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CHICAGO 
NATURAL^ 
HISTORY   To/.  36 

MUSEUM    ^afi€€€n^ 


J\ro.  y 
49€S 


MEMBERS'  CHILDREN 
EXPLORE  THE  WORLD 


MIRIAM  WOOD,  CHIEF 
RAYMOND  FOUNDATION 


THE  NEWEST,  and  one  of  the  most  rewarding  activities  de- 
veloped by  the  Museum  in  recent  years  for  its  members, 
has  been  the  Members'  Children  Workshops  offered  on 
Saturdays  during  the  fall.  Presented  in  1963  and  1964, 
these  workshops  have  attracted  more  than  600  children  in 
these  two  years. 

The  programs  were  developed  and  given  by  staff  mem- 
bers of  the  Raymond  Foundation,  which  is  one  of  the  edu- 
cational divisions  of  the  Museum.  Their  purpose  was  to 
introduce  our  young  members  to  the  story  of  the  natural 
world  and  man.  The  subjects  of  the  workshops  ranged  from 
cave  men  and  Indians  to  spices,  fall  fruits  and  colors,  rocks 
and  minerals,  fossils,  insects,  and  animals  without  back- 
bones. The  learning  experience  was  structured  to  give  the 
children  an  opportunity  to  meet  our  scientific  staff,  to  work 
closely  with  Museum  specimens  and  artifacts,  and  to  seek 
answers  to  some  of  their  questions  about  the  world  around 
them. 

In  the  first  year,  the  programs  were  offered  to  youngsters 
from  1 0  to  13  years  old,  but  younger  ones,  from  6  to  9,  were 
included  this  year.  Parents  who  brought  their  children  had 
an  opportunity  to  see  progress  being  made  in  the  Museum 
— major  construction  under  way,  research,  and  the  prepa- 
ration of  new  exhibits.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  talk  with  these 
parents  in  small  groups  while  they  waited  for  their  children. 
But  this  was  just  a  side  benefit  for  us;  all  the  emphasis  in  the 
programs  was  on  the  children. 

They  came  with  enthusiasm — some  shyly,  some  exuber- 
antly, some  bringing  their  own  collections  and  books,  but 
all  with  alertness  and  a  zest  for  exploring  everything  in  na- 
ture. Their  enthusiasm  was  contagious  and  the  Museum 
staff  loved  them. 

When  the  workshops  were  over,  we  asked  the  young 
people  to  give  us  their  reactions  so  that  we  might  incorpo- 
rate them  in  our  planning  for  future  sessions.  One  10-year- 
old  boy  wrote:  "I  think  you  learn  a  lot  .  .  .  by  just  plain 


talking  about  facts  and  bringing  out  more  facts."  He  seemed 
to  be  expressing  the  views  of  so  many  who  eagerly  talked, 
looked,  examined,  felt,  sniffed,  made  tests,  watched  movies, 
and  asked  questions  and  more  questions. 

The  youngest  ones  worked  with  rocks  in  one  workshop, 
and  with  insects  in  another.  They  seemed  to  get  the  most 
from  handling;  one  8-year-old  put  it:  "There  were  insects 
to  touch  .  .  .  and  I  liked  dissecting  a  grasshopper." 

The  fossil  workshop  prompted  a  10-year-old  boy  to  write 
"Fossils  . . .  it's  my  hobby;  it's  one  job  machines  can't  take 
over." 

More  girls  than  boys  participated  in  the  spices  program, 
where  they  sniffed  aromatic  herbs  with  delight,  but  at  least 
one  boy  discovered  that  "spices  were  interesting  because  I 
hadn't  tasted  or  given  thought  (s)  to  them  before." 

After  the  experiments  on  rocks  and  minerals,  this  com- 
ment came:  "I  found  out  you  can't  tell  rocks  from  the 
outside." 

The  final  line  in  the  evaluation  of  a  boy  who  signed  his 
name  and  gave  his  age  as  12  years,  8  months,  was:  "I  wish 
you  had  one  [workshop]  on  your  plant  exhibit.  It  is  fan- 
tastic." And  it  is  "fantastic,"  as  is  the  whole  world  of 
nature  and  man,  which  offers  us  all  so  much  to  see,  under- 
stand, and  enjoy.  We  look  forward  with  pleasure  to  more 
programs  for  our  young  members.  ■ 


Page  2    JANUARY 


OF  NATURE 


In  the  workshops,  youngsters  discover 

spices,  fossils,  rocks,  insects, 

and  the  animals  hunted 

by  prehistoric  men 


JANUARY     Page  S 


CHICAGO 
NATURAL 
HISTORY 
MUSEUM 


MUSEUM  NEWS 


APPOINT  NEW 

ANTHROPOLOGY  CHIEF  CURATOR 


DR.  DONALD  COLLIER  has  been  ap- 
pointed Chief  Curator  of  the  De- 
partment of  Anthropology  at  Chicago 
Natural  History  Museum  as  of  Decem- 
ber 1,  1964. 

A  member  of  the  Museum's  staff  since 
1941,  Dr.  Collier  is  a  specialist  in  the 
Indians  of  South  America  and  the  Aztec 
and  Inca  civilizations  of  Mexico  and 
Peru. 

As  head  of  the  Museum's  Department 
of  Anthropology,  Dr.  Collier  replaces 
Dr.  Paul  S.  Martin,  who  is  retiring  after 
30  years  as  Chief  Curator. 

Dr.  Martin  is  president  of  the  Society 
for  American  Archaeology,  and  expects 
to  continue  an  active  program  of  teach- 
ing and  research  as  Chief  Curator  Em- 
eritus at  the  Museum. 

Donald  Collier  was  born  on  May  1, 
1911,  in  Sparkill,  New  York.  He  did 
his  undergraduate  work  at  Stanford 
University  and  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia at  Berkeley,  and  received  his  Doc- 
tor of  Philosophy  degree  in  anthropology 
from  the  University  of  Chicago. 

After  teaching  at  Washington  State 
College,  he  came  to  Chicago  Natural 
History  Museum  in  1941  as  Assistant 
Curator  of  South  American  Archaeol- 
ogy and  Ethnology.  In  1943  he  became 
Curator,  retaining  this  position  until  his 
present  appointment. 

Dr.  Collier's  research  interests  are  in 
the  culture  history  of  the  New  World, 
especially  the  rise  of  the  ancient  civiliza- 
tions of  Mexico  and  Peru.  He  has  made 
three  expeditions  to  South  America  and 
several  study  trips  to  Mexico  for  the 
Museum. 

In  1941-42,  he  directed  a  pioneer 
study  of  an  archaeologically  unknown 
area,  the  southern  highland  of  Ecuador. 

In  1946  he  excavated  in  the  Viru  Val- 
PageU    JANUARY 


ley  of  Peru,  and  in  1946  he  did  archaeo- 
logical surveying  and  digging  in  the 
Casma  Valley  of  Peru.  His  work  in  these 
coastal  sites  resulted  in  new  knowledge 
of  the  beginnings  of  intensive  farming 
and  of  pre-Inca  village  life  between  2000 
and  500  b.c,  and  the  development  of 
urbanization  and  the  mass  production 
of  handicrafts  that  took  place  among  the 
Incas  between  a.d.  1000  and  1500. 

In  Mexico,  he  has  studied  Aztec  and 
pre-Aztec  art,  the  ancient  system  of  mar- 
kets, and  the  relation  of  irrigation  agri- 
culture to  the  rise  of  cities. 

As  the  son  of  John  Collier,  who  for 
many  years  worked  for  the  welfare  of 
Indians  in  the  United  States  and  served 
as  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  from 
1933  to  1945,  Collier  has  also  been  in- 
terested in  the  Indians  of  North  Amer- 
ica. He  has  studied  several  Indian  tribes 
in  Oklahoma,  Montana,  and  South  Da- 
kota. In  addition,  he  has  done  archaeo- 
logical work  in  Arizona,  and  directed 
one  of  the  early  archaeological  salvage 
projects  in  the  flood  area  behind  Wash- 
ington's Grand  Coulee  Dam. 

Collier's  investigations  into  the  pre- 
Columbian  civilizations  of  Mexico  and 
Central  America  have  provided  original 
material  and  authentication  for  the  Mu- 
seum's exhibition  hall  on  the  Aztec  and 
Maya  Indians.  The  hall  was  completed 
under  his  direction  in  1960. 

At  present.  Collier  has  begun  to  plan 
a  complete  revision  and  reinstallation  of 
the  Museum's  exhibitions  on  the  Indians 
of  South  America. 

Collier  is  a  past  president  of  the  Cen- 
tral States  Anthropological  Society  and 
a  member  of  the  executive  board  of  the 
American  Anthropological  Association. 
He  is  a  Lecturer  in  Anthropology  at  the 
University  of  Chicago.     He  also  holds 


Dr.  Donald  Collier 

memberships  in  the  Society  for  Amer- 
can  Archaeology,  the  Institute  of  An- 
dean Research,  Sigma  Xi,  and — reflect- 
ing his  interest  in  art — the  Renaissance 
Society  of  Chicago. 

Among  his  publications  are  a  study  of 
peyote — the  plant,  the  cult,  and  the  drug; 
an  exposition  of  radiocarbon  dating; 
culture  studies  of  several  American  In- 
dian tribes;  extensive  reports  of  his  ar- 
chaeological work  in  Ecuador  and  Peru; 
studies  of  Aztec  and  Maya  art;  a  general 
book  on  North  American  prehistory, 
Indians  before  Columbus,  written  in  col- 
laboration with  Paul  S.  Martin  and 
George  Quimby  (recently  selected  for 
the  White  House  library);  a  book  on 
Indian  Art  of  the  Americas;  and  numerous 
reviews. 

Collier  is  married  to  the  former  Mal- 
colm Carr,  also  an  anthropologist.  They 
have  two  college-age  sons. 


22 "  Pound  Pyrite 
Crystal  Donated 


RECENTLY  a  fine  specimen  of  pyrite 
(fool's  gold)  was  donated  to  the 
Museum.  Although  pyrite  is  a  fairly 
common  mineral  the  particular  interest 
of  our  specimen  is  its  unusual  size  and 
the  fact  that  it  is  essentially  a  single 
crystal  with  several  well-developed  cube 
faces.  The  faces  are  nearly  six  inches 
on  a  side  and  the  specimen  weighs  near- 
ly 22  pounds.  As  such,  it  is  by  far  the 
largest  we  have  in  our  collection,  and 
in  fact  it  must  be  as  large  as  or  larger 
than  any  nugget  of  fool's  gold  on  record 

i      from  the  entire  United  States. 

It  is  worthwhile  to  record  the  story  be- 

'  hind  this  donation.  Mrs.  Louise  Helton 
of  Copperhill  and  Mrs.  Etoise  Pate  of 
Ducktown,  Tennessee,  visited  the  Muse- 


Dr.  Bertram  G.  Woodland 
hefts  22-pound  pyrite  crystal 

um  sometime  ago.  They  carried  back 
to  Tennessee  such  a  favorable  impres- 
sion of  their  visit  that  they  rememljered 
the  Museum  when  an  opportunity  arose 


to  show  their  appreciation  in  a  practical 
way.  The  pyrite  had  been  found  in 
the  Cherokee  Mine  of  the  Tennessee 
Copper  Company  at  Ducktown,  Ten- 
nessee. Mr.  Oliver  Hawk  of  the  Ten- 
nessee Copper  Company  made  the 
specimen  available  and  Mrs.  Helton 
and  Mrs.  Pate  brought  it  to  the  Museum. 

Presentation  was  made  in  memory  of 
Mr.  Lynn  Pate  (Mrs.  Pate's  late  hus- 
band) and  Mr.  Paschal  Hughes,  who 
were  killed  in  a  mine  accident  in  the 
Ducktown  area  in  1963. 

Before  making  the  trip  to  Chicago, 
Mrs.  Helton  wrote  to  Mayor  Richard  J. 
Daley,  who  made  the  arrangements  for 
the  presentation.  In  a  letter  to  Mrs. 
Helton,  Mayor  Daley  wrote : 

"I  am  taking  the  opportunity  to  thank 
you  for  the  gift  of  pure  pyrite  crystal  pre- 
sented to  our  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory. Mr.  E.  Leland  Webljer,  Director 
of  the  Museum,  informs  me  that  this 
crystal  is  a  valuable  addition  to  their 
collection. 

"The  city  of  Chicago  is  grateful  for 
this  fine  specimen  and  is  especially  ap- 
preciative of  the  kindness  expressed  in 
making  us  the  recipient  of  this  valuable 
museum  piece." 

The  Ducktown  area,  also  known  as  the 
Copper  Basin,  is  a  world-famous  metal- 
liferous mining  region,  copper  ore  hav- 
ing been  mined  there  since  1847.  Since 
1907  the  sulfur  present  in  the  ores  has 
been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  sul- 
furic acid,  which  is  now  one  of  the  re- 
gion's major  products.  The  ore  cur- 
rently mined,  about  1,300,000  tons  a 
year,  contains  one  per  cent  both  of  cop- 
per and  zinc,  twenty-six  per  cent  sulfur 
and  thirty-six  per  cent  iron.  Our  speci- 
men of  pyrite  (iron  sulfide)  contains 
some  pyrrhotite  (another  variety  of  iron 
sulfide)  and  chalcopyrite  (copper  iron 
sulfide).  The  zinc  ore  is  reclaimed  and 
sold  to  zinc  smelters,  while  the  iron,  in 
the  form  of  iron  oxide,  is  sintered  and 
sold  as  a  high-grade  iron  ore. 


MUSEUM  GIVEN 
$200,000  GRANT 

THE  MUSEUM  has  received  a  grant  of 
$200,000  from  the  Robert  R.  McCor- 
mick  Charitable  Trust  for  general  sup- 
port of  the  Museum's  programs  of  re- 
search and  education.  The  gift  is  the 
largest  private  foundation  grant  received 
in  the  history  of  the  Museum. 

In  accepting  the  grant.  Museum  Pres- 
ident James  L.  Palmer  said: 

"Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  is 
one  of  the  Chicago  institutions  that  serves 
all  ages,  from  young  children  to  senior 
citizens,  and  all  levels  of  education,  from 
the  primary  grades  to  the  doctoral  and 
post-doctoral  level.  Opportunities  con- 
tinually arise  for  enlarging  and  strength- 
ening our  contributions  to  knowledge 
and  to  the  community.  The  generous 
support  of  the  McCormick  Trust  is  very 
gratifying  as  we  seek  to  broaden  the  base 
of  public  support  for  the  Museum. 


HOLIDAY  SCIENCE 
LECTURES 


ONE  OF  THE  most  difficult,  yet  most 
important  scientific  frontiers  of  our 
time — the  human  mind — was  probed 
by  Dr.  Francis  O.  Schmitt,  Professor  in 
the  Department  of  Biology  at  Massachu- 
setts Institute  of  Technology,  during 
the  1964  Holiday  Science  Lectures 
held  at  the  Museum  on  December  28 
and  29. 

More  than  800  outstanding  high  school 
students  from  the  Chicago  metropolitan 
area  were  selected  by  their  school 
principals  to  attend  the  lectures  during 
Christmas  vacation. 

Dr.  Schmitt  began  his  discussion 
{Continued  on  page  8) 

JANUARY     Page  5 


OUR  SUDDEN  SPATE  OF  NEW 


A  Progress  Report 


BOXES  —  crates  —  cartons  —  drawers. 
Truckload  after  truckload  of  them, 
all  filled  with  fossil  invertebrates,  have 
arrived  at  Chicago  Natural  History  Mu- 
seum from  the  Walker  Museum  of  the 
University  of  Chicago.  \Vhile  the  new 
quarters  are  being  finished.  Geology 
Department  staff  and  assistants  are  un- 
packing, sorting,  labeling,  and  putting 
the  University  specimens  in  standard 
Museum  boxes  and  drawers. 

A  year  ago,  our  entire  collection  of 
fossil  invertebrates  occupied  (to  over- 
flowing) 1,672  drawers.  The  combined 
collections  will  be  distributed  (with 
space  to  grow)  among  10,625.  Stacked 
one  on  another,  these  drawers  would 
tower  slightly  more  than  half  a  mile  in 
the  air. 

This  enlarged  collection  will  shortly 
take  its  place  as  one  of  the  nation's 
top-ranking  "libraries"  of  fossil  inver- 
tebrate sfjecimens.  For  a  library  it  is, 
not  only  in  the  sense  that  "There  are 
sermons  in  stones,  lessons  in  the  running 
brooks,"  but  in  the  use  to  which  it  will 
be  put.  Members  of  the  Museum  staff 
use  the  specimens  daily  as  reference  ma- 
terial in  their  research — but  if  this  were 
their  only  use  we  might  well  be  regarded 
as  overindulged.  University  students 
use  the  collections  both  for  learning  to 
recognize  and  understand  fossils  and  for 
guiding  their  first  fledgling  flights  into 
research.  Paleontologists  from  other 
institutions  in  this  country  and  abroad 
consult  this  "library"  to  examine  sjjeci- 
mens  in  their  special  fields.    And,  true 


to  the  uses  of  libraries,  we  lend  speci- 
mens to  qualified  researchers  for  their 
study  elsewhere.  This  practice  confers 
a  double  benefit:  on  the  scholar  who 
gets  the  use  of  the  material  and  on  the 
Museum,  whose  specimens  are  thus 
checked  in  the  light  of  the  latest  under- 
standing. All  of  these  values  and  ser- 
vices will  now  be  enhanced  in  propor- 
tion to  the  increased  size  of  the  col- 
lection. 

As  we  unpack  the  specimens,  we  find 
one  area  after  another  in  which  our 
horizon  is  broadened.  To  our  fine  col- 
lection of  Mississippian  crinoids  from 
Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  is  added  a  tier 
of  drawers  of  not  only  more  crinoids, 
but  the  rarer  associated  fossils  that  will 
reveal  more  of  that  ancient  environ- 
ment. The  large  Tucker  collection  of 
Tertiary  marine  fossils  adds  many  new 
localities  and  faunas  to  what  we  had. 
James  Hall's  overwhelming  quantities 
of  corals,  clams,  brachiopods,  and  other 
denizens  of  New  York's  Devonian  seas 
clarify — as  even  his  renowned  lithograph 
plates  and  lucid  discussions  could  not — 
the  nature  of  these  classic  faunas.  Each 
box  we  open  reveals  gaps  filled  and  new 
research  material  available. 

The  unpacking  has  kept  up  a  bustle 
of  activity  throughout  this  past  year, 
first  in  a  basement  room,  later  in  the 
blocked-off  half  of  a  major  exhibition 
hall — the  only  space  we  could  locate  that 
was  adequate  for  the  growing  stacks  of 
drawers.  With  space  to  put  the  speci- 
mens in  standard-sized  cardboard  trays 


that  fit  without  crowding  into  their  new 
drawers,  and  with  labels  neatly  trans- 
cribed, we  discover  with  delight  fossils 
from  areas  long  since  collected  bare, 
and  among  them  the  prime  specimens 
that  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  first  collectors. 

Transcribing  the  old  labels  brings  us 
into  almost  personal  contact  with  legen- 
dary figures  of  seventy  or  a  hundred 
years  ago,  men  whose  names  we  have 
long  known  from  their  writings,  as  well 
as  others  who  simply  collected. 

One  of  the  large  individual  collections 
was  brought  together  by  Charles  L. 
Faber,  known  for  a  handful  of  publi- 
cations from  Cincinnati  in  the  '80's  and 
'90's.  Many  of  the  labels,  on  a  stiff  rag 
stock,  bear  the  heading  "Q.C.N.H.  So- 
ciety" in  an  antique  typeface.  For  some 
days  we  were  puzzled  by  this  abrevia- 
tion,  until  it  occurred  to  us  that  Cin- 
cinnati is  sometimes  called  the  "Queen 
City  of  the  Ohio,"  and  that  there  must 
have  been  an  early  Natural  History  So- 
ciety using  that  name.  Some  day  we 
may  find  answers  to  other  questions: — 
did  Faber  acquire  the  collection  upon 
the  demise  of  the  Society?  Was  the 
whole  Society  just  his  own  name  for 
his  own  collection?  There  is  no  men- 
tion of  a  predecessor  in  the  first  number 
of  the  Journal  of  the  Cincinnati  Society 
of  Natural  History.  Most  of  the  speci- 
mens with  these  labels  are  from  Ger- 
many, probably  a  reflection  of  Cincin- 
nati's German  heritage  (or  of  Faber's?). 
On  a  few  labels,  the  locality  is  noted  as 
"Wiirttemberg,   Germany,"   on  others 


Pages    JANUARY 


Eugene  S.  Richardson,  Jr. 
Curator,  Fossil  Invertebrates 


OLD  FOSSILS 


on  the  Walker  Collection 


as  "Western  Germany."  But  most  are 
"WGer,"  which  could  be  either.  We 
decided  that  this  more  probably  meant 
Western  Germany,  rather  than  Wiirt- 
temberg,  and  have  so  transcribed  the 
labels.  The  labels  of  the  Q.C.N.H.  So- 
ciety included  catalog  numbers,  but 
there  were  no  corresponding  numbers 
on  the  specimens,  a  sad  omission  when 
label  and  sjjecimen  have  drifted  apart. 
Curiously,  the  numbers  run  only  from 
1  to  119,  so  that  in  this  collection  of 
many  hundreds  of  specimens  each  num- 
ber is  used  several  times.  Perhaps  the 
numbers  refer  to  pages  of  a  catalog  yet 
to  be  found,  rather  than  to  individual 
entries.  When  Faber  collected  speci- 
mens himself,  he  jotted  down  a  mini- 
mum amount  of  information  on  a  scrap 
of  newspaper  wrapped  with  each  lot. 
The  habit  of  abbreviating  also  turns 
up  on  these.  We  found  the  notations 
"BM"  on  some  scraps,  "KCM"  on 
others.  At  last,  clues  from  more  voluble 
labels  led  us  to  interpret  these  as 
"Booneville,  Missouri"  and  "Kansas 
City,  Missouri" — but  still,  there  is  al- 
ways a  shade  of  uncertainty  in  such  in- 
terpretations. 

Among  the  fossils  of  the  Haines  Col- 
lection, another  part  of  the  Walker  Mu- 
seum trove,  some  are  cryptically  labeled 
"PCIll."  Being  by  this  time  aware 
of  what  can  be  done  with  abbreviations, 
we  shortly  concluded  that  this  probably 
meant  "Peoria  County,  Illinois."  In 
making  this  and  other  such  interpre- 
tations, we  depend,  of  course,  on  our 


Like  a  vast  array  of  safe-deposit  boxes,  these  drawers  containing  fossil  invertebrates 

from  the  University  of  Chicago  await  their  move  into  new  permanent  quarters  now 

being  constructed  as  an  addition  to  the  Museum  building.     With  Assistant  David 

Techter  taking  notes,  Dr.  Richardson  puts  numbers  on  the  labels  to  guide  the  movers 

in  placing  the  drawers  in  proper  position  in  their  new  cabinets. 


general  familiarity  with  fossils.  The 
specimens  are  such  as  might  well  have 
come  from  Peoria  County,  but  not  from 
Perry,  Piatt,  Pike,  Pope,  Pulaski,  or 
Putnam  counties.  The  hundred-year 
old  Haines  Collection  is  interesting  in 
many  ways,  and  we  are  gradually  form- 
ing an  impression  of  its  gatherer.  Ap- 
parently she  was  Mary  P.  Haines,  wife 
of  Joshua  Haines  of  Richmond,  In- 
diana, and  a  woman  of  unusual  attain- 
ments. Her  specimens  are  neatly  num- 
bered, each  one  with  a  small  white 
paper  rectangle  pasted  to  the  fossil  and 
bearing  a  delicately  inked  number  to 
correspond  with  a  tidy  catalog  entry. 
Her  interests  were  broad,  as  was  her 
correspondence.  While  her  collection 
is  predictal)ly  rich  in  Ordovician  fossils 
from  the  vicinity  of  Richmond,  there 
are  also  many  others,  including  a  num- 
Iser  of  Cretaceous  specimens  from  Tex- 


as, probably  sent  by  a  friend.  Among 
some  papers — including  her  daughter's 
German  lessons —  was  an  alphabetical 
list  of  the  plants  that  she  had  seen  grow- 
ing in  Richmond  (including,  she  notes, 
garden  plants),  and  a  letter  from  a  lady 
in  California  enclosing  a  fern,  still 
sound  enough  to  be  placed  in  the  Mu- 
seum's herbarium. 

The  most  extensive  collection,  and  the 
most  impwrtant  comjxjnent  of  the  Walker 
accumulation,  is  the  vast  collection  of 
James  Hall  (1811-1898).  This  was 
bought  by  the  University  of  Chicago 
from  Hall's  estate.  But  though  thou- 
sands of  specimens  were  unpacked  and 
have  now  served  in  the  instruction  of 
generations  of  students,  there  was  not 
room  in  the  Walker  Museum  for  all  of  it. 
Over  three  hundred  wooden  ijoxes  re- 
mained to  be  unpacked  at  the  time  of 
the  transfer  to  Chicago  Natural  History 


JANUARY  Page  7 


A  corner  of  Exhibit  Hall  36  has  been  blocked  off  to  serve  as  a  workroom  for  trans- 
ferring University  specimens  to  Museum  storage  drawers.     The  drawers  seen  above 
contain  about  a  quarter  oj  the  expanding  collection  of  fossil  invertebrates  that  will 
eventually  be  housed  in  the  building  addition  now  under  construction. 


Museum.  It  is  the  unpacking  of  these 
specimens  that  has  been  the  most  re- 
warding. Here  are  the  fossils  studied  by 
America's  greatest  invertebrate  paleon- 
tologist at  the  time  when  he  was  writing 
his  renowned  series  of  quarto  volumes 
published  "by  authority  of  the  State  of 
New  York."  Here  are  proof  sheets  of 
the  lithographed  plates,  with  Hall's  no- 
tations to  the  artists.  Here  also  is  a  fine 
though  inadvertent  collection  of  Amer- 
icana in  the  form  of  old  newspajiers, 
cigar  boxes,  pill  boxes,  used  to  wrap  or 
contain  the  specimens.  The  greatest 
number  of  newspapers  date  from  the 
1870's  and  '80's,  issuing  from  New  York, 
Albany,  Cincinnati,  and  many  smaller 
towns.  The  oldest,  from  Waterville, 
New  York,  were  printed  in  1830  and 
served  as  packing  for  a  quantity  of  plas- 
ter and  sulfur  molds  of  fossil  crinoids. 
As  it  is  pMDSsible  that  these  molds  may 
represent  important  lost  specimens,  they 
are  being  kept  with  all  care  in  our  new 
trays  and  drawers. 

Though  a  librarian  may  aspire  to  ob- 
tain copies  of  every  book  in  a  limited 
field,  either  in  the  original  or  in  micro- 


film, our  library  of  fossils  can  never  be 
complete.  Many  sf)ecies  of  extinct  in- 
vertebrates are  known  from  single  frag- 
mentary specimens;  others,  whose  type 
material  is  now  lost,  are  known  from 
old,  inadequate  publications.  Our  goal, 
rather,  is  to  have  a  good  general  repre- 
sentation of  the  field  of  fossil  inverte- 
brates, and  toward  this  goal  each  collec- 
tion brought  to  the  Museum  advances  us. 
Tiffany,  Tucker,  Sampson,  Sloss, 
Smith,  VVeller,  James,  Jenni,  Krantz, 
Bassler,  Moore,  Plummer — the  roll  of 
collections  goes  on.  Some  are  small, 
some  large,  some  important,  others  less 
so,  but  all  were  brought  together  care- 
fully and  even  lovingly,  and  each  lends 
its  character  to  the  whole  that  is  opening 
before  us.  They  will  now  be  blended 
with  the  collections  already  here — Roy, 
Head,  Langford,  Ward,  Dyer,  Nelson 
and  others — each  specimen  put  with 
others  of  its  kind  in  a  self-indexing  ar- 
rangement. Thus  both  Museum  staff 
and  visiting  scientists  can  efficiently 
use  this  magnificent  resource,  which  is 
expected  to  take  its  place  as  one  of  the 
most  renowned  and  useful  of  its  kind.  ■ 


HOLIDAY  SCIENCE 
LECTURES 

{Continued from  page  5) 

of  mental  processes  with  a  report  on 
molecular  organization  and  cell  func- 
tion, molecular  information  processing 
and  molecular  neurology.  His  final 
subject  was  "The  Science  of  the  Mind : 
A  New  Synthesis."  Each  lecture  was 
followed  by  a  lively  question-and- 
answer  jjeriod. 

