mam- 
malogists,  likewise  held  at  the  Carnegie 
Museum.  The  subject  of  Mr.  Schmidt's 
retiring  presidential  address  was  "The  New 
Systematics,  the  New  Anatomy,  and  the 
New  Natural  History." 

*  *     * 

Mr.  Gustaf  Dalslrom,  artist  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Anthropology,  recently  was  awarded 
one  of  the  major  prizes  for  a  painting  in  the 
exhibit  of  Chicago  artists  at  the  Art  Institute. 

*  *     * 

Dr.  Wilfrid  D.  Hambly,  Curator  of  African 
Ethnology,  recently  attended  the  first  post- 
war meeting  of  fellow  ethnologists  at  North- 
western University,  at  which  plans  were 
drawn  to  continue  the  interest  in  the  African 
area  aroused  during  the  war.    Dr.  Hambly 


was  one  of  the  scientists  who,  at  the  request 
of  the  government,  met  in  Washington 
before  and  during  the  American  occupation 
of  Africa  and  prepared  digests  of  information 
useful    to    both    combat   forces   and    civil 

administration. 

*     *     * 

Dr.  Julian  A.  Steyermark,  Assistant 
Curator  of  the  Herbarium,  attended  the 
recent  meeting  in  St.  Louis  of  the  botanical 
section  of  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science  and  presented  a 
a  paper  on  "The  Flora  of  Guatemala."  Mr. 
Rupert  L.  Wenzel,  Assistant  Curator  of 
Insects,  and  Mr.  Henry  S.  Dybas,  Assis- 
tant in  Entomology,  attended  the  meeting 
of  the  entomological  section. 


MUSEUM'S  1946  EXPEDITIONARY 
PROGRAM  IN  FULL  SWING 

With  the  departure  in  May  of  an  archae- 
ological expedition  to  Peru,  and  another  to 
the  United  States  Southwest  in  June,  a 
paleontological  expedition  leaving  in  May, 
and  several  others  for  the  Departments  of 
Zoology  and  Botany  scheduled  at  early 
dates,  the  Museum's  expeditionary  program, 
suspended  since  the  Japanese  attacked 
Pearl  Harbor,  moves  into  high  gear.  (Entry 
into  the  field  of  the  first  post-war  expedi- 
tion, that  being  conducted  in  Peru  by  Mr. 
Colin  C.  Sanborn,  Curator  of  Mammals, 
was  reported  in  the  last  issue  of  the  Bul- 
letin. In  April,  Dr.  B.  E.  Dahlgren,  Chief 
Curator  of  Botany,  went  to  Cuba  where, 
in  the  interior,  he  resumed  studies  begun 
several  years  ago  of  certain  plant  groups.) 

The  Archaeological  Expedition  to  Peru 
will  be  conducted  by  Mr.  Donald  Collier, 
Curator  of  South  American  Ethnology  and 
Archaeology,  who  will  sail  or  fly  from  New 
York  about  May  20.  Mr.  Collier,  who  has 
explored  in  South  America  in  the  past  for 
both  this  and  other  institutions,  will  remain 
in  Peru  through  November.  He  will  super- 
vise excavations  to  collect  material  repre- 
sentative of  the  early  Mochica  and  Chavin 
pre-Inca  cultures  of  circa  a.d.  500-1000. 
The  locality  to  be  worked  lies  in  a  desert 
region  between  the  north  coast  and  the 
Andes.  In  adjacent  areas  will  be  simultane- 
ous expeditions  from  Columbia  University, 
Yale  University,  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History  of  New  York,  and  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  of  Washington, 
D.C.,  all  co-operating  with  Mr.  Collier  in 
field  work  and  in  the  sharing  of  equipment 
furnished  through  the  Institute  of  Andean 
Research  and  the  Viking  Fund,  Inc. 

The  Archaeological  Expedition  to  the 
Southwest,  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Paul 
S.  Martin,  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropology, 
will  be  in  the  field  from  June  15  to  Septem- 
ber 15.  Dr.  Martin  will  be  accompanied  by 
Dr.  John  Rinaldo,  Assistant  in  Anthro- 
pology, and  will  be  aided  in  excavations 
by  a  crew  of  fifteen  men  to  be  recruited  in 
the  vicinity  of  operations.  Dr.  Martin 
plans  to  complete  excavations  on  the  SU 


site  of  Mogollon  culture  near  Reserve,  New 
Mexico,  where  he  worked  during  two  pre- 
war seasons.  He  hopes  also  to  discover  some 
earlier  sites.  This  is  Dr.  Martin's  tenth  ex- 
pedition to  the  Southwest. 

Late  in  May,  Dr.  Rainer  Zangerl,  Cura- 
tor of  Fossil  Reptiles,  will  lead  a  paleonto- 
logical expedition  to  Wyoming  to  collect 
fossil  vertebrates  of  the  Eocene  Period, 
especially  turtles  and  mammals. 

A  zoological  expedition  to  the  Celebes 
Islands  will  be  conducted,  probably  during 
the  spring  or  early  summer,  by  Captain 
Harry  Hoogstraal  upon  his  release  from  the 
U.S.  Army  Sanitary  Corps  in  the  Philippines. 

Scheduled  for  the  summer  are:  A  zoologi- 
cal expedition  to  Texas  and  Mexico,  by  Mr. 
Karl  P.  Schmidt,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology, 
to  study  the  divergence  in  the  fauna  of 
eastern  and  western  Texas  and  along  the 
Mexican  border;  an  expedition  to  the 
mountains  in  the  vicinity  of  Highlands, 
North  Carolina,  to  collect  rare  salamanders, 
by  Mr.  Clifford  H.  Pope,  Curator  of  Amphib- 
ians and  Reptiles;  a  paleontological  expedi- 
tion to  the  Southwest,  by  Dr.  Paul  O. 
McGrew,  Assistant  Curator  of  Paleontology, 
to  collect  fossil  mammals;  and  a  zoological 
expedition  to  Puget  Sound,  to  be  conducted 
by  Dr.  Fritz  Haas,  Curator  of  Lower 
Invertebrates,  and  Artist  Joseph  Krstolich. 

In  September,  Mr.  Paul  C.  Standley, 
Curator  of  the  Herbarium,  will  leave  for 
Nicaragua,  Honduras  and  Salvador  to  make 
an  eight  months'  botanical  survey. 

In  November,  Staff  Taxidermist  Frank 
C.  Wonder  will  go  to  Trinidad  on  an  assign- 
ment to  make  a  general  collection  of  mam- 
mals, reptiles,  amphibians  and  birds. 


Primitive  Fishing  Illustrated 

A  new  exhibit  illustrating  how  the  Indians 
of  northwestern  North  America  in  the  period 
from  about  A.D.  1000  to  1800  fished  for  sal- 
mon, has  been  added  to  the  Hall  of  New 
World  Archaeology  (Hall  B).  The  exhibit, 
combining  actual  specimens  of  implements 
with  explanatory  paintings,  was  prepared 
by  Artist  Gustaf  Dalstrom  in  association 
with  Mr.  George  I.  Quimby,  Jr.,  Curator 
of  Exhibits  in  the  Department  of  Anthro- 
pology. Included  is  a  primitive  engineering 
development — a  pile  driver  of  stone  (with 
a  carved  face  upon  it)  used  in  constructing 
fish  weirs  and  traps. 


Scientific  Publications  Issued 

The  following  scientific  publications  were 
issued  by  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 
Press  recently: 

Fieldiana— Anthropology,  Vol.  37,  No. 
1.  Craniometry  of  Ambrym  Island.  By 
Wilfrid  D.  Hambly.  February  28,  1946. 
150  pages,  30  plates,  7  text-figures,  2  maps, 
9  drawings.    $2.75. 

Fieldiana— Botany,  Vol.  24,  Part  IV. 
Flora  of  Guatemala.  By  Paul  C.  Standley 
and  Julian  A.  Steyermark.  April  11,  1946. 
494  pages. 


Page  8 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


May-June,  191,6 


'PREHISTORIC  MONSTERS'  SUBJECT 
OF  SUNDAY  LAYMAN  LECTURES 

May  is  the  last  month  in  the  current 
season  of  the  Sunday  afternoon  appearances 
of  Mr.  Paul  G.  Dallwig,  Layman  Lecturer 
of  the  Museum.  The  subject  for  this  month 
is  "The  Pageant  of  Prehistoric  Monsters," 
and  it  will  be 
given  each  Sun- 
dayof  the 
month  (May  5, 
12,  19,  and  26). 
In  this  lecture 
Mr.  Dallwig 
outlines  the 
principal  stages 
of  animal  life 
from  the  ear- 
liest fishes,  rep- 
tiles, and  mammals  to  the  beginning  of 
Man— a  span  of  about  600  million  years. 
He  also  presents  three  dramatized  sketches 
— a  trip  into  a  prehistoric  forest  of  250 
million  years  ago;  a  fight,  typical  of  the 
ceaseless  struggle  for  existence,  between 
Tyrannosaurus  and  Triceratops,  two  of  the 
largest  dinosaurs;  and  the  story  of  several 
actual  Museum  expeditions. 

The  starting  time  of  the  lectures  is  2:30. 

The  heavy  demand  by  the  public  for 
Mr.  Dallwig's  lectures  and  the  neces- 
sity of  limiting  the  size  of  each  audi- 
ence make  it  essential  to  require 
advance  reservations.  Lectures  are 
restricted  to  adults.  Reservations  will 
be  accepted  by  mail  or  telephone 
(WABash  9410). 

Mr.  Dallwig  will  resume  his  lectures  next 
autumn,  when  he  will  begin  his  tenth  season. 


GIFTS  TO  THE  MUSEUM 

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

Department  of  Anthropology: 

From:  Miss  Jennie  Broad,  San  Jose, 
Costa  Rica — prehistoric  pottery  ocarina  in 
form  of  bird-effigy,  Costa  Rica;  Dr:  Fritz 
Haas,  Chicago — a  musical  stringed  instru- 
ment, Central  Angola,  Africa. 

Department  of  Botany: 

From:  Museo  Nacional,  San  Jos6,  Costa 
Rica  —215  herbarium  specimens,  Costa 
Rica;  Escuela  Agricola  Panamericana,  Tegu- 
cigalpa, Honduras— 200  herbarium  speci- 
mens, Honduras;  Dr.  Earl  E.  Sherff,  Chi- 
cago —81  negatives;  Sr.  Ing.  Julian  Acufia, 
Santiago  de  las  Vegas,  Cuba — 23  herbarium 
specimens,  Cuba;  Gregorio  Bondar,  Bahia, 
Brazil — 356  herbarium  specimens,  Bahia; 
Dr.  William  B.  Drew,  East  Lansing,  Mich. — 
72  herbarium  specimens,  Ecuador;  Prof. 
J.  Soukup,  Lima,  Peru — 250  herbarium 
specimens;  Dr.  Cesar  Vargas,  Cuzco,  Peru — 
24  herbarium  specimens,  Peru;  University 
of  California,  Berkeley,  Calif.— 310  her- 
barium specimens,  Peru  and  Bolivia. 

Department  of  Geology: 

From:  James  F.  Daly,  III,  Caracas, 
Venezuela — 17    mineral    specimens,    Vene- 


zuela; Martin  Keessen,  Chicago — a  gold  ore 
specimen,  Colorado;  Billy  J.  Anderson, 
China  Spring,  Tex.  —a  lobster  claw,  Texas; 
Karl  P.  Schmidt,  Homewood,  111. — an 
echinoid,  Texas. 

Department  of  Zoology: 

From:  Michael  Bevans,  Tenafly,  N.  J. — 
11  snakes  and  frogs,  Korea;  Rudyerd  Boul- 
tori  and  John  Moyer,  Museum  Staff — 3,500 
bird  and  1,400  mammal  pictures;  Robert  A. 
Burton,     Evanston,     111. — 53    amphibians, 

3  snakes,  3  crustaceans;  Chicago  Zoological 
Society,  Brookfield,  111. — 2  mammals,  a 
turtle,  3  birds;  Boardman  Conover,  Chicago 
—4  birds;  H.  W.  Cross,  Chicago  -2 
rodents,  6  birds,  Venezuela,  Colorado, 
Costa  Rica;  Henry  S.  Dybas,  Chicago — 
176  microscope  slides  of  mosquito  larvae, 
Pacific  Islands,  United  States;  Dr.  Carl  L. 
Hubbs,  La  Jolla,  Calif. — 599  fish  specimens; 
Lincoln  Park  Zoo,  Chicago — a  leopard,  a 
large  South  American  snake,  a  duck,  a 
tarantula,  87  frogs;  Charles  D.  Nelson, 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich. — 40  specimens  of 
fresh-water  mussels;  Dr.  Wilfred  H.  Osgood, 
Chicago — 105  mammal  specimens,  2  birds, 
Arizona,  California;  Dr.  Jeanne  S. 
Schwengel,  Scarsdale,  N.  Y. —  74  speci- 
mens of  cone  shells,  139  specimens  of 
chitons;  Dr.  Lewis  H.  Weld,  East  Falls 
Church,  Va. — 1,125  galls  and  wasps,  in- 
cluding 235  species,  32  paratypes,  21  co- 
types,  United  States;  Rupert  L.  Wenzel, 
Oak  Park,  111.— 848  insects  and  allies,  203 
microscope  slides  of  mosquito  larvae, 
United  States,  Brazil;  Albert  Burke  Wolcott, 
Downers  Grove,  111. — 4,740  beetles  of  the 
family  Cleridae,  1,275  pamphlets  on  insects; 
Loren  P.  Woods,  Chicago  —332  specimens 
of  fresh-water  shells,  United  States;  Dr. 
Rainer  Zangerl,  Chicago — 3  juvenile  alli- 
gator skeletons,  a  juvenile  alligator  skull, 

4  lizard  skulls;  T.  W.  Stixrud,  St.  Charles, 
Mo. — 29  reptiles  and  amphibians,  Solomon 
Islands;  J.  E.  Johnson,  Waco,  Tex. — 12 
snakes  and  lizards,  Texas. 

Raymond  Foundation: 

From:  Miss  Blanche  Kolarik,  Chicago— 
9  color  slides  of  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum  exhibits. 

Library : 

From:  An  vers  Societe  Royale  de  Zoologie, 
Antwerp,  Belgium;  Miss  Edith  Cole- 
man, Blackburn,  Australia;  Dakar  Serv- 
ice des  Mines  de  l'Afrique  Occidentale 
Francaise,  Dakar,  Africa;  R.  W.  Fattig, 
Emory  University,  Ga.;  P.  H.  Francis, 
Kentsford,  England;  Prof.  Arthur  L.  Good- 
rich, Manhattan,  Kan.;  Ralph  W.  Jackson, 
Cambridge,  Md.;  Rafael  L.  Hoyle,  Trujillo, 
Peru;  Lt.  Comdr.  O.  A.  Oakes,  Severna 
Park,  Md.;  Dr.  A.  L.  Ortenburger,  Norman 
Okla.;  Phi  Sigma  Society,  Mesa,  Colo.; 
Alcides  Prado,  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil;  Alfred 
Rehder,  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.;  Albert  G. 
Smith,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.;  Sociedad  Argen- 
tina de  Botanica,  La  Plata,  Argentina; 
South  Africa  Archaeological  Survey,  Johan- 
nesburg, South  Africa;  Dr.  Narciso  Souza- 
Novelo,  Merida,  Mexico;  Charles  M.  Stern- 
berg, Ottawa,  Canada;  Texas  Forest  Service, 
College  Station,  Tex.;  K.  H.  Voons,  Jr., 
Amsterdam,  Holland;  A.  B.  Wolcott, 
Downers  Grove,  111.;  Watson  Davis,  William 


LECTURE  TOURS  ON  WEEKDAYS, 
MAY  AND  JUNE 

Conducted  tours  of  exhibits,  under  the 
guidance  of  staff  lecturers,  are  made  every 
afternoon  at  2  o'clock,  except  Sundays  and 
certain  holidays.  On  Mondays,  Tuesdays, 
Thursdays,  and  Saturdays,  general  tours  are 
given,  covering  all  departments.  Special 
subjects  are  offered  on  Wednesdays  and 
Fridays;  a  schedule  of  these  follows: 

MAY 

Wed.,    May    1 — Stories   in    Flowers  -May 

Basket  Day  (Miriam  Wood). 
Fri.,    May    3 — Animals    of    Our    Western 

National  Parks  (Elizabeth  Best). 
Wed.,    May   8 — Mothers   and    Mothers-in- 

Law  (Mrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 
Fri.,    May   10 — Spring   Comes  to   Chicago 

Woodlands  (Marie  B.  Pabst). 
Wed.,  May  15 — The  Lean  Years — Meeting 

the  Demand  for  Food  (Emma  Neve). 
Fri.,   May  17 — Father  Time's  Own  Diary 

— Fossils     and     Tree     Rings     (Winona 

Hinkley). 
Wed.,  May  22 — Preparing  to  Be  A  Tourist 

— A   World   to   See   and    Hear — Central 

America  (Mrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 
Fri.,  May  24 — Animals  in  Fable  and  Legend 

(Elizabeth  Best). 
Wed.,  May  29— Water  Carves  A  Story- 
Effects  Upon   the   Earth   of   Water,   Ice 

and  Snow  (Marie  B.  Pabst). 
Fri.,     May    31— Wild     Relatives    of    Our 

Domestic  Animals   (Winona  Hinkley). 

JUNE 

Wed.,  June  5 — Stories  in  Trees,  Told  in 
Tree  Rings  and  Growth  (Miriam  Wood). 

Fri.,  June  7 — In  Davey  Jones'  Locker  — 
Undersea  Life  (Winona  Hinkley). 

Wed.,  June  12 — Native  Brides  —Marriage 
Customs  (Emma  Neve). 

Fri.,  June  14 — Birthstones — Stories  of  Gems 
(Marie  B.  Pabst). 

Wed.,  June  19 — Preparing  to  Be  A  Tourist 
— Indian  America  (Mrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 

Fri.,  June  21 — Summer-time  Animals — 
Chicago  Area  Birds,  Mammals,  Snakes, 
and  Others  (Elizabeth  Best). 

Wed.,  June  26  —Fossil  Birds— Birds  of  Pre- 
historic Times  (Marie  B.  Pabst). 

Fri.,  June  28— The  World  At  Play— Games 
of  Many  Peoples  (Mrs.  Roberta  Cramer). 

There  will  be  no  tour  Thursday,  May  30, 
on  account  of  the  Memorial  Day  holiday, 
but  the  Museum  will  be  open  to  visitors  as 
usual,  9  a.m.  to  6  p.m. 


B.  Marshall,  Carl  P.  Russell,  United  States 
Board  of  Geographical  Names,  and  United 
States     Geographic     Board,     Washington, 

D.  C;  Dr.  George  M.  Hocking,  Marine  Life, 
Institute  for  Intercultural  Studies,  and 
Arthur  Hays  Sulzberger,  New  York;  W.  Ph. 
J.  Hellebrekers  and  D.  A.  Hooijer,  Leiden, 
Holland;  and  E.  Altman,  Miss  Clair  Cot- 
terill,   Henry   Miller,    Dr.    Earl    E.   Sherff, 

E.  M.  Smith,  John  A.  Smietanski,  all  of 
Chicago. 


PRINTED   BY   CHICAGO   NATURAL   HISTORY   MUSEUM   PRESS 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

BU^ETIN 

Formerly^! 


Jsium  News 


Vol.   17 


JULY-AUGUST,   1946 


Nos.  7-8 


ATOM  BOMBS  AND  ATOLLS:  WHAT  BIKINI  IS  LIKE,  AND  HOW  ITS  NATIVES  LIVE 


By  ALEXANDER  SPOEHR* 

CURATOR  OK  OCEANIC  ETHNOLOGY 

The  Navy's  atom  bomb  test  at  Bikini 
atoll  in  the  Marshall  Islands  is  not  only  a 
sobering  reminder  that  man  has  finally  the 
means  of  reducing  his  civilization  to  dust, 
but  has  also  brought  Bikini  into  the  center 
of  public  interest. 

Although  the  atom 
bombs  to  be  dropped  at 
Bikini  are  certainly  the 
most  destructive  ever  to 
hit  an  island  of  the  Mar- 
shall group,  they  are  by 
no  means  the  only  bombs 
that  have  shaken  these 
atolls.  In  World  War  II, 
after  the  bloody  capture 
of  Tarawa  in  the  Gil- 
berts, the  American  drive 
through  the  central 
Pacific  was  resumed  with 
the  Marshalls  operation 
of  early  1944.  In  the  last 
days  of  January,  Ameri- 
can marines  hit  the 
beaches  of  Kwajalein 
after  a  terrific  air  and 
ship  bombardment.  Eni- 
wetok  was  invaded  two 
weeks  later  and  the  pic- 
turesque atoll  of  Majuro 
was  occupied  without  serious  resistance  to 
complete  the  successful  American  invasion. 
Control  of  the  air  overcame  Japanese  forces 
on  other  islands. 

Kwajalein,  Eniwetok,  and  Majuro  be- 
came important  Pacific  bases  as  the  front 
moved  on  to  the  Marianas,  the  Philippines, 
and  finally  Okinawa.  Until  the  end  of  the 
war,  our  Marshall  bases  served  to  support 
the  vital  air  route  from  Hawaii  across  the 
Marshalls  and  on  to  the  west,  and  provided 
the  necessary  facilities  for  the  constant 
harrassment  and  piecemeal  destruction  of 
the  Japanese  on  Wake  Island  and  on  the 
by-passed  bases  in  the  Marshalls  and  east- 
ern Carolines.  At  the  same  time,  Kwa- 
jalein and  Eniwetok  served  as  anchorages 
for  seagoing  units  of  the  Pacific  fleet. 

What  are  the  Marshall  Islands  like? 
They    are    typical    low-lying    coral    atolls, 


extending  in  a  double  chain  in  a  northwest- 
southeast  direction,  with  Bikini  at  the  north 
end  of  one  chain.  Each  atoll  consists  of  a 
ring  of  narrow  islands  and  reefs  surrounding 
a  clear  blue  lagoon.  The  lagoons  are  large. 
Bikini  is  approximately  twenty-two  miles 
long  and  thirteen  wide  and  is  by  no  means 


ZF 


.-' 


SAN     FRANCISCO 


y 


00 


•TBIKINI 


'HONOLULU 


.215°. 


SPECK  IN  THE   PACIFIC  ON  WHICH  EVES  OF  WHOLE  WORLD  ARE   FOCUSED 


an  unusually  large  atoll.  Its  lagoon  is 
nearly  170  square  miles  in  area  and  provides 
good  anchorage  for  ocean-going  ships.     It 


BIKINI     ATOLL                  / 

V 

^0/ 

>*~v 

•  !       LAGOON         \ 

^55^ 

*  During  the  war,  Dr.  Spoehr  was  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Navy  and  served  in  the  Pacific  areas  of  which  he  writes. 


JUST  A  RING  AROUND  A   LAGOON 


is  suitable  also  for  seaplane  operations. 
Along  the  lagoon  shore  of  the  circular 
string  of  little  islands  that  forms  each  atoll 
is  a  fringe  of  white  coral  sand  backed  by  a 
heavy  growth  of  coconut  palms  shading  the 
islands  themselves.  Interspersed  among  the 
palms  are  pandanus,  breadfruit,  and  other 
tropical  trees,  while  the 
ground  is  covered  with 
native  grasses.  Seen  from 
the  air,  an  atoll  looks  like 
a  green  necklace  floating 
on  the  deep  blue  tropical 
sea,  with  a  narrow  fringe 
of  white  sand  beach  on 
the  lagoon  shore  and  a 
band  of  submerged  coral 
reef  on  the  seaward  side. 
The  northeast  trade 
wind  tempers  the  tropical 
climate,  which  is  actually 
much  more  pleasant  than 
a  Middle  Western  sum- 
mer hot  spell,  even 
though  all  except  two  of 
the  Marshalls  are  less 
than  12°  north  of  the 
equator.  Fluffy  white 
cumulus  clouds  always 
line  the  blue  sky,  with 
frequent  rain  storms 
passing  over.  There  is 
no  malaria  and  the  islands  are  healthful. 
The  native  skin  diseases  can  be  controlled. 
This  idyllic  picture  is  what  met  the  eyes 
of  the  first  discoverer,  Alvaro  de  Savedra, 
in  the  16th  century,  and  Captains  Marshall 
and  Gilbert,  who  rediscovered  the  group  in 
1788.  But  today  the  war  has  greatly  altered 
the  appearance  of  the  major  atolls.  At 
Kwajalein  and  Eniwetok,  what  pre-invasion 
bombardment  did  not  do,  the  Seabee  bull- 
dozers finished,  so  that  the  main  islands  on 
these  atolls  are  virtually  scraped  clean  of 
all  vegetation. 

Majuro  escaped  bombardment  and  still 
retains  much  of  its  native  beauty,  but  the 
Japanese  bases  at  Wotje,  Maloelap,  Mille, 
and  Jaluit  received  the  attention  of  Amer- 
ican airmen  for  a  year  and  a  half  and  con- 
sequently became   bomb-pocked   wastes. 

The  Marshallese  natives  are  Micronesians, 
closely  related  in  race  and  culture  to  Poly- 
nesians living  in  the  vast  island  area  to  the 


Page  2 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


July- August,  191,6 


NAVY  QUONSET  HUT  OF  WAR  DAYS 

Dr.  Spoehr  in  the  Marshalls  in  1945  as  war's  end  neared. 

He  was  a  lieutenant  in  Navy  aviation. 

east  of  them.  The  brown-skinned  Marshall- 
ese  number  approximately  10,000.  They 
are  a  friendly,  hospitable,  and  happy  people, 
despite  the  fact  that  the  war  has  disrupted 
their  lives.  Intrepid  in  the  face  of  danger, 
they  served  with  distinction  as  scouts  in 
operations  against  the  Japanese. 

The  native  villages  consist  of  thatch 
houses  strung  along  the  lagoon  shore, 
although  the  dwellings  of  some  of  the  more 
important  families  are  made  of  sawed 
lumber  and  nails.  Inside,  the  houses  are 
simply  furnished  with  a  large  number  of 
woven  mats,  on  which  the  family  members 
lounge  during  the  day  and  sleep  at  night. 

FAMED  FOR  SEAGOING  EXPLOITS 

On  the  lagoon  beach  is  drawn  up  an  ir- 
regular line  of  cleanly  designed  outrigger 
canoes.  Canoe-making  was  the  most  im- 
portant native  industry,  and  although  the 
large  ocean-going  50-  or  60-foot  canoes  are 
no  longer  made,  inter-atoll  voyages  are 
still  conducted  in  smaller  outriggers,  which 
are  also  used  a  great  deal  for  fishing  around 
the  home  atolls.  The  Marshallese  are 
famous  as  navigators  and  sailors,  and 
developed  a  special  form  of  sea-chart  as  an 
aid  to  navigation. 

In  many  ways,  however,  the  natives  have 
changed  greatly  since  the  early  days. 
European  clothes  have  supplanted  the 
native  dress,  with  the  women  all  wearing 
the  ubiquitous  "Mother  Hubbards"  and 
the  men  cotton  shirts  and  trousers  or  shorts. 
The  old  ceremonies,  rituals,  and  dances  have 
given  way  before  the  teachings  of  the  Boston 
Mission  Society,  which  extended  its  acti- 
vities to  the  Marshalls  as  long  ago  as  1857, 
and  successfully  converted  most  of  the 
natives  to  Christianity. 

Formerly  a  strong  class  system  existed, 
with  Marshallese  society  strictly  divided 
into  nobility  and  commoners.  Today  this 
hereditary  class  system  still  survives,  but 


SIMPLE  THATCHED  NATIVE  HUT 
Scene  in  Laura  Village.   Majuro  Atoll,   in  the  Marshall 
Islands.    This  scene  could  he  duplicated  on  Bikini  itself. 

in  very  much  weakened  form,  as  there  has 
been  a  gradual  leveling  of  society  during 
the  years  of  successive  German,  Japanese, 
and  now  American  occupation. 

ISLANDERS'  NEEDS  TODAY 

The  natives  of  the  Marshall  Islands  may 
seem  remote  indeed,  and  with  hostilities 
over,  the  interests  of  most  Americans  are 
centered  on  domestic  problems.  Yet  having 
driven  the  Japanese  from  the  islands  of 
Micronesia,  we  cannot  escape  responsibility 
for  the  welfare  of  the  native  islanders. 
The  war  has  destroyed  the  peace-time  trade 
of  the  area  and  the  principal  towns  in  which 
it  was  carried  on.  The  life  of  the  natives 
has  been  badly  disrupted  and  they  are  also 


MUSEUM  MAN  AT  BIKINI 

When  the  Navy  makes  its  atomic 
bomb  tests  at  Bikini  Atoll,  a  Museum 
staff  member,  Captain  Meltin  A. 
Traylor,  Jr.,  Associate  in  the  Division 
of  Birds,  will  be  present.  Captain 
Traylor,  in  service  with  the  U.S. 
Marine  Corps  since  almost  the  be- 
ginning of  American  participation  in 
the  war,  is  a  member  of  the  official 
government  observation  group.  He 
and  his  associates  will  collect  fishes 
both  before  and  after  the  bomb  tests  to 
make  comparisons  and  determine  the 
effects  of  radioactivity.  This  survey  is 
for  the  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service  of  the 
Department  of  the  Interior.  The  results 
will  be  of  interest  both  to  ichthyologists 
and  to  the  fishing  industry.  Captain 
Traylor  served  in  some  of  the  most 
severe  action  on  various  Pacific  Islands, 
was  severely  wounded,  and  won  various 
medals  and  citations  for  valor  beyond 
the  call  of  duty. 


much  in  need  of  medical  care  and  treatment. 
Although  extensive  interference  with 
native  affairs  is  not  desirable,  we  are  morally 
obligated  to  see  that  adequate  provision  is 
made  for  the  islanders'  welfare  and  for  their 
freedom  to  develop  politically  and  econo- 
mically, whether  under  the  administration 
of  the  United  States  or  the  United  Nations. 
Furthermore,  the  eyes  of  the  Far  Eastern 
peoples  will  be  upon  us,  and  the  manner  in 
which  we  do  the  job  in  the  Marshalls  and  the 
rest  of  Micronesia  will  affect  our  future  rela- 
tions with  the  nations  of  Asia. 


ZOOLOGICAL  EXPEDITION  TO  PERU 
OBTAINS  RARE  MAMMAL 

The  Museum's  1946  Peruvian  Zoological 
Expedition  has  returned  to  Chicago,  after 
four  months  in  the  mountains  and  jungles 
of  Peru,  bringing  back  one  of  the  rarest  of 
South  American  animals.  This  raccoon-like 
mammal,  of  which  nine  species  and  sub- 
species have  been  described,  ranges  from 
Costa  Rica  down  the  west  coast  of  South 
America  to  southern  Peru.  There  are 
about  twenty-five  specimens  in  museums. 
Because  it  is  so  rare,  the  creature  has  never 
been  given  an  English  name;  its  scientific 
name  is  Bassaricyon  alleni. 

To  secure  this  mammal,  together  with 
other  collections  from  the  interior  of  Peru, 
Mr.  Colin  C.  Sanborn,  Curator  of  Mammals, 
had  to  travel  more  than  500  miles  by  jeep, 
crossing  the  Andes  and  on  through  the  jungle 
by  a  road  made  almost  impassable  by  the 
rains,  and  then  by  launch  up  the  Ucayali 
and  Pachitea  rivers. 

The  Bassaricyon  is  not  intended  for  ex- 
hibition because  it  is  urgently  needed  for 
anatomical  study.  Since  Mr.  D.  Dwight 
Davis,  Curator  of  Anatomy  and  Osteology, 
undertook  the  anatomical  study  of  the  giant 
panda  in  1938,  many  of  the  bears  and  rac- 
coons have  been  examined  in  order  to 
establish  the  panda's  relationship  to  them. 
The  only  important  form  lacking  to  com- 
plete this  important  study  was  the  Bassa- 
ricyon, and  that  has  now  been  secured. 

Mr.  Sanborn  also  made  collections  in  the 
jungle  of  other  mammals,  amphibians  and 
reptiles,  including  a  frog  that  carries  its 
tadpoles  from  pond  to  pond  on  its  back. 
One  week  was  spent  in  the  high  Andes  at 
Lake  Junin,  more  than  14,000  feet  in  alti- 
tude, where  land  snails  were  found  living 
in  crevices  in  the  rocks,  large  and  peculiar 
frogs  live  in  the  shallow  lakes,  and  where 
the  small  mammals  are  of  especial  interest 
to  the  Museum's  research  program. 

Mr.  Sanborn  flew  home,  but  his  collec- 
tions were  shipped  by  steamer.  They  were 
due  to  reach  Chicago  the  latter  part  of  June. 

On  Mr.  Sanborn's  trip  and  work  in  the 
Peruvian  jungle,  he  was  generously  assisted 
by  Mr.  Edgar  H.  Clayton  of  the  Ganso 
Azul  Oil  Company,  which  operates  the  great 
new  oil  field  and  refinery  that  has  been 
established  in  the  Peruvian  Amazon  region. 


July-August,  191,6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  S 


PREHISTORIC   INDIANS  OF  BOTH   MAINE  AND  CALIFORNIA  ARE  SUBJECTS  OF  NEW  EXHIBITS 

By  GEORGE  I.  QUIMBY 

CURATOR  OF  EXHIBITS,  ANTHROPOLOGY 

Recent  additions  to  the  Hall  of  American 
Archaeology  (Hall  B)  include  an  exhibit  of 
the  culture  of  the  Red  Paint  Indians  of 
Maine  and  an  exhibit  of  the  culture  of  the 
Indians  who  lived  on  the  Channel  Islands 
off  the  coast  of  California. 

The  Red  Paint  Indians  are  believed  to 
have  lived  in  Maine  from  about  a.d.  500 
to  1100,  although  some  aspects  of  their 
culture  persisted  into  later  times  and  were 
incorporated  into  the  cultures  of  more 
recent  Indians  in  New  England.  The  first 
archaeologists  to  excavate  the  remains  of 
these  Indians  were  so  impressed  by  the 
amounts  of  red  ocher  they  found  that  they 
named  the  culture  "Red  Paint."  Of  course, 
many  other  groups  of  Indians  also  used  red 
ocher,  and  the  name  is  thus  not  particularly 
apt,  although  it  is  well  established  by  usage. 

The  Red  Paint  Indians  made  their  living 
by  hunting,  fishing,  and  the  gathering  of 
wild  foods.  Some  Indians  lived  inland, 
others  lived  along  the  coast  on  middens  of 
shells  and  other  refuse.  Possibly  the  Red 
Paint  Indians  lived  on  the  sea  shore  in 
summer  and  inland  in  winter. 

In  their  earliest  stages,  these  Indians 
did  not  manufacture  pottery,  although 
they  probably  did  so  in  later  times.  Their 
most  characteristic  tools  were  gouges  and 
adzes  of  stone  which  may  have  been  used  in 
the  construction  of  dugout  canoes. 

Semi-lunar  and  bayonet-shaped  knives 
were  made  of  ground  slate.  Because  these 
shapes  are  so  typically  Eskimo,  they  may 
be  indicative  of  some  connection  between 
the  Red  Paint  Indians  and  some  old  Eskimo 
culture. 

Probably  these  Indians  used  the  spear  and 


'RED  PAINT"  INDIANS'   MOOSE  HUNT 
New  diorama  in  the  Hall  of  American  Archaeology. 


spear-thrower  for  hunting.  The  spear- 
throwers  may  have  been  equipped  with 
weights  in  the  form  of  bannerstones.  The 
spears  were  equipped  with  large  points  of 
chipped  flint  or  ground  slate  or  perhaps  of 
bone. 

The  Red  Paint  Indians  buried  large 
caches  of  tools  and  weapons  with  quantities 
of  red  ocher.  In  many  instances,  such 
caches  were  placed  in  graves  with  the  dead, 
but  because  of  soil  acidity,  very  few  skele- 
tons have  been  preserved  for  archaeological 
inspection. 

The  new  exhibit  of  the  Red  Paint  culture 
contains  examples  of  stone  tools  and 
weapons,    a    reconstructed    burial,    and    a 


miniature  diorama  illustrating  '  a  moose- 
hunting  scene.  Visitors  have  found  the 
combination  of  diorama  and  exhibit  unusu- 
ally effective.  The  foreground  of  the 
diorama  projects  beyond  the  front  of  the 
exhibit.  Similarly,  some  of  the  foliage 
extends  beyond  the  opening  of  the  diorama, 
thereby  integrating  the  diorama  with  the 
exhibit  as  a  whole.  The  miniature  diorama 
is  the  work  of  Mr.  Alfred  Lee  Rowell,  and 
other  parts  of  the  exhibit  were  executed  by 
Mr.  Gustav  O.  Dalstrom,  both  staff  artists 
in  the  Department  of  Anthropology.  Scien- 
tific data  for  the  whole  exhibit  were  supplied 
by  the  writer. 

The     exhibit     illustrating     some     basic 


MAKING  A   LIVING 

FOOD  FROM  THE   LAND 


HOUSE  LIFE 


EXHIBIT  ILLUSTRATING  BASIC  ASPECTS  OF  LIFE  AMONG  PREHISTORIC  ISLAND-DWELLING  INDIANS  OF    SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA 


Page  4 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


July-August,  191,6 


aspects  of  life  among  the  island-dwelling 
Indians  of  California  is  entitled  "Southern 
Fishermen."  The  Indians  of  the  Channel 
Islands  (about  a.d.  1000-1800)  made  their 
living  primarily  by  fishing,  hunting  sea 
mammals,  and  gathering  shellfish,  of  which 
the  most  important  was  the  abalone.  Not 
all  food  was  obtained  from  the  sea,  however. 
Rabbits  and  birds  were  hunted  on  land,  and 
wild  onions  and  other  edible  plants  were 
gathered  with  the  aid  of  digging  sticks. 

In  place  of  pottery,  these  Indians  used 
bowls  carved  of  soapstone.  Knives,  arrow- 
heads, and  spearpoints  were  made  of  chipped 
flint.  Fishhooks  similar  to  some  of  those 
from  lands  of  the  South  Pacific  were  made 
of  abalone  shell.  Tubular  pipes  made  of 
stone  were  used  for  smoking  tobacco. 

The  Indians  of  the  Channel  Islands  lived 
in  dome-shaped  houses  made  of  poles 
covered  with  thatch. 

Canoes  were  unusual.  They  were  built 
of  individual  planks  tied  together  with 
thongs  and  caulked  with  asphaltum. 

Pendants  were  made  of  shell  or  stone. 
Beads  made  of  shell  served  as  ornaments. 
Somewhat  stylized  effigies  of  animals  were 
made  of  soapstone  or  chipped  flint. 

Musical  instruments  such  as  flutes, 
whistles,  and  pipes  of  Pan  were  made  of 
bone  tubes. 

Striking  colors  have  been  used  to  exhibit 
the  specimens  and  to  place  them  in  mean- 
ingful categories.  The  exhibit  was  prepared 
by  Mr.  Dalstrom  and  the  writer,  assisted 
by  Curators  Donald  Collier  and  Alexander 
Spoehr,  and  Miss  Bernice  Kaplan,  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago  Museum  Fellow. 


MUSEUM  EXPEDITION  RESUMES 
'DIGGING'  IN  SOUTHWEST 

This  summer  the  Department  of  Anthro- 
pology under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Paul  S. 
Martin,  Chief  Curator,  will  resume  inves- 
tigations in  New  Mexico  interrupted  by  the 
war.  This  will  be  a  resumption  of  field  work 
discontinued  in  1941.  Dr.  Martin  left  for 
the  field  June  13;  John  Rinaldo,  Assistant, 
preceded  him  by  several  weeks  for  pre- 
liminary reconnaissance  and  arrangements. 

Dr.  Martin  will  finish  excavations  on  the 
SU  site — a  pit-house  village  which  was  in- 
habited about  the  year  a.d.  500;  and,  if 
time  permits,  he  may  start  excavation  on 
another  site.  The  digging  will  continue  for 
about  three  months. 

Digging  was  first  started  on  the  SU  site 
in  1939  and  was  continued  in  the  summer  of 
1941.  These  excavations  have  shown  that 
this  village  was  part  of  the  Mogollon  (pro- 
nounced "muggy-own")  Indian  culture. 
This  culture  is  one  of  three  that  flourished 
in  the  Southwest  in  past  times,  the  other 
two  being  the  Anasazi  (Basket  Maker- 
Pueblo)  culture  and  the  Hohokam. 

The  origins  of  the  Mogollon  culture  are 
not  yet  known,  but  it  is  thought  that  it 


was  derived  from  the  Cochise  culture  that 
existed  in  southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico 
from  about  13,000  to  about  2,000  years  ago. 

Dr.  Martin  believes  that  the  Mogollon 
was  an  undeveloped  and  unsophisticated 
culture,  and  that  the  Indians  who  built  the 
SU  village  lived  a  very  simple  life.  Al- 
though the  Mogollon  Indians  of  this  period 
made  pottery,  it  was  a  simple,  underr- 
ated type.  Agriculture  was  apparently  new 
to  them,  for  they  depended  more  on  fishing, 
hunting,  and  seed-gathering  for  food  supplies 
than  they  did  on  planting  and  cultivating 
corn.  Houses  were  merely  roofed  pits  in  the 
ground — hence  the  name  pit  houses — and 
were  probably  occupied  only  in  inclement 
weather.     Cooking  was  done  out-of-doors. 

When  the  SU  site  is  finished,  a  new  and 
earlier  site  will  be  sought.  Dr.  Martin 
desires,  if  possible,  to  obtain  information 
that  will  help  close  the  time  gap  that  exists 
in  archaeological  records  between  the  esti- 
mated date  of  A.D.  500  for  the  SU  site  and 
the  latest  estimated  date  (500  B.C.)  for  the 
Cochise  culture.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
we  have  no  archaeological  proof  that 
Mogollon  culture  was  derived  from  the 
simpler  Cochise  culture  as  we  suppose. 

Unlike  the  Mogollon,  the  Cochise  Indians 
did  not  make  pottery  or  plant  corn,  and  they 
probably  did  not  know  the  principle  of 
building  a  pit  house. 


A  BIOLOGICAL  SURVEY 
OF  LAKE  MICHIGAN 

An  important  and  desirable  project  that 
has  long  been  on  the  program  of  the  De- 
partment of  Zoology  of  Chicago  Natural 
History  Museum  is  the  making  of  a  complete 
biological  survey  of  Lake  Michigan.  Such 
a  survey  involves  not  only  the  simple  col- 
lection and  identification  of  the  many  kinds 
of  plants  and  animals  living  in  these  waters, 
but  necessitates  also  study  of  the  lake  en- 
vironment— the  hydrography,  meteorology, 
and  chemistry,  in  terms  of  the  synthetic 
science  known  as  "limnology." 

Collections  made  over  the  entire  lake  at 
various  localities  at  intervals  throughout 
the  year  are  essential  to  such  a  program. 
It  is  hoped  to  make  a  beginning  toward  this 
project  in  the  summer  of  1946.  Among  the 
objects  of  such  a  survey  are  the  correlation 
of  the  kinds  and  abundance  of  living  organ- 
isms with  the  turbidity,  temperature,  and 
dissolved  gases  and  salts  of  the  water. 

"What  are  the  effects  of  winds  and  cur- 
rents on  the  fine  materials  carried  in  sus- 
pension?" "How  are  these  sediments  being 
moved  about  and  where  are  they  deposited 
and  redeposited?"  "How  much  nourish- 
ment is  being  brought  into  the  lake  by  the 
rivers  and  how  has  pollution  affected  the 
distribution  of  fish  foods  and  of  the  fishes 
themselves?"  "How  can  hook  and  line 
fishing  for  lake  trout  and  perch  be  improved 
in  the  southern  half  of  the  lake?"  "What 
are  the  long-term  cycles  taking  place  in  the 


lake?"  "How  do  winds,  setting  up  currents 
in  the  water,  affect  temperatures  on  the 
bathing  beaches?"  Numerous  other  ques- 
tions that  need  and  deserve  study  await 
intensive  limnological  study  of  the  lake. 

Lake  Michigan  has  an  area  of  approxi- 
mately 22,000  square  miles,  and  is  thus  two- 
fifths  the  size  of  the  state  of  Illinois.  To 
make  a  complete  study  of  such  an  area  is 
a  large  undertaking  and  it  is  hoped  that 
other  institutions  and  individuals  in  ad- 
dition to  the  Museum  staff  will  co-operate 
in  working  out  certain  phases  of  the  survey 
and  special  problems  using  the  facilities 
and  equipment  provided  by  the  Museum. 
This  co-operation  is  already  being  realized. 
The  United  States  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service, 
through  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  O.  L.  Meehan 
and  Mr.  Paul  E.  Thompson,  has  placed  one 
of  its  power  launches  at  our  disposal  on 
long-term  loan,  thus  greatly  facilitating  the 
field  collecting.  The  University  of  Wis- 
consin is  lending  certain  items  of  equipment. 

The  Chicago  Department  of  Health  has 
shown  us  some  of  the  data  gathered  during 
the  past  twenty  years  on  the  water  dis- 
pensed to  the  city.  This  was  important  in 
planning  the  program  so  that  studies  would 
not  be  duplicated.  Certain  individuals  of 
the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences  and  the 
University  of  Chicago  have  agreed  to  assist. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  studies  here  briefly 
outlined  will  be  of  immediate  practical  value 
to  the  lake  fisheries,  to  the  public  health 
services  of  the  several  lake  cities,  and  to  the 
millions  of  people  who  use  the  lake  waters  for 
drinking  and  for  recreation. 

The  researches  will  be  conducted  by 
Mr.  Loren  P.  Woods,  Assistant  Curator  of 
Fishes,  and  Dr.  Fritz  Haas,  Curator  of 
Lower  Invertebrates;  other  members  of 
the  Department  of  Zoology  will  assist.  Mr. 
Woods,  who  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Navy 
during  the  war,  will  command  the  boat. 


MUSEUM  PHOTO  EXHIBIT 

Preliminary  planning  is  now  under  way 
for  the  Second  Chicago  International  Ex- 
hibition of  Nature  Photography  to  be  held 
early  in  1947  at  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum  under  the  auspices  of  the  Nature 
Camera  Club  of  Chicago,  which  sponsored 
the  successful  exhibition  held  at  the  Museum 
last  January  and  February. 

The  exhibition  will  follow  the  usual 
standards  for  photographic  salons,  but,  as 
formerly,  the  subject  matter  will  be  re- 
stricted to  nature.  Both  black-and-white 
and  color  photographs  may  be  entered. 

More  extensive  vacation  travel  this  year 
as  compared  to  the  war  years  should  result 
in  many  new  photographs  of  exhibition 
quality  being  made.  Members  of  camera 
clubs  and  unaffiliated  enthusiasts  in  this 
and  other  countries  are  urged  to  take  pic- 
tures of  natural  history  subjects  during  the 
coming  months. 


July-August,  19^6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  5 


HUNTING  PRONGHORN  IN  MEXICO  FOR  A  GROUP  BY  AKELEY:  A  PAGE  OF  MUSEUM  HISTORY 


By  C.  M.  BARBER 

(Mr.  Barber  in  190b  was  a  field  collector 
for  the  then  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History. 
He  accompanied  Edmund  Heller,  then  also  of 
the  Museum  staff,  to  Mexico  in  that  year.  The 
following  account  of  the  field  collecting  for  the 
pronghorn  group  in  Hall  16  gives  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  experiences  encountered  by 
Museum  collectors  then  and  now.) 

AFTER  a  successful  summer  in  the 
Sierra  Madre  we  sold  our  pack  animals 
and  saddle  horses  in  Durango.  Our  Mexican 
helper,  Antonio,  a  well-trained  camp  man, 
came  with  us  as  we  boarded  a  train  headed 
toward  the  Rio  Grande.  We  left  the  train 
at  Jaral,  in  the  state  of  Coahuila. 

Heller  hired  a  man  with  a  big  ore  cart 
and  a  ten-mule  team  to  haul  our  outfit 
and  some  water  out  towards  the  Mapimi 
Desert.  We  placed  six  large  barrels  in  the 
cart  and  filled  them  with  water.  This  cart 
was  something  new  in  vehicles.  The  two 
well-made  wheels  were  six  feet  high  with 
broad  steel  tires.  Long  before  daylight, 
with  Antonio  aboard,  and  with  the  owner 
as  driver,  we  headed  straight  out  into  the 
desert,  Heller  and  I  riding  our  mules.  It 
was  a  hard,  hot,  dry  grind,  but  by  dark  we 
had  made  an  estimated  forty  miles. 

After  a  good  breakfast,  we  watered  our 
mules,  then  started  hunting.  We  soon 
sighted  a  small  band  of  antelope  about  a 
mile  away.  This  looked  like  a  good  chance 
to  secure  specimens.  Hobbling  our  mules 
on  some  good  grass,  we  attempted  to  sneak 
up  close  enough  for  a  shot.  Heller  went  one 
way  while  I  tried  another. 

To  be  as  inconspicuous  as  possible,  we 
crawled  along  on  hands  and  knees.  After 
a  half-mile  of  this,  the  herd  turned  grazing 
in  my  direction.  Heller  at  once  dropped 
flat  to  escape  detection,  leaving  the  field 
to  me.  I  now  crawled  forward  slowly  on 
my  belly,  keeping  as  flat  as  possible.  Some 
weeds  about  a  foot  high  helped  a  lot.  After 
about  an  hour  of  this  I  finally  got  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  nearest  animal,  a  fine 
young  male. 

My  shot  was  good,  but  I  wasted  a  few 
shells  on  the  fleeing  herd.  Lord,  how  they 
can  run!  My  prize  was  in  good  pelage  and 
with  small  horns. 

The  next  morning  I  made  an  early  start 
for  antelope.  Heller  ran  the  trap  line.  He 
was  to  skin  the  catch,  then  make  a  late  try 
for  big  game.  After  riding  a  few  miles  I 
saw  something  flash  in  the  sun,  like  a  bright 
tin  pan.  With  the  binoculars  I  could  see  a 
large  herd  of  grazing  antelope,  perhaps  two 
miles  away. 

I  rode  towards  the  herd  until  they  began 
raising  heads  to  watch  me.  I  then  got  down, 
tied  my  mule  to  a  bush  and  began  my  sneak. 
The  herd  was  suspicious;  so  I  had  to  crawl 
on  my  belly  for  a  long  way.  To  make  it 
worse,  they  now  began  grazing  straight 
away  from  me  and  traveling  faster  than  I 


could.     For  hours  I  crawled  and  watched 
but  to  no  avail. 

Heller's  trap  line  produced  poorly,  but 
his  antelope  hunt  was  a  success.  He  had  a 
fine  old  doe  for  his  crawl.  Bright  and  early 
the  next  morning  we  started  out  in  different 
directions.     Our  experiences  were  similar. 


we  had  seen.  My  shot  was  good,  but  two 
running  shots  on  other  targets  were  useless. 
I  did  note  that  my  mule  disliked  the  shooting 
just  under  his  chin.  My  buck  was  a  magni- 
ficent specimen  of  the  breed  in  its  prime. 
Heller,  delighted  with  the  success  of  my 
stalk,  tried  it  on  the  next  herd  we  could 


MEXICAN   PRONGHORN   GROUP  IN  HALL  OF  NORTH  AMERICAN   HABITAT  GROUPS 
This  group,  composed  of  specimens  collected  by  Edmund  Heller  and  C.  M.  Barber,  was  prepared  by  the  late  Carl  E.  Akelcy. 


We  crawled  all  day  but  could  not  get  in 
range. 

As  a  boy,  I  remembered  my  father  telling 
me  about  shooting  geese  on  the  Kankakee 
marsh.  He  drove  a  horse  with  rope  lines 
towards  the  geese,  staying  stooped  over 
behind  the  horse  until  he  was  within  range. 
He  then  stepped  out  in  plain  view  and  shot 
his  goose. 

The  next  day  I  went  out,  located  a  herd, 
then  rode  as  close  as  safe.  Dismounting,  I 
removed  my  saddle,  rigged  up  my  lines  and 
started.  I  did  not  head  directly  at  the  herd, 
but  moved  obliquely  to  intercept  them. 
My  mule  grazed  some  as  he  went  along. 
With  my  rifle  under  one  arm,  I  drove  him 
slowly  on.  There  were  a  few  half-wild 
horses  on  the  range;  so  the  antelope  were 
accustomed  to  seeing  them.  They  also 
knew  the  difference  between  a  range  horse 
and  a  saddle  horse  with  a  rider. 

The  herd  in  front  of  me  paid  no  attention 
whatever  to  the  approaching  mule.  When  I 
got  in  good  easy  range  I  pulled  up  on  the 
reins  and  my  mule  started  to  graze.  Kneel- 
ing down,  I  looked  the  herd  over.  Nearest 
to  me  was  an  old  buck  with  the  best  horns 


locate.  He  shot  a  buck  equal  in  size  to 
mine.  Its  horns  were  very  large  and  long 
but  wider  in  spread. 

The  next  morning  we  again  got  a  specimen 
apiece,  but  by  this  time  my  mule  had 
become  gun-shy.  When  I  next  removed  my 
saddle  to  begin  the  stalk  he  showed  fear 
of  my  rifle.  As  I  drove  him  toward  the  game 
he  kept  turning  his  head  to  watch  me.  When 
I  stopped  to  shoot,  the  mule  tried  to  leave. 
Sensing  his  intention,  I  dropped  flat  on  the 
ground.  Now  in  plain  sight  of  my  game,  I 
tried  to  fire.  Twice  the  mule  spoiled  my 
aim  by  pulling  hard  on  the  reins,  which 
were  around  my  body.  The  antelope,  a 
yearling  doe,  or  young  of  the  previous 
spring,  stared  open-eyed  at  this  new  object 
lying  flat  on  the  plain.  At  last,  I  did  get  a 
bead  on  my  victim  and  made  the  kill. 

The  American  pronghorn,  the  only  known 
hollow-horned  ruminant  that  sheds  its 
horns,  is  a  unique  animal.  Nothing  like  it 
lives  anywhere  in  the  world.  It  is  not  really 
an  antelope  in  any  true  sense  of  the  word. 
The  outer  horn  covering  is  shed  annually, 
the  new  horn  growing  under  the  old,  then 
gradually  forcing  it  off  the  horn  core. 


Page  6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


July- August,  19i6 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt  Road  and  Lake  Shore  Drive,  Chicago 

Telephone:  Wabash  9410 


THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 
Lester  Armour  Marshall  Field,  Jr. 