The  Holiday  Science  Lectures,  now 
in  their  third  year  at  the  Museum, 
afford  outstanding  high  school  students 
an  opportunity  to  hear  first-hand  reports 
on  work  being  done  by  eminent  scien- 
tists of  the  nation. 

The  lectures  are  presented  nationally 
by  the  American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science  in  cooperation 
with  scientific  institutions  in  major  cities 
across  the  country,  under  a  grant  from 
the  Nation2d  Science  Foundation.   ■ 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt  Road  and  Lake  Shore  Drive 

Chicago,  Illinois  60605 

Telephone:  922-9410 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McConnick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Marshall  Field 
Cliflord  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  InsuU,  Jr. 
Henry  P.  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 

J.  Howard 


Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
Wood 


OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  Vice-President 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 

Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer 

and  Assistant  Secretary 

E.  Leiand  Webber,  Secretary 

THE   BULLETIN 

EDITOR 
B,  LcUad  Webber,  Director  of  the  Museum 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Donald  Collier,  Chief  Curator  of  Anchropolog^ 

Louis  O.  Williams,  Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Raincr  Zangerl,  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 
Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Relations  Counsel 

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


Page  8    JANUARY 


PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  PRESS 


..    1 V  "jp.?;'.^  ,a»-,V- --it   ■'^-'iW-j 


CHICAGOjO^/l^ 
HISTORY  ^^6r 

MUSEUM     ^Omm^ 


Museum  News 


0«ISI»KI»IVI 


INTERNATIONAL 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

EXHIBITION 

THE  TOMATO  hornworm  on  the  cover, 
photographed  by  John  Kohout  of 
LaGrange  Park,  Illinois,  is  an  example 
of  the  outstanding  camera  work  that 
can  again  be  seen  at  the  Museum  during 
the  20th  Chicago  International  Exhibi- 
tion of  Nature  Photography.  Sponsored 
by  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 
and  the  Chicago  Nature  Camera  Club, 
the  competitive  exhibition  will  run 
through  February  21,  1965.  Color  trans- 
parencies will  be  projected  on  two  Sun- 
days, February  7  and  February  14,  at 
2:30  P.M.  in  the  Museum's  James  Simp- 
son Theatre. 

A  panel  of  five  judges  selected  the  pho- 
tographs and  slides  from  thousands  of 
national  and  international  entries  and 
assigned  awards  to  the  most  outstand- 
ing. Museum  staff  on  the  panel  are: 
Dr.  Fred  M.  Reinman,  Assistant  Cura- 
tor of  Oceanic  Archaeology  and  Ethnol- 
ogy, and  John  Bayalis,  Division  of  Pho- 
tography. The  other  judges  are  Samuel 
VV.  Kipnis  and  Julius  Wolf,  well-known 
photographic  exhibitors,  and  Mrs.  Isa- 
bel B.  Wasson,  noted  naturalist,  lecturer, 
and  photographer. 


MARCH  PROGRAMS 
FOR  CHILDREN 

Two  SATURDAY  programs  for  children 
will  be  presented  in  March  at  the 
Museum  under  the  auspices  of  the  Ray- 
mond Foundation.  On  March  6,  Camp 
Fire  Girl  Day,  the  theme,  "Indian  Amer- 
ica," will  be  explored  through  color 
movies  on  Indian  life  in  the  forests, 
plains,  and  deserts.  Following  the  pro- 
gram, direction  sheets  will  be  available 


for  children  interested  in  exploring  re- 
lated Indian  exhibits  in  the  Museum. 
On  March  27,  awards  will  be  given  to 
youngsters  who  participated  in  the  Mu- 
seum's Journey  Program  in  the  past  year. 
Free  and  open  to  all  children,  the  pro- 
grams will  begin  at  10:30  a.m.  in  the 
James  Simpson  Theatre. 


STAFF 
ACTIVITIES 

A  sum  of  $32,100  has  been  awarded  to 
Dr.  Louis  O.  Williams,  Chief  Cura- 
tor of  Botany,  by  the  National  Science 
Foundation  for  continuation  of  his  bo- 
tanical field  work  in  Central  America 
during  the  next  two  years.  Dr.  Williams 
is  currently  in  Central  America  collect- 
ing specimens  and  data  on  the  little 
known  plants  of  that  region  (see  page  7). 

DR.  RAiNER  ZANGERL,  Chief  Curator 
of  Geology,  has  been  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Society  of  Vertebrate  Pale- 
ontology. 

KENNETH  STARR,  Curator  of  Asiatic 
Archaeology  and  Ethnology,  has 
been  appointed  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Far  Eastern  Civilizations  at 
the  University  of  Chicago.  This  follows 
his  appointment  last  year  to  the  Univer- 
sity's Committee  on  Southern  Asian 
Studies.  Dr.  Starr  is  one  of  several  Mu- 
seum staff  members  who,  through  ap- 
pointment to  university  faculties,  partic- 
ipate in  the  teaching  and  supervision  of 
doctoral  candidates  in  the  Museum  fields 
of  interest. 

FRED  M.  REINMAN,  Assistant  Curator 
of  Oceanic  Archaeology  and  Eth- 
nology, has  been  awarded  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy  in  Anthropology 
from  the  University  of  California  (Los 
Angeles). 


Dr.  Reinman  is  interested  in  the  in- 
terrelationships between  environment, 
culture,  and  technology.  His  doctoral 
thesis  is  an  investigation  of  the  ways  in 
which  oceanic  peoples  have  developed 
increasingly  successful  fishing  tech- 
niques and  implements  to  exploit  the 
sea  as  a  source  of  food. 

CHIEF  CURATOR  of  Zoology  Austin  L. 
Rand  has  written  the  section  on 
gnatcatchers  and  kinglets  for  a  new  book. 
Song  and  Garden  Birds  of  North  America, 
just  published  by  the  National  Geo- 
graphic Society. 

DR.  RUPERT  L.  WENZEL,  Curator  of 
Insects,  and  Mr.  Henry  S.  Dybas, 
Associate  Curator,  attended  the  nation- 
al meetings  of  the  Entomological  Society 
of  America,  held  in  Philadelphia.  Dy- 
bas served  on  the  program  committee 
and  as  chairman  of  the  section  on  gen- 
eral entomology.  Wenzel  moderated  a 
symposium  on  "Past  Climates  and  Pres- 
ent Distributions  of  North  American 
Insects." 

DR.  GABRIEL  EDWIN,  Assistant  Curator 
of  Vascular  Plants,  spoke  on  repro- 
ductive mechanisms  in  plants  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Illinois  State  Society  of  Mi- 
croscopists. 

GEORGE  I.  QuiMBY,  Curator  of  North 
American  Archaeology  and  Eth- 
nology, gave  two  speeches  recently  on 
his  studies  of  the  Indians  and  archaeol- 
ogy of  the  Upper  Great  Lakes  Region 
from  1600-1820.  One  lecture,  on  In- 
dian villages,  was  given  at  the  School  of 
Architecture  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
at  Chicago.  The  other  was  presented  at 
a  workshop  on  archaeology  sponsored 
by  the  Illinois  Archaeology  Survey  and 
held  at  the  University  of  Illinois  at  Ur- 
bana.  Later  Mr.  Quimby  returned  to 
Urbana  to  conduct  a  seminar  on  eco- 
logical causality  and  culture  for  the  De- 
partment of  Anthropology.  ■ 


Page  2    FEBRUARY 


Spring  Film  Programs 


ON  NATURE 

AND  PEOPLE 

AROUND  THE  WORLD 


THE  123rd  series  of  free  illustrated 
lectures  for  adults  will  be  presented 
in  the  James  Simpson  Theatre  on  Satur- 
day afternoons  during  March  and  April. 
The  lectures  begin  at  2 :30  p.m.;  seats  are 
reserved  for  Members  until  2 :25  p.m. 
Following  is  the  complete  schedule  of 
programs. 


March  6 
Ranching  It  in  California 

Albert  J.  Wool 

Overlooking  the  ocean  from  Califor- 
nia's Santa  Cruz  Mountains  is  a  beauti- 
ful country  of  rolling  hills,  towering  red- 
woods, and  clear  mountain  streams — a 
"land  of  heart's  desire"  such  as  city 
dwellers  long  for  but  seldom  attain.  The 
first  film  in  the  Museum's  spring  series 
offers  a  chance  to  get  away  from  it  all  as 
Albert  Wool  treats  us  to  a  portrait  of  the 
joys  and  wonders  of  western  ranch  life. 
Filmed  on  his  own  1,300-acre  cattle 
ranch  on  the  Pacific  shore,  his  motion 
picture  follows  the  farming  and  ranch- 
ing operations  from  planting  time  to  hay 
harvest,  from  calving  time  to  roundup. 
Along  the  way  you  will  enjoy  bountiful 
wildlife,  take  to  the  surf  on  horseback 
along  the  Pacific,  and  see  the  action  at 
junior  horse  shows  and  rodeos  where 
youngsters  compete  for  fun  and  glory. 


Old  meets  new  in  Clifford  J.  Kamin' s  film 
on  Mexico  to  be  shown  March  20. 


March  13 
North  to  Hudson  Bay 

David  Jarden 

Twenty  times  in  as  many  years,  David 
Jarden  and  his  Indian  guides  have  pit- 
ted their  frail  canoe  against  the  caprices 
of  nature  in  Ontario's  vast  northland. 
This  time  his  film  records  an  850-mile 
trip  down  the  Winisk  River  to  Hudson 
Bay,  along  the  coast,  and  then  by  inland 
canoe  route  from  James  Bay  to  Mooso- 
nee.  Captured  in  natural  color  are  the 
wildlife,  fishing,  Indians,  woodcraft,  and 
beauty  of  the  great  forests  that  cover  this 
northern  region.  It  is  a  strange  hinter- 
land, bright  with  a  myriad  of  wild  flow- 
ers. You  will  see  caribou  graze  at  will, 
watch  thousands  of  Canada  geese  gather 
for  their  fall  migration,  experience  the 
finest  fishing,  thrill  to  shooting  rapids. 


March  20 
Mexico — On  the  Trail  of  Cortes 

Clifford  J.  Kamen 

Few  men  in  history  have  approached 
the  remarkable  achievement  of  Hernan- 
do Cortes.  Clifford  Kamen's  film  fol- 
lows the  great  adventurer's  invasion 
route  into  Mexico  and  tells  the  almost 
unJjelievable  story  of  the  conquest  of  the 
Aztec  empire.  But  the  film  not  only  re- 
creates the  past;  it  also  offers  a  fresh  in- 
terpretation of  contemporary  Mexican 
life  as  it  has  been  affected  Ijoth  by  its 
Mayan  and  Aztec  traditions  and  the  in- 
troduction of  Spanish  culture.  Mr.  Ka- 
men's well-known  animated  maps  and 
art  work  add  a  unique  dimension  to  this 
fascinating  portrayal  of  Mexican  history 
and  culture. 

{Continued  on  page  8) 


FEBRUARY     Page  S 


IN  SPEAKING  of  3  museum  science  department  as  an  organ- 
ism with  definite  structural  parts  and  functions,  I  am 
aware  of  the  limitations  of  the  metaphor.  But  such  a  de- 
partment is  an  organism  of  sorts,  and  as  such  it  has  super- 
ficial similarities  with  real  organisms.  For  example,  science 
departments  do  evolve,  thereby  increasing  in  physical  and 
functional  complexity;  they  also  tend  to  suffer  as  a  whole 
if  one  part  within  them  malfunctions;  as  in  real  organisms, 
changes  in  one  part  of  the  body  have  to  be  in  harmonious 
relation  to  the  rest  if  the  whole  is  to  function  properly.  All 
these  things  are  pertinent  to  an  understanding  of  the  vast 
changes  that  are  currently  under  way  in  the  Department  of 
Geology. 

The  early  evolutionary  history  of  the  department  con- 
sisted primarily  of  (1)  filling  its  maw  with  food,  in  the  form 
of  collections  (in  contrast  to  real  organisms,  museums  ingest 
a  lot,  digest  some,  but  eliminate  very  little);  (2)  adding  brain 
cells  (curators  and  assistants);  and  (3)  building  up  the  sen- 
sory apparatus,  in  the  form  of  microscopes  and  a  host  of 
other  tools  for  investigation.  Since  the  overall  size  of  the 
body  was  clearly  defined  and  limited  to  the  third  floor  of 
the  northwest  quadrant  of  the  Museum  building,  and  since 
the  acquisition  of  items  1  to  3  above  spanned  a  develop- 
mental period  of  some  69  years,  it  was  no  great  surprise  to 
discover  that  the  body  would  hold  no  more.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  the  collections  of  fossil  invertebrates,  fossil  plants,  and 
rocks  had  grown  well  beyond  the  storage  capacity,  with  the 
result  that  large  numbers  of  specimens  could  no  longer  be 
properly  housed  and  had  to  be  kept  under  tables,  on  top  of 
tables,  and  inaccessibly  piled  on  top  of  storage  cases.  Even 
worse,  vital  research  equipment  had  to  be  installed  in  vari- 
ous nooks  and  crannies  all  over  the  department. 

Organisms  such  as  domestic  dogs  and,  even  more  so, 
man  himself  are  prone  to  overindulge  if  tempted  with  glori- 
ously succulent  vittles,  and  such  a  fate  befell  the  Department 
of  Geology  when  it  was  faced  with  the  prospect  of  taking 
over  the  famous  collection  of  fossil  invertebrates  in  the 
Walker  Museum  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  The  moti- 
vation was  not  all  greed,  however.  Many  arguments  lead- 
ing to  the  decision  that  this  vast  collection  should  come  to 
the  Museum  had  merit  beyond  the  simple  and  defendable 
proposition  that  a  museum  collection  is  the  more  useful  to 
scientific  inquiry,  the  larger  it  is. 

It  was  perfectly  clear  at  the  outset  that  if  this  collection 
were  to  be  accepted  the  organism  would  have  to  undergo 
further  physical  growth  to  nearly  twice  its  former  size,  and 
along  with  this  a  complete  metamorphosis:  namely,  a  pro- 
found redesigning  of  the  parts.  At  this  writing  the  depart- 
ment can  best  be  described  as  a  disaster  area.  There  is 
building  and  rebuilding  going  on  everywhere  while  the 
former  contents  of  the  department  have  to  be  shunted  here 
and  there  as  dictated  by  the  demands  of  the  construction. 
But  now  the  new  shapes  begin  to  appear  and  we  can  recog- 
nize the  look  of  the  future. 

To  begin  with,  the  collections,  formerly  stored  in  various 
rooms  along  the  corridors  of  the  third  floor  research  area, 
{Continued  on  page  6) 

Page  I,     FEBRUARY 


THE  NEW 

of  the 


1  Second  floor  collection  storage  area 

2  Mezzanine  collection  storage  area 

3  Third  floor  stack  room,  General  Library 

4  Geology  map  room 

5  Geochemical  laboratory 

6  Rock-sectioning  laboratory 

7  Shipping  and  receiving  room  and  elevator 

8  Student  and  assistant  offices  and  study  areas 

9  Thin-section  laboratory 


RAINER  ZANGERL 

Chief  Curator,  Geology 


ANATOMY 
»ology  Department 


10  Photo  laboratory,  dark  room,  and  diagnostic  X-ray  machine 

1 1  Exhibit  preparation  rooms 

12  Office  oj  departmental  artist  and  illustrator 

13  Offices  and  workrooms  oj  curators.  University  of  Chicago  prO' 

fessors,  assistants,  and  visiting  scientists 

14  Chalmers  X-ray  spectrograph  laboratory 

15  Divisional  paleontology  library 

16  Maurice  L.  Richardson  fine-preparation  laboratory 

17  Preparation  laboratories 

18  Collection  areas  for  biostratonomy,  fossil  fishes,  fossil  amphib 

ians  and  reptiles 

19  Classroom 

20  Geology  library 


21  Geology  office 

22  Office  and  workroom  of  Chief  Curator 

23  General  Library 

24  Museum  artists 

25  Editors  of  scientific  publications 

26  Harris  Extension 

27  Washroom 

28  Supply  storage 
{Drawing  by  Lido  Lucchesi) 

FEBRUARY     Page  5 


are  to  be  put  into  an  enormous  central  hold,  a  space  created 
by  filling  in  the  light  well  that  was  formerly  enclosed  by  the 
departmental  quarters.  The  study  collection  will  occupy 
approximately  two-thirds  of  the  252,000  cubic  feet  of  new 
space;  the  balance  will  become  the  stack  room  and  some 
offices  of  the  General  Library.  Large  as  it  is,  the  new  stor- 
age range  does  not  accommodate  all  the  collections  of  the 
Geology  Department;  biostratonomy  as  well  as  fossil  fishes, 
amphiliians,  and  reptiles  either  remain  where  they  now  are, 
or  will  be  moved  to  storage  rooms  adjacent  to  the  former 
well. 

As  is  true  of  any  biological  metamorphosis,  the  reorgan- 
ized anatomy  is,  in  part,  a  compromise  with  the  old.  This 
came  clearly  to  our  attention  when  we  worked  on  the  plans 
for  the  research  area.  There  were  many  limitations  im- 
posed by  the  building  in  its  former  condition,  and  it  was  not 
possible  to  achieve  an  ideal  solution  in  all  respects.    Ideally, 

Assistant  Henry  Hot  back  prepares  specimens  for  study 
in  the  rock-sectioning  laboratory. 


all  offices  should  have  access  to  natural  light;  ideally,  cura- 
tors should  be  close  to  their  collections,  the  laboratories  they 
most  frequently  use,  and  the  specialized  libraries  they  most 
often  consult.  While  these  and  many  other  considerations 
could  probably  be  satisfied  if  one  were  to  design  a  structure 
from  the  ground  up,  it  soon  became  obvious  that  the  layout 
of  the  present  building  would  not  accommodate  them. 

The  new  plan,  however,  will  be  a  functional  organism, 
and  such  compromises  as  had  to  be  made  were  mostly  ones 
of  convenience  rather  than  efficiency.  Curators  will  have 
offices  combined  with  adjacent  work  rooms,  permitting 
them  to  keep  acid  bottles  and  specimens  off  their  desks 
(see  plan  for  location  of  offices  along  the  outer  wall  of  the 
building).  Only  one  laboratory,  the  Chalmers  X-ray  spec- 
trograph laboratory,  was  placed  along  the  outside  walls  of 
the  building  in  order  to  remove  it  as  far  as  convenient  from 
possible  vibrations  produced  by  the  air-conditioning  plant 
at  the  bottom  of  the  former  well.    Because  there  will  be  a 

Page  6     FEBRUARY 


concentration  of  paleontologists  in  the  west  half  of  the  de- 
partment, a  divisional  paleontology  library  is  also  located 
there. 

On  the  north  side  adjacent  to  the  former  well  there  will 
be  mostly  laboratories,  as  follows :  the  geochemical  labora- 
tory (in  its  present  location),  a  rock-sectioning  room  that 
will  house  the  diflferent  rock-cutting  devices,  a  thin-section 
laboratory,  a  photo  laboratory  with  dark  rooms  and  diag- 
nostic X-ray  machine,  and  a  shipping  and  receiving  room 
next  to  the  elevator  that  will  service  the  hold  in  the  interior 
of  the  former  light  well.  This  room  will  be  used  to  unpack 
crates  that  are  shipped  in  from  the  field  and  for  packing  or 
unpacking  shipments  of  specimens  being  sent  for  study  to  or 
from  other  institutions.  Furthermore,  there  are  two  offices 
to  be  used  by  students  and  assistants,  and  a  shop  to  serve  in 
connection  with  the  preparation  of  exhibits. 

On  the  south  side  adjacent  to  the  former  well  there  will 
be  the  Maurice  L.  Richardson  fine-preparation  laboratory, 
equipped  with  instruments  that  permit  the  cleaning  of  ex- 
tremely delicate  fossils.  A  large  portion  of  the  fossil  fish 
collection  will  be  housed  on  this  side,  and  a  classroom  where 
Professors  E.  C.  Olson  and  Ralph  G.  Johnson  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago  and  various  members  of  the  curatorial 
staff  expect  to  teach  and  hold  seminars.  Student  cubicles 
for  graduate  students  engaged  in  thesis  work  are  located  in 
a  number  of  places. 

Finally,  there  will  be  changes  in  the  area  of  the  depart- 
mental library,  the  departmental  office,  and  the  office  of  the 
Chief  Curator.  By  removal  of  the  semipermeable  mem- 
branes that  now  partially  subdivide  the  geology  library,  a 
very  notable  gain  in  capacity  will  be  efTected.  The  geology 
office  will  be  moved  to  what  is  now  the  map  room,  and  the 
Chief  Curator  will  gain  a  workroom  of  his  own  (he  intends 
to  continue  to  do  research). 

In  summary,  the  Department  of  Geology  will  have  a  new 
anatomy,  a  new  size,  and,  hopefully,  a  revitalized  efficiency. 


Dr.  Tiber  Perenyi,  Departmental  Artist,  discusses  an  exhibition  model 
with  Dr.  Eugene  S.  Richardson,  Jr. 


The  high  volcanoes  of  western  Guatemala  have  a 
fair  cover  of  virgin  forests  tvhich  contain  plants  still  unknown  to  botanists. 


LOUIS  O.  WILLIAMS 

Chief  Curator,  Botany 

PLANTS 
WITHOUT 

NAMES 


ONE  OF  the  first  things  that  an  observant  person  wants  to 
know  when  he  goes  to  a  new  region  is  the  names  of  the 
conspicuous  and  more  important  plants  around  him,  espe- 
cially if  those  plants  affect  his  everyday  life,  or  even  make 
life  possible. 

Although  the  naming  of  plants  is  as  old  as  man,  the  sys- 
tematic study  of  the  world's  vegetation,  with  an  attempt  to 
attach  precise  scientific  names  to  each  of  the  kinds  of  plants 
in  the  world,  has  been  going  on  for  only  a  little  more  than 
two  hundred  years. 

There  are  in  the  temperate  and  arctic  regions  of  North 
America  perhaps  some  ten  thousand  species  of  flowering 
plants.  These  are  quite  well  known,  and  most  of  them  have 
been  given  scientific  names. 

In  the  tropics  of  the  Americas,  however — in  that  region 
between  the  Tropic  of  Cancer  and  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn 
■ — vast  expanses  still  are  relatively  unexplored.  Areas  as 
large  as  Illinois  have  never  been  lived  in  or  studied  by  a 
botanist  the  year  around.  The  whole  of  Nicaragua,  which 
is  right  on  our  door  step  in  this  travel-by-jet  era,  is  mostly 
unknown  botanically. 

Of  the  flowering  plants  alone,  it  is  estimated  that  there 
are  some  100,000  to  125,000  known  species  in  the  American 
tropics.     Capable  botanists  studying  the  flora  of  these  re- 


gions think  that  as  many  as  one  out  of  every  four  of  its 
flowering  plants  may  still  be  unknown  and  unnamed.  If 
this  estimate  is  correct,  then  there  should  be  some  130,000 
to  1 80,000  kinds  of  flowering  plants  in  the  neotropics. 

Ferns,  algae,  fungi,  mosses,  and  liverworts  are  other  great 
groups  of  plants  found  in  our  tropics.  No  one  knows  how 
many  kinds  of  these  plants  there  are,  and  our  scientific 
knowledge  of  them  is  much  less,  even,  than  of  the  flowering 
plants.  It  is  possible — even  p)robable — that  there  are  more 
kinds  unknown  to  science  than  are  known. 

Exploration  of  our  tropics  and  research  on  the  vegeta- 
tion proceed  hand  in  hand.  It  will  be  a  long  time  before 
the  vegetation  of  the  American  tropics  is  as  well  known  as, 
for  example,  that  of  the  United  States.  To  place  the  prob- 
lem in  perspective:  it  has  been  estimated  recently  that  it 
would  take  one  hundred  botanists  one  hundred  years  just  to 
carry  on  the  exploration  and  study  necessary  to  compile  a 
flora  of  neotropical  flowering  plants. 

Progress  in  many  other  sciences  depends  upon  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  plants  and  vegetation  that  cover  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Research  in  the  botany  of  the  American  tropics  is 
an  open  field  beckoning  to  those  who  would  participate  in 
a  scholarly  science  in  which  exploration  and  discovery  make 
living  enjoyable  and  rewarding.  ■ 

FEBRUARY    Page  7 


Spring 
Film  Programs 

{Continued from  page  3) 

March  27 
Man  Looks  to  the  Sea 

Stanton  A.  Waterman 

For  a  new  and  challenging  horizon, 
many  Americans  in  their  characteristic 
search  for  adventure  are  looking  to  the 
sea.  Through  a  series  of  brilliant,  full 
color  film  sequences,  we  can  share  Stan- 
ton Waterman's  exploration  of  this 
strange  milieu.  He  shows  us  divers  risk- 
ing their  lives  in  the  blue  depths  of  the 
Pacific  to  harvest  precious  black  coral; 
the  attack  patterns  of  the  shark,  spec- 
tacularly photographed  from  an  under- 
water cage  only  eight  feet  away;  a  wild 
wrestling  match  with  a  timid,  tenacious 
octopus  tickled  out  of  its  den;  a  dazzling 
marine  collection  of  rare  and  colorful 
reef  fish  in  the  out  islands  of  the  Ba- 
hamas. Highlights  of  the  film  are  un- 
derwater shots  of  the  incredible  leaps 
made  by  the  porpoises  at  feeding  time 
in  the  Miami  Seaquarium,  and  the  ac- 
tual sound  track  of  porpoise  "talk." 

April  3 
Trailing  Lewis  and  Clark  to  Oregon 

Thayer  Soule 

In  1803  the  Louisiana  Purchase  more 
than  doubled  the  size  of  the  United 
States.  President  Thomas  Jefferson  per- 
suaded Congress  to  authorize  an  explora- 
tion of  the  new  territory,  from  Cahokia, 
Illinois  (then  an  American  outpost  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi)  all  the 
way  to  the  Pacific.  Everyone  knows  how 
Lewis  and  Clark  were  chosen  for  the 
task  and  how  Sacajawea,  an  Indian  girl, 
was  Instrumental  in  their  success.  Now 
this  stirring  phase  of  American  history 
comes  to  life  in  a  film  made  almost  en- 
tirely within  ten  miles  of  the  actual  Lewis 
and  Clark  route.  The  motion  picture 
not  only  tells  the  story  of  the  historic  ex- 
jjedition,  but  shows  the  undreamed  of 
chcmges  that  have  occurred  in  the  terri- 
tory during  the  160  years  since  Lewis 
and  Clark  forged  their  way  to  the  sea. 


Turkish  girl  from  Gene  Wiancko's  ' 
Ancient  World — Athens  to  Cairo. 


The 


April  10 
The  Ancient  World — Athens  to  Cairo 

Gene  Wiancko 
From  Athens  to  Cairo  is  a  distance  of 
only  700  miles;  yet  within  a  circle  en- 
clc«ing  these  two  cities  were  enacted 
many  of  history's  greatest  epics.  Here, 
the  still-magnificent  relics  of  mankind's 
ancient  glories  stand  in  a  living  world  of 
beauty  and  charm.  In  our  film  journey 
from  Athens  to  Cairo  we  cross  the  paths 
of  Jesus  and  Mohammed,  Socrates  and 
Alexander  the  Great,  Suleiman  the  Mag- 
nificent and  the  crusaders,  Phoenicians 
and  pharaohs.  King  Tutankhamun  and 
King  Paul.  The  ways  of  life  in  the  east- 
em  Mediterranean  world  today  are  mov- 
ingly portrayed,  and  even  the  ancient 
world  seems  to  live  again. 

April  17 
Waterway  Wildlife 

Karl  Maslowski 
The  complete  dependence  of  man  and 
wildlife  upon  an  abundance  of  good 
fresh  water  is  the  theme  of  this  dramatic 
color  motion  picture.  A  woodchuck 
browsing  on  a  hilltop  meadow;  bass 
spawning  in  a  limestone  creek;  factory 
workers  turning  out  steel,  glass,  and 
cloth — all  rely  equally  on  adequate  sup- 
plies of  uncontaminated  water.  A  noted 
naturalist  and  conservationist,  Karl  Mas- 
lowski contrasts  the  areas  devastated  by 
man  with  the  beauty  of  still  unsfwiled 


waterways  and  their  wildlife  communi- 
ties. We  hear  the  voices  of  such  water- 
way dwellers  as  tree  frogs,  wood  ducks, 
and  Canada  geese,  and  glimpse  the  fam- 
ilies of  red  fox  and  muskrat,  cottontail 
and  deer. 

April  24 
Hiawatha  Country 

Fran  William  Hall 
Longfellow's  image  of  Hiawatha's 
country  is  one  of  timeless  appeal.  An 
area  of  soaring  mountains  and  sparkling 
waters,  it  is  one  of  America's  last  great 
wilderness  regions.  Today  ore  boats  ply 
the  Gitche  Gumee,  and  remote  villages, 
almost  forgotten  by  time,  are  emerging 
into  modern  life.  Fran  William  Hall 
captures  the  spirit  of  this  land  in  a  film 
that  shows  us  the  glorious  Lake  Supe- 
rior "circle,"  the  fabulous  iron  country 
around  Duluth,  Ontario's  mooselands, 
the  top  of  the  Soo,  Michigan's  Upper 
Peninsula,  famous  Pictured  Rocks,  Cop- 
per Harbor,  and  the  vast  north  woods.  ■ 


Chicago  Natural  History   Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt   Road  and  Lake  Shore  Drive 

Chicago,   lUinois  60605 

Telephone:  922-9410 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCormick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Marshall  Field 
Clifford  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 
Henry  P,  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 

J.  Howard 


Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
Wood 


OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  Vice-President 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 

Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer 

and  Assistant  Secretary 

E.  Leland  Webber,  Secretary 

THE  BULLETIN 

EDITOR 
E.  Leland  Webber,  Director  o(  the  Museum 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Donald  Collier,  Chiel  Curator  of  Anthropology 

Louis  O.  Williams,  Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Rainer  Zangerl,  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 
Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Relations  Counsel 

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


Page  8    FEBRUARY 


PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  PRESS 


CHICAGO 
NATURAL 
HISTORY 
MUSEUM 


MUSEUM  NEWS 


Cover  From  New 
Photographic  Exhibit 

THIS  month's  cover — a  delightful 
photographic  study  of  a  Korean  boy 
imprinting  his  footsteps  on  the  mud  flats 
of  his  native  countryside — is  from  a  new 
exhibit  titled  "The  Character  of  Korea" 
opening  at  the  Museum  on  April  1.  In 
55  black-and-white  photographs,  the 
exhibit  depicts  the  beauty  and  character 
of  Korean  rural  life  at  the  present  time. 
The  exhibit  is  sp)onsored  by  the  Amer- 
ican-Korean Foundation,  a  private, 
non-profit  group  which  undertakes  pro- 
jects in  Korea  in  the  fields  of  culture, 
education,  health,  welfare,  and  econom- 
ic development.  The  pictures  are  the 
work  of  the  widely-known  artist-photo- 
grapher ^Vallace  C.  Marley,  motion 
picture  coordinator  for  the  United 
States  Department  of  Defense.  The  ex- 
hibit comes  to  the  Museum  in  the  course 
of  a  two-year,  nationwide  tour. 

More  than  a  million  Americans  have 
visited  or  seen  military  service  in  Korea 
since  its  liberation  from  Japanese  rule 
in  1945,  but  few  of  these  have  seen  the 
country  except  under  the  chaotic  con- 
ditions of  war.  "The  Character  of  Ko- 
rea" provides  a  unique  opportunity  to 
experience  the  ancient  traditions  of  ru- 
ral life  in  peaceful,  primitive  farm  vil- 
lages; to  explore  the  countryside;  and 
to  enter  more  deeply  into  the  spirit  of 
Korea  itself. 


Paleontology  Library 

ON  THE  day  after  Christmas,  1945,  a 
$500  contribution  arrived  in  the 
mail  from  a  Lansing,  Michigan,  radiol- 
ogist. Dr.  Maurice  L.  Richardson,  who 
wrote  of  his  appreciation  for  the  many 
pleasant  afternoons  he  had  spent  study- 


Maurice  L. 
Richardson 


ing  the  Museum  ex- 
hibits. Since  the 
donor  expressed  in- 
terest in  vertebrate 
paleontology,  his  gift 
was  set  aside  in  a 
fund  to  support  pale- 
ontological  research. 
From  this  begin- 
ing,  the  Maurice  L. 
Richardson  Paleontological  Fund  has 
developed  and  grown  through  consistent 
and  increasingly  generous  contributions 
by  Dr.  Richardson. 

The  income  from  the  fund  has  been 
used  for  the  purchase  of  specimens  and 
laboratory  equipment,  but  primarily  for 
field  work — in  Illinois,  Indiana,  Wyo- 
ming, Montana,  Utah,  Arkansas,  Con- 
necticut, Alberta,  Quebec,  and  Austra- 
lia. The  collections  thus  made  have 
been  the  basis  of  years  of  staff  research, 
and  from  the  research  have  come,  and 
will  come,  many  scientific  publications. 

As  the  fund  and  its  scientific  produc- 
tivity have  increased,  so  has  the  interest 
of  Dr.  Richardson,  who  visits  the  Mu- 
seum several  times  each  year  to  chat 
with  the  curators  and  the  Director, 
catch  up  on  current  research  and  scien- 
tific publications,  and  pick  up  a  few 
books  in  The  Book  Shop  to  satisfy  his 
omnivorous  reading  appetite.  Seldom 
in  the  history  of  the  Museum  has  any- 
one taken  as  personal  and  sustained  an 
interest  in  the  work  being  aided  by  his 
contributions. 

The  Board  of  Trustees,  wishing  to 
honor  Dr.  Richardson,  sought  a  suit- 
able means  of  doing  so.  As  new  con- 
struction and  remodeling  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Geology  has  progressed,  and 
as  the  new  paleontology  library  took 
shape,  it  seemed  eminently  fitting  that 
this  library  be  named  in  his  honor. 
Thus,  at  its  January  meeting,  the  Board 
designated  it  the  "Maurice  L.  Rich- 
ardson Paleontological  Library."  Space 
was  allocated  on  the  west  side  of  the 


third  floor,  and  hopes  are  that  the  li- 
brary will  be  fully  installed  and 
equipped  by  the  time  of  Dr.  Richard- 
son's fall  visit.  Future  students  and 
scientists  will  find  the  rich  resources  of 
this  library  a  well-suited  tribute  to  one 
who  has  so  generously  aided  the  re- 
searches which  the  library  contains. 

(elw) 


Norman  W.  Nelson 

Business  Manager 

ON  FEBRU.^RY  1 ,  Mr.  Norman  \V.  Nel- 
son was  appointed  Business  Man- 
ager of  Chicago  Natural  History  Mu- 
seum. In  this  newly  created  position, 
administrative  responsibility  will  be  del- 
egated to  Mr.  Nelson  for  the  business 
and  financial  operations  of  the  Mu- 
seum. In  addition,  certain  personnel 
and  other  operational  matters,  includ- 
ing the  ojjeration  of  the  Museum  build- 
ing, will  come  within  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Business  Manager.  Mr.  Nelson 
will  work  with  present  department  and 
division  heads  in  the  conduct  of  his  of- 
fice. The  scientific  and  educational  de- 
partments; the  library;  and  the  public 
relations  and  membership  di\isions  will 
{Phase  turn  to  page  8) 


Page  2     MARCH 


Net-fishing  in  the  lagoon  off  the  northern  coast  oj  New  Guinea 


Fred  M.  Reinman,  Assistant  Curator 
Oceanic  Archaeology  and  Ethnology 


FISHING 

IN 
OCEANIA 


SINCE  very  early  times,  the  sea  has  been  a  source  of  food 
for  peoples  fortunate  enough  to  live  along  its  margins. 
In  many  areas,  fishing,  the  gathering  of  shellfish,  the  hunt- 
ing of  different  kinds  of  sea  mammals,  and  the  capture  of 
turtles  have  furnished  important  supplements  to  a  diet  of 
terrestrial  plants  and  animals. 

The  earliest  firm  evidence  for  the  use  of  food  from  the  sea 
comes  from  the  Mousterian  site  of  Devil's  Tower  in  Gibral- 
tar, where  limpets  and  mussels  were  recovered  from  nearly 
all  levels  of  the  excavation.  Even  earlier  evidence  of  the  use 
of  fish  is  said  to  come  from  Africa,  and  fish  remains  have  also 
been  found  below  a  dated  level  of  40,000  years  ago  at  Niah 
Cave  in  Borneo.  These  remains,  however,  apparently  refer 
to  fresh-water  varieties  of  fish  and  indicate  that  at  this  early 
time  the  sea  had  yet  to  become  an  important  source  of  food. 
At  later  periods,  beginning  in  the  Mesolithic,  large  shell 
mounds  are  known  from  many  areas  of  the  world.  These 
mounds  contain  many  kinds  of  shellfish,  fish  bones,  and  the 
remains  of  other  aquatic  animals  from  both  fresh  and  salt 
water,  which  indicate  an  increasing  utilization  of  the  aquatic 
resources  of  man's  environment. 

In  addition  to  faunal  remains,  the  archaeologist  also  finds 
tools  indicating  the  importance  of  the  aquatic  environment 
as  a  source  of  food.    These  finds — although  rare  in  the  early 
{Continued  on  next  page) 


MARCH     Page  S 


periods — begin  in  the  Upper  Paleolithic.  By  Mesolithic  and 
Neolithic  times,  they  include  nearly  the  entire  range  of  fishing 
and  sea  hunting  equipment:  harpoons,  gorges,  stone  net  and 
line  sinkers,  fishhooks,  net  fragments,  traps,  hook-making  im- 
plements, and  many  others. 

From  the  simplest  shoreline  gathering  (sometimes  called 
strand-looping)  to  the  more  highly  complicated  techniques 
for  sea  mammal  hunting  and  fishing,  methods  for  taking  food 
from  the  sea  were  developed  gradually  over  a  long  period  of 
time.  Probably  the  earliest  was  to  take  fish  or  shellfish  by 
hand,  or,  at  most,  to  use  a  simple  pointed  or  sharpened  stick 
to  spear  or  prize  the  quarry  from  the  rocks  or  water.  Sea 
mammals  and  turtles  which  periodically  came  ashore  could 
also  be  taken  quite  easily  with  simple  implements  such  as 
clubs,  knives,  ropes,  and  spears. 

Among  these  early  foods  from  the  sea,  shellfish  has  con- 
tinued-to  play  an  important  part  in  the  diet  of  many  peoples. 
However,  as  a  staple  food  source,  shellfish  collecting  is  gener- 
ally associated  with  a  relatively  low  level  of  cultural  attain- 
ment. Among  primitive  groups  th^t  actively  fished  or  hunted 
sea  mammals,  shellfish  played  only  a  minor  dietary  role. 

To  exploit  more  fully  the  inshore  areas  of  the  sea,  more 
highly  developed  technological  devices  were  needed.  In  many 
cases,  these  were  probably  not  new  inventions,  but  were  ap- 
plied to  the  sea  by  simple  transfer  from  land-oriented  hunting 
activities.  Examples  of  such  devices  are  nets  of  various  types, 
spears,  arrows,  clubs,  traps,  and  perhaps  the  gorge.  All  of 
these  implements  could  be  used  without  a  great  deal  of  modi- 
fication, simply  requiring  the  addition  of  weights  or  floats  to 
counteract  or  utilize  the  buoyancy  of  the  water.  Once  these 
inventions  or  transfers  had  been  made,  primitive  man  gained 
a  reliable  supplement  to  his  diet  without  having  to  leave  the 
shallow  waters  of  the  reef  or  the  shoreline. 

Still  greater  utilization  of  the  sea  required  two  further 
advances :  the  use  of  some  form  of  boat  or  raft,  and  the  inven- 
tion of  the  fishhook.  With  the  first,  man  was  no  longer  con- 
fined to  the  beaches  and  shallow  inshore  waters,  but  was  able 
to  exploit  ofTshore  areas  for  new  foods  or  to  capture  animals 
that  used  the  water  as  a  means  of  escape.  With  the  second 
device,  the  fishhook,  man  no  longer  needed  to  limit  his  exploi- 
tation to  the  sea's  surface  waters,  but  was  now  able  to  explore 
and  utilize  the  sub-surface  levels  and  successfully  capture 
mid-  and  deep-water  fish. 

In  Europe,  neither  the  boat  nor  the  fishhook  appears  in 
the  archaeological  record  until  the  end  of  the  Mesolithic  peri- 
od. Offshore  or  deep-sea  fishing  in  Europe  did  not  really  be- 
come eff"ective  until  after  the  advent  of  the  Neolithic  and  the 
beginning  of  farming.  With  the  growth  of  towns  and  large 
populations,  the  demand  for  products  of  the  sea  resulted  in  a 
more  efficient  fishery,  which  included  deep-sea  fishing,  as  well 
as  whale  and  other  sea  mammal  hunting. 

THIS  general  sequence  of  events  in  world  prehistory  can 
also  be  traced  in  the  archaeological  records  of  localized 
cultures.  When  men  enter  a  new  area  having  access  to  the 
sea,  they  will  generally  make  increasing  use  of  this  aspect  of 
their  environment  once  it  is  recognized  as  a  potential  source 


of  food.  Any  lessening  of  available  food  supplies  from  the 
land  can  also  stimulate  this  turning  to  the  sea,  and  in  Oce- 
ania we  have  an  example  of  this.  As  groups  migrating  out 
from  the  Asian  mainland  left  behind  the  large  islands  of  In- 
donesia and  New  Guinea  and  began  to  populate  the  smaller 
Oceanic  isles,  they  found  that  the  abundance  of  land  flora 
and  fauna  decreased  from  west  to  east.  Hunting  and  the 
gathering  of  wild  plants  yielded  less  and  less  food.  On  the 
low  atolls,  the  possibilities  for  horticulture  were  restricted  to 
tree  and  root  crops.  The  difficulties  of  maintaining  adequate 
supplies  of  pig,  dog,  and  chicken  were  such  that,  by  the  time 
the  easternmost  areas  of  Polynesia  were  settled,  man's  de- 
pendence upon  the  sea  as  a  source  of  protein  had  become  very 
great.  In  eastern  Polynesia  the  number  of  sea  fishing  and 
hunting  techniques  employed  testifies  to  the  importance  of 
sea  food  to  these  islanders. 

The  wide  variety  of  implements  used  by  the  primitive 
Oceanian  in  his  quest  for  food  included  nets  of  all  kinds,  per- 
manent stone  and  portable  basketry  traps  of  different  shapes 
and  sizes,  weirs  and  fish  fences,  spears  and  fish  arrows,  the 
harpoon,  fish  poisons,  and,  in  most  areas,  the  fishhook.  If  we 
divide  the  potential  fishing  area  of  an  Oceanic  island  or  atoll 
into  two  major  zones — inshore  and  offshore — and  further  di- 
vide these  zones  according  to  the  layers  of  the  water  in  which 
the  various  fishing  implements  are  used — surface  and  sub- 
surface— we  may  then  analyze  the  fishing  techinques  and  im- 
plements used  at  each  level  of  each  zone  (Fig.  1.)    Such  an 


INSHORE      HABITAT 
Water   surfoce               JiA-L^                  j 

OFFSHORE   HABITAT 

^y               reef  flot 
Lagoon             y^^ 

— .....a^loce  Zone 

^"'N.            Sut-surfoce 
N^^^           Zone 

Fig.  1.      Schematic  cross-section  of  atoll. 


analysis  soon  makes  clear  that  the  prime  target  of  the  Oceanic 
fisherman  was  the  surface  waters  of  inshore  reefs  and  lagoons. 
This  area  produced  most  of  the  sea  food  the  islanders  used. 
Relatively  few  types  of  fishhooks  were  used  to  exploit  these 
shallow  waters.  The  Oceanic  spinner  hook  (Fig.  2),  especially 
designed  for  taking  bonito  and  closely  related  surface  feeding 
fish,  and  the  gorge  (Fig.  3),  were  the  main  implements.  The 
Oceanic  spinner  hook  varied  only  in  detail  over  the  whole 
area  of  its  use.  It  consisted  of  a  shank,  fish-like  in  form,  made 
from  some  type  of  pearl  or  other  shiny  shell  material.  In 
areas  where  pearl  shell  was  scarce,  other  materials,  such  as 
bone,  wood,  or  stone,  were  used;  in  such  cases  a  thin  layer  of 
pearl  or  other  shell  was  usually  affixed  to  the  shank,  presum- 
ably to  act  as  a  lure.  Attached  to  the  shank  was  a  point  made 
of  bone,  pearl,  turtle,  or  other  shell  (later  metal),  which  was 


Page  k     MARCH 


unbarbed  for  easy  removal  of  the  fish.  The  spinner  hook  was 
used  without  bait  and  trolled  behind  a  moving  canoe. 

In  Oceania  the  gorge,  like  the  spinner,  was  primarily  used 
in  the  surface  layer  of  the  sea.  The  gorge  is  a  very  old  but 
effective  catching  and  holding  device,  which  archaeologically 
precedes  the  fishhook  and  which  has  been  retained  in  many 
areas  where  fishing  with  hooks  is  also  done.  It  consists  of  a 
slender  wooden  stick  or  bone  splinter,  pointed  at  each  end, 
with  a  line  attached  to  its  center.  When  baited,  the  gorge  is 
set  so  that  it  lies  closely  parallel  to  the  line.  When  the  fish 
swallows  the  bait,  the  tension  on  the  line  pulls  the  gorge  cross- 
wise in  the  fish's  stomach,  piercing  its  sides  and  effectively 
preventing  the  fish's  escape.  Gutting  is  usually  required  to 
remove  the  gorge,  and  the  fish  is  rarely  able  to  pull  himself 
free.  Since  the  gorge  is  more  effective  than  the  hook  in  hold- 
ing the  catch  it  would  seem  to  be  the  best  choice  for  devices 
that  are  left  unattended,  such  as  the  lines  of  floats  used  to 
take  flying  fish.    This  is  its  greatest  use  in  Oceania. 

To  catch  fish  that  fed  in  the  sub-surface  layer  of  the  lagoon 
and  in  the  deep  waters  of  the  offshore  zone,  many  types 
of  fishhooks  were  made  from  pearl,  turtle,  and  coconut  shell, 
or  from  bone,  wood,  and  occasionally  teeth  (Fig.  4).  Such 
hooks  were  baited,  and  generally  used  with  a  hand-held  line 
rather  than  a  pole.  Either  permanent  or  temporary  sink- 
ers were  added  to  get  the  hooks  to  the  proper  depth  for  fish- 
ing. Differences  in  the  size  and  shape  of  these  hooks  suggest 
that  their  makers  had  rather  specific  ideas  about  the  types 
and  sizes  of  fish  that  could  be  taken  with  each. 

A  still  more  specialized  instrument  is  the  ruvettus  hook 
(Fig.  5),  named  for  the  deep-dwelling  species,  Ruvetlus,  which 
it  was  designed  to  catch.  The  ruvettus  hook  was  made  in  a 
range  of  sizes  from  about  six  inches  to  over  a  foot  in  length. 
A  U-  or  V-shaped  forked  branch  of  a  tree  forms  the  shank  and 
point  leg  of  the  hook.  Fastened  to  this  is  a  V-shaped  point 
of  wood  which  forms  a  barb  directed  back  toward  the  shank, 
reducing  the  clearance  between  point  and  shank  to  less  than 
an  inch  in  the  larger  hooks.  The  ruvettus  is  set  in  depths  of 
up  to  2,000  feet,  with  bait  and  a  sinker  attached  to  the  line. 
In  attempting  to  remove  the  bait,  which  is  affixed  to  the  point 
leg,  the  fish  works  his  jaw  between  the  point  and  the  shank 
and  is  firmly  secured.   Similar  hooks  were  used  to  take  sharks. 

A  knowledge  of  the  kinds  of  fishing  equipment  used  by  pre- 
historic fishermen,  the  zones  in  which  these  implements 
were  used,  and  the  kinds  and  amounts  offish  taken  with  them, 
is  important  for  the  Oceanic  prehistorian.  Fishing  equip- 
ment constitutes  an  important  category  of  implements  recov- 
ered from  the  archaeologist's  excavations.  It  is  necessary  to 
have  some  idea  of  how  such  equipment  functions  in  a  cul- 
ture in  order  to  make  valid  inferences  about  the  diet,  so- 
cial organization,  and  general  economic  conditions  of  the 
makers  of  the  equipment.  More  specifically,  analysis  of 
different  types  of  fishhooks  contributes  evidence  as  to  the  way 
in  which  the  marine  habitat  was  exploited  in  Oceania,  and, 
taken  in  conjunction  with  the  rest  of  the  fishing  complex,  will 
enable  the  archaeologist  to  make  more  precise  interpretations 
of  the  role  of  fishing  in  the  Oceanic  economy.  ■ 


Fig.  2  (above):  Oceanic  spinner  hooks. 
Sizes  range  from  3  to  4  inches. 


Fig.  3  (right):  Gorge.  The  slender 
bone  splinters  swallowed  by  the  fish 
are  at  the  bottom  of  the  photograph. 
These  splinters  are  l^A  to  2  inches 
long.  Larger  ones  may  approach  6 
inches. 


/-Si 


uO  6  6 


Fig.  4  (above):  Fishhooks  used  below 
the  surface  of  the  lagoon  or  in  deep 
offshore  waters.  Sizes  range  from  2 
to  3  inches. 


Fig.  5  (right):  Ruvettus  hook. 


MARCH     Page  5 


DDWIGHT  DAVIS,  Curator  of  Anat- 
omy, died  February  6th  at  the 
age  of  56.  He  was  at  the  height  of  his 
career  as  a  comparative  anatomist  when 
his  monumental  work  on  the  giant  panda 
was  published  just  two  months  before  his 
death. 

As  a  biological  discipline,  compara- 
tive anatomy  is  an  old  field  that  had 
its  time  of  intensive  work  and  glory  in 
the  past  century.  Its  history  is  studded 
with  such  famous  names  as  Cuvier, 
Gegenbaur,  Fiirbringer,  Wiedersheim, 
Owen,  Goodrich,  and  many  others.  The 
technical  literature  in  the  field  is  all 
but  overwhelming  in  its  extent.  Under 
these  circumstances  one  may  legitimate- 
ly ask  whether  a  man  can  still  make  an 
outstanding  contribution  in  this  disci- 
pline and  measure  up  to  some  of  the 
illustrious  scientists  of  the  past.  I  think 
Dwight  Davis  did  make  a  major  con- 
tribution and  his  name  will  rank  among 
the  foremost  comparative  anatomists  of 
the  20th  century. 

My  reasons  for  this  near-prophetic 
statement  stem  from  my  close  acquaint- 
ance with  Dwight's  character  and  work 
habits.      He  was  a  perfectionist  in  all 


D.  DWIGHT  DAVIS 


1908-1965 


his  endeavors,  and  his  work  habits  can 
best  be  described  as  meticulous.  More- 
over, he  was  not  content  merely  to  build 
upon  the  philosophical  foundations  and 
the  methodology  of  his  science,  as  they 
had  been  laid  out  liy  his  predecessors, 
by  pragmatically  adding  to  the  body  of 
knowledge.  Instead,  he  felt  that  the 
time  had  come  for  the  field  to  explore 
new  vistas  and  to  undergo  a  change 
in  direction.  Characteristically,  he  pre- 
pared himself  ijefore  he  ventured  to  put 
his  ideas  on  paper;  he  read  and  even 
translated  a  large  part  of  the  exceed- 
ingly difficult  German  literature  that 
deals  with  the  philosophic  foundation 
of  the  science  of  comparative  anatomy 
and  the  history  of  the  discipline,  as  a 
first  step  toward  an  assessment  of  what 
the  future  role  of  his  science  should  be 
among  the  ever-growing  family  of  bio- 
logical sciences. 

Then  he  proceeded  to  test  his  ideas, 
developed  over  many  years,  on  a  prob- 
lem close  at  hand,  the  comparative  an- 
atomy of  the  giant  panda.  His  anatom- 
ical work  on  this  animal  dates  back  to 
the  late  thirties,  and  began  with  a  wind- 
fall: in  1937  the  Chicago  Zoological  Park 
acquired  Su  Lin,  a 
giant  panda  that  lived 
there  until  April,  1938. 
When  Su  Lin  died,  its 
body  was  embalmed 
and  injected  at  the  Mu- 
seum. Davis's  original 
purpose  was  merely  to 
establish  its  systematic 
relationships,  which 
were  still  under  dispute 
at  that  time.  This  ques- 
tion was  soon  settled, 
and  replaced  by  prob- 
lems of  far  broader  bio- 
logical significance. 

By  the  mid-fifties 
most  of  the  anatomical 
and  comparative  ana- 
tomical evidence  was  at 
hand  and  Davis  had 
established  beyond  rea- 
sonable doubt  that  the 
giant  panda  is  a  bear. 
But  it  is  not  merely  an- 
other bear;  it  is,  struc- 
turally, an  "exagger- 
ated"  bear.      What 


brought  about  these  differences?  Could 
the  field  of  comparative  anatomy  con- 
tribute to  such  a  question?  Davis  thought 
that  it  could;  although  he  utilized  in- 
sights gained  in  other  biological  disci- 
plines, he  nevertheless  felt  that  the  com- 
parative anatomical  contribution  was 
most  important  and  fimdamental.  In  a 
marvelously  well-written  introduction  to 
his  memoir  on  the  giant  panda  he  has 
set  forth  his  ideas  on  the  potential  power 
of  comparative  anatomy  as  an  explana- 
tory science. 

Dwight  Davis  was  born  in  Rockford, 
Illinois,  on  December  30,  1908,  the  son 
of  a  minister.  Already  as  a  boy  he  had 
an  interest  in  natural  history,  and  es- 
pecially in  animals.  He  was  educated 
at  North  Central  College  in  Naperville, 
and  did  some  graduate  work  at  the 
University  of  Chicago  Medical  School. 
In  1930  he  started  his  career  at  what 
was  then  the  Field  Museum  of  Natural 
History  as  an  assistant  in  the  Division 
of  Osteology,  and  in  1941  he  became 
Curator  of  Anatomy.  Under  his  cura- 
torship  the  Division  of  Anatomy  became 
well  known  all  over  the  country  and 
even  abroad,  and  it  served  as  the  meet- 
ing place  for  scientists  of  a  broad  variety 
of  specialities. 

Davis's  scientific  interests  did  not  lie 
exclusively  in  comparative  anatomy.  In 
the  early  part  of  his  career  he  worked 
and  published  on  herpetological  topics. 
Later  on  he  felt  the  need,  in  connection 
with  a  growing  interest  in  functional 
anatomy,  for  first-hand  observations  of 
animals  in  the  field;  thus  he  took  part 
in  a  number  of  expeditions,  most  no- 
tably one  to  North  Borneo  in  1950  which 
resulted  not  only  in  many  important 
observations,  but  in  a  very  fine  sys- 
tematic study  of  the  mammals  of  the 
lowland  rain  forest  of  North  Borneo.  In 
all,  Davis  published  over  50  scientific 
papers,  and  numerous  semi-popular 
articles  and  iiook  reviews. 

Dwight  was  not  a  gregarious  person; 
he  felt  ill  at  ease  in  large  groups  and 
would  usually  seek  out  one  or  two  {per- 
sons with  whom  he  felt  a  community 
of  interest.  He  also  abstained  from 
conversation  unless  he  had  something 
worthwhile  to  contribute;  he  saw  no 
sense  in  talk  for  its  own  sake.  As  a 
colleague  he  was  often  difficult,  unap- 


Page  6    MABCH 


proachable,  sometimes  caustic.  But 
these  were,  so  to  speak,  the  work-a-day 
clothes  of  his  character;  beneath  them 
was  an  entirely  different  man,  congen- 
ial, friendly,  even  warm,  but  only  his 
closest  friends  ever  really  knew  this  side 
of  Dwight's  personality.  Those  of  his 
colleagues  who  did  not  know  him  well 
nevertheless  admired  him  and  respected 
the  quality  of  his  intellectual  capabili- 
ties. He  was  especially  envied  for  his 
talent  at  organization  and  the  polish  of 
his  performance,  which  were  particu- 
larly evident  in  the  delivery  of  an  ad- 
dress or  a  lecture.  These  attributes  were 
clearly  the  result  of  the  fact  that  Dwight 
would  never  do  anything  casually.  It 
was  either  done  right,  or  not  at  all, 
and,  true  perfectionist  that  he  wa.s,  he 
never  quite  satisfied  himself  with  the 
quality  of  his  own  accomplishments. 
Contrary  to  what  might  be  supposed, 
Dwight  was  always  ready  and  eager  to 
cooperate  with  others  in  both  profes- 
sional and  leisure-time  projects. 

During  the  late  forties  Davis  became 
a  photographer.  It  looked  like  a  hobby, 
but  was  much  more  than  that.  To 
him  it  was  a  pleasurable  means  of  re- 
cording and  documenting  observations, 
especially  of  phenomena  related  to  nat- 
ural history.  For  this  purpose  he  made 
use  of  still  as  well  as  motion  pictures. 