Seweli.  L.  Avery  Stanley  Field 

\y.  McCormick  Blair  Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 

Leopold  E.  Block  Henry  P.  Isham 

Boardman  Conover  Hughston  M.  Mi  Bain 

Walter  J.  Cummings  William  H.  Mitchell 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr.  Clarence  B.  Randall 

Howard  W.  Fenton  George  A.  Richardson 

Joseph  N.  Field  Solomon  A.  Smith 

Marshall  Field  Albert  H.  Wetten 

John  P.  Wilson 

OFFICERS 

Stanley  Field President 

Marshall  Field First  Vice-President 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr Second  Vice-President 

Samuel  Insull,  Jr Third  Vice-President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg Director  and  Secretary 

Solomon  A.  Smith Treasurer 

John  R.  Millar Assistant  Secretary 

THE  BULLETIN 

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 

Bryan  Patterson Acting  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. 

MRS.  EMILY  M.  WILCOXSON, 
LIBRARIAN,  RETIRES 

After  41  years  of  devoted  service  as 
Assistant  Librarian  and  Librarian  of  the 
Museum,  Mrs.  Emily  M.  Wilcoxson  sur- 
rendered her  responsibilities  as  Librarian 
on  June  30.  It  is  a  matter  of  gratification 
to  the  administra- 
tion and  the  staff 
of  the  Museum 
that  Mrs.  Wilcox- 
son will  continue 
as  Librarian  Emer- 
itus.  She  has 
always  been  known 
as  a  cheerful,  ener- 
getic, hardworking, 
and  helpful  Mu- 
seum colleague. 

Mrs.  Wilcoxson 
came  to  the  Mu- 
seum    August     1, 

1905,  as  Assistant  Librarian,  and  succeeded 
to  the  position  of  Librarian  on  July  1,  1930, 
upon  the  retirement  of  the  late  Miss  Elsie 
Lippincott.  During  the  time  of  her  cus- 
todianship, the  Library  has  undergone  a 
period  of  great  expansion  and  now  contains 
128,000  volumes.  Also  during  this  time, 
the  Library  quarters  have  been  enlarged, 
rearranged,  and  completely  refitted  in 
order  to  provide  the  greatest  comfort  and 
convenience  to  Library  visitors.  Its  serv- 
ices to  the  Museum  Staff,  to  scientists,  to 
special  students,  and  to  the  public  generally 
have  been  broadened  and  improved. 


MRS.   EMILY  M. 
WILCOXSON 


It  was  ever  Mrs.  Wilcoxson's  aim  to 
improve  and  enlarge  the  Library  service 
and  to  extend  its  facilities  to  persons  who 
previously  had  not  known  of  its  existence 
as  part  of  the  Museum.  Her  constant 
solicitude  for  and  co-operation  with  all  those 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact  set  a  high 
standard  for  Library  and  Museum  service. 

NEW  LIBRARIAN  APPOINTED 

Assurance  that  the  high  standards  of 
service  in  the  Library  will  be  continued, 
and  that  the  col- 
lections will  be  fur- 
ther expanded,  lies 
in  the  appointment 
of  Mr.  Carl  Wil- 
liam  Edmund 
Hintz  who  comes 
to  the  Museum 
as  Librarian  after 
a  notable  career  in 
university  libraries. 
Most  recently,  Mr. 
Hintz  has  been 
Director  of  the 
Libraries  of  the 
University  of  Maryland,  where  the  col- 
lections for  the  schools  of  law,  medicine, 
dentistry  and  pharmacy  were  all  under  his 
supervision.  Previous  to  that,  he  had  been 
connected  with  the  libraries  of  DePauw 
University  and  the  University  of  Michigan. 
Born  in  London,  Mr.  Hintz's  elementary 
and  preparatory  schooling  was  in  England 
and  Germany  as  well  as  the  United  States. 
He  attended  DePauw  University,  earned 
degrees  of  bachelor  and  master  of  library 
science  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  and 
continued  post-graduate  studies  in  the 
University  of  Chicago. 


mystery  to  zoologists.  In  the  autumn  fol- 
lowing the  expedition,  Captain  Bartlett 
appeared  in  the  Museum  lecture  course. 


CARL  W.   E.   HINTZ 


ROBERT  A.  BARTLETT" 

Captain  Robert  A.  Bartlett,  well-known 
Arctic  explorer  who  collected  the  specimens 
used  in  preparation  of  the  spectacular 
underwater  habitat  group  of  narwhals  in 
the  Hall  of  Marine  Mammals  (Hall  M) 
at  this  Museum,  died  April  28,  in  New  York. 
He  was  70  years  old. 

"Captain  Bob,"  as  he  was  familiarly 
known,  accompanied  Admiral  Robert  E. 
Peary  on  the  1909  expedition  that  led  to  the 
discovery  of  the  North  Pole,  and  made  many 
other  Arctic  expeditions  in  subsequent 
years.  He  was  the  author  of  several  books 
detailing  the  results  of  his  explorations. 
He  was  a  native  of  Newfoundland  and  mem- 
ber of  a  long  family  line  of  seafarers. 

The  expedition  which  collected  the  nar- 
whals for  this  Museum  was  conducted  by 
Captain  Bartlett  in  1935.  It  was  sponsored 
jointly  by  this  institution,  then  Field 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  and  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution.  The  expedition  brought 
back  from  Greenland  waters  several  notable 
specimens  of  the  narwhals  with  their  spear- 
like tusks,  the  function  of  which  remains  a 


Marshall  Field  1st  Vice-President; 
Three  New  Trustees 

Mr.  Marshall  Field,  editor  and  publisher 
of  The  Chicago  Sun,  was  elected  First  Vice- 
President  of  the  Museum  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  held  May  20.  Mr. 
Field,  a  Trustee  of  the  Museum  since  1914, 
fills  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  recent  death 
of  Colonel  Albert  A.  Sprague. 

The  Trustees  also  elected  Mr.  Albert  B. 
Dick,  Jr.,  who  had  been  Third  Vice-Presi- 
dent, to  the  Second  Vice-Presidency  left 
vacant  by  the  recent  death  of  Silas  H. 
Strawn;  and  elected  Mr.  Samuel  Insull,  Jr., 
to  the  thus  vacated  Third  Vice-Presidency. 

To  fill  vacancies  existing  on  the  Board, 
three  new  Trustees  were  elected  at  a  meeting 
held  June  17.  They  are:  Mr.  Hughston  M. 
McBain,  Mr.  Henry  P.  Isham,  and  Mr. 
Clarence  B.  Randall. 

Mrs.  Abby  K.  Babcock  was  posthumously 
elected  a  Contributor  in  recognition  of  her 
bequests  to  the  Museum. 


Special  Exhibit  of  Drawings 
By  Art  School  Students 

"Art  from  Nature,"  a  selection  of  some 
of  the  best  drawings  made  by  school  children 
in  art  classes  conducted  at  this  Museum  by 
instructors  from  the  Junior  School  of  the 
Art  Institute  of  Chicago,  is  on  exhibition 
in  Stanley  Field  Hall  until  July  15. 

The  drawings,  inspired  by  Museum 
exhibits,  are  notable  for  their  striking 
splashes  of  color  and  imaginative  treatment 
of  subject  matter. 


2  New  Raymond  Lecturers 

To  fill  vacancies  recently  occurring  in  the 
James  Nelson  and  Anna  Louise  Raymond 
Foundation,  Miss  Mary  Augustine  and 
Miss  Shirley  Soffel  have  been  appointed 
guide-lecturers  in  that  division.  Miss 
Augustine,  who  joined  the  staff  June  15, 
is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Chicago. 
She  has  been  engaged  in  penicillin  research, 
and  at  the  Museum  will  specialize  in  botany 
and  biology.  Miss  Soffel  is  a  graduate  of 
Northwestern  University,  and  will  specialize 
in  zoology  here.    She  begins  on  July  1. 


Professor  Neumann  Dead 

Professor  Oscar  Neumann,  for  some 
years  a  valued  volunteer  research  assistant 
in  the  Museum's  Division  of  Birds,  died  at 
Michael  Reese  Hospital  on  May  17,  at  the 
age  of  78.  Professor  Neumann  was  well 
known  for  his  contributions  to  systematic 
mammalogy  and  ornithology  and  for  his 
personal  conduct  of  notable  zoological  col- 
lecting expeditions  in  Africa. 


July-August,  19U6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  7 


STAFF  NOTES 


Mr.  Karl  P.  Schmidt,  Chief  Curator 
of  Zoology,  was  recently  elected  Treas- 
urer of  the  newly  organized  Society  for 
the  Study  of  Evolution. 

The  society  will  promote  the  interchange 
of  ideas  and  data  between  experimental 
biologists  and  systematists. 

Early  in  June,  Mr.  Schmidt  attended  the 
Pacific  Science  Conference  called  by  the 
National  Research  Council  in  Washington, 
and  was  appointed  Deputy  Chairman.  The 
Conference  hopes  to  continue  scientific 
projects  in  progress  during  and  since  the  war, 
and  to  make  use  of  existing  installations  and 
facilities  of  the  United  States  Armed  Forces. 

*  *     * 

Dr.  Robert  J.  Braidwood,  Assistant  Pro- 
fessor of  Old  World  Prehistory  in  both  the 
Oriental  Institute  and  the  Department  of 
Anthropology  at  the  University  of  Chicago, 
has  been  appointed  Research  Associate  in 
Old  World  Prehistory  at  the  Museum. 

*  *     * 

Mr.  John  R.  Millar,  Deputy  Director  of 
the  Museum,  represented  the  institution  at 
the  meetings  of  the  American  Association 
of  Museums  in  Washington,  May  17-18. 
He  also  visited  the  museums  in  several  other 
cities  of  the  East  for  consultations  on 
matters  of  common  interest  to  those  institu- 
tions and  the  Chicago  Museum. 

*  *     * 

Dr.  Charles  H.  Seevers,  Chairman  of  the 
Department  of  Biology,  Roosevelt  College  of 
Chicago,  and  Research  Associate  in  the  Divi- 
sion of  Insects  of  the  Museum,  has  been 
awarded  a  John  Simon  Guggenheim  Founda- 
tion Fellowship.  He  will  spend  the  greater 
part  of  next  year  in  Brazil  studying  insects. 

*  *     * 

Dr.  Paul  O.  McGrew,  Assistant  Curator 
of  Paleontology,  has  resigned  from  the 
Museum  staff  to  accept  an  assistant 
professorship  in  the  Department  of  Geology 
at  the  University  of  Wyoming  in  Laramie. 

*  *     * 

Mr.  Bryan  Patterson,  Curator  of  Paleon- 
tology, will  leave  shortly  for  Texas  to  conduct 
this  summer's  paleontological  expedition  which 
had  been  originally  scheduled  for  Dr.  McGrew. 
He  recently  attended  committee  meetings  in 
Washington  of  the  Geological  Society  of 
America  and  visited  eastern  museums. 

*  *     * 

Mr.  Emmet  R.  Blake,  Assistant  Curator 
of  Birds,  who  has  been  on  leave  following  his 
release  from  service  as  a  captain  in  the 
Army,  has  returned  to  the  Museum. 

*  *     * 

Mr.  John  Winn  has  been  appointed 
Assistant  in  the  Division  of  Fishes;  Mr. 
Peter  Lambert  has  been  employed  as  an 
assistant  in  taxidermy;  and  Mr.  James  E. 
Trott  has  been  appointed  an  artist  in  the 
Department  of  Zoology. 


Museum  Pensioner  Dies 

Mr.  A.  W.  Mahlman,  former  pressman 
in  the  Museum's  Division  of  Printing,  died 
May  29.  Mr.  Mahlman  was  79  years  old, 
and  had  been  pensioned  in  1940. 


A  CLERID 

Drawing  by 
A.  B.  Wolcott 


VALUABLE  INSECT  COLLECTION 
FROM  FORMER  CURATOR 

By  HENRY  S.  DYBAS 

ASSISTANT   CURATOR  OF  INSECTS 

The  beetles  of  the  family  Cleridae,  com- 
monly referred  to  as  "clerids"  by  entomolo- 
gists, form  one  of  the  more  interesting  groups 
within  the  vast  assemblage  of  beetles.  The 
majority  of  the  3,000  known  kinds  of  clerids 
are  attractively  marked 
and  many  possess  some 
of  the  richest  and  softest 
colors  found  in  the  beetle 
group. 

Most  of  the  species  are 
rare  in  nature,  but  some 
are  occasionally  found  in 
numbers  on  the  trunks  of 
dead  trees  and  are  impor- 
tant in  controlling  de- 
structive timber-boring 
insects.  Others  are  fre- 
quently collected  on  the 
heads  of  bright  colored 
composite  flowers.  One 
species,  occurring  in  beehives,  was  well 
known  to  the  ancient  Greeks  and  is  men- 
tioned in  the  writings  of  Aristotle. 

The  Museum  recently  acquired  a  collec- 
tion of  this  interesting  family  of  beetles  as  a 
gift  from  Mr.  Albert  Burke  Wolcott  of 
Downers  Grove,  Illinois.  Mr.  Wolcott, 
long  a  staff  member  of  the  Museum,  began 
the  study  of  clerids,  as  an  avocation,  more 
than  forty  years  ago,  and  in  addition  to 
building  the  finest  collection  of  clerid  beetles 
in  the  Americas,  became  the  recognized 
authority  on  the  group.  His  scientific 
publications,  numbering  more  than  thirty 
technical  papers,  form  an  important  contri- 
bution to  the  knowledge  of  this  family. 

The  collection  contains  about  5,000 
specimens  representing  approximately  1,000 
species  of  clerids.  These  specimens,  each 
labeled  as  to  locality,  collector,  and  often 
with  further  data  as  to  habits,  source,  etc., 
represent  a  roster  of  many  names  famous  in 
entomology  and  a  record  of  many  expedi- 
tions and  travels  to  little-known  areas  of  the 
earth.  In  the  collection  are  specimens  col- 
lected a  century  ago  by  the  English  natu- 
ralist Henry  W.  Bates  on  his  historic  travels 
in  the  Amazon  region. 

The  collection  was  built  up  gradually  by 
personal  collecting,  exchange  with  other 
entomologists,  purchase,  and  through  the 
retaining  of  duplicate  specimens  from  col- 
lections sent  to  Mr.  Wolcott  for  authorita- 
tive identification  by  many  museums  and 
individuals.  Many  of  the  species  were 
described  and  named  by  Mr.  Wolcott  him- 
self as  species  new  to  science  and  his  original 


specimens,  the  types,  will  serve  as  standards 
with  which  doubtfully  identified  specimens 
can  be  compared  in  the  future. 

Such  a  collection  is  an  invaluable  addition 
to  the  Museum's  reference  collections. 
While  few  of  the  specimens  will  be  publicly 
exhibited  because  of  their  small  size,  the 
reference  collections  are  available  to  special 
students  and  scientific  workers. 

The  donor,  Mr.  Wolcott,  was  a  Museum 
staff  entomologist  from  1908,  and  Assistant 
Curator  of  the  N.  W.  Harris  Public  School 
Extension  from  1921  to  1942  when,  because 
of  ill  health,  he  was  retired  on  a  pension. 
In  recognition  of  his  gift,  the  Trustees  have 
elected  him  a  Contributor. 


PERUVIAN  ARCHAEOLOGICAL 
EXPEDITION  IN  FIELD 

The  Museum's  Archaeological  Expedition 
to  Peru  is  under  way.  Its  leader,  Mr. 
Donald  Collier,  Curator  of  South  American 
Ethnology  and  Archaeology,  left  Chicago 
May  27  for  Callao. 

Mr.  Collier,  who  has  explored  various 
parts  of  South  America  in  the  past  for  both 
this  and  other  institutions,  will  remain  in 
Peru  through  November.  He  will  supervise 
excavations  to  collect  material  representa- 
tive of  the  early  Mochica  and  Chavin  pre- 
Inca  cultures.  These  Indians,  who  lived 
about  a.d.  500  to  1000,  inhabited  a  desert 
between  the  north  coast  and  the  Andes. 


Dioramist  Studies  Site  of  Mayas 
in  Chichen  Itza,  Mexico 

In  preparation  for  a  miniature  diorama 
reproducing  an  ancient  Maya  village  in 
Yucatan,  Mexico,  as  it  was  about  1,000 
years  ago,  Mr.  Alfred  Lee  Rowell,  artist  on 
the  staff  of  the  Department  of  Anthro- 
pology, made  a  field  trip  to  Chichen  Itza, 
Mexico,  in  June. 

A  temple  and  other  buildings  at  Chichen 
Itza  were  excavated  and  restored  in  the 
years  1926  to  1929  by  Dr.  Paul  S.  Martin, 
then  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Carnegie 
Institution  of  Washington,  D.  C.  Dr. 
Martin,  as  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropology 
here,  will  supervise  Mr.  Rowell's  restoration 
of  the  village. 


Expedition  to  Cuba 

Dr.  B.  E.  Dahlgren,  Chief  Curator  of  the 
Department  of  Botany,  returned  recently 
from  a  brief  expedition  to  Cuba,  undertaken 
in  order  to  renew  his  observations,  inter- 
rupted by  the  war,  on  a  genus  of  palms 
especially  well  represented  on  that  island. 
Photographs  and  material  for  study  were 
obtained,  as  well  as  desirable  items  for  the 
department's  exhibits  and  general  her- 
barium. 

Incidentally,  Dr.  Dahlgren  reports,  a  visit 
was  made  to  Harvard  University's  botanical 
station  near  Cienfuegos. 


Page  8 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


July-August,  191,6 


SIX  PROGRAMS  FOR  CHILDREN 
OFFERED  THIS  SUMMER 

The  James  Nelson  and  Anna  Louise 
Raymond  Foundation  will  present  its 
annual  summer  series  of  free  motion  picture 
programs  for  children  on  Thursday  morn- 
ings during  July  and  August.  Programs 
will  feature  motion  pictures  on  natural 
history  and  travel;  animated  cartoons  will 
be  included  on  some. 

The  entertainments  will  be  given  in  the 
James  Simpson  Theatre  of  the  Museum  at 
10:30  a.m.  Children  are  invited  to  come 
alone,  accompanied  by  parents  or  other 
adults,  or  in  groups  from  clubs  and  various 
centers.  Admission  is  free.  Following  are 
the  dates  and  titles  of  the  films: 

July  11— Titans  of  the  Deep 

Story  of  undersea  life.  Fish  and 
animal  life  seen  and  photographed 
from  the  "bathysphere"  developed 
by  William  Beebe. 

July  18— Jacare 

A  Frank  Buck  picture  taken  in  the 
wild  jungles  of  the  Amazon. 

July  25 — Trekking  to  Timbuctoo 
A  motor  trip  across  Africa. 
Also  a  cartoon. 
August  1— By  Air  to  Alaska 

Color  motion  picture  of  air  trip 
across  Canada  and  into  Alaska. 
Also  a  cartoon. 
August  8— Canadian  Adventures 

The  making  of  a  bark  canoe  by 
the  Indians,  plus  animal  stories. 
Also  a  cartoon. 
August  15 — The  Mighty  Treve 

Albert  Payson   Terhune's  story 
of  a  sheep  dog. 


GIFTS  TO  THE  MUSEUM 

Following  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  principal 
gifts  received  during  the  last  two  months: 
Department  of  Anthropology: 

From:  Miss  Grace  S.  Mason,  Chicago — 
mano  and  tripod  metate,  of  stone,  Mexico; 
Eugene  Wolfe,  Mexico  City — 8  ethnological 
specimens,  Mexico. 

Department  of  Botany: 

From:  William  K.  Babel,  Madison,  Wis. — 
57  specimens  of  grasses,  New  Hampshire; 
William  J.  Beecher,  Chicago — 62  herbarium 
specimens,  New  Zealand;  Dr.  Harry  K. 
Phinney,  New  Haven,  Conn. — 38  specimens 
of  algae,  Illinois;  Hermann  C.  Benke, 
Chicago — 112  herbarium  specimens  and  35 
cryptogams,  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Wiscon- 
sin; University  of  Texas,  Austin,  Tex. — 285 
herbarium  specimens,  Mexico  and  Texas; 
William  A.  Daily,  Indianapolis,  Ind. — 29 
specimens  of  algae,  Ohio  and  Indiana;  Dr. 
W.  L.  Tolstead,  Lincoln,  Neb. — 75  speci- 
mens of  algae,  England;  J.  Francis  Mac- 
bride,  San  Jose,  Calif. — 49  cryptogams, 
California;  Miss  Jean  McEown,  Saskatoon, 
Canada—  20  specimens  of  soil  algae,  Sas- 
katchewan; Albert  E.  Vatter,  Jr.,  Evanston, 


111. — 40  specimens  of  algae,  Guam;  Donald 
Richards,  Chicago — 133  specimens  of 
mosses,  Azores  Islands;  Museo  Nacional, 
San  Jose,  Costa  Rica;  111  herbarium 
specimens,  Costa  Rica. 

Department  of  Geology: 

From:  Ralph  Bruce,  Chicago — a  chert 
nodule  and  a  specimen  of  barite  crystals 
(group),  Missouri;  Carl  Wulfman,  Detroit, 
Mich. — a  specimen  of  anthraconite,  Michi- 
gan. 

Department  of  Zoology : 

From:  T.  W.  Stixrud,  St.  Charles,  Mo.— 
29  snakes,  lizards,  and  frogs,  Solomon 
Islands;  J.  E.  Johnson,  Waco,  Tex. — 12 
snakes  and  lizards,  Texas;  Henry  S.  Dybas, 
Chicago — 750  craneflies  and  720  insects  and 
allies,  Pacific  islands,  and  429  beetles,  bugs, 
flies,  grasshoppers,  and  hymenopterons, 
Texas,  Florida,  and  Washington;  Chicago 
Zoological  Society,  Brookfield,  111. — 16  birds 
and  a  rattlesnake;  Lincoln  Park  Zoo, 
Chicago — 2  snakes,  3  mammals,  a  large 
monitor  lizard,  and  a  quetzal;  Edward  F. 
Ricketts,  Pacific  Grove,  Calif. — 250  speci- 
mens of  sea  shells,  Vancouver  region, 
British  Columbia;  Harry  Hoogstraal,  U.  S. 
Army — 34  snakes,  lizards,  and  frogs,  Philip- 
pine Islands  and  New  Guinea;  Dr.  Jeanne 
S.  Schwengel,  Scarsdale,  N.  Y. — 28  speci- 
mens of  auger  shells;  Mrs.  A.  G.  Rueckert, 
Chicago — 105  insects,  a  frog,  and  a  toad, 
Florida;  Lonsdale  Green,  Chicago — 57  speci- 
mens of  sea  shells,  Sanibel  Island,  Florida; 
Maj.  Harry  J.  Bennett — 271  frogs,  lizards, 
and  snakes,  Solomon  Islands;  William  J. 
Beecher,  Chicago — 174  frogs,  lizards,  and 
snakes,  and  26  insects  and  allies,  Solomon 
Islands;  A.  R.  Watkins,  Chicago— 261 
specimens  representing  26  species  of  fishes, 
Mexico;  Eugene  Ray,  Chicago — 523  insects 
and  allies,  United  States,  Pacific  Islands, 
and  Korea;  Henry  Field,  Thomasville,  Ga. — 
132  minnows,  top-minnows,  and  tadpoles, 
Florida. 

Raymond  Foundation: 

From:  John  W.  Moyer,  Chicago — 21 
natural  color  slides. 


Museum  Service  to  Camp  Heads 

In  co-operation  with  the  Chicago  Boy 
Scouts,  Girl  Scouts,  and  Y.M.C.A.,  the 
Museum  presented  a  Nature  Course  for 
Camp  Counselors  in  May  and  June.  The 
course  consisted  of  four  evening  lectures  and 
demonstrations  in  the  Lecture  Hall.  The 
course  was  presented  by  lecturers  of  the 
James  Nelson  and  Anna  Louise  Raymond 
Foundation,  and  covered  the  natural  history 
of  the  Chicago  region. 


Puget  Expedition  Postponed 

Because  marine  biological  stations  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  have  not  completed  postwar 
rehabilitation,  the  Museum's  zoological 
expedition  to  Puget  Sound,  announced  in 
the  last  BULLETIN  as  a  summer  project  for 
Dr.  Fritz  Haas,  Curator  of  Lower  Inverte- 
brates, and  Artist  Joseph  Krstolich,  has 
been  postponed  until  next  year. 


SUMMER  GUIDE-LECTURE  TOURS, 
MORNINGS  AND  AFTERNOONS 

During  July  and  August  conducted  tours 
of  the  exhibits,  under  the  guidance  of  staff 
lecturers,  will  be  given  on  a  special  schedule, 
as  follows: 

Mondays:  11  A.M.,  The  Earth's  Story; 
2  p.m.,  General  Tour  (Exhibition  halls, 
all  Departments). 

Tuesdays:  11  a.m.,  The  World  of  Plants; 
2  p.m.,  General  Tour. 

Wednesdays:  11  A.M.,  Animal  Tales;  2  P.M., 
General  Tour. 

Thursdays:  11  A.M.  and  2  P.M.,  General 
Tours. 

Fridays:  11  A.M.,  The  Human  Family; 
2  P.M.,  General  Tour. 

Persons  wishing  to  participate  should 
apply  at  North  Entrance.  Tours  are  free. 
There  are  no  tours  given  on  Saturdays, 
Sundays,  or  on  July  Fourth. 

By  pre-arrangement  with  the  Director, 
special  tours  are  available  to  parties  of  ten 
or  more  persons. 


NEW  MEMBERS 

The  following  persons  became  Members 
of  the  Museum  during  the  period  from 
April  16  to  June  15: 

Contributors 

Albert  B.  Wolcott 

Life  Members 

Mrs.  Broadus  James  Clarke 

Associate  Members 

Abraham  J.  Clonick,  Thomas  Drever, 
James  P.  Hume,  Thomas  A.  Jancosek,  Mrs. 
Robert  E.  Langford,  Frederick  Schenck, 
Roy  V.  Thornton. 

Annual  Members 

Mrs.  C.  B.  Bissell,  C.  B.  Carter,  Mrs. 
Joseph  J.  Cavanagh,  Charles  E.  Crone,  Rev. 
James  C.  Curry,  Harry  J.  Director,  Miss 
Alice  Doyle,  Dr.  Emile  C.  Duval,  Alfred  K. 
Eddy,  Sam  J.  Eisenberg,  Mrs.  Edwin  P. 
Elliott,  Leo  P.  Finn,  George  D.  Gaw,  Mrs. 
George  P.  Gilman,  Mrs.  Karleton  S. 
Hackett,  E.  H.  Haeger,  Cameron  A.  Hall, 
Mrs.  F.  H.  Halvorsen,  Jesse  J.  Holland, 
Mrs.  Thomas  M.  Howell,  Mrs.  Walter  H. 
Jacobs,  John  A.  Julian,  G.  R.  Kendall,  Dr. 
Matthew  J.  Kiley,  Arthur  K.  Lee,  Mrs.  K. 
Llewellyn,  Miss  Georgia  Lloyd,  Glen  A. 
Lloyd,  Edward  J.  Losos,  Miss  Carole  A. 
Lung,  Miss  Lenore  Lurie,  Dean  Marrs, 
Christian  S.  Michaelsen,  Kenneth  W. 
Moore,  Frederick  S.  Mudge,  Harry  M. 
Nacey,  Mrs.  Henri  E.  Nelson,  Forrest 
G.  Paddock,  Costa  A.  Pandaleon,  Ran- 
dolph Payson,  Arthur  H.  Peponis,  Henry 
A.  Roefer,  Arthur  J.  Roth,  Mrs.  Rupert 
C.  Roy,  Mrs.  S.  Norman  Sager,  B.  E. 
Schaar,  Mrs.  Elmer  J.  Schafer,  Mrs. 
Cortlandt  N.  Scott,  Mrs.  Fred  T.  Sonne, 
Dr.  Milford  S.  Sorley,  Miss  Josephine 
Steger,  W.  M.  Welch,  A.  C.  Wilby,  F. 
Upton  Wood. 