Although  Dwight  Davis  was  not  a 
regular  university  professor,  he  super- 
vised graduate  training  of  a  number  of 
students  at  the  Museum,  was  appointed 
Lecturer  in  Zoology  at  the  University 
of  Chicago  in  1950,  held  a  visiting  pro- 
fessorship at  California  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology during  1954,  and  served  as  act- 
ing chairman  of  the  Department  of  Zo- 
ology of  the  University  of  Malaya  dur- 
ing the  fall  and  winter  of  1962-63.  In 
1958  he  was  invited  as  a  participant  to 
the  International  Biological  Congress  at 
the  University  of  Malaya  at  Singapore 
in  celebration  of  the  centenary  of  the 
formulation  of  the  theory  of  evolution 
by  Charles  Darwin  and  Alfred  Russel 
Wallace. 

Davis  was  a  member  of  several  so- 
cieties: the  American  Society  of  Mam- 
malogists,  of  which  he  was  a  trustee  dur- 
ing 1955-61;  the  American  Society  of 
Ichthyologists  and  Herpetologists;  the 
Society  for  the  Study  of  Evolution,  which 


Anasazi  Indian  ritual.    From  exhibit  seen  on  Spring  Journey. 


NEW  CHILDREN'S  JOURNEY 


Ap.ACHE,  Pima,  Pueblo,  Navajo — all 
.  are  Indians  of  our  Southwest  des- 
ert country.  Yet  each  tribe  met  the 
challenge  of  desert  living  in  a  different 
way.  "Indians  of  the  Desert  Country", 
Chicago  Natural  History  Museum's 
spring  Journey,  will  give  children  a 
glimpse  into  the  lives  of  these  Indians. 

Sparse  vegetation,  little  water,  and 
extreme  temperatures  were  some  of  the 
problems  to  be  met.  The  Navajo  In- 
dians, as  seen  in  detailed  miniature 
models  of  their  summer  and  winter  en- 
campments, found  the  answer  in  sheep 
herding — wandering  with  their  flocks 
in  search  of  forage  plants.  The  Hoho- 
kam  Indians,  forerunners  of  the  Pima 
tribe,  however,  were  able  to  settle  in 
one  place  and  establish  large  towns  as 
well.  A  diorama  of  one  of  their  settle- 
ments and  extensive  irrigation  systems 
that  made  this  possible  is  on  exhibit. 

War  bonnets  and  arrows  of  the  Apa- 
che Indians  on  display  indicate  their 


traditional  pattern  of  living — hunting 
and  raiding. 

Highlight  of  the  self-guided  Journey 
is  a  life-size  reproduction  of  a  Pueblo 
"apartment"  interior.  In  it,  an  In- 
dian family  is  busy  with  the  daily  tasks 
of  weaving,  cooking,  and  making  pot- 
tery. Here,  too,  Journeyers  will  dis- 
cover for  themselves  how  the  walls,  the 
storeroom,  and  even  the  religious  sym- 
bols seen  on  the  wall  were  adapted  by 
the  Pueblo  Indians  to  the  Southwest 
desert  country. 

Many  other  exhibits  showing  the  col- 
orful rituals  and  ceremonies,  costumes, 
tools,  and  weapons  of  these  Indians  can 
be  seen  on  the  Journey. 

Boys  and  girls  interested  in  taking  the 
Journey  may  pick  up  information  and 
a  Journey  questionnaire  at  the  Museum 
doors. 

The  spring  Journey  on  "Indians  of 
the  Desert  Country"  is  available  from 
March  through  May.  ■ 


he  served  as  managing  editor  of  the 
journal.  Evolution,  since  1961;  and  the 
American  Society  of  Zoologists,  which 
appointed  him  chairman  of  the  Divi- 
sion of  Vertebrate  Morphology  during 
1961-62. 

His  Alma  Mater,  North  Central  Col- 
lege, conferred  upon  him  an  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Science  in  1963  in 
recognition  of  his  outstanding  work  as 


a  comparative  anatomist. 

Dwight  Davis  will  be  missed  on  the 
staff  of  the  Museum,  as  elsewhere.  He 
left  a  profoimd  impression  on  those  who 
maintained  close  contact  with  him;  the 
impact  of  his  ideas  and  his  personality 
survives  among  those  of  us  who  treasure 
the  good  fortune  of  having  known  him. 
Rainer  Zangerl 
Chief  Curator,  Geology 


MARCH    Page  7 


BUSINESS  MANAGER 

{Continued from  page  2) 

continue  to  report  directly  to  the  Di- 
rector. Thus  the  creation  of  the  posi- 
tion of  Business  Manager  is  essentially 
a  restructuring  of  the  Director's  office, 
which  will  allow  the  Director  more  time 
to  devote  to  institutional  planning  and 
development. 

To  his  new  fxjsition  Mr.  Nelson  brings 
wide  administrative  exfjerience  as  cor- 
porate executive  and  financial  officer. 
He  was  associated  with  the  Cherry- 
Burrell  Corporation  of  Chicago  and  Ce- 
dar Rapids,  Iowa,  beginning  as  a  clerk 
after  graduation  from  college  and  rising 
through  a  number  of  positions  to  be- 
come Vice  President-Finance  and  a 


member  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  He 
has  also  been  an  officer  and  director 
of  associated  companies  manufacturing 
food  packaging  and  processing  machin- 
ery, both  in  the  United  States  and  Mex- 
ico. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  born  in  Stambaugh, 
Michigan.  He  received  a  Bachelor  of 
Science  degree  in  Commerce  from 
Northwestern  University  in  1937,  and 
in  1944  was  licensed  as  a  Certified  Pub- 
lic Accountant  by  the  State  of  Illinois. 

He  is  married  and  the  father  of  three 
sons.  The  Nelson  family  particularly 
enjoy  the  outdoors,  and  have  camped 
in  most  of  the  national  parks  of  the 
country.  Mr.  Nelson's  avocation  is  mu- 
sic, and  he  has  been  active  in  organizing 
and  directing  several  choral  groups.  ■ 


STAFF  APPOINTMENTS 

THE   FOLLOWING   Staff  appointments 
and  changes  have  also  been  an- 
nounced by  the  Director. 

Department  of  Zoology 

Hyman  Marx,  Associate  Curator,  Reptiles 

Library 

Chih-wei  Pan,  Cataloger; 

Supervisor  East  Asian  Library 

N.  W.  Harris  Public  School  Extension 

Lido  Lucchesi,  Preparator 

Division  of  Photography 

Homer  Holdren,  Associate  Photographer 

Guard 

George  Lamoreux,  Captain 


tTAVYL    ^AERCAPTA^ 


THE  TURKEY  VULTURE'S 
SENSE  OF  SMELL 

Austin  L.  Rand 
Chief  Curator,  Zoology 

V'ULTtjRES  are  part  of  Nature's  sanitary  corps,  which  also 
includes  mammals,  such  as  hyenas;  insects,  such  as  some 
flies  and  beetles;  and  bacteria.  These  help  to  remove  the 
bodies  of  animals  that  have  died  in  field  and  forest.  In 
more  primitive  human  societies,  vultures  may  help  remove 
garbage  from  villages. 

In  man's  more  highly  organized  societies,  the  vulture  as 


a  sanitary  aide  is  passe.  Yet  Dr.  Kenneth  E.  Stager  of  Los 
Angeles  County  Museum  has  brought  to  our  attention  a 
new  way  in  which  vultures  have  been  useful  to  modern  man. 
The  turkey  vulture  in  recent  years  has  helped  the  field  engi- 
neers of  the  Union  Oil  Company  of  California  locate  leaks 
in  their  large  natural  gas  lines.  When  a  leak  was  suspected 
in  a  pipeline  in  rough  country  where  patrolling  was  difficult, 
a  high  concentration  of  the  odoriferous  ethyl  mercaptan, 
attractive  to  turkey  vultures,  was  introduced  into  the  line. 
Subsequent  patrols  noted  where  turkey  vultures  concen- 
trated along  the  line,  went  there,  and  found  the  leak. 

This  took  advantage  of  the  turkey  vulture's  sense  of 
smell,  and  focuses  attention  on  the  fact  that  most  birds  are 
thought  to  have  little  or  no  ability  along  these  lines.  Whether 
or  not  the  turkey  vulture  was  an  exception  had  been  debated 
for  over  a  century.  Experiments  had  been  reported  that 
were  claimed  to  show  that  turkey  vultures  had  no  sense  of 
smell  while  others  were  reported  that  showed  it  did  have  one. 

Obviously  there  was  a  discrepancy  to  be  searched  out. 
This  Curator  Stager  has  done  and  reported  the  results  in 
a  paper  published  in  1964  and  entitled  "The  Role  of  Olfac- 
tion in  Food  Location  by  the  Turkey  Vulture  (Cathartes 
aura)."  The  answer  proved  a  very  simple  one.  There  is 
more  than  one  kind  of  vulture.  In  the  United  States  there 
is  the  black  vulture  and  the  turkey  vulture.  Curator  Stager 
demonstrated  very  convincingly  that  the  black  vulture  has 
no  useful  sense  of  smell  and  finds  its  food  entirely  by  sight. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  turkey  vulture  does  have  a  sense  of 
smell  and  uses  it  to  aid  its  eyes  in  finding  food.  Those  who 
reported  that  the  turkey  vulture  had  no  sense  of  smell  were 
using  the  wrong  sjjecies  in  their  experiments. 

Curator  Stager  has  given  us  another  example  of  the  im- 
portance of  museum-type  attention  to  the  species  and  its 
correct  taxonomy.  It  is  basic  to  other  fields  of  biological 
research.  ■ 


Page  8     MARCH 


PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  PRESS 


NATURAL^ 
.    HISTORY  ^^, 
^USEUNi^I;^/ 


-*     ^V< 


Vol  36 


No.  4 
1965 


fc  J^.  I 


«», 


\ 


Searching  for  evidence 
of  marsupial  evolution 
in  Australii 


■  "i^^^air 


CHICAGO 
NATURAL 
HISTORY 
MUSEUM 


MUSEUM  NEWS 


NEW  STAFF 
APPOINTMENTS 


A 


C) 

^ 


LTHOUGH    the 

Museum  has 
long  possessed  rich 
^ethnological  coUect- 
tions  from  many  Ne- 
gro African  cultures, 
and  is  noted  for  its 
exhibits  in  this  field, 
there  has  been   no  Leon  Siroto 

African  specialist  on 

the  staff  since  the  retirement  of  the  late 
Dr.  \Vilfred  D.  Hambly  in  1953.  It  is 
with  pleasure,  therefore,  that  announce- 
ment is  made  of  the  appointment  of 
Leon  Siroto  as  Assistant  Curator  of  Af- 
rican Ethnology,  beginning  March  1. 

A  specialist  in  Negro  African  culture 
history  and  art,  Mr.  Siroto  has  been 
engaged  in  research  on  the  traditional 
African  societies,  and  especially  their 
material  culture  and  art  styles,  since 
1950.  In  1960-61,  under  a  grant  from 
the  Ford  Foundation,  he  carried  out 
field  research  on  the  culture  history  of 
Negro  peoples  living  along  the  Sangha 
and  Ogowe  River  systems  of  the  then 
French  Congo  (Brazzaville)  and  Gabon. 
Aided  by  a  Fulbright  fellowship,  he  has 
also  made  extensive  studies  of  African 
ethnographic  materials  in  the  museums 
of  England,  France,  Belgium,  Switzer- 
land, Holland,  and  Scandinavia. 

Mr.  Siroto  has  been  particularly  in- 
terested in  investigating  the  premises 
underlying  the  use  of  masks  in  African 
societies,  and  the  historical  development 
of  weapons  by  various  African  groups. 
His  doctoral  dissertation,  based  on  his 
field  research,  discusses  the  use  of  masks 
in  leadership  competition  among  the 
BaKwele  people  of  western  equatorial 
Africa. 

Mr.  Siroto  became  an  anthropologist 
after  beginning  his  career  an  as  ento- 
mologist.   He  received  the  Bachelor  of 
Science  degree  in  entomology  from  Ohio 
.  State  University  in  1944.     In  1945  he 

Page  2     APRIL  . 


was  awarded  the  M.A.  degree  in  science 
education  by  Columbia  University.  Af- 
ter several  years  as  a  Plant  Quarantine 
Inspector  with  the  United  States  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  Mr.  Siroto 
again  entered  Columbia  University  to 
pursue  graduate  work  in  anthropology. 
Mr.  Siroto  has  taught  at  Queens  Col- 
lege and  Georgetown  University,  and 
has  published  articles  on  African  art 
and  weapons.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Anthropological  Association 
and  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Anthropo- 
logical Institute  of  Great  Britain. 


MR.  GEORGE  R.  FRiCKE  has  joined  the 
Raymond  Foundation  education- 
al staff  as  lecturer  in  biology.  In  this 
position,  he  replaces  Mrs.  Maryl  Andre, 
who  has  resigned. 

Mr.  Fricke  received  the  Bachelor  of 
Science  degree  from  Wisconsin  State 
University,  at  Stevens  Point,  Wisconsin. 
He  did  his  major  work  in  conservation 
and  biology,  with  emphasis  on  zoology 
and  wild  life.  In  the  Museum,  he  will 
be  working  in  the  wide  range  of  edu- 
cational programs  which  the  Raymond 
Foundation  offers. 

EXPLORE  PROGRAM  FOR 
CULTURALLY  DEPRIVED 

ANEW  program  to  explore  ways  in 
which  museums  can  help  the  na- 
tional effort  to  provide  compensatory 
education  for  the  culturally  deprived 
child  is  now  under  way  by  Chicago 
Natural  History  Museum  in  coopera- 
tion with  the  Urban  Child  Center  of 
the  University  of  Chicago. 

To  develop  techniques  for  solving  this 
problem,  Mr.  Ernest  Roscoe,  lecturer  in 
geology  with  the  James  Nelson  and  Anna 
Louise  Raymond  Foundation,  one  of 
the  Museum's  educational  divisions,  has 
been  appointed  a  Research  Associate  in 
the  Graduate  School  of  Education  of 
the  University  of  Chicago,  where  he 
will  work  several  days  a  week  under  the 


general  direction  of  Dr.  Robert  D.  Hess, 
Professor  of  Education  and  Director  of 
the  University's  Urban  Child  Center. 

The  Raymond  Foundation  has  long 
been  concerned  with  making  the  Mu- 
seum's educational  resources  more  avail- 
able to  children  from  disadvantaged, 
urban  backgrounds.  "We  must  find 
ways  to  attract  these  young  people," 
Roscoe  said,  "who  may  not  even  know 
that  we  exist,  and  make  their  visits  to  our 
halls  meaningful  and  understandable." 

During  the  next  five  months,  Roscoe 
will  visit  urban  schools,  day  nurseries, 
and  settlement  houses.  He  will  confer 
with  teachers,  principals,  and  other  edu- 
cators, and  also  observe  and  work  with 
the  children  themselves.  Some  of  the 
basic  questions  he  will  investigate  are: 
How  can  the  Museum's  educational  re- 
sources (both  intramural  and  extension) 
be  made  most  useful  to  culturally  de- 
prived children?  What  kinds  of  natural 
history  and  anthropological  materials 
should  be  developed  for  use  with  these 
children?  What  educational  methods 
are  most  effective  in  reaching  the  dis- 
advantaged at  levels  from  pre-school 
through  high  school?  Should  auxiliary 
programs  be  developed  for  teachers  and 
parents?  How  can  the  Museum's  pro- 
grams be  integrated  with  other  existing 
programs? 

"By  finding  answers  to  such  questions 
as  these,"  said  Miss  Miriam  Wood, 
Chief  of  the  Raymond  Foundation,  "the 
Museum  can  look  forward  to  increasing 
its  contribution  to  the  massive  national 
effort  now  being  directed  toward  broad- 
ening the  intellectual  horizons  of  the 
culturally  deprived  child." 

STUDENT 
SCIENCE  FAIR 

SCIENCE  projects  designed  by  Chicago- 
land  students  will  be  on  exhibit  in 
Stanley  Field  Hall  from  9  a.m.  to  4  p.m. 
on  Saturday  May  15,  during  the  An- 
nual Chicago  Area  Science  Fair.  ■ 


MEMBERS' 
NIGHT 

MAY  7 


Chocolate  Tret 


IF  THERE  are  those  who  think  that  newness  is  not  a  characteristic  of  museums, 
let  them  come  to  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  on  May  7,  when  "What's 
new?"  sets  the  theme  for  Members'  Night. 

Among  the  attractions  of  the  Museum's  annual  open  house  will  be:  a  major 
exhibition  hall,  now  in  the  final  stages  of  complete  modernization;  a  new  conservation 
laboratory,  open  to  Members  for  the  first  time  prior  to  its  dedication  later  in  May; 
a  preview  oj  the  $875,000  Museum  building  addition,  now  at  the  halfway  point  in  con- 
struction; and  a  new  expedition  to  Afghanistan,  plans  for  which  are  just  under  way. 

When  Members  and  their  guests  arrive,  they  will  be  invited  to  ascend  immedi- 
ately to  the  second  floor,  where  the  renovated  Hall  of  Useful  Plants  awaits  them. 
Here,  in  a  setting  made  brilliant  through  the  use  of  bold  colors  and  imaginative 
display  techniques,  are  the  plants  and  plant  products  indispensable  to  man. 

Among  the  exhibits  (most  are  completed;  some  nearly  so)  are  plant  dyes — 
forerunners  of  modern,  synthetic  colors;  resins — essential  to  varnishes,  medicines, 
perfumes,  plastics,  and  adhesives;  and  fibers — from  which  we  get  scrub  brushes, 
rugs,  burlap,  and  fine  linen. 

Nearby  displays  illustrate  plants  that  have  been  dubbed  "pacifiers."  Some  of 
these,  like  tobacCo,  are  smoked,  Others,  like  betel  nuts,  are  chewed.  Also  shown 
are  marijuana,  opium,  mescal,  cocaine,  and  the  hallucinatory  mushrooms  that  are 
important  in  the  life  of  many  primitive  societies. 

Exhibits  on  gums  depict  the  origins  of  food  additives  that  have  become  increas- 
ingly important  in  our  diet,  as  a  check  of  the  labels  on  many  kinds  of  packaged 
foods  will  show.  Housewives  with  well-stocked  spice  shelves  will  want  to  match 
their  varieties  against  the  more  than  40  spices  on  exhibit.  While  examining  the 
spices  and  their  origins,  see  if  you  can  point  out  the  orchid  without  reading  the 
label.  Notice,  too,  the  attractive  way  boards  from  old  packing  cases  have  been 
used  in  the  background. 

Cases  showing  the  production  of  tea  and  coffee,  with  a  miniature  replica  of 
a  tea  plantation,  are  nearing  completion.  There  is  also  an  exhibit  on  legumes, 
without  which  civilization  might  not  have  been  possible;  and  a  nearly  completed 
exhibit  on  natural  rubber,  upon  which  our  wheeled  civilization  depends. 

Toward  one  end  of  the  hall  are  newly  finished  models  of  well  known  vegetables. 
(Upstairs  on  the  third  floor.  Members  will  have  an  opportunity  to  see  how  these 
marvelously  realistic  plant  models  are  made.)  Before  leaving  the  hall,  walk  around 
once  more  just  to  look  at  the  murals.  These  depict  man's  concern  with  plants 
from  prehistoric  times  to  but  a  short  while  ago. 

In  keeping  with  the  botanical  theme  of  Members'  Night,  Dr.  Louis  O.  Williams, 
Chief  Curator  of  Botany,  who  has  spent  a  "life-time"  in  the  tropics,  will  give  several 
short  lectures  during  the  evening  on  the  origins  and  romance  of  useful  plants. 
The  lecture  room  adjoins  the  botany  hall  on  the  second  floor.  In  addition  to  the 
lectures,  movies  of  botanical  subjects  will  also  be  shown. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  second  floor,  in  the  Hall  of  Fossil  Plants  and  Inver- 
tebrates (Hall  37),  a  special  exhibit  of  paintings  will  depict  the  beginnings  of  life 
in  ancient  seas,  through  the  Age  of  Reptiles,  the  evolution  of  mammals,  and  the 
coming  of  man.  The  paintings  were  created  for  the  1965  World  Book  Tear  Book,  to 
illustrate  the  article  on  "Out  of  the  Sea:  The  Life  Story  of  a  Continent."  The 
copy  was  written  by  Dr.  Eugene  S.  Richardson,  Jr.,  the  Museum's  Curator  of 
Fossil  Invertebrates.  Reprints  of  this  handsome  and  informative  article  will  be 
available  in  the  hall  for  Members  and  their  guests. 

Moving  on  to  the  third  floor.  Members  will  want  to  view  the  new  conservation 
laboratory  in  the  Department  of  Anthropology.  First  of  its  kind  in  the  Midwest, 
the  laboratory  contains  the  latest  equipment  for  preserving  archaeological  and 
ethnological  specimens,  such  as  ancient  bronzes  and  wooden  sculpture,  clothing, 
household  goods,  or  weapons.  Here  in  the  laboratory,  artifacts  are  examined  by 
X-ray,  microscope,  or  chemical  analysis;  washed  or  cleaned  by  chemical  or  electro- 

(Continued  on  page  8) 

APRIL     Page  S 


Paula  R.  Nelson 


australian  expedition 
discovers  landmark 

fossil  site 


ANNOUNCEMENT  of  an  expedition  to  Australia  always  quick- 
L  ens  our  interest.  Scattered  pictures  spring  to  mind: 
aborigines  running  toward  a  rain  cloud;  archaic  lungfish 
that  come  to  the  water's  surface  to  breathe;  flightless  birds; 
mammals  that  lay  eggs;  and  above  all  the  ubiquitous  mar- 
supials, mammals  that  nurture  their  young  in  external 
pouches.  Which  aspect  is  to  be  explored?  It  hardly  matters. 
In  every  field  of  exploration — paleontology,  botany,  zoology, 
or  ethnology — the  Australian  continent,  free  since  the  Creta- 
ceous to  develop  its  own  distinctive  modes  of  life — beckons 
us  toward  the  unusual,  the  unique,  the  unknown. 

It  is  from  a  12-months'  paleontological  expedition  "down 
under"  that  William  TurnbuU,  Associate  Curator  of  Fossil 
Mammals,  has  recently  returned.  With  him,  as  co-director 
of  the  expedition,  was  Ernest  L.  Lundelius,  Jr.,  Associate 
Professor  of  Geology  at  the  University  of  Texas.    Technical 


Above:  the  Grange  Burn,  where  the  expedition  uncovered  a 
landmark  fossil  deposit.  {Note  basaltic  rocks  overlying  the 
fossil  soil.)    Right:  Bill  TurnbuU  and  son  dig  out  the  site. 

assistance  in  the  field  research  was  provided  by  the  directors' 
wives,  Mrs.  Priscilla  TurnbuU  and  Mrs.  Judith  Lundelius — 
both  trained  geologists. 

The  expedition  set  out  to  find  evidence  that  would  illum- 
inate the  obscure  origin  and  evolution  of  Australia's  an- 
cestral marsupials.  During  the  Mcsozoic  (see  geologic  table 
on  page  6),  the  pouched  mammals,  perhaps  under  pressure 
from  their  more  successful  relatives,  the  placentals,  had 
pushed  into  the  outermost  regions  of  the  southern  hemisphere. 
One  of  these  regions — Australia — was  separated  from  the 
other  land  masses  of  the  world  in  the  Cretaceous.    The  con- 

Page  i     APRIL 


Fossil  hunting  at  these  sites 
proved  disappointing. 

Above:  a  limestone  quarry. 
Right:  a  coal  bed  outcrop. 

Cover:  a  site  where  earlier 
collectors  had  found  a  nearly 
complete  skeleton  of  an  Oli- 
gocene  marsupial. 


tinent  became  a  sanctuary,  where  the  old  marsupial  line, 
free  from  placental  competition,  could  experience  a  new  re- 
surgence. Marsupials  spread  everywhere  over  Australia, 
evolving  an  abundance  of  species  adapted  to  every  possible 
environment  (desert  or  forest,  burrow  or  tree  top)  and  diet 
(witness  koalas  that  subsist  solely  on  eucalyptus  leaves). 

This  adaptive  radiation,  which  must  have  taken  place 
during  the  Tertiary  period,  unfortunately  left  little  trace. 
The  fossil  record  of  marsupial  history  is,  as  Turnbull  puts 
it,  "pitifully  scanty."  Moreover,  no  dates  are  known  for 
the  few  remains  of  Tertiary  mammals  that  have  been  found 
in  Australia.    The  difficulty  is  that  the  terrestrial  strata  of 


mammals  whose  bodies  had  been  washed  by  ancient  streams 
to  the  sea.  Still  another  possibility  would  be  the  fossil  soils 
that  had  been  protected  from  leaching  by  overlying  basalts 
laid  down  during  the  volcanic  upheavals  of  the  Tertiary. 
The  great  advantage  of  all  these  coast-line  formations  was 
that  they  might  be  correlated  by  their  interfingerings  with 
marine  rock  sequences  whose  dating  is  known. 

In  Melbourne,  therefore,  the  expedition  members  set  up 
their  home  base.  Here  the  National  Museum  of  Victoria 
acted  as  their  host  and  cooperated  in  every  way  with  their 
research.  From  this  base,  the  expeditionary  party  set  up 
a  series  of  field  camps  equipped  for  fossil  collecting  and  pro- 


Processing  specimens  at  afield  camp  {lejt). 
Shown  below,  left  to  right:  handling  hulk 
samples  oj  matrix  preparatory  to  wet-siev- 
ing; wet-sieving;  drying  the  residues  so 
that  they  may  be  examined  for  fossils. 


Australia  have  never  been  correlated  with  other  land  or 
marine  rock  sequences  for  which  dates  are  known.  The 
Museum  expedition  hoped,  first  of  all,  to  discover  one  or 
more  deposits  of  Tertiary  fossils  that  would  help  fill  in  the 
record  of  marsupial  evolution.  Secondly,  the  paleontologists 
wanted  to  find  evidence  that  would  make  it  possible  to  date 
Australian  fossils  more  precisely. 

The  great  risk  was  that  they  might  fail  to  locate  any 
Tertiary  fossils  at  all.  To  increase  the  odds  in  their  favor, 
Turnbull  and  Lundelius  would  need  to  identify  and  explore 
the  most  promising  geologic  formations. 

THE  Australian  continent  contains  some  of  the  earth's  old- 
est rocks.  Across  the  western  two-thirds  of  its  surface 
stretches  the  archaic  pre-Cambrian  shield.  Ranging  the 
eastern  margin,  from  the  northern  shore  to  Tasmania,  are 
highlands  uplifted  mainly  in  the  Mesozoic.  The  most  exten- 
sive sequences  of  Tertiary  formations  lie  along  the  southern 
coast  and  in  Tasmania.  Here,  promising  localities  would  be 
outcrops  of  coal  beds  and  freshwater  limestones.  Marine 
sediments  found  near  the  shore  might  also  contain  fossils  of 


cessing.  Collecting  is  a^^matter  of  the  paleontologist  calling 
upon  all  his  knowledge  and  experience  to  identify  likely  sites; 
then  chipping  out,  digging  up,  or  simply  hauling  away  the 
rocks,  soils,  and  sediments  in  which  fossils  might  be  buried. 
Processing  means  separating  the  fossil  specimens  from  these 
matrices.  This  was  done  by  wet-sieving — back-breaking 
work,  in  which  sediments  are  washed  and  sifted  through 
several  grades  of  mesh  screens  that  are  gently  agitated  while 
partially  submerged  in  tanks  of  water.  Back  at  the  Mel- 
bourne base,  Monash  University  generously  made  space 
available  for  this  task. 

Wet-sieving  produces  residues  which  must  be  dried  and 
then  painstakingly  picked  over.  Every  bit  of  sediment  is 
examined — often  under  a  microscope.  If  the  searchers  find 
fossil  remains,  good;  but  weeks  of  effort  may  turn  up  nothing 
but  mineral  concentrates.  Yet  even  these  have  their  uses: 
analysis  of  the  minerals,  or  in  some  cases  of  ancient  pollens 
found,  can  provide  insight  into  the  environmental  conditions 
of  the  past.  Such  knowledge  helps  other  paleontologists 
identify  promising  sites  for  future  prospecting.  {over) 

APRIL    Pages 


§  w 

PALEOZOIC 

MESOZOIC 

CENOZOIC 

2"  =•  » 

230 '600 

million 

years  ago 

TRIASSIC    JURASSIC    CRETACEOUS 

TERTIARY 

QUATERNARY 

g  3  > 

PALEOCENE 

EOCENE 

OLIGOCENE 

MIOCENE 

PLIOCENE 

PLEISTOCENE 

« » 2 

—=■-2 

230-181 

million 

years  ago 

181 « 135 

million 

years  ago 

135-65 
million 
years  ago 

65-55 

million 

years  ago 

55-38 

million 

years  ago 

38-26 
million 
years  ago 

26-12 

million 

years  ago 

12-1 
million 
years  ago 

1  million 

years  ago 

to  the  present 

^ 


When  fossils  are  found  (most  commonly  teeth)  the  yield 
per  volume  of  residual  sediments  must  be  assessed.  Add  to 
this  the  paleontologist's  general  knowledge  of  how  rarely  fos- 
sils occur  in  the  beds  being  sampled,  and  it  is  possible  to 
estimate  the  volume  of  original  matrix  which  must  be  taken 
to  produce  an  adequate  sampling  of  the  fauna. 

Through  months  of  such  work,  at  dozens  of  localities, 
the  paleontologists  persisted.  There  were  no  dramatic  finds. 
In  the  coal  bed  outcrops,  not  a  sign  of  bone  turned  up. 
However,  the  expedition  did  keep  samples  of  coal  bed  con- 
centrates for  future  analysis.  Though  Turnbull  and  Lun- 
delius  searched  outcrops  of  freshwater  limestones  where  work- 
ers of  an  earlier  generation  had  found  fossil  deposits,  there 
were  no  new  finds.  Many  of  these  outcrops,  they  learned,  had 
been  quarried  out  for  agricultural  lime.  Turnbull  and  Lun- 
delius  arranged  with  the  National  Museum  of  Victoria,  the 
University  of  Melbourne,  and  the  Victoria  Mines  Department 
to  borrow  the  specimens  found  decades  before,  so  that  they 
could  be  studied  at  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  and 
eventually  be  made  known  to  science. 

The  near-shore  collecting,  on  which  the  expedition  had 
laid  high  hopes,  proved  especially  disappointing.  Eighty 
years  before,  a  nearly  complete  skeleton  of  Wynyardia,  an  op- 
possum-like  Oligocene  marsupial,  had  been  discovered  in 
a  marine  formation;  and  at  another  shore-line  locality  a  Mio- 
cene faunal  deposit  had  been  unearthed.  But  the  Museum 
party  was  able  to  uncover  only  a  few  fossil  fragments  from 
marine  conglomerates.  And  by  wet-sieving  the  beach  sands, 
they  got  a  single  half  of  what  is  "probably"a  marsupial  tooth. 

YET  just  such  a  fragment  now  opened  up  a  whole  new 
avenue  of  discovery.  Some  eleven  years  before,  Mr. 
E.  Gill,  of  the  National  Museum  of  Victoria,  had  found 
a  single  mammalian  tooth  in  a  fossil  soil  outcrop  on  the 
Grange  Burn  near  Hamilton  in  western  Victoria.  The  ex- 
{ledition  members  decided  to  follow  up  this  slender  clue. 

Here,  they  struck  pay  dirt.  Almost  immediately,  mam- 
malian teeth  turned  up  in  material  taken  from  the  top  layers 
of  the  Grange  Burn  outcrops.  The  party  set  to  work,  digging 
out  and  wet-sieving  nearly  three  tons  of  fossil  soil.  This 
yielded  some  500  pounds  of  concentrate.  Though  only  a 
small  portion  of  the  residues  could  be  examined  during  the 
next  few  weeks,  more  than  30  teeth,  or  fragments  of  teeth, 
representing  six  species  of  early  marsupials,  were  found. 
This  was  a  faunal  deposit  of  immense  value. 

But  were  the  specimens  from  the  Tertiary,  the  crucial 
period  for  marsupial  adaptive  radiation?  The  stratigraphic 
evidence  seemed  clear,  but  other  workers  in  Australia  had 
initially  judged  their  finds  to  be  Tertiary  only  to  recognize, 
on  further  analysis,  that  they  were  no  older  than  Pleistocene. 

Page  6     APRIL 


Dr.  Ian  MacDougall,  of  the  department  of  geophysics  at 
the  Australian  National  University  at  Canberra,  offered  to 
run  a  potassium-argon  test  on  a  sample  of  the  basalt  overlying 
the  fossil  soil.  His  test  showed  the  basalt  to  be  4.35  million 
years  old.  The  Grange  Burn  fossil  marsupials  were  firmly 
Tertiary. 

In  a  report  to  the  National  Science  Foundation,  which 
had  helped  to  support  the  expedition's  work,  Turnbull  and 
Lundelius  summed  up  the  significance  of  the  radiometric 
dating  of  the  Grange  Burn  material : 

"It  provides:  (1)  a  check  on  the  stratigraphic  age; 
(2)  a  firm  tie  to  the  world-wide  chronology;  (3)  the 
opportunity  for  better  age-determinations  of  other  ter- 
restrial faunas  in  Australia;  and  (4)  the  first  positively 
dated  pre-Pleistocene  fauna  for  that  continent.  This 
unquestionably  is  the  most  important  accomplishment 
of  the  expedition." 

BEFORE  leaving  Australia,  the  expedition  rounded  out  its 
work  by  investigating  several  more  recent  faunal  lo- 
calities, including  a  classic  area  for  Australian  paleontology, 
the  Wellington  Caves  of  New  South  Wales. 

This  site  is  one  of  the  best-known  Pleistocene  marsupial 
deposits  on  the  continent.  Large  collections  have  been  made 
by  a  number  of  scientific  institutions,  but  the  internal  strati- 
graphy of  the  cave  deposits  has  never  been  studied.  Many 
earlier  workers  reported  that  stratigraphic  levels  simply  could 
not  be  made  out,  and  thus  the  possibilities  of  reconstructing 
the  fossil  history  were  severely  limited. 

The  Museum  expedition  worked  intensively  for  a  week 
in  the  Wellington  Caves.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  Turnbull 
reported:  "We  believe  that  we  have  enough  evidence  to 
show  that  stratigraphy  does  exist  with  the  deposits  and  can 
be  interpreted.  If  we  are  right,  the  best  thing  we  can  do 
here  is  to  try  to  document  this  .  .  ."  The  paleontologists 
mapped  and  photographed  the  caves  and  dug  copious  sam- 
ples from  each  of  the  various  strata  they  could  discern.  Here 
in  the  Museum,  they  will  compare  materials  from  each  level 
to  see  if  they  hold  evidence  of  faunal  changes.  "If  future 
study  supports  our  theories,"  Turnbull  adds,  "we  will  have 
shed  new  light  on  marsupial  development  in  the  Pleistocene, 
and  greatly  enhanced  the  value  of  earlier  collections. 

A  scientific  expedition — however  carefully  its  goals  are 
chosen,  its  methods  refined — is  always  a  risk  venture.  "We 
knew,"  Turnbull  says,  "that  our  chances  of  succeeding  were 
even  slimmer  than  most,  since  a  century  of  searching  before 
us  had  turned  up  such  a  meager  fossil  record.  There  is 
particular  satisfaction,  therefore,  in  reporting  that  some  of 
our  Australian  expedition's  most  important  objectives  have 
been  achieved."  ■ 


MUSEUM  expeditions  in  1965  will  again  carry  scientific 
research  into  many  areas  of  the  world.  Highlights 
of  this  year's  schedule  are  expeditions  to  Afghanistan  and 
Guam. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  S.  Street  of  Seattle,  who  led  a 
highly  successful  expedition  to  Iran  for  the  Museum  three 
years  ago,  are  now  planning  to  go  to  Afghanistan  in  June. 
There  they  will  collect  specimens  for  a  faunal  study  of 
Afghanistan's  mammals.  Since  no  such  study  has  ever  been 
undertaken,  the  expedition  expects  to  solve  many  problems 
as  to  just  what  species  do  occur  in  that  remote  and  beautiful 
coimtry.  Mr.  Street's  personal  goal  is  to  resolve,  if  possible, 
the  disagreement  as  to  whether  there  are  more  than  one 
species  of  mountain  sheep  whose  ranges  come  together  in 
Afghanistan. 


-H- 


EXPEDITIONS 
1965 


Accompanying  the  Streets  will  be  two  graduate  students 
in  mammalogy,  selected  from  applicants  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.  Appointed  by  the  Museum  as  Expedition  Fellows 
are  Jerry  Hassinger  of  the  University  of  California  at  Davis, 
and  Hans  Neuhauser  of  the  University  of  Georgia. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Street  have  been  appointed  to  the  honorary 
staff  of  the  Museum  as  Field  Associates,  in  recognition  of 
their  continuing  contributions  to  science  through  expedition- 
ary work. 

Also  in  June,  Dr.  Fred  M.  Reinman,  Assistant  Curator 
of  Oceanic  Archaeology  and  Ethnology,  will  leave  for  a 
year  of  research  on  Guam  in  the  Marianas  Islands.  Aided 
by  a  grant  from  the  National  Science  Foundation,  Rienman 
will  conduct  archaeological  surveys  and  excavations  to  learn 
more  of  Guam's  prehistoric  people.  He  is  especially  in- 
terested in  studying  their  exploitation  of  the  sea  as  a  food 
source. 

Dr.  Louis  O.  Williams,  Mrs.  Williams,  and  Mrs.  Dorothy 
Gibson,  Custodian  of  the  Herbarium,  have  just  returned 
from  a  two-months'  field  trip  into  Central  America.  They 
were  accompanied  during  part  of  the  trip  by  Chester  Laskow- 
ski,  a  graduate  student  from  the  University  of  Michigan  and 
by  Professor  Antonio  Molina  of  Escuela  Agricola  Panameri- 
cana  in  Honduras.  Field  work  was  done  in  Guatemala, 
Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica.  Exploratory  trips  were  made 
into  two  previously  unvisited  rain  forest  areas  in  Costa  Rica, 
one  on  the  Atlantic,  the  other  on  the  Pacific  slope  near  the 
Panamanian  border.  The  specimens  and  information  gath- 
ered are  basic  to  floristic  and  systematic  studies  of  the  plants 
of  Central  America  now  in  progress. 

In  the  United  States,  much  of  this  year's  field  work  will 
(Continued  on  next  page) 


>:-:\ 


't 


APRIL    Page  7 


be  carried  out  in  the  western  half  of  the  country.  Dr.  Paul 
S.  Martin,  Curator  Emeritus  of  Anthropology,  will  return  to 
eastern  Arizona,  site  of  his  investigations  into  the  culture 
and  history  of  the  people  living  in  that  region  from  5000  b.c. 
to  A.D.  1400. 

Dr.  Rupert  L.  Wenzel,  Curator  of  Insects,  will  make  a 
short  field  trip  into  the  Southwest  to  collect  parasites  of 
bats,  especially  flies  of  the  family  Streblidae.  He  hopes  to 
obtain  additional  specimens  of  some  recently  discovered, 
undescribed  species  for  a  paper  he  is  preparing  on  Streblidae 
of  North  America. 

Extending  his  paleoclimatic  studies  into  South  Dakota 
and  Montana,  Dr.  John  Clark,  Associate  Curator  of  Sedi- 
mentary Petrology,  will  continue  his  search  for  ancient  vol- 
canic ash  deposits,  sandstones,  and  fossil  animals  which  will 
help  to  interpret  the  geography  and  climate  of  North  America 
30  million  years  ago. 

Dr.  Robert  H.  Denison,  Curator  of  Fossil  Fishes,  will 
revisit  the  Canon  City,  Colorado,  area  seeking  remains  of 
the  oldest  known  vertebrates.  These  rare  fossils  occur  in 
450-million-year-old  sandstones.  While  small  fragments  of 
their  armor  have  been  discovered,  Dr.  Denison  hopes  to 
find  better  material  that  will  give  some  clues  to  the  appear- 
ance of  these  primitive,  fish-like  vertebrates. 


The  Big  Horn  Mountains  of  Wyoming  will  be  the  site 
of  field  work  by  Dr.  Patricio  Ponce  de  Leon,  Assistant  Cura- 
tor of  the  Cryptogamic  Herbarium,  and  Mr.  Robert  Stolze 
of  the  Department  of  Botany.  In  Wyoming,  they  will  gather 
plants  from  this  relatively  uncollected  area  for  the  Museum's 
herbarium  as  well  as  for  exchange  with  other  institutions. 

Dr.  Edward  J.  Olson,  Curator  of  Minerals,  will  be  one 
of  the  few  heading  east.  He  will  travel  to  New  York  State 
to  collect  spinel  crystals  for  exhibit  and  exchange  purfxjses. 

Two  of  the  Museum's  staff  planning  field  trips  in  the 
Midwest  during  1965  are  Mr.  George  I.  Quimby,  Curator 
of  North  American  Archaeology  and  Ethnology,  and  Dr. 
Eugene  S.  Richardson,  Curator  of  Fossil  Invertebrates.  Mr. 
Quimby  will  again  be  exploring  the  Upper  Great  Lakes 
region  for  sites  inhabited  by  Indian  tribes  from  1600  to  1760. 
Dr.  Richardson  will  continue  his  search  of  strip  mines  in 
Illinois  for  fossils  of  the  Pennsylvanian  period. 

In  addition  to  the  expeditions  and  field  trips  by  Museum 
staff,  field  associates  and  collectors  working  in  collaboration 
with  the  Museum  will  be  gathering  data  and  specimens  in 
many  parts  of  the  world.  Through  them.  Museum  research 
will  continue  during  the  year  in  Nepal,  the  Philippines, 
South  America,  New  Guinea,  and  1^  many  islands  of  the 
South  Pacific.  ■ 


MEMBERS'  NIGHT  -  MAY  7 

lytic  means;  impregnated  or  coated  with  preservatives.  In  addition  to  demon- 
strations of  these  techniques,  a  selection  of  rare  artifacts  from  Italy,  Tibet,  and 
other  areas  will  be  displayed,  some  shown  "before"  and  others  "after"  being  re- 
stored to  their  original  beauty. 

The  Library  and  the  Department  of  Geology  have  arranged  a  walk-through 
of  the  new  Museum  building  addition,  now  in  the  midst  of  construction.  This 
addition  will  provide  new  stack  space  and  offices  for  the  Library;  new  techniccd 
processing,  classroom,  and  research  laboratories  for  the  Geology  Department;  and 
will  house  the  famed  Walker  Collection  of  fossil  invertebrates.  The  walk-through 
will  give  Members  their  first  opportunity  to  see  the  new  space  and  visualize  its 
completed  appearance.  Curators  will  be  on  hand  to  guide  visitors  through  the 
storage  area,  and  we  predict  reactions  of  amazement  at  its  tremendous  size. 

In  other  behind-the-scenes  areas  of  the  third  floor,  Members  will  see  the  genesis 
of  the  forthcoming  Street  expedition  to  Afghanistan  (see  page  7).  Displays  in  vari- 
ous curatorial  laboratories  will  also  trace  the  geography  of  South  American  mam- 
mals, show  the  difference  between  certain  whale  species,  and  examine  variation  and 
convergence  in  birds. 

On  the  ground  floor,  in  the  divisions  of  fishes  and  reptiles,  curators  will  discuss 
specimens  collected  on  recent  expeditions  to  the  Indian  Ocean  and  Borneo.  On 
the  fourth  floor,  visitors  may  view  research  drawing  of  snail  shells  and  anatomy, 
see  five  cases  of  a  new  exhibit-in-progress,  and  handle  the  magnificent  furs  and  skins 
that  are  always  a  special  delight  of  Members'  Night. 

The  Museum's  open  house  begins  at  6:00  p.m.  and  ends  at  10:00  p.m.  Dinner 
will  be  served  in  the  cafeteria  until  8  o'clock;  refreshments  will  also  be  available  on 
the  second  floor  and  in  Stanley  Field  Hall.  Free  shuttle  bus  service  will  operate 
from  Jackson  and  State  to  the  Museum's  south  door,  starting  at  6:00  p.m.  The 
buses  will  run  at  approximately  15-minute  intervals,  following  the  regular  shuttie 
bus  (No.  149)  route  and  making  stops  along  Michigan  Avenue  at  Jackson  and  at 
Balbo.    The  last  bus  leaves  the  Museum  at  10:45  p.m.  ■ 


Chicago  Natural  History   Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1S93 

Roofcvelc  Road  and  Lake  Shore  Drive 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS  60605 

Telephone:  922-9410 


THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCormick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Marshall  Field 
Clifford  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  InsuU,  Jr. 
Henry  P.  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 

J.  Howard 


Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
Wood 


OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  Vice-President 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 

Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer 

and  Assistant  Secretary 

E.  Leland  Wehber,  Secretary 

THE   BULLETIN 

EDITOR 
E.  Leland  Webber,  Director  of  the  Musetun 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Donald  Collier,  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropolo^ 

Louts  O.  Williams,  Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Rainer  Zangerl,  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 
Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Relations  Counsel 

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


Page  8     APRIL 


PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  PRESS 


HISTORY  T^^tf       ^o.s 
MUSEUM  t^^  ^9es 


Gallus  Indicus  cum  panico  crcruleo  Indico  • 


Meta  P.  Howell,  Librarian 

The  Museum  Library 
in  Transition 


"All  that  mankind  has  done,  thought,  gained, 
or  been,  it  is  lying  as  in  magic  preservation 
in  the  pages  of  books." 

CARLYLE 


THE  LIBRARY  has  been  in  existence  since  the  early  days 
of  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum.  It  comprises  the 
general  Library,  the  four  departmental  libraries  (anthro- 
pology, botany,  geology,  and  zoology)  and  the  respective 
divisional  libraries.  The  general  and  departmental  libraries 
are  on  the  Museum's  third  floor,  in  the  four  wings  of  the 
building;  so  also  are  the  divisional  libraries,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  fish  and  reptile  divisional  libraries  on  the  ground 
floor,  and  the  lower  invertebrate  library  on  the  fourth  floor. 
The  Museum  Library  is  designed  to  support  the  research 
needs  of  the  scientific  staff  by  accumulating  and  maintain- 
ing literature  that  contributes  to  the  effectiveness  of  their 
scientific  investigations.  Emphasis  is  placed  on  the  acqui- 
sition of  serial  publications  of  scientific  societies  and  research 
organizations  because  they  contain  the  original  research  re- 
ports which  are  of  first  interest  to  the  scientist.  The  tax- 
onomic  approach  to  the  sciences,  in  particular,  necessitates 
the  acquisition  of  entire  runs  of  serial  publications  both  old 
and  new,  in  many  languages,  that  contain  the  descriptions 
of  names  of  new  genera  and  species  and  embody  the  results 


Page  2    MAT 


of  systematic  research.  Serials,  therefore,  form  the  major 
part  of  the  Library's  holdings. 

The  ever-widening  range  of  the  Museum's  scientific  re- 
search has  led  automatically  to  expansion  of  the  number  of 
volumes  in  the  Library.  Moreover,  the  extensive  exchange- 
of-publications  program  has  also  increased  the  size  of  the 
Library  collection,  especially  during  the  past  ten  years  when 
the  volume  of  published  research  reports  has  greatly  accel- 
erated. This  pattern  of  augmentation  has  established  Chi- 
cago Natural  History  Museum  Library  as  one  of  the  nation's 
foremost  sources  of  specialized  information.  There  are  now 
more  than  165,000  volumes  on  the  natural  sciences  in  its 
combined  collection.  Currently  we  are  the  only  museum 
library  to  be  a  United  States  Government  Depository  re- 
ceiving selected  publications  under  the  Depository  Library 
Program. 

Due  to  the  overlapping  fields  of  interest  of  the  John 
Crerar  Library  and  this  Museum's  Library,  and  to  avoid 
costly  duplications  in  the  two  collections,  an  acquisition  pro- 
gram is  practised  on  a  cooperative  basis.  Many  titles,  pri- 
marily descriptive  natural  history  required  for  use  with  speci- 
men study  collections,  must  be  together  in  one  location. 
For  this  reason,  John  Crerar  Library  has  transferred  hundreds 
of  serial  publications  on  the  natural  sciences  and  selected 
titles  within  the  scope  of  natural  history  to  Chicago  Natural 
History  Museum  Library.  The  foresight  of  John  Crerar  Li- 
brary in  placing  this  material  in  a  focal  location  has  served 
the  two-fold  purpose  of  making  it  easily  accessible  to  the 
curatorial  staff  and  their  colleagues  for  taxonomic  research 
as  well  as  to  scholars  and  students  in  general. 

SOME  of  the  Library's  most  valuable  acquisitions  have 
come  as  gifts  and  bequests.  One  of  the  most  notable 
special  collections  given  to  the  Library  is  the  collection  of 
Orientalia  bequeathed  to  the  Museum  in  1934  by  the  late  Dr. 
Berthold  Laufer,  former  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropology  and 
well-known  sinologist.  The  collection  in  content  spans  the  en- 
tirety of  East  Asiatic  history  and  culture — art  and  archeology, 
biography,  geography,  history,  literature,  philosophy  and 
religion,  science,  and  industry.  The  books  are  written  in 
both  Occidental  and  Oriental  languages,  and  include  7,809 
volumes  in  Chinese  and  Japanese.  More  than  250  Tibetan 
xylographs  (books  printed  from  woodblocks)  are  also  con- 
tained in  the  collection.  These  fine  woodblock  editions  date 
from  the  Ming  (a.d.  1368-1644)  and  Ch'ing  (a.d.  1644- 
1911). 

The  present  East  Asia  Library  stems  from  this  nucleus 
collection.  It  is  housed  in  a  separate  room  and  is  a  divisional 
library  of  the  Department  of  Anthropology.    The  wide  range 

Opposite:  Li  Shih,  a  hook  by  Hung  Kua  {A.D.  1117-84),  with 
this  edition  published  in  1871 .  It  contains  reproductions  of  rubbings 
oj  inscribed  and  decorated  tombstones  dating  jrom  the  Han  Dynasty 
{207  B.C. -A.D.  220)  {East  Asia  Library). 

Right:  Color  plate  of  the  koala  {Phascolarctos  cinereus),  from 
The  Mammals  of  Australia  by  John  Gould  {1804-1881),  pub- 
lished in  London  in  1863  {Ayer  Collection).  The  original  oJ  this 
photograph  is  life-size  and  exquisitely  hand  colored. 


and  diversity  of  this  collection  is  being  augmented  by  acqui- 
sition of  older  publications  and  those  currently  published, 
thereby  bringing  this  material  up-to-date  on  the  languages, 
peoples,  and  history  of  the  Far  East.  As  a  result  of  Dr. 
Laufer's  gift  and  further  comprehensive  acquisition,  the  East 
Asia  Library  enjoys  the  reputation  of  containing  many  rare, 
irreplaceable,  and  unique  items. 

The  contribution  made  by  the  late  Mr.  Edward  E.  Ayer 
to  the  collection  of  ornithological  works  is  of  signal  impor- 
tance. Due  to  Mr.  Ayer's  great  interest  in  natural  history, 
he  took  an  active  part  in  foimding  the  Field  Museum,  now 
Chicago  Natural  History  Museum.  After  the  organization 
of  the  Museum,  he  presented  to  it  his  rare  and  priceless 
library  of  ornithological  works.  Many  of  the  volumes  are 
of  folio  size,  richly  bound,  and  illustrated  with  magnificent 
hand-colored  plates  of  both  birds  and  mammals.  The  origi- 
nal collection  has  been  augmented  with  hundreds  of  impor- 
tant acquisitions,  including  long  and  complete  runs  of  the 
most  outstanding  serial  publications  in  this  subject  field. 

A  unique  and  most  welcome  gift  came  to  the  Library  in 
1948  through  the  generosity  of  Miss  Thora  M.  Riley  and 
Mrs.  Emilie  Conzelman  Riley,  the  widow  of  the  well-known 
{Continued  on  page  7) 


MAT    Page  :i 


CHICAGO 
NATURAL 
HISTORY 
MUSEUM 


MUSEUM  NEWS 


Exhibits 

MAY  17  marks  the  opening  of  the 
Museum's  annual  exhibition  of  art 
work  by  the  Junior  School  of  the  Art  In- 
stitute. The  more  than  60  paintings, 
drawings,  and  prints  by  Chicagoland 
art  students  will  be  on  display  in  Hall  9 
through  June  13. 


From  exhibit  of  children's  art 

All  the  pictures  in  the  exhibition  are 
interpretations  of  various  Museum  ex- 
hibits. The  young  artists,  who  range  in 
age  from  6  to  16  years,  make  regular 
class  visits  to  the  Museum  to  study  the 
many  patterns,  forms,  and  shapes  found 
in  the  Museum's  exhibits  on  nature  and 
man. 

THE  15th  Annual  Amateur  Hand- 
crafted Gem  and  Jewelry  Competi- 
tive Exhibition  opens  June  1  in  Stanley 
Field  Hall.  All  entries  are  prize-win- 
ners in  the  Chicago  Park  District's  1965 
amateur  lapidary  competition. 


Remember . . . 

Members'  Night,  May  7 

Page  4    MAY 


Members  Invited  to  Hear 
Talk  on  Expedition 

MEMBERS  are  invited  to  hear  Loren 
Woods,  Curator  of  Fishes,  recount 
highlights  of  the  recent  International 
Indian  Ocean  Expedition.  Woods  spent 
six  months  on  this  scientific  venture, 
which  was  sponsored  jointiy  by  UNESCO 
and  the  United  States  Program  in  Biol- 
ogy. He  will  present  the  illustrated  talk 
to  the  Winnetka  Chapter  of  the  Izaak 
Walton  League  on  May  25  at  7:45  p.m. 
at  the  Winnetka  Community  House, 
620  Lincoln  Street,  Winnetka. 


Staff  Activities 


IN  COOPERATION  with  the  National  Sci- 
ence Foundation,  the  Museum  will 
offer  a  ten-weeks'  summer  course  in  the- 
oretical and  practical  archaeology  at  the 
Museum's  field  station  in  Vernon,  Ari- 
zona. The  course  will  be  open  to  eight 
male  undergraduate  students  from  col- 
leges and  universities,  who  will  be  chosen 
to  participate  on  the  basis  of  their  apti- 
tude, scholarly  achievement,  and  an- 
thropological interest.  The  program  is 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Paul  S.  Mar- 
tin of  the  Department  of  Anthropology. 
He  will  be  assisted  by  James  N.  Hill  and 
John  M.  Fritz. 


A  TWO-YEAR  Study  of  the  classification 
and  distribution  of  about  1 ,000  spe- 
cies of  land  snails  inhabiting  the  South- 
ern Hemisphere  has  begun  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Alan  Solem,  Curator  of 
Lower  Invertebrates.  His  project  is  be- 
ing aided  by  a  $20,500  grant  to  the  Mu- 
seum from  the  National  Science  Foun- 
dation. Late  this  year.  Dr.  Solem  and 
Mr.  Laurie  Price,  of  Kaitaia,  New  Zea- 
land, will  travel  to  Samoa  and  Tonga 
to  collect  specimens  of  land  snails  for 
their  research.  ■ 


I 

^^^^^E 

i 

r 

I 

T 

V 

S 

s 

Museum 
Pan  Am 


THE  75th  anniversary  of  the  founding 
of  the  Pan  American  Congress,  fore- 
runner of  the  present  Organization  of 
American  States,  was  celebrated  on  Pan 
American  Day,  April  14,  at  a  tea  held 
at  the  Museum  in  cooperation  with  the 
Pan  American  Council  of  Chicago. 

Because  of  its  long  association  with 
Latin  America,  the  Museum  was  espe- 
cially pleased  to  co-sponsor  this  event. 
Since  its  founding  in  1893,  the  Museum 
has  worked  with  scientists,  scholars,  and 
institutions  south  of  the  border  to  en- 
large our  knowledge  of  the  land,  the  his- 
tory, and  the  culture  of  the  Americas. 
More  than  240  Museum-published  re- 
search reports  have  disseminated  this 
knowledge  throughout  the  world. 


Celebrates 
ican  Day 


During  1 50  expeditions  to  Central  and 
South  America,  the  Museum  amassed 
collections  vital  to  the  study  of  Latin 
America's  plants  and  animals;  its  agri- 
culture, minerals,  and  volcanoes;  its  con- 
temporary Indian  tribes,  and  the  van- 
ished civilizations  that  flourished  before 
Columbus.  These  collections  now  rival 
or  surpass  those  of  any  other  institution 
in  the  world.  Representative  samples 
are  displayed  in  the  Museum's  exhibi- 
tion halls;  reserved  portions  are  used  in 
research  by  scientists  and  scholars 
throughout  the  Americas  and  abroad. 

The  Museum's  present  roster  of  re- 
searchers in  Latin  America  includes  Dr. 
Louis  O.  Williams,  botanist;  Dr.  Donald 
Collier,  Aztec  and  Inca  specialist;  Mr. 


On  display  at  the"},Pan  American  Tea  was  the  "Bolivar'''  head,  a 
recent  gift  of  Mrs.  A.  W.  F.  Fuller  of  London.  Here  it  is  viewed 
by  Mr.  Joseph  Redding,  President  of  the  Pan  American  Council, 
Col.  John  A .  Reilly,  Director  of  Special  Events  for  the  City  of  Chicago, 
Museum  Director  E.  Leland  Webber,  and  Dr.  Donald  Collier,  Chief 
Curator  of  Anthropology. 