PRINTED  BV  CHICAGO   NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM   PRESS 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

BuiprriN 

Formerly  Mi/e 


;um  News 


Vol.   17 


SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER,   1946 


Nos.  9-10 


HOPEWELL  MAN  SCULPTURE 
ENLARGED  FROM   FIGURINE 

By  GEORGE  I.  QUIMBY 

CURATOR  OP  EXHIBITS,  ANTHROPOLOGY 

The  Hopewell  Indians  who  lived  in  mid- 
western  North  America  from  about  a.d.  900 
to  1400  were  excellent  sculptors.  They 
carved  realistic  reproductions  of  animals  in 
stone,  cut  realistic  silhouettes  of  animals 
and  humans  from  sheet  copper  and  mica, 
and  modeled  figurines  in  clay  which  were 
baked  in  a  fire  to  make  them  hard. 

These  figurines  modeled  in  clay  are 
believed  to  have  been  likenesses  of  actual 
Hopewell  men  and  women.  Of  course,  the 
Hopewell  artist's  representation  of  the 
human  figure  was  highly  conventionalized, 
either  by  intent  or  inability  to  be  more 
realistic,  or  both.  Nevertheless,  the  treat- 
ment symbolizes  something  real  and  may  be 
considered  a  short-hand  method  of  present- 
ing a  specific  portrait  in  terms  of  a  cultural 
ideal  and  an  artistic  convention. 

In  addition  to  occasional  finds  of  Hopewell 
figurines,  there  are  two  well-known  collec- 
tions. One  of  these,  from  the  Turner  mound 
group  in  Ohio,  is  in  the  Peabody  Museum  at 
Harvard  University.  The  other,  recently 
excavated  from  one  of  the  Knight  mounds 
in  west  central  Illinois,  is  in  the  State 
Museum  at  Springfield. 

An  enlarged  sculpture  based  upon  one  of 
the  Knight  mound  figurines  has  been  placed 
on  exhibition  in  the  Hall  of  American 
Archaeology  (Hall  B)  at  Chicago  Nat- 
ural History  Museum.  The  purpose  of 
this  new  exhibit  is  threefold:  First,  to  show 
the  style  in  which  Hopewell  Indians  were 
portrayed  by  their  own  artists;  second,  to 
suggest  something  of  the  Hopewell  physical 
type,  even  though  in  a  conventionalized 
form;  and  third,  to  provide  a  large  sculpture 
aesthetically  pleasing  in  itself. 

Dr.  Alexander  Spoehr,  of  the  Department 
of  Anthropology,  and  the  writer  planned  the 
exhibit  and  selected  the  Hopewell  figurine 
to  be  copied  in  the  enlarged  sculpture.  Mr. 
John  Pletinckx,  Ceramic  Restorer  in  the 
Department,  made  the  large  copy  of  the 
figurine. 

The  original  clay  figurine  from  the  Knight 
Mound  is  3  1/16  inches  high.  The  modified 
copy  of  this  is  enlarged  17  times  to  a  height 
of  50  inches.  This  large  copy  is  made  of 
colored  cement  reinforced  with  steel.     The 


method  of  manufacture  is  of  considerable 
interest  as  a  museum  technique. 

First,  Mr.  Pletinckx  sculptured  the  large 
figure  in  clay,  working  directly  to  scale 
from  enlarged  photographs  of  the  original 
figurine.  Modifications  necessitated  by 
structural  problems  or  aesthetic  ends  were 
incorporated  into  the  large  clay  figurine 
without,    of    course,    changing    the    basic 


RESTORATION  OF  HOPEWELL  MAN 

character  of  the  original  Hopewell  art  style 
and  portrayal.  Next  a  piece  mold  of  plaster 
was  made  on  the  clay  model.  And,  finally, 
the  large  figure  was  cast  in  colored  cement 
reinforced  with  steel  rods. 

The  technique  of  making  large  sculptures 
from  small  originals  has  been  used  previously 
in  the  anthropology  exhibits.  In  the 
Babylonian  Hall  (Hall  K)  a  decorative  and 
informative  frieze  was  made  of  impressions 
(Continued  on  page  2,  column  S) 


NATURE  IMPOSED  RATIONING 
ON  THE  MOGOLLON  INDIANS 

By  PAUL  S.  MARTIN 

CHIBP  CURATOR,  DEPARTMENT  OP  ANTHROPOLOGY 

(Dr..  Martin  is  currently  in  the  field  in  New 
Mexico  as  leader  of  the  Museum's  191*6 
Archaeological  Expedition  to  the  Southwest, 
the  tenth  he  has  conducted.) 

In  the  hot,  virtually  waterless  country 
of  western  New  Mexico,  there  flourished 
approximately  1,400  years  ago  a  primitive 
Indian  culture,  known  today  as  the  Mogol- 
lon  culture  (pronounced  Muggy-own).  Dur- 
ing that  1,400-year  span  the  basic  problem 
of  life  remained  unchanged,  for  then  as  now 
the  chief  problem  was  that  of  food. 

Rationing  was  not  imposed  by  any  form 
of  government,  so  far  as  we  know,  but  from 
all  indications  Nature  was  a  frugal  and 
ungenerous  master.  The  high,  rocky  ridges, 
the  probable  dearth  of  agricultural  knowl- 
edge, and  the  almost  total  lack  of  evidence 
of  vegetable  material  or  animal  bones, 
certainly  lead  the  present-day  archaeologist 
to  believe  that  the  Mogollon  diet  was  a 
barren  and  most  untempting  one.  Seed 
gathering  and  a  little  hunting  seem  to  have 
provided  the  only  supply  of  food. 

TWENTY-TWO  HOUSES  UNCOVERED 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1939  that  the 
writer  commenced  work  on  the  SU  site,  a 
Mogollon  village,  tentatively  dated  at  A.D. 
500.  Digging  was  continued  in  1941  and 
again  this  summer.  To  date,  twenty-two 
houses  have  been  uncovered.  These  were 
merely  roughly  rounded  pits  in  the  ground 
roofed  over  with  sod  and  supported  by  a 
framework  of  poles.  However,  they  were 
large  enough  to  accommodate  a  family 
apiece  and  probably  were  used  only  for 
sleeping  purposes  or  as  shelters  when  the 
weather  was  inclement. 

A  conservative  estimate  of  three  to  a 
family  would  indicate  that  sixty-six  people 
occupied  this  one  site.  Some  houses  still 
remain  to  be  excavated. 

A  number  of  animal  bones  were  found  in 
several  of  the  houses  but  their  number  is 
scarcely  impressive. 

Thus,  one  of  our  problems  is:  Why  did 
such  a  group  of  people  live  together? 

A  seeming  contradiction  is  that  there  were 
more  people  than  the  available  food  would 
(Continued  on  page  2,  column  1 ) 


Page  2 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


September-October,  1 9 US 


NATURE'S  RATIONING 

(Continued  from  page  1 ) 
sustain.  We  can't  be  wrong  on  the  number 
of  houses  nor  much  in  error  on  the  number  of 
people.  The  startling  lack  of  food  is  quite 
apparent  amid  the  mountains  of  New 
Mexico,  and  particularly  in  the  excavated 
houses  of  the  SU  site. 

Our  only  answer  lies  in  further  excavation 
and  study. 

The  four  houses  dug  so  far  this  summer 
have  yielded  several  things  of  interest,  but 
little  or  nothing  to  shed  light  on  the  pre- 
viously posed  problem. 

In  Pit  House  Q,  which  had  been  com- 
pletely razed  by  fire,  and  where  paradoxi- 
cally enough  we  might  have  expected  to 
find  preserved  food,  we  found  no  traces  of 
it  except  one  animal  bone.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  were  36  stone  artifacts,  all 
apparently  for  use  in  the  preparation  of  food. 

LARGE  POTTERY  COLLECTION 

We  have  washed  and  classified  2,041 
pieces  of  pottery  and  obtained  nine  more  or 
less  complete  vessels  from  that  one  house. 
These,  for  the  most  part,  must  have  been 
used  as  cooking  utensils  or  as  water  and  food 
storage  vessels. 

Two  fragmentary  skeletons  were  also 
discovered.  These  were  buried  in  a  pit 
which  had  been  dug  into  the  floor,  and  then 
covered  over.  The  fire  had  destroyed  the 
supporting  timbers,  causing  the  roof  to 
collapse  and  at  the  same  time  burying  the 
contents  of  the  house  and  preserving  the 
charred  roof  structure. 

When  we  uncovered  the  pit  we  found  the 
skeletons  scattered  and  broken  and  could 
find  no  burial  offerings.  There  were  no 
rodent  holes  to  indicate  that  the  bones  had 
been  disarticulated  and  carried  away  by 
animals;  yet  several  of  the  bones,  including 
the  pelvises,  were  missing. 

Because  of  the  fragmentary  and  broken 
condition  of  their  bones,  the  sex  of  the  two 
could  not  be  determined.  From  the  teeth 
and  the  sutures  of  the  skulls  we  could 
ascertain  that  their  ages  were  between  50 
and  60  in  both  cases.  The  two  bodies  had 
apparently  been  broken  and  rammed  into 
the  small  oval-shaped  pit,  leaving  us  with 
another  archaeological  mystery. 


LECTURE  TOURS  ON  WEEKDAYS, 
SEPTEMBER  AND  OCTOBER 

Conducted  tours  of  exhibits,  under  the 
guidance  of  staff  lecturers,  are  made  every 
afternoon  at  2  o'clock,  except  Sundays  and 
certain  holidays.  On  Mondays,  Tuesdays, 
Thursdays,  and  Saturdays,  general  tours 
are  given,  covering  all  departments.  Special 
subjects  are  offered  on  Wednesdays  and 
Fridays;  a  schedule  of  these  follows: 

SEPTEMBER 

Wed.,    Sept.   4 — Homes   of   Plants    (Mary 

Augustine). 
Fri.,  Sept.  6 — Your  Trip  to  the  Rockies- 


Animals,  Plants  and  Mountains  (Winona 

Hinkley). 
Wed.,  Sept.  11 — Big  Game  Hunting  (Winona 

Hinkley). 
Fri.,    Sept.    13 — Common    Superstitions — 

Friday,  the  13th  (Roberta  Cramer). 
Wed.,  Sept.  18 — Plant  Anchors — Roots  of 

Plants  and  Their  Uses  (Mary  Augustine). 
Fri.,    Sept.    20— The    Changing    Earth- 
Shaping   the    Earth's   Surface    (Winona 

Hinkley). 
Wed.,     Sept.     25 — Indian     Hunters     and 

Farmers — Indian       America       (Roberta 

Cramer). 
Fri.,  Sept.  27 — Bright  Feathers — A  survey 

of  Birds  (Winona  Hinkley). 

OCTOBER 

Wed.,     Oct.    2 — Snake    Stories    (Winona 

Hinkley). 
Fri.,    Oct.    4— Plants    We    Wear     (Mary 

Augustine). 
Wed.,    Oct.   9 — Hunters   and   the   Hunted 

(Winona  Hinkley). 
Fri.,  Oct.  11 — From  Cairo  to  the  Cape — 

The   Story  of  Africa    (Roberta  Cramer). 
Wed.,    Oct.     16— Fish    Stories     (Winona 

Hinkley). 
Fri.,   Oct.   18 — Flowers,   Fruits  and   Seeds 

(Mary  Augustine). 
Wed.,   Oct.   23— Birds   in   Autumn— Birds 

Preparing  for  Winter  (Winona  Hinkley). 
Fri.,   Oct.   25— The   Earliest   People— The 

Old  and  New  Stone  Age  (Miriam  Wood). 
Wed.,   Oct.   30 — Masks — Magic  and   Reli- 
gion (Roberta  Cramer). 


RAYMOND  FOUNDATION  PROGRAM 
FOR  CHILDREN  ON  SATURDAYS 

Nine  free  motion  picture  programs  for 
children,  some  accompanied  with  .stories 
presented  in  person  by  men  who  made  the 
movies,  will  be  given  in  the  autumn  series  on 
Saturday  mornings  during  October  and 
November.  These  entertainments  are  pre- 
sented under  the  auspices  of  the  James 
Nelson  and  Anna  Louise  Raymond  Founda- 
tion for  Public  School  and  Children's 
Lectures.  The  programs  will  be  presented 
at  10:30  A.M.  in  the  James  Simpson  Theatre 
of  the  Museum.  Children  from  all  parts  of 
Chicago  and  suburbs  are  invited. 

Following  is  the  schedule: 

October  5 — Animals  in  Modern  Life 

Motion  pictures  of  animals  used 
by  peoples  of  the  world  for 
food,  clothing,  or  power,  and 
as  pets. 

Also  a  cartoon. 
October  12 — Jacare  (repeated  by  request) 

A  Frank  Buck  picture  of  animals 
in  the  jungles  of  the  Amazon. 
October  19— An  Alaskan  Adventure 

A  motion  picture.     Story  to  be 
presented  by  Bradford  Wash- 
burn. 
October  26 — Adventures  of  Abner 

A    motion    picture.      Story    to 


HOPEWELL  MAN 

(Continued  from  page  1) 
of  small  cylinder  and  stamp  seals  enlarged 
25  times.  The  enlarged  impressions  of  the 
intaglio  designs  of  the  miniature  seals  made 
extremely  effective  sculptures  with  the 
designs  in  low  relief. 

The  technique  of  enlarging  small-scale 
aboriginal  sculpture  was  used  also  in  a 
previous  exhibit  in  the  Hall  of  American 
Archaeology  (Hall  B).  In  order  to  exhibit 
some  necklaces  of  pearls,  copper  and  silver 
pendants,  ear  ornaments  of  copper,  and  an 
antler  head-dress  of  copper  in  a  functional 
setting,  enlarged  sculptures  were  made  of  the 
heads  of  Hopewell  figurines.  The  actual 
ornaments  excavated  from  a  burial  mound 
in  Ohio  were  placed  in  their  proper  positions 
on  the  enlarged  heads,  male  and  female. 

Of  course,  by  enlarging  the  sculptures  and 
designs  of  aboriginal  cultures  or  ancient 
civilizations,  the  resultant  art  forms,  in  a 
strict  sense,  are  completely  out  of  context. 
Nevertheless,  they  are  useful  museum  aids, 
informative,  and  aesthetically  pleasing.  I 
feel  certain  that  were  the  Hopewell  Indians 
able  to  return  to  the  Hall  of  American 
Archaeology  and  see  the  enlarged  figure 
based  upon  one  of  their  clay  figurines,  they 
would  regret  that  lack  of  cement  or  other 
suitable  media  prohibited  them  from  large- 
scale  sculptures. 

be   presented   by   Cleveland 

P.  Grant. 

(Abner  is  a  cocker  spaniel.) 

November  2 — Indian  Life  in  the  Paint- 
ed Desert 
A    color    motion    picture    on 
Navajo  Indians.     Story  to 
be  presented  by  Tad  Nichols. 

November  9 — Wings  Over  Latin  America 
A  color  motion  picture :  general 
survey  of  animals  and  people 
of  the  Latin  American  coun- 
tries. 
Also  a  cartoon. 

November  16 — Indians  and  Eskimos  of 
the  Northwest  Coast 
A  color  motion  picture  of  the 
Eskimos    and    Indians    of 
Canada  and  Alaska. 
Also  a  cartoon. 

November  23—  Our  Own  Country 

The  story  of  the  earliest  days 
beginning  with  life  before 
the  white  man,  the  coming 
of  the  Pilgrims,  and  the  pio- 
neers who  moved  westward. 
Also  a  cartoon. 

November  30 — A  Naturalist's  Diary 

Animals,  birds,  and  plants. 
Story  to  be  presented  by 
Karl  Maslowski. 


September-October,  19^6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  S 


WINDJAMMING  'ROUND  WORLD,  PHILIPPINES  REBORN,  ALASKA  AMONG  SATURDAY  LECTURES 


Adventuring  around  the  world  in  an  old- 
time  schooner,  or  lolling  lazily  on  the  banks 
of  the  Suwannee  River — climbing  the 
highest  mountain  peaks  of  Alaska  or  making 
friends  with  the  birds  and  mammals  in  the 
"hills  of  the  plains"  of  Nebraska — digging  in 
the  dead  cities  of  Maya  civilization  in 
Mexico,  or  tarrying  with  the  present-day 
Apache  and  Navajo  Indians  of  the  South- 
west— the  rugged  scenic  grandeurs  of  the 
Rockies,  the  war's  aftermath  of  recon- 
struction in  the  now  independent  republic 
of  the  Philippines,  the  wonders  of  timber- 
land  country  in  Alberta,  Canada — 

— these  are  the  choices  offered  stay-at- 
home  travelers  in  the  1946  Autumn  Course 
of  free  lectures  for  adults  at  the  Museum  on 
Sunday  afternoons  during  October  and 
November. 

Outstanding  speakers  have  been  engaged 
for  the  course.  All  nine  lectures  will  be 
accompanied  by  motion  pictures  in  natural 
colors.  They  will  be  given  at  2:30  p.m.  each 
Saturday  during  the  two  months'  season, 
in  the  James  Simpson  Theatre  of  the 
Museum. 

Following  are  the  dates,  and  the  subjects 
and  lecturers  booked: 

October  5 — SAILING  TO  See 
Comdr.  Irving  Johnson,  USNR 
This  is  the  epic  story  of  the  schooner 
Yankee's  third  trip  around  the  world,  with 
Commander  Johnson  as  "skipper,"  and  a 
crew  of  eighteen  amateur  seamen,  including 
Johnson's  wife  and  one-  and  four-year-old 
sons.  The  films  include  underwater  shots 
in  colors.  Commander  Johnson  aided  the 
Navy  during  the  war  on  questions  of 
locating  bases,  and  providing  guidance  for 
landing  parties.  On  this  trip,  which  began 
from  the  old  seaport  of  Gloucester,  Massa- 
chusetts, Commander  Johnson  takes  his 
audience  in  film  and  narrative  to  such  places 
as  Galapagos  with  its  unique  animal  life; 
Easter  Island  with  its  stone  image  mysteries; 
Pitcairn  of  Mutiny  on  the  Bounty  fame; 
Tahiti  with  its  dancing  girls;  Pago-Pago, 
Tarawa,  the  Solomons,  New  Guinea,  the 
East  Indies  including  Bali,  and  Singapore. 

October  12 — South  Along  the  Suwanee 

Allan  Cruickshank 

Mr.  Cruickshank  claims  for  years  to  have 
"flown,  crawled  and  ridden"  into  every 
corner  and  cranny  of  America  where  animal 
life  could  be  studied  intimately  in  its  most 
remote  habitats.  He  is  an  associate  of  the 
National  Audubon  Society,  a  former  mem- 
ber of  the  staff  of  the  American  Museum 
of  Natural  History,  and  during  the  war  was 
an  Army  news  and  combat  photographer. 
In  the  present  lecture  he  tells,  and  shows 
in  color  films,  the  story  of  a  river  whose 
name,  through  Stephen  Foster's  song,  is 
known  to  every  American,  although  few 
know  where  it  is  or  anything  about  the  life 


along  its  banks.  The  lecture  covers  the 
area  from  its  source  in  the  "land  of  trembling 
earth"  in  Georgia,  to  the  mouth  of  the  river 
250  miles  southwest  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

October   19— An  Alaskan  Adventure — 

Mt.  Hayes 

Bradford  Washburn 

By  sea  and  by  land,  Mr.  Washburn 
provides  a  travelog  of  the  famous  Inside 
Passage  and  the  colorful  Richardson  high- 
way leading  into  the  Alaskan  interior  as  he 
leads  the  conquest  of  one  of  the  territory's 
great  virgin  peaks,  Mt.  Hayes,  13,500  feet 
in  altitude.  In  color  films  the  audience  sees 
how  he,  his  wife,  and  four  companions, 
aided  by  radio  and  airplane-parachuted 
supplies,  made  a  record  ascent  in  lightning 
fashion.  This  is  high  adventure  at  its  most 
exciting  pitch.  Mr.  Washburn,  veteran  of 
sixteen  Alaska  expeditions,  knows  the  land 
as  few  men  can.  During  the  war,  he  led  six 
expeditions  for  the  War  Department. 

October  26— Hills  of  the  Plains 

Cleveland  P.  Grant 

Mr.  Grant  is  well  known  to  lecture 
audiences  at  this  Museum.  Formerly  a 
member  of  its  staff  as  curator  of  the  N.  W. 
Harris  Public  School  Extension,  he  resigned 
some  years  ago  to  go  out  on  his  own  as  a 
color  photographer  and  lecturer.  He  has 
since  that  time  made  a  name  for  himself 
nationally  because  of  the  excellent  color 
films  he  has  made  of  wild  life  in  many  parts 
of  America,  and  because  of  the  interesting 
style  he  has  developed  in  his  lectures.  He 
has  appeared  on  Museum  programs  many 
times,  and  this  year  will  present  his  latest 
color  films  of  birds  and  big  game  tracked 
to  the  intimacies  of  their  lairs  in  the  Sand 
Hills  of  Nebraska  and  the  mysterious 
Bad  Lands  of  southern  South  Dakota^ 

November  2 — Home  Life  of  the  Apache 

and  Navajo  Indians 

Tad  Nichols 

In  color  film  and  narrative  Mr.  Nichols 
will  present  the  colorful  geographical  back- 
ground of  the  Navajo  Indians  of  northern 
Arizona.  House  types  in  different  localities 
of  the  reservation,  intimate  camp  life  scenes, 
and  the  Indian's  method  of  dry  farming  are 
followed  by  the  Navajo  family  preparing 
and  eating  a  meal.  A  detailed  sequence  on 
the  process  of  sandcast  silverwork  for 
making  Navajo  jewelry  shows  the  forming 
of  an  ornamental  bowguard  and  ring.  In- 
cluded in  the  film  is  the  complete  story  of 
the  weaving  of  a  Navajo  rug,  from  the 
shearing  of  sheep  to  the  finished  rug.  The 
camp  life  of  the  Apaches  is  also  featured. 

November    9 — The    Philippines— Then 

AND   NOW 

Major  John  D.  Craig 
Major   Craig,   well-known   explorer  and 
deep-sea  diver,  recently  released  from  the 


Army  Air  Forces,  brings  color  motion  pic- 
tures documenting  the  transformation  of 
the  Philippine  Islands  from  a  land  of  tran- 
quil peace  to  one  devastated  by  the  war 
and  their  rebirth  after  liberation  from  the 
Japanese  invaders  by  the  forces  of  General 
Douglas  MacArthur.  Major  Craig's  pic- 
tures and  narrative  are  especially  timely 
inasmuch  as  the  Philippines  were  separated 
from  the  United  States  only  a  few  months 
ago  to  become  the  world's  newest  indepen- 
dent republic.  He  shows  the  natural 
beauties  of  the  islands,  and  intimate  views 
of  the  lives  of  the  gallant  people  who  so 
valiantly  resisted  the  enemy. 

November  16 — Alberta's  Timberline 

Trophies 

Dr.  Arthur  C.  Twomey 

Some  of  the  world's  most  thrilling  scenery 
is  to  be  found  in  the  Canadian  Rockies,  and 
this  will  be  brought  to  Dr.  Twomey's 
audience  in  color  films.  Dr.  Twomey  is  an 
explorer,  scientist,  writer  and  lecturer.  He 
is  curator  of  ornithology  at  the  Carnegie 
Museum,  a  lecturer  in  biology  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pittsburgh,  and  a  lecturer  in 
global  geography  at  the  Carnegie  Institute 
of  Technology. 

November  23 — Yucatan 

Robert  Stanton 

Mr.  Stanton  tells  the  story  of  "The 
Egypt  of  America" — the  land  of  the  Mayas, 
proud  ancient  people  who  built  glittering 
silver  white  stone  temples  and  pyramids  in 
Mexico,  and  developed  a  culture  and  civili- 
zation in  many  respects  paralleling  that  of 
Europe.  Mr.  Stanton's  color  films  show  the 
long  dead  cities  of  Chichen-Itza,  Uxmal, 
and  Kabah,  all  noted  for  their  magnificence 
of  architecture.  He  shows  Merida,  the 
modern  capital,  founded  in  1542. 

November  30— Heritage  in  the  Rockies 

Karl  Maslowski 

If  you  have  never  been  to  Yellowstone, 
here  is  your  chance  to  see  it  in  one  after- 
noon. If  you  have  been  there,  here  is  your 
opportunity  to  revive  delightful  memories. 
Mr.  Maslowski  spent  two  full  seasons 
filming  in  color  the  features  of  this  oldest 
national  park — its  spectacular  mountain 
scenery,  fascinating  geysers,  brilliant  wild 
flowers,  and  the  large  and  small  animals 
which  roam  freely  in  the  park  such  as  bears, 
moose,  big  horn  sheep,  beavers,  and  swans. 
Mr.  Maslowski  is  curator  of  birds  at  the 
Cincinnati    Museum   of    Natural    History. 

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.  Re- 
quests 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. 


Page  i 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


September-October,  191,6 


Editorial 

in  a 
Picture 

Was  this  the 

"GOLDEN 

AGE"? 

As  Dr.  Hambly 
suggests,  these 
Neandert  haters 
of  50,000  years 
ago  had  less  to 
fear  than  we  of 
the  Atomic  Age 

(Diorama 
in  Hall  C) 


PRIMITIVE  WARFARE:    So-called   'Savages'   Fight   Less,   and   Less  Cruelly,  Than  'Civilized'  Nations 

By  WILFRID  D.  HAMBLY 

CURATOR  OF  AFRICAN  ETHNOLOGY 

WHEN  visitors  to  this  Museum  admire 
the  groups  of  Stone  Age  man  they  may 
sometimes  wonder  whether  there  actually 
was  any  "Golden  Age"  of  peace  and  pros- 
perity. A  group  showing  a  family  of 
Neanderthal  man  who  existed  in  Europe 
probably  50,000  years  ago  suggests  a  quiet 
existence  that  has  been  unknown  for  several 
years  in  any  part  of  the  world.  In  those  early 
Stone  Age  times  possessions  were  so  few,  and 
life  so  limited,  that  it  might  be  difficult  to  dis- 
cover causes  for  conflict.  We  can  be  certain, 
however,  that  the  sparsity  of  population  and 
the  absence  of  lethal  weapons  prevented  con- 
flict on  a  heavy  scale,  but  it  may  have  been 
that  quarrels  arose  over  hunting  grounds, 
division  of  food,  possession  of  a  cave,  or  of 
a  wife  to  preside  there. 

Yet,  as  far  as  one  can  judge  by  the  lives 
of  people  who  are  today  organized  in  a  very 
primitive  manner  with  a  view  to  efficiency 
in  hunting,  it  might  be  said  that  organized 
fighting  plays  little  part  in  the  tribal  life. 
Among  the  Pygmies  of  the  Belgian  Congo, 
and  with  the  Bushmen  hunters  of  South 
Africa,  there  are  stringent  rules  regulating 
the  division  of  food  obtained  in  the  chase. 

MORE  PALAVER  THAN  FIGHTING 

The  aborigines  of  Australia  have  little 
co-operative  warfare,  though  it  is  true  that 
they  organize  what  are  called  avenging 
parties  to  obtain  satisfaction  for  the  death 
or  injury  of  a  tribesman.  Though  some 
fighting  does  take  place,  most  of  the  time 
spent  in  hostilities  is  taken  up  by  decoration 
of  the  body,  magical  practices  to  insure 
success,  as  well  as  an  astonishing  amount  of 
speech-making  both  before  and  after  the 
contest  of  arms. 