In   1826,  General  Simon  Bolivar,  hero  of  the  war  for  independence 
from  Spain,  presented  the  head  to  the  British  Consul  General  in  Lima. 
7  he  figure  was  made  in  central  Peru  during  the  Spanish  Colonial 
period  of  the  late  I6th  Century. 


Dr.  Rupert  L.  Wenzel,  Curator  of  Insects, 
explains  a  display  on  his  research  in  Latin 
America  to  Miss  Judith  Pelzmann,  Exec- 
utive Vice  President  of  the  Pan  American 
Council.  Dr.  Wenzel  is  preparing  for  pub- 
lication the  first  comprehensive  treatise  on  the 
fleas,  mites,  and  ticks  of  Panama.  The  vol- 
ume is  an  indispensable  aid  to  knowledge  of 
many  disease-carrying  parasites. 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt   Road   and   Lake   Shore  Drive 

Chicago,   Illinois   60605 

Telephone:  922.9410 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


Emmet  R.  Blake,  ornithologist;  Mr. 
Philip  Hershkovitz,  mammalogist;  Dr. 
Alan  Solem,  malacologist;  and  Dr.  Ru- 
pert L.  Wenzel,  entomologist. 

In  reviewing  their  work,  and  the  Mu- 
seum's 72  years  of  cooperation  in  Latin 
America,  Museum  Director  E.  Leland 
Webber  stated : 

"The  results  of  the  scientific  work  we 
have  undertaken  in  collaboration  with 
our  Latin-American  colleagues  can  be 
easily  assessed.  The  intangibles — which 
have  developed  out  of  a  long  history  of 
good  will  and  mutual  endeavor  among 
institutions  and  individuals — though  less 
readily  measured,  certainly  stand  today 
as  of  equal  significance."  ■ 


Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCormick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Marshall  Field 
Clifiord  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 
Henry  P.  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 

J.  Howard 


Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
Wood 


OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  Vice-President 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 

Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer 

and  Assistant  Secretary 

E.  Leland  Webber,  Secretary 

THE   BULLETIN 

EDITOR 

E.  Leland  Webber*  Director  of  the  Museum 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Donald  Collier*  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropology 

Louis  O.  Williams,  Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Raincr  Zangerl,  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 
Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Relations  Counsel 

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

MAY    Paged 


John  Clark,  Curator 
Sedimentary  Petrology 


Lucky 

Accidents 


THE  great  majority  of  our  Museum's  collections  are  made 
systematically,  as  parts  of  research  projects  carefully 
planned  by  our  curators.  Occasionally,  however,  we  find 
something  of  importance  accidentally,  while  we  are  other- 
wise engaged — rather  like  searching  a  lawn  for  fourleaf  clo- 
vers and  finding  a  ten-dollar  bill.  Two  such  happy  accidents 
which  occurred  recently  have  brought  fine  additions  to  our 
geological  collections. 

The  first  came  last  October,  when  Mrs.  Clark  and  I  were 
on  vacation  in  the  Great  Smoky  Mountains  of  Tennessee. 
Since  my  particular  research  concerns  stream-deposited  rocks 
about  30  million  years  old,  this  trip  was  obviously  not  to  be  a 
busman's  holiday:  the  rocks  in  the  Smokies  are  more  than 
600  million  years  old,  marine  in  origin,  and  very  poorly  ex- 
posed.    I  had  no  particular  interest  in  them.    We  planned 

Page  6    MAY 


Only  the  hardest  rocks,  like  these  boulders  of  quartzite  in  Pigeon  Creek, 
Tennessee,  are  naturally  exposed.  Mudstones  like  the  one  on  the  oppo- 
site page,  are  ordinarily  hidden  beneath  the  forest  plants  and  soil. 

to  spend  our  days  photographing  autumn  scenery,  studying 
trees,  and  bird-watching. 

However,  the  road  cuts  along  the  parkway  near  Gatlin- 
burg  had  recently  suffered  four  major  slumps.  Jagged  gray 
blocks  of  rock  lay  in  jumbled  heaps  where  entire  hillsides  had 
slid  over  the  road.  Naturally  I  stopped  to  look  at  them,  while 
Mrs.  Clark  stalked  a  towhee  with  her  binoculars. 

The  first  rock  I  inspected  showed  that  these  were  not  the 
usual  slates  and  quartzites  at  all.  Rather,  these  were  rocks 
that  had  once  been  soft  muds  deposited  in  deep  water,  prob- 
ably in  the  sloping  trough  of  a  very  ancient  sea.  The  plastic 
muds  had  been  broken,  folded,  and  squeezed  into  all  man- 
ner of  weird  structures  as  they  slumped  down  into  the 
lower  parts  of  the  irregular  trough.  The  muds  had  com- 
pacted just  enough  to  preserve  the  identity  of  individual  lay- 
ers, before  each  mass  slipped  and  moved.  After  movement 
and  deep  burial,  mountain-building  pressures  had  hardened 
them  into  solid  rock  without  altering  them  enough  to  destroy 
the  original  structures  (see  Photograph  II). 

\'ery  recently,  errors  in  construction  of  this  parkway  had 
triggered  slumps  of  the  solid  rock,  which  tore  away  the  thick 
mantle  of  weathered  soil  and  revealed  the  ancient  record  fresh 
for  inspection.  Three  special  events — a  particular  environ- 
ment of  origin,  just  the  right  amount  of  later  alteration,  and 
an  engineering  accident — had  to  happen,  through  600  mil- 
lion years  of  time,  in  order  to  produce  these  rocks  and  bring 
them  to  the  attention  of  one  geologist  who  wasn't  looking 
for  them. 

Muds  deposited  in  marine  troughs  are  not  rare;  in  fact, 
some  are  forming  today.  However,  the  great  majority  have 
been  so  metamorphosed  that  their  original  structures  have 
been  destroyed.  More  recently-formed  sediments  are  so  soft 
that  they  can  be  collected  and  studied  only  with  great  diffi- 
culty. These  were  perfectly  preser\ed  and  easily  available: 
a  really  lucky  accident. 

I  brought  a  few  samples  back  to  the  Museum,  and  a  month 
later  Kenneth  Kietzke  of  our  Department  and  I  took  the 
Museum  truck  back  to  the  Smokies.  The  National  Park 
Service  willingly  granted  us  permission  to  collect.  In  two 
days  we  hammered  out  147  specimens,  totaling  about  one 
and  a  half  tons,  which  gave  us  an  excellent  representation 
of  all  the  major  geologic  structures  present.  Our  Museum 
previously  had  nothing  like  this  collection;  few,  if  any,  mu- 
seums in  America  do. 

OUR  SECOND  lucky  accident  came  on  the  return  trip.  Ken 
and  I  had  decided  that,  since  our  Museum  had  never 
done  systematic  collecting  in  Tennessee,  we  would  stop  at 
every  promising  outcrop  on  the  return  trip  and  take  samples 
of  the  invertebrate  fossils.  These  grab-sample  collections 
might  serve  as  a  geologic  road-guide  for  future  work.  At 
our  sixth  stop  we  found  richly  fossiliferous  rock,  with  a  pro- 
fusion of  brachiopods,  crinoids,  bryozoans,  and  other  inter- 
esting  but  common  invertebrates.     Suddenly  we  noticed 


something  else — a  tiny  shark  tooth.  Although  these,  too, 
are  not  uncommon  in  rocks  of  Mississippian  age  (about  330 
million  years  old),  they  prompted  us  to  take  a  closer  look. 

Then  we  made  our  really  lucky  discovery :  a  small  black 
bone !  It  couldn't  be  shark,  because  they  don't  have  actual 
bones,  and  it  didn't  look  right  for  fish  bone.  Since  Ken  and 
I  are  not  specialists  in  the  other  vertebrates  of  that  extremely 
ancient  age,  we  simply  picked  up  every  little  slab  that  showed 
even  a  chip  of  bone,  packed  all  of  them  carefully,  and  brought 
them  home. 

The  original  find  has  now  been  removed  from  the  matrix 
and  identified  by  our  colleagues  in  the  Geology  Department. 
It  is,  without  doubt,  part  of  the  skull  of  a  small,  very  prim- 
itive amphibian  (see  Photograph  I).  This  is  not  quite  the 
oldest  known  amphibian,  but  it  is  almost  so.  Amphibian 
bones  of  Mississippian  age  are  very  rare,  and  have  been  found 
in  very  few  places  in  America;  moreover,  until  now  our 
Museum  has  had  none  of  them. 

So  a  bird-watching  vacation  produced  a  unique  collection 
of  sedimentary  structures,  and  a  routine,  road-log  inverte- 
brate collection  turned  up  a  rare  Mississippian  amphibian. 
Accidents  like  these  help  to  build  our  Museum,  to  spice  our 
lives,  and  to  develop  in  us  a  certain  humility.  Every  time 
we  find  something  we  didn't  expect,  we  wonder  how  often 
we  may  have  overlooked  something  else  equally  important. 
We  have  no  way  of  knowing.  ■ 


/.  Bone  from  the  ear  region  of  a  very  primitive 
Mississippian  amphibian.  The  picture  is  several 
times  enlarged;  the  animal  would  have  looked 
something  like  a  mud-puppy  about  8  inches  long. 


II.  This  rock  was  once  sojt,  plastic  mud  at  the  bottom  of  an  ancient  sea. 
Before  the  upper,  gray  part  was  deposited,  nearby  slumps  crumpled  and  squeezed 
the  black  and  white  layers.  Then  the  gray  layers  were  deposited  over  the  torn 
edges,  and  after  that  the  whole  mass  was  very  little  disturbed. 


The  Museum  Library  in  Transition 

{Continued from  page  3) 

American  entomologist,  Charles  \'alcntine  Riley.  Charles 
Darwin,  author  of  the  Origin  of  Species,  had  an  Illinois  cor- 
respondent— the  man  who  became  the  first  state  entomolo- 
gist of  Illinois,  Benjamin  D.  Walsh.  The  gift  consists  of 
eighteen  letters  written  by  Mr.  Darwin  to  Mr.  Walsh,  during 
the  period  from  October  21,  1864  to  April  3,  1869.  The 
collection  includes  nine  holograph  letters  and  nine  written 
by  an  amanuensis.  All  are  signed  '■^Charles  Darwin,'"  and 
all  are  enclosed  in  their  original  postmarked  envelopes. 

Among  the  Library's  unique  collections  are  the  original 
paintings  by  the  late  Louis  Agassiz  Fuertes,  made  on  the 
Field  Museum-CA/ca^o  Daily  Neivs  Abyssinian  Expedition 
of  1926-27.  These  paintings  represent  the  last  work  of  this 
skilled  and  talented  artist  and  ornithologist.  They  were 
purchased  by  Mr.  C.  Suydam  Cutting  after  the  artist's  death, 
and  presented  to  the  Library  by  him.  As  a  member  of  the 
expedition,  which  traversed  a  large  part  of  Abyssinia  (Ethi- 
opia), Mr.  Fuertes  found  opportunity  for  life  studies  of 
African  birds  that  were  varied  and  unusual.  The  collec- 
tion of  1 08  paintings  includes  a  few  of  mammals. 

Although  not  strictly  in  the  area  of  special  collections, 
the  divisional  libraries  house  literature  in  specific  fields.  As 
an  example,  the  Reptile  and  Amphibian  Division  Library 
contains  the  collection  of  thousands  of  reprints  on  herpe- 
tology  bequeathed  to  the  Museum  Library  by  the  late  Dr. 
Karl  Patterson  Schmidt,  former  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology. 
This  is  one  of  the  finest,  most  complete,  and  important 
literature  study  collections  on  reptiles  and  amphibians  ever 
assembled,  and  is  invaluable  in  the  research  work  in  herpe- 
tology. 

The  Geology  Library  has  also  been  the  recipient  of  note- 
worthy gifts.  Dr.  George  Frederick  Kunz,  who  was  a  Patron 
and  a  Corporate  Member  of  Chicago  Natural  History  Mu- 
seum, and  internationally  known  as  a  mineralogist  and  gem 
expert,  gave  his  famous  collection  of  many  hundred  volumes 
to  the  Library.  Another  gift  worthy  of  mention  is  the  five- 
volume  collection  of  photomicrographs  of  more  than  one 
hundred  meteorites,  presented  to  the  Library  by  Mr.  Stuart 
H.  Perry.  The  photomicrographs  were  made  during  the 
course  of  Mr.  Perry's  studies  on  the  metallography  of  mete- 
critic  iron.  These  five  volumes  contain  more  than  1,400 
photographs,  each  accompanied  by  Mr.  Perry's  valuable  in- 
terpretation of  the  structure  revealed.  Only  three  such  sets 
have  been  made  and  these  have  been  distributed  to  the 
United  States  National  Museum,  the  University  of  Michigan 
(where  Mr.  Perry  conducted  his  studies),  and  this  Museum. 

As  A  consequence  of  the  continuing  growth  of  the  Library, 
there  have  been  many  problems  in  the  overcrowded  stacks 
and  cramped  working  quarters.  To  keep  pace  with  changing 
conditions,  to  improve  working  areas,  and  to  cope  with  an 
ever-rising  work  load,  plans  for  re-organization  of  the  Library 
were  taken  into  active  consideration  more  than  two  years 
{Please  turn  the  page) 

MAT    Page? 


ago.  At  that  time,  the  Museum's  Administrative  Office  di- 
rected the  Librarian  to  prepare  an  estimate  of  current  space 
needs  and  a  projection  for  the  next  twenty  years.  Estimates 
were  made  from  figures  reflecting  the  growth  of  the  Library 
in  the  past  twenty  years,  and  by  considering  the  increase  in 
publications  which  will  result  from  new  research  programs 
throughout  the  world. 

The  decision  to  fill  in  the  former  lightwell  in  the  north- 
west quadrant  of  the  building  at  two  levels,  to  provide  space 
for  expansion,  was  most  encouraging.  The  third  floor  level 
was  assigned  to  the  Library  for  stack  and  office  space,  and 
when  the  Museum  received  a  grant  from  the  National  Science 
Foundation,  construction  began. 

The  new  addition  to  the  Library,  now  nearing  comple- 
tion, nearly  doubles  its  present  96,000  cubic  feet  of  space. 
The  greater  portion  of  the  addition  will  be  filled  with  double- 
faced,  free-standing,  light  gray  steel  book  stacks  with  ad- 
justable shelves.  A  suspended  acoustical  ceiling  in  off-white 
enhances  the  brightness  of  the  new  stack  area.  The  side 
walls  will  be  painted  pale  blue  with  white  flecks;  the  end 
walls  are  insulated  glass  and  aluminum  to  admit  light.  Vinyl 
asbestos  tile  will  be  used  on  the  floor.  Good  lighting  is 
assured  with  the  installation  of  continuous  fluorescent  fixtures 
along  the  length  of  the  stack  area. 

In  addition  to  stack  space,  the  new  area  will  provide 
office  space  for  the  Librarian,  the  Secretary,  and  the  Serials 
Librarian;  a  Receiving  Room  for  all  incoming  material; 
and  a  Browsing  Room  for  the  scientific  staff.  In  the  latter 
area  the  scientific  staff  may  gather,  undisturbed,  to  review 
and  discuss  the  daily  incoming  periodicals  and  books.  All 
rooms  in  the  new  addition  are  air  conditioned. 

A  short  corridor  connects  the  new  addition  with  the 
Reading  or  Reference  section  of  the  Library,  which  is  the 
public  service  area  and  center  for  information,  open  to  any 
reader  interested  in  the  natural  sciences.  Museum  Members, 
teachers,  students,  scholars  pursuing  advanced  studies,  col- 
leagues, and  other  researchers  make  full  use  of  our  resources 
and  services,  testifying  to  the  importance  of  our  Reference 
Division  as  a  focal  point  in  the  Midwest  for  information  on 
the  natural  sciences. 

*  Improvements  under  way  in  the  Reading  Room  include 
air  conditioning,  a  more  convenient  arrangement  of  facil- 
ities, and  a  new  look  achieved  by  carrying  out  the  same  dec- 
orative scheme  as  that  in  the  new  addition.  An  added 
feature  will  be  an  illuminated  exhibit  case  with  adjustable 
glass  shelves  for  the  display  of  unique  and  special  items  in 
the  Library  collections. 

The  present  Cataloging  and  Technical  Processing  Divi- 
sions are  located  in  areas  partially  roofed  in  glass.  The  heat 
of  the  summer  sun  on  the  glass  contributes  to  extremely 
uncomfortable  working  conditions,  and  to  the  general  de- 
terioration of  books  housed  in  those  stack  sections.  In  re- 
modeling these  areas,  the  books  shelved  in  both  rooms  will 
be  transferred  to  the  new  addition.  The  stacks  now  in  the 
Cataloging  Room  will  be  dismantled  and  removed,  which 
will  give  sufficient  space  for  a  more  functional  work  area. 
A  new  suspended  acoustical  ceiling  and  attractive  lighting 
fixtures  will  add  to  the  functioning  of  this  room. 


Title  page  of  Volume  2  of  Ornithologiae,  by  Ulisse  Aldrovandi 
(7522-1605),  published  in  Bologna  in  1600  [Ayer  Collection). 

Cover:  Illustration  Jrom  the  above  volume. 

In  the  Technical  Processing  Division,  badly  needed  space 
for  the  assembly  and  preparation  of  material  to  be  bound,  for 
minor  repair  jobs,  and  for  the  work  of  labeling  and  marking 
books,  will  be  provided  by  the  removal  of  the  stacks  now 
occupying  almost  the  entire  room.  This  section  will  include 
the  new  area  designated  for  the  Library's  extensive  map  col- 
lection, which  is  presently  housed  in  two  separate  locations. 
Another  section  of  the  Technical  Processing  Room  will  house 
the  microfilm  and  microcard  readers,  and,  eventually,  photo- 
duplication  equipment. 

The  Library  is  now  in  the  throes  of  construction  of  the 
new  addition  and  remodeling  of  the  other  areas  described. 
Completion  of  the  work  will  result  in  vastly  improved  con- 
ditions in  every  section.  It  is  recognized  that  the  concept 
of  a  modern  research  library  requires  much  looking  and 
planning  toward  the  future  in  order  to  fit  the  program  of 
tomorrow  as  well  as  today.  We  hope  that  the  needs  of  the 
Museum  Library  will  be  satisfied  by  the  new  construction 
for  the  next  fifteen  or  twenty  years.  ■ 


Page  8    MAT 


CHICAGO/>  y^jf/ 

N  ATU  p.^\iIfilil€Ti^ 

r^      HISTORY     ^o/.36 

0  MUSEUM  /«^ 


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Drawing  by  Gustave  Dahlstrom 


Underwater  Archaeology  in  Lake  Michigan 

George  I.  Quimhy,  Curator 
North  American  Archaeology  and  Ethnology 


UNDERWATER  archacology  is  the  re- 
covery, analysis,  and  interpretation 
of  human  and  cultural  remains  of  the 
past  by  archaeologists.  It  differs  from 
above-water  archaeology  only  in  the 
special  skills  and  techniques  that  are 
needed  to  work  under  water.  So  far,  it 
seems  to  have  been  easier  to  teach  diving 
to  archaeologists  than  to  make  compe- 
tent archaeologists  out  of  divers.  There 
is,  however,  a  lack  of  archaeologists  who 
are  also  divers,  though  no  lack  of  divers 
who  are  not  archaeologists.  Some  of 
the  latter  tend  to  become  underwater 

Page  2    JUNE 


pot  hunters  or  treasure  seekers  who  do 
as  much  damage  to  underwater  archae- 
ological sites  as  their  land-bound  coun- 
terparts do  to  above-water  sites. 

One  acceptable  solution  to  the  prob- 
lem is  to  have  competent  divers  work  in 
cooperation  with  and  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  professional  archaeologist.  The 
ideal  solution  would  be  to  have  a  num- 
ber of  archaeologists  acquire  sufficient 
training  and  skill  in  diving  so  that  they 
could  supervise  and  direct  experienced 
divers  in  underwater  excavation  of  ar- 
chaeological sites.    Conceivably,  either 


combination  could  undertake  important 
scientific  work  on  the  bottom  of  Lake 
Michigan.  Although  I  have  never  been 
on  the  bottom  of  Lake  Michigan,  I  am 
able  to  outline  in  tentative  form  the  ar- 
chaeology of  this  region  from  8500  B.C. 
to  A.D.  1700.  This  can  be  done  by 
using  the  data  of  geology,  ethnology, 
history,  and  archaeology  to  make  in- 
ferences about  the  signs  of  human  ag 
tivity  that  should  be  found  by  divd 
on  the  lake  bottom. 

Lake  Michigan  is  a  large  body  of  wa- 


ter.    It  is  307  miles  in  length,  has  a  max- 
imum width  of  118  miles,  a  maximum 
^kpih  of  923  feet,  and  a  surface  area  of 
•  ^^400  square  miles. 

In  late  glacial  times,  at  about  8500 
B.C.,  the  retreating  ice  uncovered  suc- 
cessively lower  outlets  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Lake  Huron  basin,  thereby  con- 
siderably lowering  the  water  levels  of 
what  is  now  Lake  Huron  and  Lake 
Michigan.  Between  8500  b.c.  and  about 
7500  B.C.  the  water  level  in  the  Lake 
Huron  basin  was  lowered  to  a  plane  390 
feet  below  the  modern  lake  level,  and 
the  water  in  the  Lake  Michigan  basin 
dropped  to  a  point  350  feet  beneath  the 
present  level.  This  low-water  stage  is 
called  Chippewa  in  the  Lake  Michigan 
basin  and  Stanley  in  the  Lake  Huron 
basin. 

The  duration  of  the  Chippewa-Stan- 
ley stage  is  not  now  known,  but  post- 
glacial uplift  of  the  land  and  the  rise  of 
the  North  Bay  outlet  caused  water  levels 
to  rise  again  in  the  Huron  and  Michigan 
basins,  so  that  about  3000  b.c.  the  water 
levels  were  near  or  at  their  modern  ele- 
vation of  580  feet.  What  is  here  im- 
l^^rtant  about  this  radiocarbon-dated 
^^ologic  history  of  the  lake  basins  is  its 
meaning  for  paleo-geography  and  arch- 
aeology both  above  and  under  water. 

Between  8500  b.c.  and  3000  b.c.  the 
Upper  Great  Lakes  region,  which  in- 
cludes the  Lake  Michigan  basin,  was 
inhabited  by  Indians  who  made  their 
living  by  hunting,  fishing,  and  food  gath- 
ering. In  the  early  part  of  this  long 
span  of  time  there  were  groups  of  late 
Paleo-Indians  whose  culture  was  of  a 
kind  I  have  elsewhere  called  Aqua-Piano. 
They  lived  by  the  lake  shore  on  the  main- 
land or  on  islands  for  a  part  of  each  year 
and  used  various  forms  of  large  lanceo- 
late knives  and  spearheads  of  chipped 
flint  characterized  by  rather  straight  par- 
allel ripple  flaking.  These  Indians  occu- 
pied the  region  from  about  8500  b.c.  to 
perhaps  4500  b.c. 

Their  culture  was  succeeded  by  those 
of  the  various  groups  of  Archaic  Indians 
who  were  in  the  region  from  about  4500 
^^c.  to  sometime  after  1500  B.C.  The 
I^B-chaic  Indians  used  various  forms  of 
notched  or  stemmed  knives  and  spear- 
heads of  chipped  flint  as  well  as  lanceo- 
late and  trianguloid  forms.    Some  of  the 


Archaic  cultures  were  manifested  by  va- 
rieties of  spearheads  and  knives  made  of 
native  copper  by  cold  hammering  and 
annealing. 

Sites  of  the  Aqua-Piano  tradition  as 
well  as  many  Archaic  sites  are  associ- 
ated with  fossil  beaches  and  strand  lines, 
indicating  that  these  peoples  maintained 
settlements  along  the  shores  of  the  Up- 
per Great  Lakes.  In  the  northern  part 
of  the  region  these  sites,  especially  the 
earliest,  are  on  fossil  beaches  and  strand 
lines  that  were  uplifted,  in  some  places 
several  hundred  feet,  by  the  post-glacial 
upwarping  of  the  land.  But  in  the  Lake 
Michigan  basin  the  same  fossil  beaches 
and  strand  lines  may  be  as  much  as  350 
feet  beneath  the  present  mean  water 
level. 

If  the  Aqua-Piano  groups  of  Indians 
moved  their  shore-line  settlements  lake- 
ward  as  the  water  levels  fell,  there  should 
be  sites  in  Lake  Michigan  all  the  way 
down  from  the  present  level  to  350  feet 
beneath  this  level.  By  the  same  token, 
as  water  levels  rose,  first  Aqua-Piano 
and  then  Archaic  sites  should  exist  from 
350  feet  beneath  the  surface  to  the  pres- 
ent level.  (Archaic  sites  are  also  associ- 
ated with  a  late  beach  stage  which  was 
25  feet  above  the  modern  water  level.) 
So  on  the  bottom  of  Lake  Michigan 
there  should  be  ancient  Indian  sites  and 
artifacts  dating  between  8500  b.c.  and 
about  3000  b.c. 

Where  might  such  sites  be  found? 

In  the  northwestern  part  of  the  Lake 
Michigan  basin  in  Door  County,  Wis- 
consin, and  Delta  County,  Michigan, 
one  can  see  wave-cut  cliffs  and  sea  caves 
in  the  limestone  hills.  Moreover,  the 
lake  bottom,  which  is  also  limestone,  has 
a  topography  resembling  that  of  the  land. 
From  soundings  and  observations  of 
scuba  divers  I  know  that  there  are  also 
cliffs  and  caves  beneath  the  water.  Be- 
cause the  above-water  caves  in  this  area 
were  occupied  by  Archaic  Indians,  I 
would  expect  that  the  underwater  caves, 
prior  to  their  submergence,  were  also 
occupied  by  Archaic  Indians  who  lived 
there  at  an  earlier  time,  or  by  Paleo- 
Indians  of  the  Aqua-Piano  tradition. 
About  7500  B.C.,  what  is  now  the  bot- 
tom of  northwestern  Lake  Michigan 
would  have  been  an  area  of  rocky  shores 


backed  by  a  limestone  escarpment  at 
least  350  feet  high.  There  probably  were 
spectacular  waterfalls  and  there  must 
have  been  numberless  ledges,  caves,  and 
rock  shelters  suitable  for  occupancy  by 
Indians. 

South  of  this  area,  the  bottom  of  Lake 
Michigan  to  a  depth  of  350  feet  would 
have  consisted  of  more  or  less  rolling 
land  that  sloped  toward  the  shore  of 
Lake  Chippewa  and  was  covered  with 
deciduous  forests.  Remnants  of  this  for- 
est have  been  found  in  Lake  Michigan 
near  Racine,  Wisconsin.  Underwater 
archaeological  sites  should  be  present  in 
the  fossil  beach  and  strand  lines  that 
mark  the  former  low-water  stages  in  this 
area. 

Underwater  sites  later  than  about 
2500  B.C.  should  be  lacking  in  the  Lake 
Michigan  basin  because  there  have  been 
no  appreciable  low-water  stages  since 
that  time.  It  is  possible  that  divers 
might  encounter  sunken  dugout  canoes 
that  had  become  waterlogged,  or  they 
might  find  artifacts  that  had  been  eroded 
from  shore-line  sites  and  redeposited  in 
deep  waters.  But,  in  general,  the  oppor- 
tunities for  underwater  archaeological 
research  on  prehistoric  Indian  remains 
that  are  more  recent  than  about  2500 
B.C.  seem  to  be  meager. 

With  the  advent  of  the  Historic  Peri- 
od, which  began  shortly  after  a.d.  1600, 
the  opportunities  increase  again.  Arti- 
facts have  been  recovered  from  historic 
sites  and  wrecks  under  the  water.  For 
instance,  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake 
Superior  some  historic  sites  are  now  un- 
der water  or  washed  away  because  of 
the  drowning  of  that  shore  caused  by 
differential  upwarping  of  the  northern 
part  of  the  Lake  Superior  basin.  There 
are  artifacts  and  washed-out  sites  under 
Lake  Superior's  waters  in  the  vicinity  of 
La  Pointe  and  Long  Island.  In  the 
rivers  draining  into  Lake  Superior,  Lake 
Huron,  and  Lake  Michigan  there  are 
the  possibilities  of  recovering  Historic 
Period  artifacts  lost  in  canoe  wrecks. 
Notable  recoveries  of  such  items  already 
have  been  made  in  Minnesota  and  On- 
tario. 