The  collections  exhibited  in  Hall  D,  where 
the  warfare  of  many  African  tribes  is  repre- 
sented, indicate  that  hostilities  have  played 
by  no  means  a  minor  part  in  the  lives  of 
African  Negroes.  There  are  many  examples 
of  weapons  of  offense  and  defense.  Ap- 
proach to  a  village  was  rendered  difficult  by 
use  of  poison  bamboo  splinters,  which  were 
inserted  in  the  ground  with  the  points  just 
emerging  to  puncture  the  feet  of  the  attack- 
ers. In  Hall  D,  Case  30,  is  a  cuirass  made 
of  crocodile  skin  which  was  used  by  a  warrior 
of  the  Cameroons. 

Certain  horsemen  of  French  Niger  Ter- 
ritory still  wear  heavy  quilted  armor  which 
looks  capable  of  turning  aside  an  arrow  or  a 
spear,  and  in  a  very  restricted  part  of  north- 
east Africa  some  chain  armor  is  used  for  the 
protection  of  horsemen.  The  idea,  and  per- 
haps even  the  armor  itself,  is  said  to  be  a 
survival  from  the  journeys  of  European 
crusaders  who  fought  in  Palestine  in  the 
11th  to  14th  centuries. 

The  value  of  taking  up  strategic  positions 
which   are   accessible  and   commanding  in 


their  view  is  noticeable  in  Africa  at  the 
present  day.  The  writer  observed  in  north- 
east Angola  that  Vasele  people  lived  at 
altitudes  of  about  3,000  feet,  and  their 
small  houses  which  were  arranged  in  clusters 
were  camouflaged  by  the  rocks  and  stunted 
vegetation  of  the  hillsides.  The  people 
came  down  into  the  valleys  to  cultivate  the 
crops.  In  Nigeria,  too,  the  Angas  pagans 
live  at  considerable  altitude. 

The  use  of  magic  in  warfare  was  prevalent 
among  all  African  peoples,  and  practices 
have  survived  into  modern  times  to  make 
the  bullets  of  European  invaders  glance  off 
the  body.  All  kinds  of  concoctions  were 
prepared  for  safeguarding  the  person.  Some 
of  these  compounds  were  taken  internally 
and  others  were  smeared  on  the  body. 

POISONED  WEAPONS 

The  use  of  poisons  on  spears  and  the  tips 
of  arrows  was  fairly  common.  The  Kon- 
komba  and  other  tribes  of  north  Togoland 
treated  their  arrows  with  poison  which  was 
thickly  smeared  on  the  points,  or  they  left 
the  arrow  tips  stuck  in  a  putrid  carcass.  In 
the  Northern  Territory  of  the  Gold  Coast, 
as  recently  as  1929  (and  perhaps  even  at  the 
present  day),  tribesmen  collected  strophan- 
thus  seeds  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  rains. 
Young  men  erected  grass  shelters  away  from 
the  compounds  where  they  lived  and  for  two 
days  no  person  was  allowed  to  approach  the 
secret  place  where  the  poison  was  buried. 
A  sacrifice  of  fowl  was  made  during  this  rite 
and  certain  prohibitions  were  observed. 
Sometimes  a  magical  spell  was  recited  while 
poison  was  being  made,  as  for  example,  "May 
your  heart  burst  and  may  your  ribs  be  torn 
asunder."  The  Jukun  of  Nigeria  smeared 
their  weapons  with  the  juice  of  certain  fruits. 
Some  of  the  warriors  carried  a  species  of 
nuts  which  was  supposed  to  keep  weapons 
from  touching  their  bodies.  Other  soldiers 
obtained  concoctions  of  remarkable  utility, 
for  they  were  supposed  to  make  the  warrior 
invisible  to  the  foe. 

Missile  weapons  include  throwing  knives, 


clubs,  spears  for  thrusting  and  throwing,  and 
slings.  The  use  of  slings  for  throwing  stones 
is  limited  to  a  distribution  in  the  west,  north, 
and  northeast  of  Africa.  Throwing  knives 
vary  very  much  in  pattern.  They  are  often 
used  in  open  country;  for  example,  in  the 
eastern  and  western  Sudan  for  throwing  at 
the  fetlocks  of  horses.  Long  eross-hilted 
swords  are  common  in  northeastern  Africa 
but  not  elsewhere.  Arm-daggers  have  a  very 
wide  distribution  in  northern  Africa. 

CRUDE  FIREARMS 

Since  the  arrival  of  Europeans  toward  the 
end  of  the  15th  century,  firearms  have  be- 
come known  to  African  Negroes  but  have 
never  been  very  commonly  used.  The  usual 
form  of  firearm  is  the  muzzle-loading  gun 
which  is  charged  with  fragments  of  scrap 
iron  obtained  from  European  sources.  The 
marvel  is  that  a  man  can  fire  such  a  device 
and  yet  live.  There  is  a  terrific  recoil,  the 
barrel  may  break  away  from  the  stock,  and 
on  the  whole  it  seems  more  dangerous  for 
the  warrior  than  for  the  person  he  aims  at. 

We  cannot  embrace  the  happy  thought 
that  primitive  warfare  has  always  been  of  a 
very  simple  kind,  confined  to  perhaps  a 
blood  feud  between  two  families  or  an  occa- 
sional fracas.  From  Africa  alone  there  is 
abundant  evidence  that  two  tribes  at  least, 


m 


wmM 


*A  PRIVATE   FIGHT* 
Believe  it  or  not,  screened  behind  these  shields,  two  men 
of  the  Buduma  tribe  of  the  Lake  Chad  district,  central 

Africa,  are  fiercely  fighting. 


September-October,  1 9!t6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  5 


the  Masai  of  East  Africa  and  the  Zulu  of 
South  Africa,  adapted  their  whole  social 
structure  to  military  training  and  conquest. 
These  people  were  absolutely  predatory,  and 
without  waiting  for  any  excuse  marched 
their  army  over  hundreds  of  miles  of  ter- 
ritory, pillaging  and  capturing  wherever 
they  went.  In  Hall  E,  Case  33,  may  be  seen 
some  Masai  shields  made  of  ox  hide.  They 
are  oval  in  shape  and  consist  of  wooden 
frames  over  which  the  hides  are  stretched. 
They  bear  colored  designs  which  distinguish 
the  clans  of  the  warriors.  In  the  same  hall 
(Case  28)  are  Zulu  shields  which  are  long 
and  oval,  and  it  is  said  that  two  of  these  can 
be  cut  out  of  one  ox  hide. 

The  military  organizations  just  mentioned 
were  based  on  a  sedentary  social  organiza- 
tion.   In  other  words,  there  was  a  home  life 


of  women  into  military  services  in  many 
countries  had  a  precedent  more  than  100 
years  ago  in  West  Africa. 

King  Gezo  (1818)  improved  the  force  of 
Amazons  by  recruiting  girls  and  enlisting 
those  whom  he  thought  suitable.  The  ranks 
of  the  Amazons  were  increased  by  enlist- 
ment of  victims  who  had  been  spared  from 
the  annual  sacrifices  of  human  beings.  Fe- 
male criminals  and  divorced  women  were 
also  recruited  for  the  Amazon  corps.  Males 
were  expected  to  withdraw  from  view  when- 
ever the  Amazons  approached  and  struck  a 
warning  gong.  The  women  used  to  carry 
jaw  bones  of  the  enemy,  and  these  were 
attached  to  the  handles  of  swords,  also  to 
their  drums. 

J.  A.  Skertchly,  about  the  period  1871, 
was  an  unwilling  guest  of  the  king  of  Daho- 


HOMES  SHELTERED  FROM  DARTS  OF  THE   ENEMY 

At  feast,  the  Vasele  tribesmen  of  Angola  (Portuguese  West  Africa)  do  not  yet  have  to  go  underground  for  protection 
against  bombs  from  the  sky— unless  some  civilized  nation,  rather  than  a  rival  tribe,  happens  to  attack. 


and  a  definite  area  to  which  the  warrior 
returned.  In  both  the  Zulu  and  Masai 
tribes  training  commenced  at  a  very  early 
age,  and  men  were  not  allowed  to  marry 
until  they  had  attained  the  age  of  forty  years 
and  were  too  old  for  the  warrior  class.  The 
story  of  a  boy's  life  was  one  of  graduation 
through  various  age-groups  until  at  last  he 
changed  the  warrior's  equipment  for  a  cloak 
which  marked  him  as  one  of  the  tribal  elders. 

WOMEN  IN  ARMED  FORCES 

In  Dahomey,  West  Africa,  in  the  period 
1890,  the  whole  male  population  could  be 
called  for  service  when  required,  and  in 
addition  to  men,  women  were  employed  for 
transporting  baggage.  The  corps  of  Ama- 
zons was  recruited  about  1729  as  a  body  of 
armed  women  whose  chief  function  was  to 
swell  the  ranks  of  men  so  as  to  make  a  more 
imposing  sight.  In  anthropological  research 
one  becomes  accustomed  to  finding  that 
really  "there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun," 
and  it  seems  that  the  modern  organization 


mey,  and  he  witnessed  state  ceremonies  at 
which  the  corps  of  Amazons  was  present. 
Skertchly  was  an  inoffensive  entomologist 
whose  main  desire  was  to  collect  butterflies, 
but  it  was  his  fate  to  witness  some  of  the 
bloodiest  ceremonies  which  Africa  has  pro- 
duced. He  saw,  for  example,  the  sacrifice 
of  many  human  victims  who  were  offered  up 
on  the  anniversary  of  the  king's  birthday. 
Skertchly  offers  his  opinion  that  the  women 
were  "impudent  hussies  who  could  not  hit  a 
hay  stack  at  close  range' when  they  fired 
their  blunderbusses."  It  seems  possible, 
however,  that  the  female  regiment  had 
been  slipping  in  discipline  since  1847,  for  at 
that  time  an  earlier  observer,  J.  Duncan, 
saw  the  marching  of  600  Amazons  and 
praised  their  military  precision.  He  says 
that  they  marched  to  the  roll  of  drums  which 
were  ornamented  with  the  skulls  of  their 
enemies,  and  they  successfully  carried  out  a 
maneuver  which  would  severely  test  the 
boys  of  today.    They  scaled  a  prickly  thorn 


bush  enclosure  which  was  seventy  feet  wide 
and  eight  feet  high. 

SLAVERY  AND  CANNIBALISM 

Warfare  was,  of  course,  connected  with 
slavery  and  to  some  extent  with  cannibalism. 
Sometimes  an  expedition  was  organized  with 
the  main  hope  of  securing  slaves,  but  more 
commonly  there  was  a  desire  to  acquire 
cattle  or  other  food  products.  The  con- 
clusion of  a  successful  excursion  was 
generally  marked  with  a  feast  and  drinking 
of  beer.  In  many  tribes  there  was  a  practice 
of  eating  part  of  a  courageous  enemy  in  order 
to  absorb  his  valor  and  other  virtues. 

Cowards  were  probably  very  rare  owing 
to  the  severe  discipline  and  constant  practice 
in  warfare,  but  men  who  ran  away  during 
the  fight,  provided  their  lives  were  spared, 
went  through  a  ceremony  of  carrying  grind- 
ing stones  on  their  heads.  This  was  a  cus- 
tom in  the  Wahehi  tribe  for  showing  that 
men  who  would  not  fight  efficiently  were  fit 
only  for  a  woman's  occupation. 

The  rigors  of  training  in  the  Zulu  army  in- 
cluded long  waterless  marches,  and  exercises 
in  which  one  army  was  commanded  to  attack 
the  other  with  the  zest  of  actual  warfare. 
All  engagements,  either  rehearsals  or  other- 
wise, were  followed  by  terrible  orgies  of 
witchcraft  at  which  the  medicine  man 
selected  those  likely  to  prove  cowards  on 
future  occasions.    Executions  then  followed. 

"medicine  of  hate" 

The  war  dance  has,  of  course,  been  com- 
mon among  military  tribes.  The  object  of 
the  dance  was  to  produce  intense  excitement 
and  to  give  unity  of  purpose.  In  the 
Batonga  army  of  southeastern  Africa  the 
medicine  man  placed  concoctions  into  the 
mouth  of  each  soldier  to  give  him  courage. 
The  warriors  were  then  seated  with  heads 
bowed  on  their  knees  while  an  old  woman 
entered  the  circle  and  sprayed  medicine  on 
their  heads.  Meanwhile  she  cursed  the 
enemy  saying,  "Kill  the  dogs,  break  their 
pots,  and  capture  their  chief."  The  com- 
manding officer  then  fed  his  troops  with  a 
broth   called   the  medicine  of  hatred. 

It  is  not  strange,  perhaps,  that  there 
should  have  been  a  terrible  fear  of  the 
haunting  ghost  of  a  man  who  had  been 
killed  in  battle,  but  to  guard  against  any 
revenge  of  this  kind  the  Batonga  conducted 
a  special  ceremony  to  remove  defilement. 
A  warrior  had  to  use  special  vessels  for  cook- 
ing, and  cuts  were  made  between  his  eye- 
brows so  a  protective  medicine  could  be 
rubbed  into  them. 

So  man  in  Africa  and  in  many  other  parts 
of  the  world  has  organized  his  resources  to 
kill  or  to  be  killed,  to  die  and  to  conquer. 
Civilization  has  spread  primarily  by  achieve- 
ment of  speed,  coupled  with  great  advance  in 
mechanical  invention  and  physical  force. 
But  there  still  remains  the  more  difficult  task 
of  adjusting  human  beings  in  their  social, 
economic,  and  political  relationships. 


Page  6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


September-October,  191,6 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt  Road  and  Lake  Shore  Drive,  Chicago 

Telephone:  Wabash  9410 


THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 

Lester  Armour  Marshall  Field,  Jr. 

Sbwsll  L.  Avery  Stanley  Field 

W.  McCormick  Blair  Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 

Leopold  E.  Block  Henry  P.  Isham 

BOARDMAN  CONOVER  HUGHSTON  M.  McBAIN 

Walter  J.  Cummings  William  H.  Mitchell 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr.  Clarence  B.  Randall 

Howard  W.  Fenton  George  A.  Richardson 

Joseph  N.  Field  Solomon  A.  Smith 

Marshall  Field  Albert  H.  Wetten 

John  P.  Wilson 

OFFICERS 

Stanley  Field President 

Marshall  Field First  Vice-President 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr Second  Vice-President 

Samuel  Insull,  Jr Third  Vice-President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg Director  and  Secretary 

Solomon  A.  Smith Treasurer 

John  R.  Millar Assistant  Secretary 

THE  BULLETIN 

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 

Sharat  K.  Roy Acting  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Karl  P.  Schmidt Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 
H.  B.  II arte Public  Relations  Counsel 


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


MIDWEST  MUSEUMS  CONFERENCE 
SLATED  HERE  IN  OCTOBER 

The  nineteenth  annual  meeting  of  the 
Midwest  Museums  Conference  of  the  Ameri- 
can Association  of  Museums  will  be  held  in 
Chicago  during  the  three  days,  Thursday, 
October  24  to  Saturday,  October  26.  The 
Midwest  Museums  Conference  is  composed 
of  staff  members  from  art,  historical,  and 
science  museums,  mostly  from  the  five 
states  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Illinois, 
Indiana,  and  Ohio.  The  annual  meetings, 
which  customarily  are  held  in  a  different 
city  each  year,  are  the  occasion  for  museum 
personnel  to  review  developments  in  mu- 
seum fields,  discuss  mutual  problems,  and 
observe  the  methods  employed  in  various 
kindred  institutions. 

A  committee  representing  Chicago  mu- 
seums, which  will  act  as  host  to  the  Con- 
ference, is  composed  of  Colonel  Clifford  C. 
Gregg,  Director,  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum,  Chairman;  Dr.  Howard  K.  Gloyd, 
Director,  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences; 
Dr.  Paul  Angle,  Director,  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society;  Mr.  Daniel  C.  Rich, 
Director,  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago; 
Major  Lenox  R.  Lohr,  President,  Museum 
of  Science  and  Industry;  Dr.  John  Wilson, 
Director,  the  Oriental  Institute  of  the 
University  of  Chicago;  Dr.  F.  W.  Schle- 
singer,  Director,  Adler  Planetarium;  and 
Mr.  Ned  J.  Burns,  Chief,  Museum  Division, 
National  Park  Service.  Some  of  the  meet- 
ings will  be  held  in  this  Museum. 


SUNDAY  LAYMAN  LECTURES 
DOUBLED  THIS  SEASON 

The  1946-47  season  of  Sunday  lectures  by 
Mr.  Paul  G.  Dallwig  represents  the  tenth 
anniversary  of  his  feature  known  as  the 
Layman  Lectures.  Beginning  in  November, 
Mr.  Dallwig  will  present  two  lectures,  on 
different  subjects,  each  Sunday — one  in  the 
morning,  and  one  in  the  afternoon. 

The  morning  lectures  will  begin  at  11:30 
o'clock;  the  afternoon  ones  begin  at  2:30  as 
in  the  past.  The  lectures  approximate  two 
hours,  with  intermission  for  refreshments. 

In  November,  the  subject  of  the  morning 
lectures  will  be  "All  Aboard  for  the 
Moon,"  and  the  afternoon  lectures  will  be 
on  "Strange  Monsters  in  Nature's  'March 
of  Time.' " 

Two  new  subjects  each  will  be  announced 
for  the  months  of  November,  December, 
January,  and  March  (February  is  omitted, 
as  Mr.  Dallwig  will  be  on  a  road  tour). 

The  heavy  demand  by  the  public  for  Mr. 
Dallwig's  lectures,  and  the  necessity  of 
limiting  the  size  of  each  audience  make  it 
essential  to  require  advance  reservations. 
Lectures  are  restricted  to  adults.  Reserva- 
tions will  be  accepted  by  mail  or  telephone 
(WABash  9410). 

DR.  SHARAT  K.  ROY  BECOMES 
ACTING  GEOLOGY  CHIEF 

Dr.  Sharat  K.  Roy  returned  to  the 
Department  of  Geology  on  July  3  after 
release  from  military  service  as  a  captain  in 
the  Army  Air  Forces. 

Formerly  Curator  of  Geology,  he  has  now 
been  appointed  Acting  Chief  Curator  of  the 
department,  taking  the  place  of  the  former 
Chief  Curator,  Henry  W.  Nichols,  who 
retired  in  his  seventy-eighth  year,  due  to  ill 
health,  at  the  end  of  1944. 

Dr.  Roy  received  his  commission  and  went 
into  active  Army  service  in  August,  1942. 
Because  of  his  Museum  experience  as  a 
member  of  expeditions  to  Newfoundland, 
Labrador  and  Baffin  Land,  he  first  served 
the  Army  on  special  duties  in  Greenland 
and  Baffin  Land.  Later,  he  served  in  India 
as  a  combat  intelligence  officer. 

Dr.  Roy  has  been  a  member  of  the  staff 
of  the  Museum  since  1925,  serving  first  as 
an  assistant  curator  and  later  as  a  divisional 
curator.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Illinois,  and  earned  his  Ph.D.  at  the 
University  of  Chicago. 


Woman  Scientist  from  Brazil 
Studies  at  the  Museum 

Research  on  the  collections  of  frogs  and 
toads  of  Brazil  in  this  Museum  was  con- 
ducted recently  by  Dr.  Bertha  Lutz,  of  the 
National  Museum  of  Brazil,  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
Dr.  Bertha  Lutz  is  continuing  the  work  of 
her  eminent  father,  Dr.  Adolpho  Lutz,  in 
this  field.  She  was  one  of  the  Brazilian 
delegates  to  the  organizational  conferences 
of  the  United  Nations. 


Botanist  Joins  Staff 

Dr.  Theodor  Just,  who  has  been  appointed 
to  the  post  of  Associate  Curator  of  the 
Department  of  Botany,  began  his  duties  in 
the  Museum  at  the  beginning  of  August. 
He  comes  to  the  Museum  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Notre  Dame,  Notre  Dame,  Ind., 
where  he  held  the  J.  A.  Nieuwland  Research 
Professorship  in  Botany.  He  is  widely 
known  among  his  fellow  scientists  for  his 
capable  editorship  of  the  American  Midland 
Naturalist  and  Lloydia. 

His  first  task  at  the  Museum  will  be  the 
preparation  for  printing  of  the  late  Professor 
C.  J.  Chamberlain's  unfinished  manuscript 
on  The  Cycadaceae  to  be  published  by  the 
University  of  Chicago  Press. 


Museum  at  Same  Location, 
But  New  Address 

The  Chicago  Park  District  has  changed 
the  name  of  Field  Drive  to  Lake  Shore 
Drive,  as  it  is  a  link  between  older  sections 
of  the  latter.  Consequently,  the  official 
address  of  the  Museum  now  is  Roosevelt 
Road  and  Lake  Shore  Drive. 


Change  in  Visiting  Hours 

On  September  3,  the  day  after  Labor  Day, 
autumn  visiting  hours,  9  a.m.  to  5  p.m.,  go 
into  effect  at  the  Museum,  continuing  until 
October  31. 


Staff  Notes 


Mr.  W.  E.  Eigsti  of  the  taxidermy  staff 
has  resigned,  effective  August  1,  to  accept 
a  position  as  director  of  the  Hastings 
(Nebraska)  Museum. 


Mr.  Floyd  G.  Werner  of  Ottawa,  Illinois, 
has  been  given  a  temporary  appointment 
to  the  Museum  staff,  and  has  been  dis- 
patched to  the  island  of  Mindanao  in  the 
Philippines  to  join  the  Museum  zoological 
expedition  working  in  the  field  there  under 
the  direction  of  Captain  Harry  Hoogstraal. 
Mr.  Werner  will  devote  most  of  his  efforts 
to  collecting  insects  and  their  allies,  and 
other  invertebrates.  Majoring  in  biology 
and  entomology,  he  earned  his  B.S.  degree 
at  Harvard  University,  and  has  been 
an  associate  in  the  division  of  insects  at 
the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology. 


Mr.  Karl  P.  Schmidt  has  been  appointed 
a  member  of  the  Continuation  Committee 
of  the  Pacific  Science  Conference. 


Miss  Emma  Neve  has  resigned  from  the 
staff  of  the  Raymond  Foundation  to  accept 
a  position  as  director  of  International  House 
at  the  University  of  Colorado. 


September-October,  19i6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  7 


AMBER,    CLASSED    AS    SEMI-PRECIOUS     'STONE,'     IS    FOSSIL 
RESIN  FROM  PINE  TREES  OF  35  MILLION  YEARS  AGO 


By  HENRY  W.  NICHOLS 

RETIRED  CHIEF  CURATOR,  DEPARTMENT  OF  GEOLOGY 

(Mr.  Nichols  retired  in  19U  after  a  fifty- 
year  career  on  the  Museum  staff  that  began  in 
189 i,  soon  after  the  institution  was  founded.) 

Amber  has  been  prized  from  time  imme- 
morial for  its  delicate  color,  its  translucency, 
and  its  soft,  pleasing  luster.  It  is  classed 
with  the  semi-precious  stones  although  it  is 
not  a  stone  but  a  fossil  resin  of  vegetable 
origin.  This  resin  exuded  from  now  extinct 
species  of  pines  which  grew  in  Lower  Oligo- 
cene  time,  35  million  years  ago,  much  as  the 
"spruce  gum"  chewed  by  country  children 
exudes  from  the  spruce. 

Amber  is  soft,  barely  hard  enough  to 
resist  scratching  by  the  finger  nail.  It  is 
brittle  but  tough.  Its  softness  and  tough- 
ness make  it  an  excellent  material  for  carv- 
ing. It  is  heavy  enough  to  sink  in  water 
but  light  enough  to  float  in  brine,  which 
provides  a  ready  method  of  distinguishing 
the  genuine  from  most  imitations.  It  is 
combustible  like  other  resins,  but  unlike 
its  celluloid  imitation,  not  dangerously  so. 
When  rubbed  with  cloth  it  becomes  electri- 
fied and  attracts  to  itself  light  objects  such 
as  bits  of  straw  or  paper.  From  this 
property  comes  our  word  electricity,  derived 
from  the  Greek  name  for  amber,  elektron. 
Unlike  most  gems  it  is  not  found  as  crystals 
but  as  nodules,  sometimes  as  large  as  a  man's 
head  but  usually  much  smaller.  Some 
amber  is  clear  and  transparent  but  much  of 
it  is  clouded.  Although  the  clear  amber  is 
the  more  valuable,  some  people  prefer 
clouded  varieties. 

At  the  time  it  exudes  from  trees,  amber  is 
soft  and  sticky,  the  hardening  occurring 
later.  Flies,  other  small  animals,  and 
vegetable  fragments  are  sometimes  caught 
in  the  fresh  amber,  and  they  are  thus 
preserved,  as  flies  are  caught  by  fly-paper. 
As  amber  containing  insects  is  more  highly 
prized  than  ordinary  amber,  it  is  frequently 
counterfeited,  usually  by  boring  a  hole, 
inserting  a  common  insect,  and  either  filling 
the  hole  with  some  gum  of  the  same  color 
or  fusing  over  the  opening.  Besides  clear 
and  clouded  ambers,  there  is  ambroid,  not 
easily  distinguished  from  the  other  kinds, 
which  is  made  by  heating  and  compressing 
fragments  of  amber  into  a  compact  mass. 

Most  of  the  amber  of  commerce  comes 
from  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  Sea,  especially 
between  Memel  and  Danzig.  There  it 
is  found  both  on  the  sea  bottom  and 
cast  up  along  the  shore,  and  it  is  also  mined 
from  the  underlying  strata  in  which  it  was 
originally  deposited.  Smaller  quantities 
differing  in  some  respects  from  the  Baltic 
amber  are  found  in  Sicily,  Romania, 
Burma,  and  other  localities. 

PRESCRIBED   FOR    "THROAT   EASE" 

In  modern  times  most  amber  of  gem 
quality  is  made  into  smokers'  articles  such 


as  cigar  holders,  as  well  as  beads  for  neck- 
laces. Its  use  for  smokers'  articles  began  at 
a  time  when  it  was  believed  to  be  a  charm 
against  inhalation  with  the  smoke  of  pes- 
tilences and  infections.  Wearing  amber 
beads  has  persisted  from  prehistoric  times. 
During  the  Middle  Ages,  and  before,  they 


CARVED  AMBER 

Example  among  exhibits  in  Hall  34 

were  worn  as  charms  to  ward  off  complaints 
of  the  throat,  and  belief  in  this  virtue  of 
amber  has  not  wholly  disappeared. 

Another  quality  of  amber  that  makes  it 
a  favorite  for  necklaces  is  that,  unlike  most 
gems,  it  feels  warm  rather  than  cold  against 
the  skin.  An  amber  necklace  makes  such  an 
attractive  addition  to  the  costume  that  it 
will  always  remain  a  favorite  with  women. 
Amber  was  formerly  more  highly  esteemed, 
more  extensively  used,  and  more  costly  than 
at  present.  In  Roman  times,  according  to 
Pliny,  a  small  statuette  of  a  man  carved  in 
amber  often  cost  as  much  as  a  healthy  slave. 
It  was  shaped  into  cameos,  statuettes,  cups, 
rings,  and  a  variety  of  other  ornaments  for 
which  it  is  now  but  little  used.  It  was 
valued  as  a  medicine  to  cure  many  ills  and, 
like  most  gems,  as  a  charm  against  disease 
and  ill  fortune. 

From  and  during  prehistoric  times  wear- 
ing amber  was  considered  a  potent  charm 
against  disease  and  many  kinds  of  ill  fortune. 
According  to  some  authorities  this  belief  in 
the  potency  of  amber  as  a  charm  is  a  survival 
from  the  time  of  widespread  sun  worship 
when  the  yellow  color  and  general  aspect  of 
amber  suggested  that  it  might  partake  of 
the  divine  nature  of  the  sun. 

Early  legends  which  accounted  for  the 
origin  of  amber  sound  fantastic  to  modern 
ears.  The  best  known,  that  given  in  Greek 
mythology,  is  that  amber  is  the  tears  of  the 
Heliades.  The  Heliades  were  the  sisters  of 
Phaeton  who  after  Phaeton's  disastrous 
attempt  at  driving  the  sun's  chariot  were 
changed  into  poplar  trees  which  ever  since 
continually  weep  tears  of  amber. 


Did  you  ever  see  a  guinea  hen  weep? 
According  to  an  account  given  by  Socrates 
but  ridiculed  by  Pliny  who  understood  the 
true  nature  of  the  gem,  the  sisters  of  the 
Greek  hero  Meleager  were,  for  his  offenses, 
changed  to  guinea  hens.  Once  a  year  they 
flew  to  India  and  lands  beyond  and  there 
they  wept  tears  of  amber  for  one  day. 
Among  other  absurd  origins  ascribed  to 
amber  by  the  ancients  was  one  that  it  is 
generated  by  sunlight.  Rays  of  the  setting 
sun,  striking  the  soil  with  great  force,  were 
thought  to  produce  an  unctuous  sweat  which 
when  washed  into  the  sea  by  the  waves 
hardened  into  amber. 

Imitations  of  amber  are  made  from  other 
natural  resins,  from  the  synthetic  resins 
such  as  bakelite,  and  from  celluloid  and 
glass.  Some  of  these  may  be  readily  recog- 
nized but  some  are  quite  deceptive.  In 
case  of  doubt,  drop  the  suspected  amber 
first  into  a  glass  of  plain  water  in  which  it 
will  sink,  then  into  a  glass  of  water  in  which 
four  spoonfuls  of  salt  have  been  dissolved. 
Amber,  including  the  pressed  variety, 
ambroid,  will  float.  Imitations,  except 
copal  and  possibly  some  other  natural 
resins,  will  sink. 

Many  varieties  of  amber  are  shown  with 
the  minerals  in  Hall  34,  and  choicer  examples 
are  in  the  gem  collection  in  H.  N.  Higin- 
botham  Hall  (Hall  31). 


Museum  Librarian  Honored 

Mr.  Carl  Hintz,  Librarian,  has  been 
appointed  a  member  of  the  American 
Library  Association's  Board  on  Resources  of 
American  Libraries,  for  a  five-year  term 
beginning  September  1.  The  Board  con- 
sists of  five  members  and  has  as  its  purposes: 
(1)  To  study  the  present  resources  of  Ameri- 
can libraries;  (2)  to  suggest  plans  for  co-or- 
dination in  the  acquisition  of  research  publi- 
cations. 


Southwest  Zoological  Expedition 

Mr.  Karl  P.  Schmidt,  Chief  Curator  of 
Zoology,  made  an  extended  tour  during 
July  and  August  of  the  western  and  south- 
western United  States  and  northern  Mexico, 
continuing  collections  he  began  last  year 
in  the  Mexican  state  of  Coahuila.  He  is 
also  engaged  in  reconnaissance  in  prepara- 
tion for  future  Museum  explorations  and 
collecting  in  this  area. 


SPECIAL  NOTICE 

All  Members  of  the  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  the 
Bulletin  and  all  other  communica- 
tions may  reach  them  promptly. 


Page  8 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


September-October,  191,6 


FARMING  IN  YUCATAN 

By  ALFRED  LEE  ROWELL 

DIORAMIST,   DEPARTMENT  OP  ANTHROPOLOGY 

The  locale  for  the  next  diorama  to  be 
prepared  for  Hall  B  (New  World  Archae- 
ology) is  Yucatan,  the  Maya  country.  In 
order  to  see  at  first  hand  the  archaeological 
sites,  the  country,  and  the  people,  in  prepa- 
ration for  work  on  this  diorama,  the  writer 
was  sent  by  the  Museum  to  Yucatan  in 
June.  In  addition  to  the  friendly,  likable 
Indians,  whose  ancestors  built  the  spectacu- 
lar Maya  temples,  I  was  especially  interested 
in  present-day  Maya  agricultural  methods. 

Their  methods  of  growing  maize  are 
basically  the  same  today  as  those  used  by 
their  ancestors  1,000  years  ago.  The  real 
reason  is  that  those  methods  are  ideally 
suited  to  the  land  and  to  the  climate.  To 
prepare  a  patch  of  jungle  for  fanning,  in 
September  the  Indian  farmer  cuts  all  the 
brush  and  all  trees  except  a  few  of  the  very 
largest,  leaving  the  cuttings  where  they  fall. 
After  October  there  is  practically  no  rain; 
so  by  February  the  cuttings  are  thoroughly 
dry,  and  are  then  burned  off.  The  stumps 
are  killed  but  are  left  standing. 

In  May  the  rains  begin,  and  the  corn  is 
planted  by  punching  holes  in  the  ground 
and  dropping  in  the  seed.  In  July,  the 
weeds  are  pulled.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  plow  the  land,  and  even  if  it  could  be 
done,  nothing  would  be  gained  by  it. 

The  first  field  I  saw  had  been  planted 
about  two  days,  and  was  the  most  unpromis- 
ing piece  of  farm  land  I  have  ever  seen.  The 
soil  was  shallow,  with  many  outcroppings  of 
limestone.  The  surface  was  strewn  with 
loose  stones,  and  blackened  stumps  two  to 
three  feet  high  and  one  to  six  inches  in 
diameter  were  standing  thickly  over  most 
of  the  field.  There  were  several  sink  holes, 
caused  by  the  collapse  of  small  underground 
caverns,  with  limestone  ledges  around  their 
rims.  Yet  this  field  will  produce  two  to  four 
crops  of  corn  in  consecutive  years;  then  it  is 
allowed  to  grow  up  with  jungle.  No  more 
crops  will  be  grown  on  the  field  for  at  least 
seven  years,  and  perhaps  much  longer. 

Work  has  begun  on  the  construction  of 
the  Maya  diorama,  which  will  incorporate 
many  of  the  observations  made  in  the  field 
on  the  ancient  ruined  city  of  Chichen  Itza 
and  on  the  Maya  Indians  themselves. 


Some  notable  examples  of  Chinese  art, 
including  ancient  ceramics,  bronzes,  the 
figure  of  a  zebu  in  cast  solid  silver,  four  clay 
figures  of  women  engaged  in  a  polo  match, 
and  a  gilt  bronze  figurine  of  a  recumbent 
rhinoceros,  are  displayed  in  Case  No.  7, 
Stanley  Field  Hall. 


Biological  Tissue  Slides 

Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  was 
recently  the  recipient  of  a  gift  of  more 
than  1,400  microscope  slides  of  tissues  of 
various  animals,  including  several  sets  of 
sections  through  entire  embryos  of  turtles, 
salamanders,  frogs,  and  amphisbaenids. 
The  slides,  valued  at  $1,500,  are  a  gift  from 
Dr.  Rainer  Zangerl,  who  accumulated 
them  over  a  period  of  years  in  Europe  and 
the  United  States. 


Are  you  acquainted  with  the  various  small 
mammals  to  be  found  within  the  Chicago 
area?  An  introduction  to  them  is  provided 
by  a  small  exhibit  at  the  east  end  of  Albert 
W.  Harris  Hall  (Hall  18). 


GIFTS  TO  THE  MUSEUM 

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

Department  of  Anthropology : 

From:  Sidney  A.  Teller,  Chicago — a 
medicine  man's  badge  of  office,  Panama; 
W.  N.  Gillett,  Chicago — an  Egyptian  juglet, 
Roman  period,  lst-3rd  Century,  a.d. 

Department  of  Botany: 

From:  C.  H.  Pearson  &  Son  Hardwood 
Co.,  Inc.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. — 4  planks  and  a 
half  log;  Jardim  Botanico  do  Rio  Janeiro, 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil — 47  herbarium  speci- 
mens, Brazil;  Rev.  Fr.  Jose  Eugenio  Leite, 
Nova-Friburgo,  Brazil — 29  herbarium  speci- 
mens, Brazil;  L.  A.  Dreyfus  &  Co.,  Rose- 
bank,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y. — 76  herbarium 
specimens  and  8  wood  specimens,  Brazil; 
University  of  Texas,  Austin,  Tex. — 162 
herbarium  specimens,  Texas;  Dr.  Max  E. 
Britton,  Evanston,  111. — 56  specimens  of 
algae,  New  Guinea  and  Schouten  Islands; 
Dr.  Fred  A.  Barkley,  Austin,  Tex.— 181 
cryptogams,  Texas,  New  York,  and  Nuevo 
Leon;  Harold  B.  Louderback,  Argo,  111. — 
79  cryptogams,  Illinois;  Donald  Richards, 
Chicago — 103  bryophytes,  chiefly  Java; 
Dr.  M.  A.  Brannon,  Gainesville,  Fla. — 20 
specimens  of  algae,  Florida;  Robert  Runyon, 
Brownsville,  Tex. — 29  specimens  of  algae, 
Texas;  University  of  Toronto — 276  mosses, 
Ontario;  Woodstock  School,  Landour,  Mus- 
soorie,  U.  P.,  India — 48  ferns,  India. 
Department  of  Geology: 

From:  Alfred  Reilly,  Chicago — gypsum 
sand,  New  Mexico;  James  H.  Quinn, 
Chicago — a  marcasite  concretion,  Chicago; 
Colin  C.  Sanborn,  Highland  Park,  111  — 
foraminiferous  sand,  Oahu,  Hawaiian  Is- 
lands; Frank  L.  Markham,  Los  Angeles — a 
fossil  pelecypod,  California;  Arthur  Hart- 
man,  Chicago — a  fossil  trilobite,  Illinois; 
Filmore  Turner,  Oak  Park,  111. — 6  minerals, 
New  Mexico;  J.  A.  Sheek,  Silver  City, 
N.  M. — a  specimen  of  quartz  and  feldspar, 
New  Mexico. 

Department  of  Zoology : 

From:  Dr.  Edward  S.  Ross,  San  Francisco 
— 4  paratypes  and  2  additional  specimens  of 
histerid  beetles,  Florida  and  Texas;  Henry 
S.  Dybas,  Chicago — 219  wingless  phorid- 
flies  and  230  insects  and  allies,  U.  S.  and 
Pacific  Islands;  Edward  Ricketts,  Pacific 
Grove,  Calif. — 231  fish  specimens;  Bryan 
Patterson,  Chicago — 136  insects  and  allies, 
Wisconsin;  G.  N.  Rysgaard,  Minneapolis — 
18  amphibians  and  a  snake,  Leyte  and 
Samoa;  John  Jay  du  Bois,  Turlock,  Calif. — 
2   beetles   (paratypes),   California;   Board- 


NEW  MEMBERS 

The  following  persons  became  Members 
of  the  Museum  during  the  period  from 
June  17  to  August  5: 

Corporate  Members 

Henry  P.  Isham,  Hughston  M.  MeBain, 
Clarence  B.  Randall. 

Contributors 

Mrs.  Abby  K.  Babcock* 

Non-Resident  Life  Members 

Orville  A.  Sardeson 

Associate  Members 

A.  L.  Creange,  McPherson  Holt,  Samuel 
Rosens  tone. 

Annual  Members 

E.  E.  Baird,  John  W.  Barriger  III,  John 
P.  Blair,  Paul  W.  Brown,  James  M.  Carry, 
David  S.  Chesrow,  H.  L.  Cook,  John  Caleb 
Cushing,  Walter  L.  Darfler,  Maynard 
Dowell,  Harry  H.  Hagey,  Jr.,  Romaine  M. 
Halverstadt,  Stevens  H.  Hammond,  Mrs. 
Maude  Dowdell  Harris,  Mrs.  Mortimer  B. 
Harris,  Milton  C.  Hartman,  Mrs.  A.  B. 
Hernandez,  Fred  S.  Kahn,  Miss  Jessie  Katz, 
L.  L.  Kelsey,  C.  L.  Lloyd,  George  R.  Manz, 
Arthur  E.  Maybrun,  Robert  W.  Maynard, 
Miss  Martha  Meers,  Amos  C.  Miller,  Mrs. 
R.  B.  Mitchell,  Mrs.  David  Olin,  Alvin 
Oppenheimer,  Miss  Ollie  Rayunec,  Mrs. 
C.  W.  Reese,  Herzl  Rosenson,  A.  R.  Seder, 
Paul  A.  Sellers,  Joseph  F.  Sieger,  William  A. 
Singer,  Mrs.  S.  Sidney  Stein,  Mrs.  Alfred 
Stern,  Herbert  L.  Stern,  Paul  Stratton, 
Mrs.  James  W.  Switzer,  Harold  G.  Warr, 
Thomas  L.  Williams,  Kenneth  H.  Wood. 

*  Deceased. 

man  Conover,  Chicago — 45  African  birds, 
Anglo-Egyptian  Sudan;  Roger  Conant, 
Philadelphia — 11  turtles  and  14  snakes; 
Karl  P.  Schmidt,  Homewood,  111.— 16 
snakes,  Wisconsin;  Ross  Allen,  Silver 
Springs,  Fla. — 38  amphibians  and  a  snake, 
Florida;  Dr.  Julian  A.  Steyermark,  Chicago 
— 12  sucking  lice,  a  leech,  and  a  land  shell, 
Venezuela  and  U.  S. 

Raymond  Foundation: 

From:  Charles  Albee  Howe,  Homewood, 
111. — 82  kodachrome  slides  on  Mexico; 
Chicago  Color  Camera  Club — 52  koda- 
chrome slides  on  various  subjects. 

Library: 

From:  J.  Harry  Howard,  Greenville,  S.  C; 
Beni  Charan  Mahendra,  Pilani,  India; 
Maria  Mitchell  Association,  Nantucket, 
Mass.;  R.  G.  Reeves,  College  Station,  Tex.; 
Willian  E.  Stehr,  Athens,  Ohio;  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  Washing- 
ton, D.C.;  Mrs.  Georg  Vetlesen,  New  York; 
G.  A.  Wainwright,  Khartoum,  Sudan; 
W.  H.  Long,  Albuquerque,  N.  M.;  and  J. 
Christian  Bay,  Boardman  Conover,  Arthur 
De  Vos,  Anthony  Du  Bos,  Stanley  Field, 
Dr.  Asher  Finkel,  W.  J.  Gerhard,  Col. 
Clifford  C.  Gregg,  Mrs.  Marion  Grey,  Dr. 
Fritz  Haas,  Prof.  W.  M.  Krogman,  Dr.  Paul 
O.  McGrew,  H.  W.  Nichols,  Mrs.  H.  W. 
Nichols,  Eugene  Ray,  Karl  P.  Schmidt, 
E.  N.  Smith,  Paul  C.  Standley,  Dr.  Alex- 
ander Spoehr,  and  Loren  P.  Woods,  all  of 
Chicago. 


PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  PRESS 


Chicago  Natur 

BU! 

Formerly^ 


History  Museum 
TIN 


^ijseum  News 


Vol.   17 


NOVEMBER-DECEMBER,   1946 


Nos.   11-12 


WELWITSCHIA,  RAREST  AFRICAN  DESERT  PLANT,  ADDED  TO  EXHIBITS  IN  MUSEUM 


By  B.  E.  DAHLGREN 

CHIEF  CURATOR,  DEPARTMENT  OF  BOTANY 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  all  rare 
plants,    the    Welwitschia    of    south    West 
Africa,    has    recently    been    added    to    the 
Museum's  botanical 
exhibits.   Few,  if  any, 
other  plants  of  Wel- 
witschia    have     ever 
been    seen  in  the 
United     States;     cer- 
tainly none  of  repre- 
sentative size. 

A  large  dried  speci- 
men has  long  been  in 
the  Botanical  Museum 
in  Kew,  England, 
and  some  young  plants 
have  been  grown  from 
seed,  without  ever 
reaching  the  dimen- 
sions and  appearance 
of  mature  specimens, 
such  as  those  now  to 
be  seen  in  the  Mu- 
seum. The  fortunate 
circumstances  by 
which  these  were  ob- 
tained and  the  highly 
appreciated  services  so 
generously  rendered 
by  the  collector  de- 
serve the  following 
record: 

In  1937,  Mr.  J. 
Francis  Macbride, 
Curator   of   Peruvian 

Botany,  was  occupied  in  Paris  with  his 
work  of  selecting  type  specimens  of  tropi- 
cal American  plants  to  be  photographed  for 
the  Museum  herbarium.  There  he  was  in 
daily  contact  with  Professor  Henri  Hum- 
bert, chief  of  the  Division  of  Phanerogamic 
Plants  of  the  Museum  National  d'Histoire 
Naturelle.  Learning  that  Professor  Hum- 
bert was  making  preparations  for  a  botanical 
collecting  trip  to  Madagascar  and  that  his 
ship  would  put  in  at  various  African  ports 
en  route,  Mr.  Macbride  remembered  the 
one  West  African  plant  on  the  list  of  special 
desiderata  for  the  exhibits  in  Chicago. 

He  asked  Professor  Humbert  if  he  would 
use  the  opportunity  offered  by  a  stop  in  an 


Angola  port  to  make  arrangements  to  have 
specimens  and  photographs  sent  to  the 
Chicago  Museum.  Anticipating  difficulty 
in  finding  anyone  in  a  strange  port  to  be 
trusted  with  executing  such  a  commission, 


WELWITSCHIA  PLANTS  IN  MOSSAMEDES  DESERT 

New  habitat  group  in  Martin  A.  and  Carfie  Ryerson  Hall  (Hall  29)  of  one  of  the  ratest  and  strangest  plants  in  the 

world,  found  only  in  two  small  areas  on  the  coast  of  south  West  Africa. 


heavy  crate,  the  leaves  of  the  largest  speci- 
men, somewhat  the  worse  for  the  long 
journey,  were  in  part  still  sufficiently  green 
to  give  a  good  idea  of  their  color  in  the 
natural  condition. 

The  plants  had  been 
grubbed  up  with  some 
feet  of  root  system  in- 
tact, and  arrived,  after 
months  in  the  hold  of 
a  steamer,  with  much 
of  their  moisture  con- 
tent  preserved. 
When,  after  months 
of  further  drying  in 
the  Museum,  it  was 
decided  to  cut  one 
large  plant  at  about 
its  original  ground 
level,  much  more  was 
learned  of  the  capa- 
city of  its  fibrous 
trunk  to  hold  water. 
The  plant  was  dis- 
covered in  1860,  al- 
most simultaneously 
in  two  localities  about 
500  miles  apart  in  the 
coastal  desert  zone  of 
southwestern  Africa. 
It  was  first  brought  to 
Europe  and  called  to 
the  attention  of  the 
scientific  world  by 
Friedrich  Welwitsch, 
an  Austrian  physician 


Professor  Humbert  offered  to  land  in  Angola 
and  make  the  necessary  collections  and 
photographs  before  going  on  to  Madagascar. 
With  the  aid  of  the  Department  of  State  in 
Washington,  permission  was  obtained  from 
the  Portuguese  government  for  Professor 
Humbert  to  collect  and  ship  to  this  Museum 
a  selection  of  specimens  of  Welwitschia — a 
plant  which  because  of  its  scarcity  and 
remarkable  characters  is  accorded  special 
government  protection.  Professor  Hum- 
bert consequently  left  his  ship  in  Benguela, 
capital  and  chief  port  of  Angola,  and 
made  the  overland  trip  to  Moss&medes 
Desert.  Four  or  five  months  later  the  plants 
arrived  at  the  Museum.    Packed  in  a  large, 


and  naturalist  who 
had  been  appointed  director  of  the  Botanical 
Gardens  of  Lisbon  and  Coimbra  in  Portugal, 
and  was  engaged  during  several  years  (1853- 
1861)  in  explorations  in  Angola. 

Welwitsch  found  the  strange  plant  growing 
in  considerable  numbers  on  a  sandy  plateau 
near  Cabo  Negro  in  the  coastal  fog  belt  of 
the  Mossflmedes  Desert.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  so  surprised  and  overwhelmed  by  the 
sight  of  a  plant  of  such  extraordinary 
appearance  that  he  fell  on  his  knees  in  the 
hot  sand  to  stare  at  it,  half  in  fear  that  if 
touched   it   might   vanish. 

Prior  to  his  return  to  Lisbon  in  1861, 
Dr.  Welwitsch  reported  his  find  in  letters 
to  two  leading  botanists  of  his  time,  Sir 


Paget 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


November-December,  1916 


William  J.  Hooker  in  London  and  Alphonse 
de  Candolle  in  Geneva.  Both  communicated 
the  contents  of  his  letters  to  scientific 
societies,  and  extracts  of  the  letters  were 
published.  A  part  of  Welwitsch's  descrip- 
tion as  sent  to  Dr.  Hooker  may  be  quoted: 
"A  dwarf  tree  was  particularly  remarkable, 
which,  with  a  diameter  of  stem  often  of  four 
feet,  never  rose  higher  above  the  surface 
than  one  foot,  and  which,  through  its  entire 
duration  that  not  infrequently  might  exceed 
a  century,  always  retained  the  two  woody 
leaves  which  it  threw  up  at  the  time  of 
germination,  and  besides  these  never  puts 
forth  another.  The  entire  plant  looks  like 
a  round  table  a  foot  high,  projecting  over  the 
tolerably  high  sandy  soil;  the  two  opposite 
leaves  (often  a  fathom  long  by  2  to  2}  2  feet 

broad)  extend  on  the  soil each 

of  them  split  up  into  numerous  ribbon-like 
segments." 

The  above  passage  is  followed  by  a  Latin 
description  of  the  botanical  characters  of 
the  plant  and  the  proposal  to  call  it  Tumboa, 
from  the  vernacular  N'tumbo.  The  letter 
ends  with  the  suggestion  that  exploration 
of  the  territory  to  the  east,  and  of  the  coastal 
strip  to  the  south,  might  well  produce  other 
similar  species. 

FOUND  IN  SECOND  AREA 

This  proved  to  be  an  almost  prophetic 
suggestion,  for  six  months  later,  Professor 
Hooker  received  a  drawing  and  specimens 
in  a  very  decayed  state  of  another  plant  of 
the  same  kind  found  at  Hailgamchale  on  the 
Swakop  River  in  the  Namib  Desert  north  of 
Valvisch  Bay  in  what  was  then  Dutch  South- 
west Africa.  The  sender  and  discoverer 
was  Thomas  Baines,  an  English  artist  who, 
after  three  years  with  Livingston's  Zambesi 
Expedition,  had  decided  to  explore  the 
interior  for  himself. 

Baines'  description  of  the  plant  which  he 
found  in  a  ravine  was  less  precise  than  that 
furnished  by  Welwitsch.  It  was  published 
in  his  book  Explorations  in  South-west 
Africa  (London,  1864):  "In  its  sandy  bed  we 
came  upon  a  bulbous  plant  with  four  leaves, 
14  to  16  inches  wide  and  when  perfect  nine 
or  ten  feet  long,  lying  in  a  cross  upon  the 
ground.  The  ends  were  withered  and  curved 
up  and  in  the  center  was  an  assemblage  of 
small  stems  six  inches  long,  each  bearing  on 
smaller  stems  from  three  to  four  greenish- 
crimson  substances  of  an  elongated  ova  (!) 
and  three-quarters  of  an  inch  thick,  and 
marked  with  scales  like  a  fir-cone." 

The  Baines  specimen  was  at  first  thought 
to  be  of  a  second  species  of  Tumboa,  but 
was  soon  seen  by  Hooker  to  be  of  the  same 
species  as  that  of  Welwitsch,  and  he  decided 
to  name  it  not  Tumboa,  as  suggested  by  the 
discoverer,  but  Welwitschia.  To  this  he 
added  mirabilis  as  the  species  name. 

After  the  study  of  the  material  sent  by 
Baines,  which  contained  ripe  seeds,  Dr. 
Hooker    decided    that    he    could    answer 


Welwitsch's  question  of  how  this  remark- 
able catkin-  and  cone-bearing  dwarf  tree 
should  be  classified,  and  placed  it  botanically 
close  to  the  few  tropical  climbers  that  con- 
stitute the  Gnetum  family,  and  as  such  with 
the  Gymnosperms  or  naked  seed  plants, 
such  as  the  conifers,  ginkgo,  etc.  With  its 
limited  geographical  distribution,  and  lack- 
ing close  relatives  either  living  or  fossil, 
Welwitschia  occupies  an  isolated  position. 
It  is  apparently  to  be  regarded  as  a  highly 
specialized  survival  of  an  ancient  stock  and 
as  such  may  well  be  called  a  relict. 

The  accompanying  illustrations  give  a 
good  idea  of  the  appearance  and  habitat  of 
the  plant,  as  it  is  found  along  a  dry  stream- 
bed  in  the  Mossamedes  Desert.  Its  distinc- 
tive character,  as  compared  with  all  other 
woody  plants,  is  due  primarily  to  the  ces- 
sation  of   all   apical   growth   of  the  stem 


PROF.   HUMBERT  WITH  WELWITSCHIA 

The    collector   of   the   specimens   now   exhibited   in   this 
Museum.    The  scene  is  the  Mossamedes  Desert  in  Portu- 
guese West  Africa  (Angola). 

as  soon  as  the  first  pair  of  foliage  leaves 
has  been  produced.  Thereafter  growth 
takes  place  in  the  transverse  direction 
resulting  in  increase  in  bulk  and  diame- 
ter of  the  plant.  This  is  particularly 
evident  in  the  expansion  of  the  upper  margin 
of  the  stem  where  the  two  strap-shaped 
leaves  are  placed  opposite  each  other. 

The  base  of  each  leaf  is  attached  in  a 
groove  and  it  is  within  the  protection  of  the 
groove  that  the  continuous  growth  of  the 
leaf  takes  place.  In  the  young  plant  the 
two  leaves  are  separated  at  the  base  by  a 
smooth  interval,  but  with  more  rapid  growth 
of  the  leafbearing  parts  of  the  margin,  these 
intervals  become  notches.  With  the  further 
outward  and  upward  expansion  of  the  leaf- 
bearing  sectors  of  the  stem  into  two  great 
woody  lobes  characteristic  of  old  Wel- 
witschia plants,  the  notches  are  converted 
into  clefts  that  divide  the  bowl-shaped  top 
of  the  plant  into  two  halves. 

LEAF  GROWTH  CONTINUOUS 

Throughout  the  lifetime  of  the  plant  the 
growth  of  the  leaf  is  continuous  at  the  base, 
while  a  slow  but  steady  increase  in  width  of 


the  leaves,  also  from  the  base,  keeps  pace 
with  the  increase  in  the  woody  body  of  the 
plant.  The  circumference  of  the  woody 
part  of  old  plants  is  said  to  be  from  12  to 
14  feet.  The  largest  specimen  now  in  the 
Museum  approaches  the  lower  of  these 
figures,  measuring  46  inches  on  its  longer 
diameter  and  38  across.  The  thick  and 
somewhat  woody  leaves  of  each  lobe  are 
split  into  several  broad  and  some  narrow 
strips,  the  combined  width  of  which  is  some- 
what more  than  five  feet. 

Reproductive  structures  consisting  of 
small  staminate  or  male  catkins  and  larger 
cone-like  seed-bearing  ones  are  apparently 
produced  annually  on  separate  plants. 
They  are  borne  on  repeatedly  forked  small 
branches  arising  from  the  growing  zone  at 
the  base  of  the  leaves.  These  branches  are 
regularly  cast  off  after  maturity,  leaving 
pits  to  mark  their  former  position.  The 
seeds  are  scattered  by  the  wind,  but  can 
germinate  only  at  time  of  rains,  which 
accounts  for  the  scarcity  of  the  plants.  At 
time  of  rains  the  seeds  are  likely  to  be  trans- 
ported by  water  and  to  land  along  the 
margins  of  the  temporary  streams,  as  is 
indicated  by  the  lines  of  plants  growing 
along  dry  streambeds. 