In  the  Lake  Michigan  basin  there 
probably  are  no  Historic  Period  sites  be- 
neath the  water,  but  there  should  be 
(Continued  on  page  8) 

JUNE    Pages 


Museum    News 


e 


Exhibit  on  Museum  activities 
in  Stanley  Field  Hall. 

Dr.  George  Wells  Beadle,  Pres- 
ident of  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago (center),  tours  the  new 
geology  facility  with  Museum 
Director  E.  Ldand  Webber  (left) 
and  Dr.  Rainer  Zangerl,  Chief 
Curator  of  Geology  (right) . 

In  the  Hall  of  Useful  Plants  a 
visitor  examines  an  exhibit  of 
rare  botanical  books  published 
from  1552  to  1756.  Below 
right:  Dr.  Louis  0.  Williams, 
Chief  Curator  of  Botany  (cen- 
ter) takes  Members  through  the 
new  Hall. 


From  a  member's  point  of  view 

ON  THE  evening  of  May  7,  2,556  Members,  their  families,  and  their  guests,  enjoyed 
a  unique  view  of  new  developments  in  research  and  education  at  the  Museum. 
The  record  crowd  gave  a  major  share  of  attention  to  the  new  Hall  of  Useful  Plants, 
which  displays  the  plants  and  products  on  which  man's  pleasures,  economic  welfare, 
and  progress  depend.  Other  centers  of  attraction  during  the  Museum's  annual 
open  house  were  the  Library  addition  and  the  new  facilities  for  research  and  grad- 
uate education  in  geology,  now  at  the  mid-point  in  construction. 


Cover  from  Exhibit 
of  Children's  Art 

THIS  month's  cover — a  painting  of 
giraffes,  by  Germaine  Paul,  aged  13, 
of  Chicago — is  typical  of  the  children's 
art  being  shown  at  the  Museum  through 
June  13.  The  more  than  60  art  works 
in  many  media  were  made  by  studei^^ 
in  the  Junior  School  of  the  Art  Institu^* 
These  young  artists,  who  range  in  age 
from  6  to  16  years,  visit  the  Museum 
regularly  with  their  art  classes  to  study 
the  varied  patterns  and  forms  found  in 
the  Museum's  exhibits  on  nature  and 
man.  Visitors  to  the  art  show  are  enjoy- 
ing the  youngsters'  bright  and  imagina- 
tive impressions  of  Museum  displays. 

Lapidary 
Exhibit  Continues 

EXQUISITELY  cut  gems,  jewelry  of  orig- 
inal design,  collections  of  polished 
stones,  and  many  decorative  objects  fash- 
ioned from  rock  materials  are  on  display 
at  the  Museum  through  July  5,  in  the 
annual  exhibition  sponsored  by  the  Chi- 
cago Lapidary  Club. 

Summer  Hours 


BEGINNING  Saturday,  June  26,  the 
Museum  will  be  open  until  8  p-^B 
four  evenings  a  week,  on  Wednesdays, 
Fridays,  Saturdays,  and  Sundays.  These 
are  the  nights  of  the  Grant  Park  con- 


Pagei    JUNE 


'5 


certs.  The  Museum  cafeteria  will  serve 
dinner  until  7:30  p.m.  On  other  days 
the  Museum  is  open  until  6  p.m.  Sum- 
mer hours  will  remain  in  effect  through 
Labor  Day  (September  6). 


Staff  News 


THEODORE  HALKiN,  Artist  in  the  De- 
partment of  Anthropology,  was 
awarded  the  Logan  prize  of  $1,500  for 
his  entry  in  the  68th  annual  exhibition 
of  artists  of  Chicago  and  vicinity  held 
at  the  Art  Institute.  His  prize-winning 
work  is  a  sculpture  entitled  "Fountain 
No.  1." 

For  the  Museum,  Mr.  Halkin  designed 
the  exhibition  hall  on  "China  in  the 
Ch'ing  Dynasty,"  which  opened  in  Jan- 
uary of  1964.  He  is  currently  working 
^Mu  the  Tibetan  hall,  which  has  been 
^^plsed  to  the  public  for  complete  re- 
designing and  reinstallation. 

AT  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society 
for  American  Archaeology  held  re- 
cently in  Urbana,  Dr.  Paul  S.  Martin, 
Chief  Curator  Emeritus  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Anthropology,  was  installed  as 
President.  Other  members  of  the  De- 
partment who  participated  in  the  meet- 
ings were:  Dr.  Donald  Collier,  who 
chaired  a  session  on  South  American 
archaeology;  George  L  Quimby,  who 
was  program  chairman  for  the  meetings 
and  gave  a  report  on  a  17th  century  pre- 
historic site  in  Michigan;  and  Dr.  Fred 
Reinman,  who  chaired  a  session  on  ar- 
chaeological work  in  California  and  the 
Pacific  islands. 

New  Summer  Journey 
for  Children 


■^ 

^^n,  ) 


lARSH  dwellers"  the  Museum's 
new  summer  Jovirney  for  chil- 
will  be  in  effect  during  June,  July 
and  August. 

The  Journey  acquaints  youngsters 
with  the  many  varieties  of  plants  and 


animals  found  in  swamps  and  marsh 
lands  around  the  Chicago  area. 

By  Journeying  to  selected  exhibits 
within  the  Museum  halls,  children  will 
learn  to  recognize  many  different  marsh 
plants.  One  is  the  American  lotus, 
whose  submerged  roots  and  buds  pro- 
vide food  for  beavers  and  muskrats.  The 
arrowhead,  another  common  marsh 
plant,  has  underwater  corms  or  root- 
stocks  that  are  gathered  and  stored  by 
muskrats  for  food. 

Marsh-dwelling  animals  are  also  fea- 
tured on  the  Journey.  Muskrats,  for 
example,  make  their  houses  of  mud  and 
reeds  that  grow  along  the  water's  edge. 
The  large  bull  frog,  whose  deep  boom- 
ing call  is  heard  at  night,  also  lives  in 
wet  lowlands.  A  marsh-dwelling  rep- 
tile is  the  Massasauga,  or  swamp  rat- 
tler— the  only  poisonous  snake  in  the 
Chicago  area. 

Even  fishes  are  included  in  the  Jour- 
ney, since  some  species,  such  as  the 
northern  pike,  spawn  in  marshes  around 
the  edges  of  lakes.  Other  fish  feed  or 
seek  shelter  in  the  marshes. 

.Birds  are  probably  the  most  conspic- 
uous and  beautiful  marsh  dwellers.  The 
red-winged  blackbird  nests  in  reeds 
growing  in  the  water.  Herons  are  found 
on  the  edges  of  marshes,  where  they 
prey  on  fish,  frogs,  and  other  small 
aquatic  animals.  The  least  bittern  is 
often  present,  but  is  shy  and  secretive, 
blending  in  with  the  reeds  and  grasses. 
Exhibits  of  these  birds  and  their  hab- 
itats are  stopping-places  on  the  new 
Journey. 

In  addition  to  identifying  many  marsh 
dwellers,  Journeyers  will  learn  about 
the  values  of  marshes  to  wild  life  and 
to  man.  Animals  get  both  food  and 
cover  from  the  marshes.  Marsh  plants 
provide  birds  with  nesting  materials. 
Because  marshes  hold  and  store  water, 
they  are  important  in  flood  control.  Fa- 
miliarity with  marsh  lands  and  the  wild 
life  they  shelter  adds  another  dimension 
to  our  enjoyment  of  the  outdoors.  ■ 


This  muskrat  exhibit  is  a  stopping 
point  on  the  summer  journey. 

Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Mariball  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt   Road   and   Lake   Shore   Drive 

Chicago,  Itlinoii  60605 

Telephone:   922-9410 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCormick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N,  Field 
Marshall  Field 
Clifford  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 
Henry  P.  Isham 
William  V.  Kahlcr 

J.  Howar 


Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shcdd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
d  Wood 


OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  Vice-President 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 

Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer 

and  Assistant  Secretary 

E.  Leiand  Webber,  Secretary 

THE   BULLETIN 

EDITOR 

E.  Leiand  Webber,  Director  of  the  Museum 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Donald  Collier,  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropology 

Louit  O.  Williams,  Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Raincr  Zangerl,  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Relations  Counsel 

Members   are   requested   to   infortn  the  Museum 

promptly  of  changes   of  address. 


JUNE    Pages 


RARELY  WILL  readers  of  the  bulletin  consider  garbage 
to  be  golden.  To  archaeologists  and  botanists,  how- 
ever, garbage  can  prove  to  be  even  more  valuable  than  gold. 
One  such  instance  is  illustrated  by  discoveries  in  the  Tehua- 
c5n  valley,  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  state  of  Puebla, 
Mexico. 

The  Tehuacan  valley  is  a  large  trough  just  inside  the 
Sierra  Madre  Oriental  which  separates  the  states  of  Puebla 
and  Vera  Cruz.  The  other  side  of  the  valley  is  formed  by 
the  lower  but  very  rugged  masses  of  the  Sierra  de  Zapotitlan. 
From  the  town  of  Tehuacan,  which  lies  at  an  elevation  of 
about  5,600  feet,  the  valley  drops  to  about  2,000  feet  where 
the  major  river  drainage  cuts  through  the  moimtains  to  the 
east. 

The  rainfall  is  rather  low  and  markedly  seasonal  (the 
annual  15  inches  at  Tehuacan  falls  primarily  from  June 
through  September),  and  the  natural  vegetation  is  thorn- 
scrub-cactus  forest.  During  the  summer  rainy  season  the 
trees  are  clothed  in  full  foliage  and  the  shrubs  often  bear 
flowers  and  fruit.  In  marked  contrast,  few  of  the  plants 
have  leaves  during  the  dry  season;  the  landscape  is  largely 
shades  of  brown  and  tan. 

Ever  since  the  discovery  of  an  evolutionary  series  of  corn 
cobs  at  Bat  Cave,  New  Mexico,  archaeologists  have  been 
aware  that  the  refuse  of  ancient  people  inay  yield  evidence 
for  the  domestication  of  crops  and  the  attendant  social  ad- 
vance called  civilization.  Among  the  foremost  searchers  for 
archaeological  plant  remains  is  Richard  S.  MacNeish,  Chair- 
man of  the  Department  of  Anthropology  at  the  University 
of  Alberta,  in  Calgary.  In  the  hope  of  tracing  the  stages 
in  the  domestication  of  corn,  MacNeish  excavated  a  series 
of  dry  caves  in  northern  Mexico  in  the  state  of  Tamaulipas. 
These  excavations  provided  exciting  evidence  for  the  activi- 
ties of  local  Indians  from  about  7000  B.C.  to  historical  time, 
but  did  not  reveal  the  hoped-for  transition  from  wild  to 
cultivated  corn.  MacNeish  reasoned  that  the  answer  must 
lie  further  south  in  Mexico.  Another  excavation  at  Santa 
Marta  Cave  in  Chiapas  again  yielded  valuable  data,  but 
not  the  elusive  transition.  MacNeish's  conclusion  was  that 
the  correct  area  must  lie  between  these  northern  and  southern 
sites — but  where? 

A  search  of  geological  and  geographical  articles,  weather 
records,  and  travel  accounts  finally  led  MacNeish  to  look 
at  the  area  around  southeastern  Puebla.  Here,  geological 
formations  promised  caves  and  rock-shelters,  the  climate  was 
dry,  and  several  large  springs  furnished  year-round  water. 
Investigation  proved  that  there  were  indeed  caves  in  the 
Tehuacan  valley.  A  school  teacher,  hearing  of  MacNeish's 
interest  in  caves  with  plant  remains,  directed  him  to  the  large 
rock-shelter  that  afterwards  became  known  as  Coxcatlan 
Cave.  A  test  pit  dug  within  this  cave  yielded  corn  cobs  that 
were  large  near  the  surface  but  which  became  progressively 
smaller  downward. 


'Formerly  Associate  Curator  of  Vascular  Plants  in  the  Museum's 
Department  of  Botany;  now  Botanist  for  the  Crops  Research  Division, 
Agricultural  Research  Service,  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture. 


By  C.  Earle  Smith,  Jr.^ 


Garbage  is  Golden 


In  the  Tehuacan  valley  of  Mexico 

archaeologists  have  discovered 

the  beginnings  of  agriculture 

in  North  America 


C 


With  his  first  test  samples,  MacNeish  went  to  Paul  C. 
Mangclsdorf,  world  authority  on  corn,  and  asked  for  his 
opinion.  Mangclsdorf  agreed  that  MacNeish  appeared  to 
have  an  evolutionary  series  for  corn  which  might  show  the 
transition  from  wild  to  cultivated  plants.  In  order  to  prove 
this,  though,  the  stage  must  be  carefully  set.  A  full  scale 
excavation  of  Coxcatlan  Cave  would  provide  basic  infor- 
mation, but  there  might  turn  out  to  be  only  intermittent 
occupation  represented  at  Coxcatlan.  Other  caves  mu^^ 
also  be  excavated.  Because  not  all  of  the  people  had  liv^^ 
in  caves  during  the  later  history  of  the  valley,  village  sites 
would  have  to  be  found  and  excavated.  If  the  excavations 
furnished  plant  remains,  pottery,  tools,  and  ornaments  in 


Pages    JUNE 


'^ 


Exterior  view  of  two  Tehuac&n  valley  caves 
from  which  plant  remains  were  recovered 


Excavating  within  the  Coxcatldn  cave 
(photograph  courtesy  of  the  Trustees 
of  Phillips  Academy) 


f^mm^ 


the  volume  hoped  for,  no  archaeologist  working  alone  could 
do  the  complete  job. 

MacNeish  then  decided  to  approach  the  many  specialists 
who  would  be  needed  to  assist  the  archaeological  work  and 
aid  in  interpreting  the  finds.  He  also  applied  for  funds  to 
hire  field  help  to  make  the  excavations,  sort  the  samples,  and 
transport  specialists  to  the  area.  The  R.  S.  Peabody  Foun- 
dation, of  Andover,  Massachusetts,  agreed  to  act  as  sponsor- 
^ig  agent  and  home  base.  Thus  the  Tehuacan  Archaeological- 
I^Btanical    Project,  with   MacNeish  as  director,  was  born. 

The  National  Science  Foundation  and  the  Rockefeller 
Foundation  agreed  to  support  the  Project  in  a  three-year 
program.     As  the  work  advanced,  more  and  more  people 


joined  the  group.  Scientists  mapped  the  geography  and 
geology  of  the  region  and  surveyed  the  irregation  systems. 
A  laboratory  was  organized  where  textiles  and  pottery  could 
be  examined.  Specialists  studied  the  faunal  remains  and  the 
human  skeletal  materials  that  were  found.  Others  worked 
on  the  local  ethnobotany  as  well  as  the  ancient  plants  and 
pollens.  I  was  asked  to  analyze  the  plant  materials  other 
than  maize,  beans,  and  squash.* 

THE  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  record  proved  a  most  remarkable 
one.  Altogether,  five  caves  were  excavated  along  with 
five  open  sites.  No  one  cave  or  site  furnished  an  unbroken 
record  of  artifacts  (Coxcatlan  Cave  was  the  most  complete 
record),  but  the  combined  record  covers  a  time  span  from 
10,000  B.C.  to  A.D.  1500.  From  the  open  site  excavations, 
the  recovered  evidence  is  solely  in  the  form  of  pottery,  stone, 
and  bone  artifacts.  The  evidence  from  the  protected  caves 
is  a  remarkable  assortment  of  durable  artifacts  mixed  with 
discarded  sandals,  bits  of  string,  torn  rags,  discarded  nets, 
and — garbage !  Over  50,000  individual  pieces  of  plants  were 
found  in  the  cave  deposits. 

Perhaps  as  important  as  anything  else  that  the  artifacts 
disclosed  is  the  fact  that  the  Tehuacan  valley  people  ap- 
parently were  never  forcibly  invaded  or  displaced.  Thus 
the  archaeological  record  is  a  smooth  one,  showing  the  con- 
tinuous development  of  one  society  over  a  long  period  of 
time.  Concomitant  with  the  development  of  material  as- 
pects, such  as  the  arts  of  ceramics  and  weaving,  the  growth  of 
agriculture  from  a  gathering  economy  could  be  traced.  Yet 
the  valley  people  were  not  a  self-contained  group  sealed  off 
from  the  rest  of  Mexico;  this  is  proved  by  the  variations 
shown  in  their  arts  and  also  by  the  cultivated  plants  that 
were  introduced  into  the  valley  agriculture. 

Major  finds  include  some  of  the  earliest  cloth  known  for 
North  America.  In  a  stratum  dated  about  5700  B.C.,  frag- 
ments of  twined  cloth  were  found  in  associated  burials  of 
two  adults  and  a  child.  The  condition  of  the  remains  suggests 
that  a  ceremonial  burial  had  taken  place:  the  Tehuacan 
people  had  developed  social  ideas  involving  deities  for  whom 
rituals  were  required. 

Another  of  the  important  artifactual  finds  in  the  Tehua- 
can excavations  is  the  earliest  pottery  known  for  North 
America.  A  number  of  pieces  of  crude  pottery,  belonging 
to  strata  dated  at  2300  b.c.  to  1500  b.c,  were  made  with 
thick  sides  and  rough  exteriors.  The  shapes  were  the  same 
as  those  of  stone  vessels  used  in  earlier  times.  No  claim  can 
be  made  that  the  manufacture  of  ceramic  vessels  was  invented 
in  the  area,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  these  early  vessels  show 
no  sophistication  in  the  art  of  pottery  making. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  bits  of  evidence  are  provided 
by  the  plant  materials.  For  the  first  time,  modern  man  has 
seen  the  remains  of  wild  corn.     Paul  C.  Mangelsdorf  has 


'Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  has  recently  published  two  of 
Dr.  Smith's  technical  reports  on  his  work  with  the  project.  They  are: 
"Agriculture,  TchuacSn  Valley,"  Fieldiana:  Botany,  Vol.  31,  No.  3 
(January  22,  1965);  and  "Flora,  Tehuacdn  Valley,"  Fieldiana:  Botany, 
Vol.  31,  No.  4  (February  26,  1965). 


JUNE    Pager 


Left:  This  straight  pin,  taken  from  the  Tehuacdn  excavations,  is  dated  about  100  B.C.  It  wa^  made  from  a  cactus  spine  and 
a  strip  of  maguey  fiber  tied  in  a  turks-head  knot.  Center:  Fiber  from  the  maguey  plant  was  used  to  fashion  this  sandal  found 
in  the  Tehuacdn  valley.    It  is  about  15  centuries  old.    Right:  Fruit,  dating  from  A.D.  300,  found  in  the  Coxcatldn  Cave. 


confirmed  that  the  earliest  corn  cobs,  dated  at  about  5,200 
B.C.,  are  wild  corn  probably  gathered  from  the  nearby  areas. 
From  these  earliest  cobs,  the  Tehuacan  excavations  furnish 
series  of  cobs  which  detail  the  evolution  of  maize  into  several 
races  that  still  grow  in  Mexico  today.  Although  the  Tehua- 
can maize  is  both  wild  and  the  earliest  known,  the  area  was 
not  the  only  one  in  which  maize  was  being  domesticated. 
Other  (and  later)  strains  of  maize  found  in  the  excavations, 
including  some  hybridized  with  the  wild  grass,  Tripsacum, 
were  probably  imported  from  a  nearby  area  of  Mexico. 

The  earliest  avocado  seed  known  was  found  in  one  of  the 
earliest  levels  of  Coxcatlan  Cave.  It  can  be  dated  as  of  at 
least  8000  b.c.  In  later  levels,  avocado  seeds  become  more 
numerous  and  show  evolution  of  size  and  shape.  Toward 
the  upper  part  of  the  deposit,  the  seeds  are  more  elongate 
and  much  larger.  This  is  the  first  evolutionary  series  known 
for  a  fruit  tree. 

The  two  fragments  of  cotton  boll  discovered  in  a  level 
dated  5700  B.C.  are  of  interest  for  another  reason.  For  many 
years,  some  geneticists  and  anthropologists  have  argued  that 


American  cotton  is  the  product  of  hybridization  between  a 
wild  American  cotton  and  an  Old  World  cotton  carried 
across  the  Pacific  by  man.  The  Tehuacan  cotton  bolls  prove 
that  the  American  hybrid  cottons  were  in  existence  before 
the  time  when  there  is  any  evidence  to  suggest  that  man 
crossed  the  Pacific  in  a  latitude  at  which  cotton  could  have 
survived  the  passage. 

Scotty"  MacNeish's  determination  to  find  the  evidence 
for  the  beginnings  of  agriculture  in  America  and  his 
effort  to  enlist  the  cooperation  of  scientists  in  many  ficl^^ 
have  been  spectacularly  rewarded.  The  work  of  the  Tehua- 
can Archaeological-Botanical  Project  has  firmly  established 
the  transition  from  gathering  to  agriculture,  the  evolution 
of  maize  and  avocados,  and  the  age  of  hybrid  cotton.  It 
has  also  created  an  awareness  that  Tehuacan  is  only  a 
small  part  of  the  story.  Many  additional  excavations  are 
needed  to  fill  in  the  details  of  the  domestication  of  crop 
plants  and  the  formation  of  villages  and  social  institutions, 
before  we  will  be  able  to  trace  the  full  history  of  man  in 
America.  ■ 


Underwater  Archaeology 

{Continued  from  page  3) 

wrecks  of  freight  canoes.  And  if  La 
Salle's  trading  ship,  the  Griffin,  sank 
in  a  September  storm  in  1679,  as  re- 
ported by  Father  Hennepin,  then  the 
wreckage  most  probably  lies  on  the  bot- 
tom of  northern  Lake  Michigan.  This 
would  be  the  first  shipwreck  in  Lake 
Michigan,  and  the  only  one  prior  to 
A.D.  1700. 

References 

Borhegyi,  Stephan  F.  de.  "The  Chal- 
lenge, Nature,  and  Limitations  of  Un- 


derwater Archaeology."  Diving  into  the 
Past,  ed.  J.  D.  Holmquist  and  A.  H. 
Wheeler.  St.  Paul:  Minnesota  Histor- 
ical Society,  1964. 

Hough,  Jack  L.  "Geologic  Framework," 
Great  Lakes  Basin,  ed.  Howard  J.  Pincus 
(Publication  of  the  American  Associa- 
tion for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
No.  71)  Washington,  D.C.:  1962. 

.    "The  Prehistoric  Great  Lakes 


of  North  America,"  American  Scientist 
(Easton,  Pa.),  Vol.  51,  No.  1,  pp.  84- 
109. 


Goggin,  John  M.  "Underwater  Ar- 
chaeology: Its  Nature  and  Limitations." 
American  Antiquity  (Salt  Lake  City),  Vol. 
25,  No.  3,  pp.  348-354. 

Quimby,  George  I.  Indian  Life  in  the 
Upper  Great  Lakes  11,000  B.  C.  to  A.D. 
1800.    Chicago:  1960. 

• .    "A  New  Look  at  Geochronol- 


ogy  in  the  Upper  Great  Lakes  Region," 
American  Antiquity  (Salt  Lake  City),  Vol. 
28,  No.  4,  pp.  558-559.  ^s 

V 

.    "The  Griffin,"  Chicago  Natural 

History  Museum  Bulletin  (Chicago),  Vol. 
35,  No.  5,  pp.  3-5.  ■ 


Page  8    JUNE 


PRINTED   BY  CHICAGO   NATURAL  HISTORY    MUSEUM   PRESS 


■9-rr 


Afghanist€Mi 


CHICAGO' 
NATURAli 
H  STORY  ^o/.se 
MUSEUM  gu^ 


CHICAGO 
NATURAL 
HISTORY 
MUSEUM 


Museum  News 


COVER:  At  Navy  Pier,  one  of 
two  especially  equipped  travel- 
alls  (one  donated  by  Interna- 
tional Harvester)  is  loaded  a- 
board  a  ship  bound  for  Karachi 
(photograph  by  John  Bayalis). 

LEFT:  Mr.  Jerry  Hassinger, 
expedition  fellow  (left),  Mrs. 
Janice  K.  Street,  Mr.  William 
S.  Street,  and  Dr.  Joseph  Cur- 
tis Moore,  Curator  of  Mam- 
mals. During  the  past  six 
months.  Dr.  Moore  has  been 
helping  to  plan  the  scientific  as- 
pects of  the  Afghanistan  mam- 
mal survey. 


Honor  Expedition  Leaders 


LAST  MONTH  Museum  Trustees  and 
their  guests  attended  a  dinner  at 
the  Museum  honoring  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  S.  Street  of  Seattle,  who  are 
leaders  of  the  Museum  expedition  to 
Afghanistan. 

The  Streets  are  former  Chicagoans, 
Mr.  Street  having  been  general  manager 
of  Marshall  Field  and  Co.  from  1943 
to  1946.  He  was  president  of  Fred- 
erick and  Nelson's  department  store  in 
Seattle  until  his  retirement  in  1963. 

The  purpose  of  the  expedition  is  to 
make  the  first  complete  survey  ever  un- 
dertaken of  Afghanistan  mammal  spe- 
cies, and  to  bring  back  to  the  Museum 
for  this  study  perhaps  2,000  sample  spec- 
imens of  the  animals  found. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Street  are  ex- 
perienced hunters.  Among  the  animals 
they  hope  to  collect  in  Afghanistan  are 
the  snow  leopard,  the  huge  Marco  Polo 
sheep,  whose  horns  spiral  out  to  nearly 
four  feet  across,  the  gazelle,  the  Asian 
black  bear,  and  smaller  game  down 
through  about  100  other  species  to  the 
tiniest  shrew. 

This  is  the  Streets'  second  major  ex- 

Page  2    JULY 


pedition  for  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum.  Exactly  three  years  ago  they 
launched  a  similarly  highly  mobile, 
seven-month  expedition  to  Iran,  bring- 
ing back  1,723  specimens,  many  of  which 
had  never  been  represented  in  museum 
collections  in  this  country.  Readers  who 
recall  the  series  of  delightful  letters  writ- 
ten by  the  Streets  from  their  camps  in 
different  parts  of  Iran  and  published  in 
various  issues  of  the  Bulletin  during  1962- 
63,  will  be  interested  to  know  that  Doug- 
las Lay,  who  was  their  expedition  fel- 
low, has  studied  those  specimens  and 
has  submitted  for  publication  by  the 
Museum  the  resulting  400-page  scien- 
tific report  on  the  mammals  of  Iran. 

The  Streets  left  Chicago  for  Afghan- 
istan on  June  13.  At  Karachi,  West 
Pakistan,  they  were  joined  by  two  ex- 
pedition fellows  for  the  800-mile  drive 
to  Afghanistan  up  through  the  Khyber 
Pass. 

The  senior  fellow,  Mr.  Jerry  Hassin- 
ger, left  his  doctoral  studies  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  California  in  January  to  help 
purchase,  pack,  and  ship  the  expedi- 
tion's two  travelalls  and  5500  pounds 


of  other  gear.  He  also  studied  Asiatic 
mammals  in  the  Museum,  and  planned 
the  detailed  itinerary  that  would  enable 
the  expedition  to  accomplish  the  great- 
est amount  of  scientific  discovery.  The 
other  expedition  fellow,  Mr.  Hans  Neu- 
hauser,  left  his  graduate  studies  at  the 
University  of  Georgia  in  June  for  three 
weeks  of  preparation  at  the  Museum  be- 
fore flying  out  with  Hassinger  to  join 
the  Streets  at  Karachi. 

Hassinger  hopes  to  submit  his  study 
of  the  terrestrial  mammals  of  Afghan- 
istan as  a  dissertation  for  the  doctorate 
degree,  and  Neuhauser  expects  to  focus 
on  the  bats  of  Afghanistan  and  to  utilize 
his  study  as  a  thesis  for  the  masters  de- 
gree. Both  expect  to  submit  their  re- 
search to  the  Museum  for  publication. 

When  the  main  part  of  the  expedition 
drives  out  of  Karachi  (about  the  same 
time  this  article  appears),  another  sec- 
tion of  it  that  has  already  left  the  Amer- 
ican University  of  Beirut  in  Lebanon 
will  be  driving  a  Land  Rover  more  than 
2,000  miles  to  converge  with  the  Streets 
upon  Kabul.  Dr.  Robert  Lewis,  a  pro- 
fessor at  Beirut  and  the  world's  author- 
ity on  Middle  Eastern  fleas,  was  invited 
to  join  the  expedition  as  its  medical 
entomologist.  He  will  make  a  scientific 
survey  of  the  fleas  of  the  mammals  of 
Afghanistan,  a  work  that  will  have  im- 
mediate medical  importance  because  of 
the  ability  of  fleas  to  transmit  diseases 
to  humans.  Dr.  Lewis'  graduate  stu- 
dent, Mr.  Sana  Isa  Atallah  of  Jordan, 
accepted  an  appointment  as  the  expe- 
dition's preparator,  and  accompanies 
him  from  Beirut. 