In  the  absence  of  anything  like  annual  rings 
of  the  stem  to  mark  the  age  of  the  plants, 
the  number  and  arrangement  of  the  pits  or 
scars  might  seem  to  offer  a  means  of  arriving 
at  an  estimate.  However,  the  alignment  of 
these  is  so  irregular  and  the  scars  left  by  the 
older  pits  are  so  much  confused,  if  not 
entirely  obliterated,  by  the  corky  crust  of 
thin  bark  that  covers  all  the  woody  portions 
of  the  plant,  even  the  roots,  that  any 
attempt  to  estimate  the  age  by  this  means 
appears  hopeless.  The  rate  of  growth  is 
very  slow,  particularly  in  a  desert  where 
sometimes  ten  years  pass  between  rains. 
In  most  perennial  desert  plants  the  root 
system  is  very  long,  and  the  main  taproot 
of  Welwitschia  doubtless  penetrates  to  an 
average  ground  water  level.  But  when  years 
of  drought  go  by  and  even  ground  water 
fails,  the  plant  must  subsist  on  the  liquid 
stored  in  the  vascular  tissue  of  root  and 
stem. 

In  respect  to  a  plant  grown  from  seed  in 
the  Royal  Botanic  Garden  at  Kew,  the 
Curator,  Dr.  Watson,  wrote  in  1916,  36 
years  after  its  planting:  "It  lives,  but 
growth  is  very  slow,  so  slow  that  a  full- 
sized  plant might  at  this  rate  be 

reckoned  a  thousand  years  old." 

The  new  exhibit  is  installed  in  the  south- 
east corner  of  Martin  A.  and  Carrie  Ryerson 
Hall  (Plant  Life,  Hall  29),  on  the  second 
floor  of  the  Museum.  Its  preparation  is  the 
work  of  Mr.  Emil  Sella,  Chief  Preparator, 
assisted  by  Mr.  Milton  Copulos  and  by 
Mr.  Arthur  G.  Rueckert,  Staff  Artist,  who, 
guided  by  the  photographs  made  on  the  spot 
by  Professor  Humbert,  painted  the  desert 
scene  which  serves  as  background. 


November-December,  191,6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  S 


EXPEDITION  TO  SOUTHWEST 
COMPLETES  SEASON 

By  PAUL  S.  MARTIN 

CHIEF  CURATOR,  DEPARTMENT  OF  ANTHROPOLOGY 

(With    the  collaboration    of    Leonard   o.    Johnson, 
Expedition  Assistant) 

The  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 
1946  Archaeological  Expedition  to  the 
Southwest  returned  from  New  Mexico  late 
in  September,  after  the  completion  of 
excavations  and  research  begun  in  early 
June.  Under  the  leadership  of  the  writer, 
for  whom  it  was  the  twelfth  season  of  opera- 
tions in  this  area,  it  continued  the  work  of 
previous  expeditions. 

Others  in  the  party  this  year  included  Dr. 
John  Rinaldo,  Associate,  Southwestern 
Archaeology,  in  the  Museum's  Department 
of  Anthropology;  Mr.  Johnson  (who,  as 
noted  above,  assisted  Dr.  Martin  in  the  histori- 
cal records  of  the  expedition  upon  which  this 
report  is  based) ;  and  two  other  special  expedi- 
tion assistants — Messrs.  Tod  Egan  and 
Robert  Anderson. 

The  site  dug  is  called  the  "SU"  site  and 
is  located  about  100  miles  north  of  Silver 
City,  New  Mexico.  The  culture  which  was 
being  investigated  is  called  Mogollon 
(pronounced  mo-go-yun)  and  has  only 
recently  been  discovered.  As  will  be  ex- 
plained below,  this  culture  is  primitive, 
and  fairly  old  (about  2,000  years). 

CHARCOAL  IS  IMPORTANT 

The  chief  aim  of  this  year's  expedition 
was  to  recover  charcoal  specimens.  This 
may  not  sound  like  a  worthy  goal,  but  it 
was,  nevertheless.  Charcoal  specimens  are 
merely  burned  roof  beams  and  wooden  roof 
supports.  If  we  can  obtain  enough  of  such 
specimens,  we  shall  feel  fortunate,  because 
it  then  may  be  possible  for  the  experts  in 
the  Tucson,  Arizona,  tree-ring  laboratory 
to  date  these  burned  beams  from  the  SU 
houses. 

During  this  last  summer,  we  recovered 
150  specimens  of  burned  roof  beams. 

In  addition  to  the  burned  logs,  approxi- 
mately 500  stone  and  bone  tools  and  15,000 
potsherds  (pieces  of  broken  pottery)  were 
brought  to  light.  The  stone  and  bone  tools 
are  of  an  early  type,  and  the  pottery  is  crude 
and  without  decoration. 

PICK  AND  SHOVEL  HISTORY 
So  much  for  this  year's  work.  Following 
are  a  few  salient  facts  about  the  general 
problem  in  the  Southwest  upon  which 
archaeologists  of  this  Museum  and  other 
institutions  have  been  working  for  years. 
Perhaps  a  thousand  years  before  Colum- 
bus ever  thought  of  searching  for  a  new 
route  to  the  Indies,  the  Mogollon  culture  of 
western  New  Mexico  was  born,  flourished, 
and  disappeared.  An  entire  people  was  lost 
to  history — their  identity,  their  manner  of 
living,  everything. 

It  has  only  been  in  recent  years  that  these 
lost  pages  of  history  have  been  restored  by 
the  Southwestern  archaeologists — not  fully 


restored  as  yet,  but  at  least  the  broad  out- 
line is  discernible. 

PIECING  CLUES  TOGETHER 

Dealing  with  a  culture  of  probable 
antiquity,  we  are  not  permitted  to  view  it  in 
its  entirety;  rather,  we  have  to  work  labori- 
ously, examining  each  stone  artifact,  count- 
ing every  bit  of  pottery,  carefully  excavating 
each  pit-house,  leaving  nothing  unturned  on 
a  site. 

Constantly  checking  and  rechecking  upon 
each  other's  work,  many  archaeologists  are 
steadily  digging  history  from  the  soil  of  the 
Southwest. 

Thus  it  was  through  such   patient  and 
diligent  work  on  the  part  of  a  few  South- 
western archaeologists  that  several  Mogollon 
sites  have  been  excavated.    They  are: 
Bluff  site— A.D.  333 
SU  site— a.d.  500  (tentatively  dated) 
Forestdale  site— A.D.  600-800 
Mogollon  115— a.d.  986-908 
Harris  site— A.D.  896-908 
Starkwesther  site— a.d.  898-927 
Although  there  are  still  numerous  prob- 
lems requiring  additional  and  more  extensive 
investigation,  we  are  perhaps  well  on  our 
way  toward  filling  in  the  gap  between  the 
Cochise  culture  and  the  later,  more  sophisti- 
cated cultural  groups. 

The  Cochise  culture,  most  ancient  in  the 
Southwest,  is  composed  of  three  pre-pottery 
and  pre-house  stages  and  dates  from  a  period 
8000  B.C.  to  approximately  500  B.C. 

EIGHT  LOST  CENTURIES 

We  have,  therefore,  a  period  of  some  800 
years  still  unaccounted  for  between  the 
San  Pedro  stage  of  the  Cochise  Culture  and 
the  Mogollon  Bluff  site  dated  at  a.d.  333. 

Since  the  Bluff  site  has  not  been  reported 
on  extensively  in  publications,  we  may  use 
the  SU  site  for  purposes  of  comparison  with 
the  San  Pedro  stage. 

The  SU  site  may  be  as  early  as  the  Bluff 
site,  but  until  the  charcoal  specimens 
obtained  in  the  seasons  of  1939,  1941,  and 
1946  are  dated,  we  shall  not  know. 

If  the  dates  to  be  obtained  from  the  char- 
coal prove  us  right  in  our  belief  as  to  the 
antiquity  of  the  Mogollones,  further  research 
will  perhaps  cement  the  Mogollon  to  the 
Cochise  culture,  thus  providing  a  complete 
and  continuous  foundation  for  the  later 
cultures  and  so  restoring  another  of  the 
missing  pages  of  the  Southwest's  history." 


EXPEDITION  TO  TRINIDAD 

Early  in  December,  Mr.  Frank  C. 
Wonder,  Staff  Taxidermist,  will  start  on  a 
four  months'  expedition  to  the  island  of 
Trinidad,  British  West  Indies.  No  system- 
atic collection  of  mammals  has  been  made  in 
Trinidad  by  an  American  museum  since 
1893,  and  few  of  them  are  represented  in  the 
collections  of  this  Museum.  Birds,  reptiles 
and  amphibians  will  also  be  collected. 


PHOTO  ENTRIES  UNDER  WAY; 
JUDGES  APPOINTED 

Entries  are  now  being  received  for  the 
Second  Chicago  International  Exhibition 
of  Nature  Photography  to  be  held  by  the 
Nature  Camera  Club  of  Chicago  in  the  halls 
of  the  Museum.  The  deadline  for  entries 
is  January  18,  1947. 

The  exhibition  will  be  held  February  1  to 
28  inclusive.  In  addition  to  the  display  of 
photographs  in  Stanley  Field  Hall,  there  will 
be  projections  of  color  slides  on  the  screen 
in  one  of  the  Museum  lecture  halls  on  Sun- 
day afternoons,  February  2,  9  and  16,  at  3 
o'clock,  to  which  the  general  public  is  invited. 

The  judges  who  will  select  the  photo- 
graphs for  exhibition  are:  Mr.  Karl  P. 
Schmidt,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology,  and 
Dr.  Earl  E.  Sherff,  Research  Associate  in 
Systematic  Botany,  both  representing  the 
Museum;  Mr.  Tappan  Gregory,  Chicago 
attorney,  well-known  for  his  wild  animal 
photography  at  night;  Mr.  D.  Ward  Pease, 
prominent  writer  on  photography;  and  Mr. 
Edward  Lehman,  Associate,  Photographic 
Society  of  America. 

Entry  forms  and  rules  may  be  obtained 
from  the  Museum  or  from  Miss  Louise  K. 
Broman,  6058  S.  Troy  Street,  Chicago  29. 


FIFTH  BOTANICAL  EXPEDITION 
TO  CENTRAL  AMERICA 

The  Museum's  fifth  botanical  expedition 
to  Central  America  will  be  conducted  during 
late  1946  and  through  the  greater  part  of 
1947  by  Paul  C.  Standley,  Curator  of  the 
Herbarium,  who  expects  to  sail  from  New 
Orleans  early  in  November.  Four  previous 
expeditions  by  Mr.  Standley  and  Assistant 
Curator  Julian  A.  Steyermark  explored  the 
twenty-two  departments  of  Guatemala,  and 
secured  material  for  a  Flora  of  Guatemala, 
now  in  course  of  publication  by  the  Museum. 

The  object  of  the  present  expedition  is  to 
obtain  collections  for  a  Flora  of  Middle 
Central  America — the  republics  of  Honduras, 
El  Salvador,  and  Nicaragua.  Mr.  Standley 
expects  to  visit  all  these,  working  mostly  on 
the  Pacific  slope. 


COLLECTIONS  FROM   PERU 

A  large  collection  of  Peruvian  birds,  mam- 
mals, reptiles,  fishes,  and  shells  has  been 
received  recently.  Part  of  the  collection 
was  made  by  Mr.  Colin  Campbell  Sanborn, 
Curator  of  Mammals,  and  included  the  rare 
Bassaricyon  described  in  the  July-August 
Bulletin. 

The  other  part  of  the  shipment  was  a 
collection  made  by  Sr.  Jos6  Schunke,  a 
local  collector  at  Pucalpa,  on  the  Rio 
Ucayali.  This  was  a  six  months'  accumula- 
tion of  specimens  which  he  turned  over  to 
Mr.  Sanborn  for  shipment.  It  contained 
more  than  100  mammals,  360  birds,  and 
many  reptiles,  fishes,  and  shells. 


Page  i 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


November-December,  191,6 


BIRD    LIFE    AT    BIKINI    CARRIES    ON,    DISMISSING    ATOMIC    BOMBS    WITH    UTTER    DISDAIN 


By  MELVIN  TRAYLOR,  JR. 

ASSOCIATE,  DIVISION  OF  BIRDS 

IT  WAS  my  privilege  during  the  last  spring 
and  summer  to  be  present  at  the  atomic 
bomb  tests  at  Bikini  Atoll  as  project  officer 
for  the  pelagic  fishing  survey.  The  purpose 
of  the  survey  was  to  find  out  what  would  be 
the  effect  of  the  atomic  bomb  upon  the 
larger  pelagic  fishes  in  the  waters  outside 


INSPECTION 

Major  Traylor  checks  up  on  a  nesc  of  the  common  noddy. 

the  atoll.  We  were  primarily  interested  in 
the  commercial  fishes — yellow-fin  tunas 
and  skipjack —  but  our  catch  also  included 
large  numbers  of  wahoo,  dolphin  and  the 
dog-toothed  tuna. 

The  pelagic  fishing  survey  was  only  one 
part  of  an  oceanographic  survey  that  the 
Navy  was  conducting  to  study  the  effect 
of  the  bomb.  Scientists  from  the  U.S. 
National  Museum,  the  U.S.  Fish  and  Wild- 
life Service,  the  U.S.  Geological  Survey, 
Woods  Hole  Oceanographic  Institute, 
Scripps  Institution  of  Oceanography  and 
the  University  of  Michigan  were  present  to 
carry  on  this  research,  which  was  under  the 
general  direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Ships, 
U.S.  Navy.  The  basic  plan  was  to  make  a 
thorough  study  of  the  oceanography  of 
Bikini  before  the  explosions,  and  to  return 
after  each  test  to  learn  what  effect,  if  any, 
the  bomb  had  had.  A  similar  survey  was 
to  be  conducted  at  Rongelap,  80  miles  off. 

Although  my  duties  were  primarily  con- 
cerned with  fish  and  fishing,  my  natural 
desire  was  to  study  as  much  as  possible  the 
bird  life  of  the  island.  A  general  picture 
could  be  obtained  by  going  out  with  the 
fishing  boats  for  several  days,  for  their  best 
fishing  grounds  were  in  close  to  the  reef,  so 
that  the  birds  on  the  islands  and  flying  along 
the  reefs  could  easily  be  seen.  Although  the 
bird  life  of  the  atoll  was  rich  in  numbers,  it 
was  very  poor  in  species,  only  nine  forms 
being  resident  throughout  the  year.  All  but 
one  of  these  are  wide  ranging  oceanic  forms, 
the  only  exception  being  the  reef  heron. 

The  two  most  widespread  forms,  which 
were  found  nesting  on  almost  all  the  islands 
of  the  atoll,  were  the  common  noddy  and 


the  fairy  tern.  The  former  is  a  large  gray 
tern  with  a  whitish  cap,  and  the  latter  is 
pure  white  with  only  its  jet  black  eye  and 
blue-black  bill  for  contrast.  The  fairy 
tern  is  probably  the  most  beautiful  bird 
around  the  islands,  and  certainly  the  most 
fascinating  to  study. 

When  approaching  any  of  the  islands, 
groups  of  these  birds  will  always  be  seen 
hovering  over  the  vegetation,  or  indulging 
in  wild  sweeping  flight  high  in  the  air.  The 
high  flying  birds  are  usually  paired,  and 
they  manage  to  maintain  formation  through 
the  most  intricate  maneuvers  in  a  manner 
that  would  be  the  envy  of  any  pilot.  As 
soon  as  an  intruder  lands  upon  the  island, 
more  birds  rise  up  from  the  bushes  nearby, 
form  a  hovering  flock  above  his  head, 
and  will  follow  him  wherever  he  happens 
to  wander.  The  terns  show  no  particular 
fear  of  a  man,  only  curiosity,  and  will  hover 
over  his  head,  peering  at  him  from  all  angles, 
as  long  as  he  cares  to  remain.  As  he 
wanders  around,  new  birds  will  rise  up  to 
meet  him  and  the  old  ones  drop  out  and 
return  to  their  former  perches,  so  that  at  all 
times  a  constant,  but  ever  changing  flock 
will  be  with  him.  The  noddy  terns  show 
no  such  curiosity,  and  only  when  you 
approach  their  nests  will  they  sweep  over 
you,  croaking  defiance. 

NESTLESS  NESTING 

The  nesting  habits  of  the  fairy  tern  have 
always  been  a  source  of  fascination  to  the 
ornithologist  and  the  subject  of  much  specu- 


lation. Their  interest  lies  in  the  fact  that 
no  nest  at  all  is  built,  and  the  single  egg  is 
laid  upon  a  bare  branch  or  upon  the  ground. 

The  ingenuity  displayed  by  the  birds  in 
picking  sites  on  which  the  egg  will  remain, 
even  when  the  trees  sway  in  the  wind,  is 
amazing.  Many  of  the  eggs  are  laid  on  large 
horizontal  branches,  held  there  only  by 
irregularities  in  the  bark;  others  are  laid  in 
little  pits  where  dead  branches  have  fallen 
off,  and  still  others  on  the  broken-off  stubs 
of  branches  which  leave  only  rough  irregular 
platforms  a  few  inches  around.  One  of  the 
most  curious  sites  was  a  U-shaped  bend 
in  a  small  vine  growing  against  an  upright 
branch  of  a  tree.  The  egg  was  resting  in 
the  bottom  of  the  U,  leaning  against  the 
branch,  and  whenever  the  wind  was  strong 
and  the  branch  would  sway,  the  vine  and  its 
curious  burden  would  ride  up  and  down 
against  it.  The  birds  are  not  infallible, 
however,  and  broken  eggs  are  occasionally 
found,  usually  knocked  off  by  the  old  bird 
when  it  flutters  from  the  nest. 

Although  I  was  never  fortunate  enough 
to  see  a  chick  hatch,  I  have  found  the  young 
with  their  down  still  damp,  where  only  an 
hour  or  two  before  I  had  seen  the  egg,  and 
even  at  that  tender  age,  they  had  a  firm 
grip  on  the  branch  with  their  feet  and  claws. 
So  firm  is  their  grip  that  if  you  jerk  them 
off  their  roost  you  will  usually  tear  their  feet 
and  claws.  After  a  few  days'  growth,  how- 
ever, they  become  restless  and  wander  up 
and  down  the  branch  while  waiting  for  the 
parents  to  return  with  fish.     At  this  stage 


MESS  CALL 

Fairy  tern  brings  fish  dinner  to  chick. 


November-December,  1 9^6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  5 


they  are  very  pugnacious,  and  will  spread 
their  wings  and  snap  at  your  hand  if  you 
try  to  handle  them.  From  the  time  they 
are  hatched  they  are  apparently  fed  on  small 
fish,  and  a  sure  sign  of  a  breeding  colony  is 
the  sight  of  the  parent  birds  hovering  in  the 
air,  with  several  small  fish  held  crosswise 
in  their  beaks.  Although  the  parent  bird  in 
the  picture  has  only  three  fish,  birds  have 
been  seen  with  as  many  as  six  or  eight,  and 
it  is  still  a  mystery  how  the  bird  can  continue 
to  catch  fish  without  dropping  the  ones 
already  caught.  In  a  few  weeks  the  feathers 
begin  to  push  through  the  down,  and  the 
young,  when  fledged,  are  a  duplicate  of  the 
parent. 

FLOCK  BY  THOUSANDS 

Although  not  so  eccentric  in  its  habits  as 
the  fairy  tern,  the  white  capped  noddy, 
a  smaller  and  darker  version  of  the  common 
noddy,  was  an  interesting  bird  to  watch  and 
study.  It  is  more  truly  a  colonial  bird  in  its 
nesting  habits,  and  had  extensive  colonies 
on  three  of  the  small  islands  at  the  west  end 
of  the  lagoon.  The  trees  in  the  centers  of 
these  islands  were  taller  than  elsewhere,  up 
to  forty  or  fifty  feet,  and  the  ground  beneath 
them  was  free  of  undergrowth.  The  noddies 
nested  on  the  smaller  branches,  from  ten  to 
thirty  feet  up,  and  every  branch  would  have 
clusters  of  four  or  five  nests  out  near  the  end. 

The  nests  were  of  matted  leaves  and 
seaweed,  in  contrast  to  the  common  noddy 
nests  which  were  made  primarily  of  sticks, 
and  were  large  and  bulky.  The  white 
capped  noddies  fished  as  well  as  nested 
together,  and  in  the  early  morning  and  late 
evening  when  the  flocks  were  coming  and 
going,  the  island  would  be  a  bedlam.  When 
the  flocks  went  out  to  fish,  they  would 
scatter  widely  over  the  ocean  and  single 
birds  could  be  seen  almost  anywhere  you 
looked.  As  soon,  however,  as  a  few  birds 
started  to  feed,  others  would  immediately 
fly  in  to  join  them,  and  soon  flocks  of  a 
thousand  or  more  would  be  massed  together 
over  a  school  of  fish.  This  was  an  advantage 
to  us,  since  they  preferred  to  follow  schools 
of  tuna  to  catch  the  small  bait  that  the  larger 
fish  drove  to  the  surface,  and  large  schools 
of  noddies  would  always  prove  the  presence 
of  tuna  (although  not  guaranteeing  that 
they  would  bite). 

One  island  in  particular  had  a  fascination 
for  me  because  of  the  variety  of  the  birds 
upon  it.  On  the  ground  and  in  the  low 
bushes  around  the  edges  the  common 
noddy  was  nesting  in  profusion;  on  the 
branches  of  higher  trees  was  a  colony  of  the 
white  capped  noddy;  high  in  the  tops  of 
the  trees  were  the  bulky  nests  of  the  red- 
footed  booby,  a  large  gull-like  relative  of  the 
pelican,  and  everywhere  were  the  eggs  and 
young  of  the  fairy  tern.  Here  also  the 
frigate  birds  would  come  to  roost,  and  wait 
for  the  returning  boobies  to  rob  them  of 
their  fish.  The  frigate  birds  are  the  most 
graceful  and  the  swiftest  of  the  sea  birds, 


FAIRY  TERNS  HOVERING  OVER   AN  OBSERVER 


appearing  like  huge  swallows  with  long 
forked  tails;  yet  they  are  lazy  by  habit  and 
prefer  to  live  harassing  the  boobies  and 
terns,  and  forcing  them  to  disgorge  their 
catch,  which  the  frigate  bird  then  snatches 
from  the  air  before  it  strikes  the  water. 

CATCH  FLYING  FISH  IN  AIR 

But  they  are  capable  of  providing  for 
themselves,  and  I  often  saw  them  hovering 
over  a  school  of  dolphin,  and  swooping 
down  to  catch  flying  fish  in  the  air  that  the 
dolphin  had  scared  up.  The  frigate  birds 
were  not  nesting  at  the  time  we  were  there, 
but  there  was  evidence  that  they  had  done 
so  previously — evidence  in  the  form  of  a  large 
pile  of  wings,  the  remains  from  a  foraging 
expedition  of  the  natives.  Since  these  birds 
stay  in  the  low  bushes  only  when  they  are 
nesting,  it  must  have  been  then  that  the 
natives  caught  them. 

Naturally,  when  the  time  came  for  the 
tests,  I  was  very  anxious  to  see  what  the 
effect  would  be  upon  the  bird  life.  Unfor- 
tunately, we  were  at  Rongelap  during  both 
tests  and  missed  seeing  the  bombs  them- 
selves, but  we  returned  in  less  than  a  week 
after  each  and  were  in  a  position  to  judge 
what  permanent  effects,  if  any,  there  might 
be.  Upon  our  return,  we  were  pleasantly 
surprised  to  see  no  visible  effect  upon  any 
of  the  islands  or  their  bird  life,  and  sub- 
sequent examination  showed  no  noticeable 
change  in  numbers.  The  birds  were  con- 
tinuing with  their  regular  household  rou- 
tines, and  were  it  not  for  the  evidence  of  the 
target  ships  it  would  be  difficult  to  believe 
that  the  bombs  had  actually  exploded. 
Although  there  is  a  possibility  of  a  delayed 
effect  from  birds  eating  radioactive  fish, 
of  which  there  were  a  few  in  the  lagoon, 
the  bird  life  as  a  whole  may  be  considered 
unaffected  by  the  bomb. 


MUSEUM   BOOK  SHOP  IS  IDEAL 
CHRISTMAS  GIFT  CENTER 

Expanded  space,  improved  facilities,  and 
new  merchandise  have  been  the  response  of 
the  Museum's  Book  Shop  to  an  increasing 
demand  for  a  larger  selection  of  novelties 
and  books  pertaining  to  natural  history. 

During  the  summer  months,  a  new  parti- 
tion was  constructed  which  practically 
doubles  the  Shop's  area.  The  additional 
space  provides  an  entire  new  wall  of  counter 
and  panel  display. 

Maintaining  a  wide  selection  of  the  best 
books  covering  the  field  of  natural  history 
has  been  the  primary  purpose  of  the  Book 
Shop.  Even  though  many  of  the  standard 
reference  books  have  been  rationed,  or  have 
gone  out  of  print  entirely  during  the  war, 
the  number  of  titles  has  actually  increased 
without  changing  the  policy  of  selling  only 
recommended  publications.  Special  atten- 
tion has  been  given  to  the  need  for  more 
children's  books.  The  new  space  has  now 
made  these  additions  possible. 

New  displays  are  now  completed  of 
genuine  Navajo  silver  jewelry  and  of  ivory 
carvings  of  the  Alaskan  Indians.  Navajo 
rugs,  wood  carvings,  beadwork  and  basketry 
are  also  being  sold. 

Visitors  who  rely  on  the  Book  Shop  to 
furnish  unusual  Christmas  gift  suggestions 
will  be  pleased  to  find  in  stock  a  complete 
line  of  metal  animal  figures  for  the  first  time 
since  the  War. 


THE  MUSEUM  WILL  CLOSE 
ON  BOTH  CHRISTMAS  AND 
NEW  YEAR'S  DAY. 


Page  6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


November-December,  191,6 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

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

Telephone:  Wabash  9410 


THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 
Lester  Armour  Marshall  Field,  Jr. 

Sewell  L.  Avery  Stanley  Field 

W.  McCormick  Blair  Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 

Leopold  E.  Block  Henry  P.  Isham 

BOARDMAN  CONOVER  HUGHSTON  M.  McBAIN 

Walter  J.  Cummings  William  H.  Mitchell 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr.  Clarence  B.  Randall 

Howard  W.  Fen  ton  George  A.  Richardson 

Joseph  N.  Field  Solomon  A.  Smith 

Marshall  Field  Albert  H.  Wetten 

John  P.  Wilson 

OFFICERS 

Stanley  Field President 

Marshall  Field First  Vice-President 

Albert  B.  Dick,  Jr Second  Vice-President 

Samuel  Insull,  Jr. Third  Vice-President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg Director  and  Secretary 

Solomon  A.  Smith Treasurer 

John  R.  Millar Assistant  Secretary 

THE  BULLETIN 

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 C*w/  Curator  of  Botany 

Sharat  K.  Roy Acting  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. 


DR.  SHARAT  K.  ROY  HONORED 

In  recognition  of  his  contribution  to 
Arctic  geology,  a  mountain  on  the  south 
coast  of  Baffin  Land  has  been  named  for 
Dr.  Sharat  K.  Roy,  Acting  Chief  Curator 
of  Geology.  This  was  revealed  in  the  latest 
map  of  that  area  issued  by  the  Hydrographic 
Office,  Washington,  D.C. 

Mt.  Sharat  is  located  at  63°  34'  N.  lat., 
68°  55'  W.  long.,  near  the  head  of  Frobisher 
Bay,  Baffin  Land.  The  bay,  a  westerly 
arm  of  Davis  Strait,  lying  between  Hudson 
Strait  and  Cumberland  Sound,  and  long 
believed  to  be  a  strait  connecting  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans,  was  discovered 
in  1576  by  Sir  Martin  Frobisher,  an  English 
navigator  and  explorer. 

Dr.  Roy  made  his  first  trip  to  Frobisher 
Bay  in  1927-28  as  staff  geologist  of  the 
Rawson-MacMillan  Expedition  of  the  Mu- 
seum to  Labrador  and  Baffin  Land.  On 
this  trip  he  traveled  extensively,  studying 
and  collecting  for  sixteen  months.  The 
results  were  published  in  a  number  of  papers 
by  Dr.  Roy  in  the  Museum's  Geological 
Series.  Since  then  Dr.  Roy  has  revisited 
Frobisher  Bay  twice,  and  during  the  war 
his  duties  as  a  Captain  in  the  Army  Air 
Forces  carried  him  to  every  major  Arctic 
air  base  of  the  North  Atlantic  Command. 


to  Chicago  area  mammals  was  located  at 
the  east  end  of  Albert  W.  Harris  Hall 
(Hall  18).  The  correct  location  is  at  the 
north  end  of  George  M.  Pullman  Hall 
(Hall  13)  near  the  east  end  of  Hall  15. 


President  Field  and  Curator  Schmidt 
Aid  Pacific  War  Memorial 

Mr.  Stanley  Field,  President  of  the 
Museum,  has  become  a  Trustee  of  the  Pacific 
War  Memorial,  and  Mr.  Karl  P.  Schmidt, 
Chief  Curator  of  the  Department  of  Zoology, 
has  accepted  membership  on  the  scientific 
advisory  committee  for  the  project. 

Mr.  Archibald  B.  Roosevelt,  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  states  the  basic  idea 
of  the  organization  is  "to  commemorate  in 
scientific  advancement  instead  of  statues 
and  plaques  the  sacrifices  of  Americans  in 
the  Pacific  area." 


Staff  Notes 


A  Correction 


A  brief  note  in  the  September-October, 
Bulletin,  p.  8,  said  an  introductory  exhibit 


Mr.  Bryan  Patterson,  Curator  of 
Paleontology,  and  James  H.  Quinn, 
chief  preparator  in  paleontology,  left 
in  September  for  southwestern  Texas 
to  collect  specimens  of  mammals  of 
the  Tertiary  period  (50,000,000  years 
ago).  They  will  be  in  the  field  for 
several  months. 

*  *     * 

In  continuation  of  his  work  on  fossil 
turtles,  and  to  expand  the  collections  he  made 
last  year,  Dr.  Rainer  Zangerl,  Curator  of 
Fossil  Reptiles,  conducted  an  expedition  in 
Alabama  last  summer,  returning  to  the 
Museum  in  September.  He  obtained  valuable 
additions  for  the  Museum's  collections. 

*  *     * 

Miss  June  Ruzicka  and  Miss  Lorain 
Farmer  have  joined  the  guide-lecture  staff 
of  the  James  Nelson  and  Anna  Louise  Ray- 
mond Foundation. 

*  *     * 

Mr.  Loren  P.  Woods,  Assistant  Curator  of 
Fishes,  has  been  granted  a  leave  of  one  and  a 
half  to  two  years  to  accept  a  temporary  post  as 
Associate  Curator  of  Fishes  in  the  United 
States  National  Museum,  Washington,  D.C. 
He  will  work  there  with  Dr.  L.  P.  Schultz, 
Curator  of  Fishes,  on  the  classification  of 
some  1,0,000  specimens  of  shore  fishes  of  the 
four  main  Marshall  Islands,  collected  before 
and  after  the  atomic  bomb  tests  at  Bikini. 

*  #     * 

Mr.  Melvin  A.  Traylor,  Jr.,  who  early  in 
the  war  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Marines,  and 
was  commissioned  successively  second  and 
first  lieutenant,  captain,  and  major,  has 
returned  to  the  staff  of  the  Museum,  as 
Associate,   Birds. 

In  recognition  of  Mr.  Traylor's  notable 
gifts  to  the  Museum,  consisting  principally 
of  birds  he  collected  at  Bikini  where  he  was  a 
member  of  the  official  government  scientific 
observation   group   during   the   recent   atom- 


bomb  test,  and  on  expeditions  he  organized 
and  conducted  in  Mexico  prior  to  the  war, 
the  Trustees  have  elected  him  a  Contributor. 

*  *     * 

Resignations  of  two  members  of  the  staff 
have  been  received:  Mr.  Rudyerd  Boulton, 
Curator  of  Birds,  and  Mr.  Bryant  Mather, 
Assistant  Curator,  Mineralogy.  Mr.  Boul- 
ton will  continue  relationship  with  the 
Museum  as  Research  Associate,  Birds. 

*  *     * 

Dr.  R.  M.  Strong  has  been  appointed  Re- 
search Associate  in  Anatomy  in  the  Mu- 
seum's Department  of  Zoology.  Professor 
Emeritus  of  Anatomy  in  the  Loyola  Uni- 
versity School  of  Medicine,  Dr.  Strong  re- 
cently retired  from  the  Loyola  faculty. 


NEW  MEMBERS 

The  following  persons  became  Members 
of  the  Museum  during  the  period  from 
August  6  to  October  15: 

Contributors 

Melvin  A.  Traylor,  Jr. 
Associate  Members 
A.  E.  Bastien,  J.  George  Forster,  Frank 

E.  Gettleman,  Mrs.  Samuel  Hollander, 
Albert  L.  Hopkins,  H.  R.  Hurvitz,  Arthur 
L.  Myrland,  James  G.  Shakman,  William  G. 
Sturm,  Louis  A.  Wagner,  George  Weiner. 

Sustaining  Members 

Mrs.  Ann  Bigelow,  Mrs.  Donald  R. 
McLennan,  Sr. 

Annual  Members 

Robert  M.  Arnold,  Warren  G.  Bailey, 
Miss  Ann  R.  Banks,  Marvin  J.  Bas,  Gail 
Borden,  Rev.  Jacob  G.  Brouwer,  Garfield 
W.  Brown,  B.  E.  Callahan,  Dr.  Peter  P. 
DeBruyn,  Charles  F.  Duggan,  Mrs.  Donald 
W.  Easter,  Daniel  W.  Edgerly,  Miss  Carolyn 
Enid,  Salvatore  Ferrara,  Raymond  W. 
Frank,  John  H.  Galgano,  Mrs.  Gurdon  H. 
Hamilton,  Miss  Frances  Harrington,  Mrs. 
Irvin  H.  Hartman,  Gerard  E.  Hausen,  Wil- 
liam S.  Hennessey,  Mrs.  Elmer  C.  Hill, 
Russell  D.   Hobbs,   Mrs.   Bolter  Holabird, 

F.  H.  Kilberry,  Lyman  R.  Kirst,  Dr.  Alva 
A.  Knight,  Henry  L.  Kohn,  Louis  A.  Kohn, 
Mrs.  Walter  A.  Krafft,  Miss  Nellie  M. 
Krotter,  Clarence  O.  Lillyblade,  Sigmund 
M.  Lederer,  A.  Franklin  Lee,  A.  J.  Lindsley, 
Griffith  Mark,  Archibald  B.  Marx,  Mrs.  L. 
J.  Medberry,  Mrs.  Herbert  S.  Mills,  Jr., 
Dr.  Alfred  N.  Murray,  Ward  A.  Neff,  Wil- 
liam S.  Picher,  Mrs.  S.  C.  Pirie,  Jr.,  Mrs. 
Harold  M.  Pitman,  Mrs.  Henry  Pope,  Jr., 
Mrs.  George  E.  Price,  Fred  L.  Regnery,  Dr. 
Lloyd  K.  Riggs,  Mrs.  Charles  C.  Robbins, 
Mrs.  Joseph  Rosenbaum,  Earl  Ross,  Harry 
J.  Saladin,  Selwyn  S.  Schwartz,  A.  K.  Selz, 
Henry  B.  Sincere,  Floyd  Slasor,  J.  J.  Somes, 
Mrs.  Angeline  Spieth,  Mrs.  John  W. 
Stanton,  Miss  Laura  G.  Stephens,  David  B. 
Stern,  Jr.,  E.  E.  Stewart,  North  Storms, 
M.  D.  Strong,  Holgar  G.  Swanson,  Mrs. 
Ernest  A.  Teich,  J.  Angus  Thurrott,  G.  H. 
Timmings,  David  M.  Weil,  Lawrence  S. 
Wilbur,  Edward  B.  Wilcox,  Mrs.  Harold  C. 
Wilcox,  Mrs.  Arthur  L.  Wilcoxson,  Wallace 
E.  Wing,  Mrs.  James  C.  Worthy. 


November-December,  19U6 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


Page  7 


SOUTHEAST  REPTILES  COLLECTED; 
RESEARCH  IN  MOUNTAINS 

Mr.  Clifford  H.  Pope,  Curator  of  Reptiles 
and  Amphibians,  recently  returned  from 
Highlands,  North  Carolina,  where  he  spent 
July  and  August  directing  the  Highlands 
Museum  and  making  an  investigation  of  the 
reptiles  and  amphibians  of  the  southern 
Appalachians  and  the  adjacent  Piedmont 
Plateau. 

He  brought  back  more  than  600  specimens 
collected  in  some  thirty  different  places  in 
western  North  Carolina,  northwestern  South 
Carolina,  northeastern  Georgia,  and  western 
Tennessee. 

The  chief  subject  of  study  was  the  dis- 
tribution of  reptiles  and  amphibians  in  the 
area  where  the  Blue  Ridge  joins  the  Pied- 
mont Plateau.  Here  an  abrupt  change  from 
2,000  to  3,000  feet  in  altitude  is  correlated 
with  striking  changes  in  the  species  that  one 
finds.  The  most  interesting  animals  of  the 
region  are  the  mountain  salamanders,  Mr. 
Pope  indicates.  Some  species  of  these  are 
found  only  in  the  forests  and  streams  of 
small  areas  near  the  tops  of  mountain 
ranges  at  altitudes  above  3,000  feet. 

One  revelation  of  the  summer's  work  was 
the  evident  fact  that  the  commonest  local 
salamander  of  the  Highlands  region,  Met- 
calfe's salamander,  is  without  a  scientific 
name. 

It  is  thus  evident  that  much  remains  to  be 
done  to  place  the  classification  of  the  sala- 
manders of  this  rich  fauna  on  a  sound  basis. 


LITTLE  KNOWN  PIRARUCU,  GIANT  OF  FRESH  WATER  FISHES 


PIRARUCU,  ONE  OF  THE  LARGEST  FRESH  WATER  FISHES.     SPECIMEN  IS  9  FEET  LONG 


An  exhibit  of  one  of  the  largest  fresh 
water  fishes  in  the  world  has  been  added  to 
the  Hall  of  Fishes  (Hall  O)  at  the  Museum. 

This  gigantic  fish,  the  pirarucu,  is  found 
in  the  Orinoco  and  other  rivers  of  Guiana 
and  in  the  Amazon.  Knowledge  of  its  dis- 
tribution and  of  the  size  it  attains  is  imper- 
fect and,  in  fact,  very  scanty,  according  to 
Mr.  Loren  P.  Woods,  Assistant  Curator  of 
Fishes.  The  name  is  derived  from  two 
South  American  Indian  words,  pira,  mean- 
ing fish,  and  rucu,  red,  the  color  of  its  large 
scales. 

Pirarucu  is  a  member  of  the  fish  family 
Osteoglossidae  or  fishes  with  bony  tongues. 
Its  tongue  is  covered  with  crowded  rasp- 
like teeth.  Natives  collect  tongues  for  use 
as  graters  to  shred  coconut  meat,  manioc 
and  fleshy  roots.  One  known  specimen  of 
the  tongue  is  nearly  seven  inches  long. 

The  Indians  cut  the  fish's  flesh  into  strips 


which,  salted  and  dried,  constitute  for  them 
the  equivalent  of  bacon;  they  also  prepare 
some  of  the  flesh  to  correspond  to  New  Eng- 
land dried  codfish.  Pirarucu  is  a  slow 
swimmer,  and  is  usually  landed  with  harpoon 
or  bow  and  arrow,  almost  never  with  hook 
or  net.  The  species  is  being  overfished  and 
its  numbers  are  steadily  decreasing.  An 
unverified  report  indicates  the  largest 
individuals  grow  to  15  feet  in  length  and 
400  pounds  in  weight. 

The  Museum  exhibit,  an  enlarged  model 
9  feet  long,  made  from  an  actual  specimen 
of  small  size,  was  prepared  by  Taxidermist 
Leon  L.  Pray. 

Visiting  Hours  Change 
Museum  hours,  which  have  been  9  A.  M. 
to  5  P.  m.  in  the  autumn,  change  to  the  win- 
ter schedule — 9  a.  m.  to  4  p.  m. — November 
1  to  February  28. 


GIFTS  TO  THE  MUSEUM 

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

Department  of  Anthropology: 

From:  Morton  K.  Tuller,  Chicago — an 
archaeological  pottery  specimen  from  cave 
tomb,  Okinawa;  Dr.  C.  Martin  Wilbur, 
Alexandria,  Va. — 5  carved  pottery  heads, 
China. 

Department  of  Botany: 

From:  Mrs.  Dorothy  R.  Harvey,  San 
Diego,  Calif. — 228  herbarium  specimens, 
Panama;  Richard  D.  Wood,  Evanston,  111. 
— 78  herbarium  specimens,  Illinois,  and  184 
specimens  of  algae,  California;  Prof.  Maxi- 
mino  Martinez,  Mexico,  D.  F. — 50  herbarium 
specimens,  Mexico;  Ronald  Lambert,  Chi- 
cago— 70  herbarium  specimens,  England; 
Dr.  Elbert  L.  Little,  Jr.,  Arlington,  Va  — 
57  herbarium  specimens,  Colombia;  Museo 
Nacional,  San  Jos6,  Costa  Rica — 115  her- 
barium specimens,  Costa  Rica;  Dr.  V.  J. 
Chapman,  Auckland,  New  Zealand — 13 
specimens  of  algae,  New  Zealand;  Dr.  M.  A. 
Brannon,  Gainesville,  Fla. — 40  specimens 
of  algae,  Florida;  William  A.  Daily,  Indi- 
anapolis, Ind. — 146  specimens  of  algae, 
Indiana;  Harold  B.  Louderback,  Argo,  111. 
— 212  specimens  of  algae,  Utah  and  Colo- 
rado; Donald  Richards,  Chicago — a  col- 
lection of  4,675  specimens  of  mosses. 

Department  of  Geology: 

From:  Prof.  Eliot  Blackwelder,  Stanford 
University,    Calif. — a   specimen    of   quartz 


flour,  Arizona;  Karl  P.  Schmidt  and  Robert 
G.  Schmidt,  Homewood,  111. — 8  geological 
specimens,  Wyoming;  Dr.  R.  H.  Whitfield, 
Evanston,  111. — 2  geological  specimens, 
Illinois;  E.  Mitchell  Gunnell,  Denver,  Colo. 
— 2  geological  specimens,  Mexico. 
Department  of  Zoology: 

From:  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago — 
55  microscope  slides  of  mammalian  tissues; 
S.  G.  Hanson,  New  York — 11  lizards, 
Caroline  Islands;  Edward  F.  Ricketts, 
Pacific  Grove,  Calif. — 68  specimens,  com- 
prising 16  species  of  marine  fishes,  Vancou- 
ver Island;  Dr.  G.  F.  Simmons,  Chicago — 8 
mammal  skins  with  skulls,  Illinois;  Sr. 
Alfredo  de  la  Torre,  Matanzas,  Cuba — 2 
snakes,  Cuba;  Major  A.  B.  Anderson, 
Anglo-Egyptian  Sudan — a  toad,  a  snake, 
a  crocodile,  6  lizards,  Anglo-Egyptian  Su- 
dan; Sr.  Wolfgang  Weyrauch,  Lima, 
Peru — 8  bats,  Peru;  Melvin  A.  Tray- 
lor,  Jr.,  Chicago — 66  birds,  Bikini;  Frank 
Lyman  family,  Lantana,  Fla. — a  rare  sea 
shell,  Florida;  Dr.  Arnold  J.  Nicholson, 
Billings,  Mont. — 330  bats,  New  Hebrides 
and  New  Caledonia;  Walter  L.  Necker, 
Chicago — 63  specimens  of  shells,  Kentucky; 
Dr.  Henry  Field,  Cuernavaca,  Mexico — 25 
land  shells,  Mexico;  Henry  Van  der  Schalie, 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich. — 154  specimens  North 
American  land  and  freshwater  shells, 
United  States;  Mrs.  Ray  O.  Grosjean, 
Angola,  Ind. — a  13-lined  ground  squirrel, 
Indiana;  R.  P.  Ehrhardt,  Gambier,  Ohio — a 
tadpole,  Idaho;  Mrs.  Arnold  A.  Zimmer- 
mann,  Winnetka,  111. — a  snake,  Illinois;  Dr. 


Gordon  Gunter,  Rockport,  Tex. — a  mounted 
turtle,  Texas;  Donald  Huisman,  Oconto, 
Wis. — 3  garter  snakes,  Wisconsin;  Harold 
Trapido,  Panama  City — a  frog,  Panama; 
Kevin  W.  Marx,  St.  Paul,  Minn.— 7  fresh- 
water fishes,  Philippine  Islands;  C.  T. 
Voorhies,  Tucson,  Ariz. — a  coral  snake, 
Arizona;  Dr.  Vasco  M.  Tanner,  Provo, 
Utah — 21  weevils,  Philippine  Islands;  Eu- 
gene Ray,  Chicago — 77  specimens  of  shells, 
Ryukyu  Islands,  and  3,049  insects  and 
spiders,  United  States,  Pacific  Islands;  Capt. 
Harry  Hoogstraal,  U.S.  Army — 9  specimens 
shells  and  crustaceans,  Philippines,  and 
742  beetles  and  insects,  Dutch  New  Guinea; 
Boardman  Conover,  Chicago — 2  bats  and 
21  bird  skins,  Paraguay;  J.  E.  Johnson, 
Waco,  Tex. — 24  snakes,  Texas;  Lincoln 
Park  Zoo,  Chicago — a  lion  cub,  Africa,  a 
hedgehog,  an  Inyala  antelope,  and  a 
Russel's  viper;  Chicago  Zoological  Society, 
Brookfield,  111.— 22  birds,  a  monkey,  a 
grison,  and  an  antelope;  Prof.  Clarence  R. 
Smith,  Aurora,  111. — a  frog,  a  snake,  and  a 
long-tailed  weasel,  Illinois. 
Library: 

From:  Army  Air  Forces  Aeronautical 
Chart  Plant,  St.  Louis;  Birger  Bohlin, 
Statens  Etnografiska  Museum,  Stockholm, 
Sweden;  Dr.  Henry  Field,  Cuernavaca, 
Mexico;  National  Research  Council,  Wash- 
ington, D.C.;  Prof.  H.  T.  Seiler,  Zoologisches 
Institut,  Zurich,  Switzerland;  and  Karl  P. 
Schmidt,  Dr.  Henry  W.  Nichols,  Dr.  Fritz 
Haas,  Colin  C.  Sanborn,  D.  Dwight  Davis, 
and  Rupert  L.  Wenzel,  all  of  Chicago. 


Page  8 


CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  BULLETIN 


November-December,  191,6 


TENTH  ANNIVERSARY  SEASON 
OF  THE  LAYMAN  LECTURES 

Marking  his  tenth  anniversary  as  the 
Sunday  afternoon  Layman  Lecturer  at  the 
Museum,  Mr.  Paul  G.  Dallwig  will  open 
his  season  the  first  Sunday  in  November 
with  a  schedule  of 
double  billings — 
two  lectures  each 
Sunday  on  differ- 
ent subjects,  one  in 
the  morning  and 
one  in  the  after- 
noon. 

This  double 
schedule    will    en- 
able   more    people 
to   enjoy   his   lec- 
tures,   and    early 
reservations   are 
suggested  because, 
PAUL  G.  DALLWIG        at   the   conclusion 
of  the  season  next 
April  27,  Mr.  Dallwig  will  discontinue  this 
activity  for  at  least  one  year. 

The  morning  lectures  will  begin  at  11:30 
o'clock;  the  afternoon  ones  begin  at  2:30  as 
in  the  past.  The  lectures  approximate  two 
hours,  with  intermission  for  refreshments. 
Lectures  are  given  every  Sunday  of  each 
month. 

In  November,  the  subject  of  the  morning 
lectures  will  be  "All  Aboard  for  the 
Moon,"  and  the  afternoon  lectures  will  be 
on  "Strange  Monsters  in  Nature's 
'March  of  Time.'  " 

In  December,  the  subject  in  the  morning 
will  be  "Digging  Up  the  Cave  Man's 
Past,"  and  the  afternoon  lectures  will  be  on 
"The  Museum's  'Parade  of  the  Races' 
in  Bronze." 

For  the  balance  of  the  season,  subjects 
will  be: 

January:  Mornings,  "Gems,  Jewels,  and 
'Junk'";  Afternoons,  "Romance  of 
Diamonds  from  Mine  to  Man." 

February:  Omitted,  as  Mr.  Dallwig  will  be 
on  a  road  lour. 

March:  Mornings,  "The  Romance  of 
Our  American  Forests";  Afternoons, 
"Miracles  in  Wood." 

April:  Mornings,  "Who's  Who  in  the 
Museum  Zoo";  Afternoons,  "The  His- 
tory, Mystery,  and  Romance  of 
Museums." 

The  heavy  demand  by  the  public  for  Mr. 
Dallwig's  lectures,  and  the  necessity  of 
limiting  the  size  of  each  audience  make  it 
essential  to  require  advance  reservations. 
Lectures  are  restricted  to  adults.  Reserva- 
tions will  be  accepted  by  mail  or  telephone 
(WABash  9410). 


ment  Jan.  1,  1940,  died  September  23.  For 
many  years,  he  had  been  a  contributor  to 
the  Museum's  Department  of  Botany,  and 
also  co-operated  by  caring  for  live  plant 
specimens  the  Museum  received. 


Navy  Day  Services 

A  memorial  service  for  those  who  lost 
their  lives  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  Navy  was  held  in  the  James  Simpson 
Theatre  of  the  Museum  in  connection  with 
the  Navy  Day  (October  27)  ceremonies  of 
the  Navy  League  of  the  United  States. 


August  Koch  Dead 

August  Koch,  Chief  Horticulturist  of  the 
Chicago  Park  District  prior  to  his  retire- 


LECTURE  TOURS  ON  WEEKDAYS 
NOVEMBER  AND  DECEMBER 

Tours  of  exhibits,  under  the  guidance  of 
staff  lecturers,  are  conducted  every  after- 
noon at  2  o'clock,  except  Sundays  and  cer- 
tain holidays  (none  on  November  28,  Thanks- 
giving day,  but  Museum  will  be  open;  on 
Christmas  day  the  Museum  will  be  closed). 
On  Mondays,  Tuesdays,  Thursdays,  and 
Saturdays,  general  tours  are  given,  covering 
all  departments.  Special  subjects  are  offered 
on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays;  a  schedule  of 
these  follows: 

November 

Fri.,  Nov.  1 — The  Introduction  of  Man  to 
Earth — Prehistoric  Man  (June  Ruzicka). 

Wed.,  Nov.  6— Winter  in  the  Bird  World 
(Winona  Hinkley). 

Fri.,  Nov.  8— World  Breadbaskets  (Roberta 
Cramer). 

Wed.,  Nov.  13 — How  Animals  Protect 
Themselves  (Lorain  Farmer). 

Fri.,  Nov.  15 — Nature's  Apprentices — 
Agents  Which  Aid  Nature  in  Pollination 
(Miriam  Wood). 

Wed.,  Nov.  20— "Mr.  America"— The 
American  Indian  Before  and  After  1492 
(June  Ruzicha). 

Fri.,  Nov.  22— Reading  the  Earth's  Diary 
(Winona  Hinkley). 

Wed.,  Nov.  27— Feast  Days— World-Wide 
Feast  Customs  (Roberta  Cramer). 

Fri.,  Nov.  29 — Before  the  Dawn  of  History 
(Lorain  Farmer). 

December 

Wed.,  Dec.  4 — The  Land  of  the  Mummies 
(June  Ruzicka). 

Fri.,  Dec.  6 — Beneath  the  Surface — Life 
Under  Water  (Lorain  Farmer). 

Wed.,  Dec.  11— When  the  Glacier  Came  to 
Chicago  (Winona  Hinkley). 

Fri.,  Dec.  13— "On  Stage,  Everybody"— 
The  Universal  Appeal  of  the  Theatre 
(June  Ruzicka). 

Wed.,  Dec.  18 — African  Animals  (Lorot'n 
Farmer). 

Fri.,  Dec.  20 — Christmas  Customs  (Roberta 
Cramer). 

Wed.,  Dec.  25 — No  tour,  Christmas  holiday, 
Museum  closed. 

Fri.,  Dec.  27 — Primitive  Holidays  (Roberta 
Cramer). 


ADULT  SATURDAY  LECTURES 
CONTINUE  IN  NOVEMBER 

The  Autumn  lecture  course  for  adults 
continues  on  Saturday  afternoons  through 
November.  The  lectures,  accompanied  by 
color  motion  pictures,  begin  at  2:30  p.m., 
and  are  given  in  the  James  Simpson  Theatre 
of  the  Museum.  Following  are  the  dates, 
subjects  and  speakers: 

November  2 — Home  Life  of  the  Apache 
and  Navajo  Indians 
Tad  Nichols 

November    9 — The    Philippines — Then 
and  Now 
Major  John  D.  Craig 

November  16 — Alberta's  Timberline 

Trophies 

Dr.  Arthur  C.  Twomey 
November  23 — Yucatan 

Robert  Stanton 
November  30 — Heritage  in  the  Rockies 

Karl  Maslowski 

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.  Re- 
quests 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. 


FD7E  MORE  RAYMOND   PROGRAMS 
FOR  CHILDREN  ON  SATURDAYS 

The  final  five  free  motion  picture  pro- 
grams for  children,  some  accompanied  with 
stories  presented  in  person  by  men  who 
made  the  movies,  will  be  given  in  the 
autumn  series  on  Saturday  mornings  during 
November.  These  entertainments  are  pre- 
sented under  the  auspices  of  the  James 
Nelson  and  Anna  Louise  Raymond  Founda- 
tion for  Public  School  and  Children's 
Lectures.  The  programs  will  be  given 
at  10:30  a.m.  in  the  James  Simpson  Theatre 
of  the  Museum. 

Following  is  the  schedule: 

November  2 — Indian  Life  in  the  Paint- 
ed Desert 

November  9 — Wings  Over  Latin  America 

November  16 — Indians  and  Eskimos  of 
the  Northwest  Coast 

November  23 — Our  Own  Country 

November  30 — A  Naturalist's  Diary 


Chinese  Scholar  Here 

Dr.  Cheng-Chao  Liu,  a  member  of  the 
staff  of  West  China  University,  Chengtu, 
is  now  in  Chicago  engaged  in  a  six-months 
research  project  in  the  Division  of  Reptiles 
and  Amphibians  at  this  Museum. 


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