It  is  an  extraordinary  new  develop- 
ment in  the  mobility  and  planning  of 
expeditions  to  undertake  a  complete  sur- 
vey of  the  mammal  species  of  a  whole 
country  in  one  expedition.  The  Streets 
have  already  done  this  for  Iran,  how- 
ever, and  are  now  well  prepared  and 
manned  to  bring  this  oflf  for  Afghan- 
istan. JOSEPH  CURTIS  MOORE 
(Museum  News  continues  on  page  7) 


Drawing  by  Tibor  Perenyi 


Edward  J.  Olsen 
Curator,  Mineralogy 

MOST  PEOPLE  find  it  difficult  to  imag- 
ine the  enormous  span  of  geologic 
time.  To  be  told  that  the  earth  is  five 
billion  (5,000,000,000)  years  old,  or  that 
such-and-such  a  rock  is  "only"  two  hun- 
dred million  years  old  (200,000,000) 
means  almost  nothing  to  us.  The  num- 
bers are  too  large  and  too  far  out  of  pro- 
portion to  the  span  of  our  own  lives.  The 
geologic  column  is  a  representation  of 
the  long  road  of  geologic  time,  with 
signposts  along  the  way  marked  with 
curious  names  like  Jurassic,  Permian, 
Silurian,  Cambrian,  Pre-Cambrian,  etc. 
By  and  large,  we  tend  to  think  of  geo- 
logic time  as  something  quite  apart  from 
our  own  lives.  Most  of  us  never  stop 
to  think  that  we  ourselves  live  in  a  geo- 
logic epoch.  We  are  first-hand  ob- 
servers of  a  tiny  piece  of  the  old  earth's 
geologic  history. 

It  is  rather  fascinating  to  consider  this 


Are  we  still  living  in  the  ice  age,  with  another 

glacial  period  ahead?  A  review  of  recent  evidence 

throws  light  on  this  question. 


and  to  wonder  in  just  what  geologic  age 
we  are  now  living,  and  where  we  are 
heading  in  the  immediate  future.  There 
is  a  considerable  body  of  evidence  from 
which  we  can  draw  definite  conclusions. 
Let  us  begin  by  reviewing  our  immediate 
geologic  past. 

During  the  past  325,000  years,  much 
of  the  northern  hemisphere  passed 
through  a  vast  glacial  period,  which  is 
called  the  Pleistocene  Epoch.  It  con- 
sisted of  seven  periods  of  general  climatic 
cooling,  with  four  major  and  three  mi- 
nor southward  thrusts  of  huge  circum- 
polar  ice  sheets.  In  North  America, 
for  example,  thick  ice  sheets  pushed 
southward  from  the  Canadian  arctic 
and  covered  the  northern  portion  of  the 


United  States  down  to  the  present  Ohio 
River  valley  in  the  midwest,  and  not 
quite  so  far  south  out  on  the  Great  Plains. 
Each  southward  push  was  followed  by 
a  period  of  warming  and  melting,  with 
decay  of  ice  and  its  retreat  northward; 
this  is  called  a  glacial  interstage. 

Although  we  can  clearly  map  the  areal 
extent  of  each  of  these  glacial  advances, 
we  are  not  absolutely  certain  of  the 
thicknesses  of  the  great  ice  sheets.  The 
best  estimates  suggest  that  they  were 
probably  5,000  to  6,000  feet  high  at 
their  centers,  thinning  to  about  100  feet 
thick  along  the  advancing  edges.  When 
such  enormous  volumes  of  water  are 
frozen  and  piled  up  on  the  land,  the 
{Continued  on  next  page) 

JULY    Pages 


volumes  of  the  oceans  naturally  de- 
crease, and  mean  sea  level  is  lowered. 
During  glacial  interstages  the  increased 
melt  water  from  the  receding  glaciers 
again  raises  the  mean  sea  level.  Thus 
sea  level  changes  are  good  measures  of 
glacial  advances  and  retreats. 

Along  the  seacoasts  of  continents  and 
oceanic  islands,  waves  pound  away  year 
after  year  and  gradually  cut  benches 
into  the  rock.  If  sea  level  then  rises  or 
falls  a  new  bench  level  is  cut  above  or 
below  the  old  one.  In  low  latitudes, 
where  living  coral  reefs  occupy  coast 
lines  just  below  water  level,  the  reefs 
themselves  are  often  cut  into  a  series 
of  benches  by  changes  in  sea  level.  With 
the  advent  of  the  carbon-14  dating 
method,  the  ages  of  such  reef  benches 
can  be  determined,  because  the  coral 
animals  deposited  their  carbon-bearing 
reef  material  at  the  time  of  the  bench- 
cutting  wave  action.  Thus  it  is  possible 
to  relate  past  sea  level  changes  with 
time. 

Here  it  must  be  added  that  it  is  only 
possible  to  find  ages  for  the  last  single 
period  of  sea  level  rise.  This  is  because 
bench  levels  corresponding  to  more  an- 
cient sea  level  changes  are  destroyed 
by  each  younger  cycle  of  wave  action. 
Thus  the  carbon-14  "clock"  is  reset  after 
each  cycle  of  sea  rise  and  fall. 

Fj.  SHEPARD  (reference  4),  a  well- 
known  oceanographer  from  the 
Scripps  Institution  of  Oceanography, 
has  compiled  a  group  of  carbon-1 4  dated 
sea  level  changes  from  different  coasts 
around  the  world.  The  dates  are  de- 
termined on  samples  of  rock,  usually 
corals,  collected  from  benches  that  are 
presently  submerged,  that  are  now  at 
sea  level,  or  that  are  above  present  sea 
level.  In  addition  to  Shepard,  other 
oceanographers  (references  1,  3,  and  5) 
have  reported  dated  sea  levels.  All 
these  have  been  compiled  together  into 
Fig.  1. 

Individual  points,  each  representing 
a  dated  sea  level,  are  shown  in  this  fig- 
ure. The  points  are  slightly  scattered, 
reflecting  errors  of  analysis  in  the  car- 
bon-14 dating,  as  well  as  some  samples 
where  the  rock  was  affected  by  chemical 
changes.  Some  scattering  is  also  due 
to  small,  minor,  short-term  oscillations 
in  sea  level.  Nevertheless,  a  smooth 
curve  may  be  drawn  between  the  points. 

Pageh    JULY 


This  curve  presents  some  fascinating 
features.  The  lowest  point  determined 
is  that  of  a  wave-cut  bench  which  is  290 
feet  below  the  present  sea  level,  and  is 
17,000  years  old.  We  have  no  older 
dates  until  we  come  to  some  levels  which 
were  10  to  20  feet  above  present  sea  level 
around  35,000  to  40,000  years  ago.  It 
was  mentioned  before  that  only  the  last 
period  of  sea  level  rise  can  be  dated. 
However,  while  this  is  generally  true,  an 
obvious  exception  is  possible.  If  the  sea 
ever  stood  higher  than  at  present,  and  if 
sea  level  then  fell,  this  higher  level,  no 
matter  how  old,  would  be  preserved  well 
above  the  pounding  action  of  waves. 
Thus  the  35,000  to  40,000  year  old  levels 
have  been  preserved,  while  wave  action, 
during  the  period  of  descending  levels, 
has  destroyed  all  lower  benches  made 
between  35,000  years  ago  and  the  time 
when  sea  level  started  to  rise  again  and 
mcikc  new  ascending  levels. 

It  may  be  concluded,  therefore,  that 
sometime  between  35,000  years  ago, 
when  the  sea  was  higher  than  at  present. 


mum  glacial  advance,  when  the  most 
amount  of  water  was  frozen  up  on  land. 

Another  interesting  feature  of  this 
curve  is  its  shape.  From  18,000  years 
ago  almost  to  the  present,  sea  level  gen- 
erally rose  with  the  melting  away  and 
retreat  of  the  very  last  glacial  advance. 
The  rise  was  not,  however,  at  a  constant 
rate,  as  can  be  seen  from  the  curve. 
Starting  out  around  18,000  years  ago, 
the  sea  level  began  to  rise  at  a  rate  of 
less  than  five  inches  every  100  years. 
The  rate  of  rise  reached  its  maximum 
around  10,000  years  ago  when  it  was 
about  35  inches  every  100  years,  or  a 
rate  of  rise  seven  times  faster  than  at  its 
start.  Since  that  time  the  rate  has  been 
steadily  dropping,  and  for  at  least  the 
last  2,000  years  the  rate  has  been  zero. 
There  are,  of  course,  minor  oscillations 
of  short  duration — 100  to  300  years  long 
— due  to  minor  climatic  fluctuations, 
but  the  overall  effect  is  that  the  sea  level 
has  reached  its  peak. 

Several  oceanographers,  in  fact,  argue 
that  the  rise  reached  its  peak  about  3,000 


100' 

- 

1                                           1 

1 

) 

Present 

I—. 

-A^' 

•    ^ 

.^-r- 

sea  level 

•^4 

'S* 

•^ 

• 

N 
\ 

100' 

— 

•*  \* 

— 

200' 

- 

*   \' 

- 

300' 

A  nn' 

— 

I                 1 

i 

Ik.olsen 

0  10,000  20,000  30,000  40,000 

YEARS   IN    PAST      " 

FIG.  1.     Graph  showing  changes  in  mean  sea  level  during  past  50,000  years. 


and  17,000  years  ago,  when  it  was  290 
feet  lower  than  at  present,  sea  level 
reached  a  minimum.  If  we  simply  draw 
a  smooth  curve  through  the  points  we 
can  obtain  a  rough  idea  how  far  the 
level  dropped,  and  at  what  time.  The 
"trough"  in  our  curve  is  at  about  310 
feet  below  present  level,  about  18,000 
years  ago.  This  "trough"  would  then 
correspond  to  the  last  period  of  maxi- 


to  4,000  years  ago,  and  sea  level  has  ac- 
tually started  to  fall  again  slightly. 
Bench  levels  that  old  have  been  found 
which  lie  8  to  10  feet  above  the  present 
level  of  the  sea.  For  example,  van  An- 
del  (reference  5)  reports  a  bench  level 
on  the  Brazilian  coast  which  is  8|  feet 
above  present  sea  level  and  is  3,660  years 
old.  This  level  is  not  considered  to  be 
due  to  a  minor  fluctuation. 


YEARS 

FIG.  2. 
projected 


25,000 
IN  FUTURE 


100,000 


200,000 


300P00 


YEARS  IN  PAST 


Graph  showing  changes  in  oceanic  surface  water  temperature  during  the  Pleistocene  Epoch  {solid  line),  and 
into  the  future  {dashed  line).    {Based  on  Emiliani,  reference  2.) 


100 


100 


200  - 


300'- 


401 


1         1 

Present  sea  level 

1        1 

c*^ 

1          1 

1         1 

1        1 

^ 

1 

1 
_  r*_T^  - 

h>«*» 

/ 
/ 

*\ 

/ 

N 

— 

/ 
/ 

/ 
/ 

*   \ 

/ 

^ 

/ 

•V 

/ 

_ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

1         1 

1       1 

1         1 

1        1 

1       .1 

1  K.OLSEN 

20,000  10,000 

YEARS    IN    FUTURE 


10,000 
YEARS    IN    PAST 


20,000 


30,000 


40,000 


FIG.  S.    Graph  showing  changes  in  mean  sea  level  during  the  past  50,000  years  and  projected 
info  the  future. 


Thus  there  are  apparently  two  inter- 
pretations of  the  most  recent  data.  The 
first  says  that  sea  level  is  now  at  its  peak 
and  its  rate  of  rise  is  zero,  any  higher 
levels  being  due  to  minor  fluctuations. 
The  second  view  is  that  sea  level  reached 
a  peak  at  about  1 0  feet  above  the  present 
level  around  3,000  to  4,000  years  ago, 
and  is  now  starting  to  drop  at  a  very 
slow  rate. 

It  is  not  possible  to  solve  this  problem 
by  making  present-day  measurements 
over  short  periods  of  time.  We  would 
need  the  overall  effect  of  the  sum  of  fluc- 
tuations over  the  next  thousand  years. 
However,  as  with  any  scientific  question, 
when  one  avenue  of  evidence  leads  to 
two  possible  interpretations,  we  can  turn 
to  another,  independent  avenue  of  in- 
vestigation to  try  to  "break  the  tie." 


TEN  YEARS  ago.  Dr.  Cesare  Emiliani 
of  the  University  of  Chicago  com- 
pleted a  monumental  piece  of  work 
which  bears  directly  on  this  problem 


(reference  2).  He  examined  the  aver- 
age temperature  record  of  ocean  waters 
over  the  last  325,000  years  by  an  in- 
genious method  devised  by  Nobel  Prize 
winner,  Harold  Urey.  The  method  is 
based  on  the  fact  that  the  chemical  ele- 
ment, oxygen,  has  two  important  iso- 
topes, oxygen-16  and  oxygen-18.  An 
isotope  of  a  chemical  element  is  the 
name  given  to  atoms  of  that  element 
which  are  the  same  in  every  way  as  the 
element's  other  atoms,  except  they  weigh 
a  little  more  or  less.  In  the  case  of  oxy- 
gen atoms,  one  out  of  every  500  present 
on  the  earth  weighs  a  little  more  than 
the  other  499  of  them.  That  is,  there 
is  one  oxygen-18  atom  to  every  499  oxy- 
gen-16 atoms. 

It  is  known  that  the  microscopic  ani- 
mals called  plankton,  billions  of  which  oc- 
cur throughout  the  oceans  of  the  world, 
deposit  minute  shells  around  themselves. 
These  shells  are  composed  of  several 
chemical  elements,  including  oxygen. 
Urey  determined  that  the  percentage  of 
oxygen-18  relative  to  oxygen-16  in  plank- 


ton shell  material  increased  when  the  av- 
erage temperature  of  the  ocean  water 
decreased.  So  Emiliani  collected  the 
fossil  shell  remains  of  microscopic  plank- 
ton from  sediment  cores  dug  from  ocean 
bottoms.  These  remains  covered  a  span 
of  over  300,000  years  into  the  past.  Care- 
ful analyses  of  the  proportions  of  oxy- 
gen-18 to  oxygen-16  were  performed 
and  then  translated  into  average  tem- 
peratures of  the  oceans  in  which  the 
plankton  lived.  The  results  are  shown 
in  the  graph  in  Fig.  2. 

In  this  graph,  each  of  the  tempera- 
ture highs  corresponds  to  a  major  or 
minor  glacial  interstage,  and  each  of  the 
lows  to  a  major  or  minor  glacial  ad- 
vance. It  should  be  noted  that  the  dif- 
ference in  temperatures  from  the  lows 
to  the  highs  is  only  about  11°,  from  73  °F. 
to  84°F.  Emiliani  collected  his  fossil 
specimens  mostly  from  lower  latitudes 
where  temperatures  would  not  have 
dropped  severely  even  during  a  glacia- 
tion  in  higher  latitudes.  In  lower  lati- 
(Contintied  on  page  8) 

JULY    Pages 


the 

FLEMINGS 

of  KATHMANDU 

melvin  a.  traylor,  jr. 
associate  curator  of  birds 

ABOUT  a  year  ago  there  was  published  The  Fabulous  Flem- 
ings of  Kathmandu^,  the  story  of  Drs.  Robert  and  Bethel 
Fleming  and  the  United  Christian  Medical  Mission  to  Nepal. 
It  is  an  inspiring  story,  first,  of  their  struggles  to  get  permis- 
sion to  enter  the  country,  and  then  of  the  growth  of  the 
mission  from  a  small  clinic  in  Kathmandu  to  modern  hospi- 
tals in  Kathmandu  and  Tansen  and  numerous  clinics  in 
outiying  villages. 

No  one  who  reads  this  book  could  fail  to  be  stirred  by  the 
courage  and  dedication  of  Bob  Fleming  as  superintendent  of 
the  mission,  and  his  wife,  Bethel  Fleming,  as  medical  chief  of 
the  hospital.  Their  contribution  to  the  people  of  Nepal  in 
introducing  modern  medicine  can  only  be  appreciated  when 
it  is  realized  that  as  recently  as  1 5  years  ago  foreigners  were 
barred  from  the  country  and  there  was  no  medical  service 
in  our  sense  of  the  word  at  all. 

However,  while  we  at  the  Museum  are  proud  of  the  Flem- 
ings and  the  dedicated  work  that  they  are  performing,  we 
are  also  happy  to  realize  that  it  was  through  Bob  Fleming's 
association  with  the  Museum  that  his  first  opportimity  to 
visit  Nepal  arose.  As  Bob  says,  they  entered  Nepal  "on  the 
wings  of  a  bird,"  and  it  was  his  interest  in  birds  that  brought 
him  to  the  Museum,  first  as  visitor,  then  as  collector,  and 
now  as  Field  Associate  and  co-author  of  three  publications 
on  the  birds  of  Nepal. 

It  was  in  1937,  when  on  leave  from  the  Woodstock  High 
School  in  Mussoorie,  India,  to  earn  his  Ph.D.  in  education 
at  the  University  of  Chicago,  that  Fleming  first  came  to  the 
Museum.  Seeing  an  Indian  pheasant  on  exhibition  that 
he  considered  to  be  mislabeled,  he  boldly  requested  per- 
mission to  speak  to  the  curator.  Thus  began  an  associa- 
tion that  has  brought  to  the  Museum  several  thousand  birds, 
and  to  Fleming  the  delight  of  traveling  the  length  and 
breadth  of  India  and  eventually  reaching  Nepal.  When 
Fleming  realized  that  the  Museum  would  actually  pay  him 
to  pursue  his  passion  for  birds,  he  received  a  brief  but  inten- 
sive course  in  collecting — one  chicken  skinned  joindy  with 
curator  Emmet  R.  Blake — and  was  sent  on  his  way  with  the 
minimum  of  equipment  and  our  most  fulsome  hopes.  These 
were  justified,  for  the  accession  cards  for  the  following  years 
read  like  a  gazetteer  of  India — Punjab,  Assam,  Manipur, 
Mussoorie — as  Fleming  used  his  long  Christmas  vacations 
to  further  his  collecting. 

By  1 949  Fleming's  heart  had  settled  on  Nepal,  still  closed 
to  foreigners  but  with  a  wealth  of  fascinating  birds.  How- 
ever, a  foot  had  been  put  in  the  door  to  Nepal  by  two  Ameri- 

Pagee    JULY 


Dr.  Fleming  examines  a  pheasant  eolleeted  for  the  Museum 
(photograph  by  Toge  Fujihira). 


cans,  Walter  Koelz  and  Dillon  Ripley,  who  had  collected 
there  the  two  previous  years.  In  mingled  hope  and  des- 
peration Fleming  requested  permission  to  go  there  through 
our  embassy  in  India.  To  his  amazement,  permission  was 
granted  almost  immediately,  and  there  ensued  an  eager 
p)eriod  of  preparation.  Financial  support  was  offered  by 
the  late  Boardman  Conover,  Research  Associate  and  Trustee 
of  the  Museum,  and  Dr.  Bethel  took  over  a  1 50-bed  hospital 
at  Fatehgarh  so  that  Dr.  Carl  Taylor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Mission  could  accompany  Bob.  In  October  of  1949  the 
party  reached  Tansen  in  west  Nepal,  and  the  next  three 
months  were  spent  collecting  along  the  Kali  Gandahk  River, 
reaching  within  30  miles  of  the  Tibetan  border  and  altitudes 
up  to  18,000  feet. 

But  exciting  as  he  found  the  birds  in  this  unknown  coun- 
try, Fleming  was  even  more  impressed  by  the  tremendous 
need  for  medical  assistance.  \Vherever  he  and  Dr.  Taylor 
camped  word  quickly  spread  that  there  was  a  doctor  in  the 
party,  and  soon  there  was  a  constant  stream  of  patients 
arriving,  all  desperately  needing  attention.  The  slender 
medical  resources  that  they  had  brought  in  with  them  were 
soon  exhausted,  and  Fleming  realized  that  medical  work 
was  the  most  important  way  in  which  his  mission  could 
help  the  Nepalese.  This  belief  was  the  genesis  of  the  United 
Christian  Medical  Mission  to  Nepal,  although  its  consum- 
mation was  to  require  another  four  years. 

Although  the  first  request  to  start  a  medical  clinic  in 
Nepal  was  refused,  the  friends  that  Fleming  had  made  among 
the  governing  Rana  family  asked  him  to  return,  both  to 


collect  and  to  bring  medical  assistance.  In  October  of 
1951  he  was  back  again  in  west  Nepal,  this  time  accompanied 
by  Dr.  Bethel,  son  Bob,  and  the  Dr.  Carl  Friedericks.  While 
the  two  Bobs  were  off  collecting,  the  two  doctors  established 
a  clinic  in  Tansen.  After  treating  1,500  patients  in  40 
days,  they  returned  to  India  even  more  convinced  that  their 
mission  lay  in  Nepal.  Again,  though,  they  were  disappointed 
when  their  request  was  not  granted.  It  was  not  till  1953 
that  they  were  to  succeed. 

In  January  of  that  year  the  Flemings  were  able  to  make 
their  first  trip  to  Kathmandu,  the  capital  of  the  country. 
By  now  the  political  climate  had  changed,  the  king  had  been 
restored  to  power,  and  outside  aid  was  being  sought.  After 
collecting  in  the  hills  around  the  Kathmandu  Valley,  Bob 
gave  a  lecture  to  80  of  the  leading  people  of  the  capital, 
exhibiting  his  birds  and  explaining  their  hopes  for  the  mis- 
sion. Whether  it  was  the  impact  of  his  sparkling  personality 
(and  it  is  a  personality  impossible  to  resist)  or  whether  it 
was  just  that  the  time  was  ripe,  not  long  after  their  return 
to  Mussoorie  they  received  word  that  their  prayers  had  been 
fulfilled;  they  were  invited  to  start  a  medical  mission  in 
Kathmandu  and  Tansen.  By  January,  1954,  the  mission, 
however  modest  in  the  beginning,  was  a  reality,  and  its 
growth  during  the  ensuing  years  is  a  fascinating  part  of  Miss 
Fletcher's  book.  We  at  the  Museum  have  followed  that 
growth  with  affection  and  pride,  for  we  have  felt,  however 
indirectly,  that  we  have  a  part  in  the  mission. 

In  the  meantime.  Dr.  Fleming  has  not  let  the  responsi- 


bilities of  being  superintendent  of  the  medical  mission  keep 
him  from  his  interest  in  birds.  The  results  of  his  earlier 
trips  were  published  in  collaboration  with  Chief  Curator 
of  Zoology,  Austin  L.  Rand-,  and  subsequent  vacation  peri- 
ods have  found  Fleming  always  in  the  field.  His  travels 
have  taken  him  from  Nepal's  far  western  border  with  Garh- 
wal  to  the  far  eastern  border  with  Sikkim,  and  it  is  doubtful 
if  any  man,  foreigner  or  Nepalese,  has  seen  as  much  of  the 
country  as  he.  In  1960-61  he  participated  in  the  World 
Book  Scientific  Expedition  to  the  Himalayas,  and  I  have 
had  the  pleasure  of  collaborating  with  him  in  publishing  the 
results  of  these  collections'.  During  this  past  year  he  has 
been  able  to  devote  full  time  to  his  scientific  efforts  through 
the  medium  of  a  Fulbright  grant. 

Young  Bob,  Jr.  has  shared  his  father's  interests  since  the 
early  days  when  he  first  accompanied  him  into  the  field. 
He  himself  is  now  teaching  at  Woodstock  School  and  working 
on  his  Ph.D.  thesis,  which  will  be,  naturally  enough,  on  the 
birds  of  the  Himalayas,  This  is  good  news  for  all  of  us,  for 
it  puts  off  indefinitely  the  day  when  we  need  be  concerned 
that  there  will  be  no  Flemings  associated  with  the  ornithology 
of  India.  ■ 

'  Grace  Nies  Fletcher.  The  Fabulous  Flemings  of  Kathmandu  (New 
York:  E.  P.  Dutton  and  Company,  1964). 

'  Rand,  A.  L.  and  Fleming,  R.  L.  "Birds  from  Nepal,"  Fieldiana: 
Zoology,  Vol.  41,  1957,  pp.  1-218. 

'  Fleming,  R.  L.  and  Traylor,  M.  A.  "Notes  on  Nepal  Birds," 
Fieldiana:  Zoology,  Vol.  35,  1961,  pp.  447-487. 

* ."Further  Notes  on  Nepal  Birds,"  ibid.,  1964,  pp.  495-558. 


MUSEUM   NEWS 

Summer  Programs 
For  Children 

The  Museum's  summer  series  of  free 
movies  for  children  begins  July  8  and 
runs  for  six  successive  Thursdays.  The 
programs  on  the  last  four  dates  are  sched- 
uled so  that  children  may  attend  the 
Grant  Park  Young  People's  Concerts  at 
11:00  A.M. 

Julys  10  and  11:15  A.M. 

The  Restless  Sea 

Story  of  one  of  the  "New  Frontiers" 
in  science:  the  sea's  currents,  tides,  bi- 
zarre plants  and  fish,  and  the  effects 
of  volcanoes  on  the  ocean  floor. 

July  15  10  and  11:00  A.M. 

The  Enduring  Wilderness 

Some  of  the  scenic  areas  of  Canada, 
where  native  plants  and  animals  are 
being  preserved  for  our  enjoyment. 

Cartoon  also 


July  22  10  and  1  P.M. 

Tales  of  Children 

How  children  live  in  the  mountain 
villages  of  southern  Spain  and  Bolivia 
and  the  fiord  country  of  Norway. 

July  29  10  and  1  P.M. 

Animals 
From  Latin  American  jungles  to  our 
own  area.  Cartoon  also 

August  5  10  and  1  P.M. 

Australia 
The  strange  and  interesting  creatures 
of  the  continent  "down  under." 

August  12  10  and  1  P.M. 

Ranch  Life 
Early  days  in  California  and  a  little 
spoofing  of  Western  movies. 

Cartoon  also 

South  American 
Hall  Reopens 

The  Hall  of  Ancient  and  Modern  In- 
dians of  South  America  (Hall  9)  is 
now  reopened  after  having  been  closed 


since  1962.  During  that  period  the  space 
occupied  by  the  hall  was  remodeled  to 
make  room  for  a  special  exhibition  area, 
adjacent  to  Stanley  Field  Hall,  for  the 
display  of  temporary  exhibits. 

Visitors  to  the  reopened  hall  will  find 
it  rich  in  materials  from  the  ancient 
cultures  of  Colombia  and  Peru  and 
the  recent  Indian  tribes  that  live  in 
the  tropical  forests  east  of  the  Andes. 

Among  the  archaeological  materials 
are  painted  effigy  and  portrait  jars 
which  bring  to  life  the  ancient  Chimu 
people,  whose  civilization  reached  its 
height  in  the  eighth  century  of  our  era. 
Three  new  cases  display  the  elegant  pot- 
tery made  from  the  first  to  the  eighth 
century  by  the  Nazca  and  Paracas  peo- 
ples of  Peru. 

Outstanding  among  the  artifacts  made 
by  recent  Indians  are  ceremonial  cos- 
tumes used  by  the  head-hunting  Jivaros 
of  Ecuador  and  Peru.  On  a  backing 
of  bark  cloth  or  woven  human  hair, 
these  dance  skirts  and  headdresses  boast 
intricate  and  lovely  designs  fashioned  of 
shell,  seeds,  dyed  bird  bones,  monkey 
(Continued  on  next  page) 

JULY    Page  7 


OUR  GEOLOGIC  AGE 

{Continued  from  page  5) 

tudes,  also,  a  complete  fossil  record  is 
more  likely  to  be  present.  It  docs  not 
actually  matter,  of  course,  where  the 
cores  were  collected,  for  the  relative 
changes  in  temperature,  and  when  they 
occurred,  remain  the  same.  Oceanic 
temperature  changes  are  always  very 
much  less  than  those  on  the  continents. 
This  is  because  it  takes  a  very  long  time 
to  change  the  temperature  of  a  large 
body  of  water,  whereas  it  takes  only  a 
short  time  to  change  the  temperature 
of  air. 

From  Fig.  2  we  see  that  there  are 
seven  highs  and  seven  lows.  All  the 
highs  are  around  84°F.,  whereas  the 
lows  vary  considerably,  corresponding 
to  major  or  minor  glacial  advances.  The 
most  recent  low  occurs  at  18,000  years 
ago,  marking  the  most  recent  glacial  ad- 
vance (which,  incidentally,  covered  Chi- 
cago). Referring  back  to  Fig.  1,  we  see 
that  the  sea  level  was  at  its  lowest  just 
about  18,000  years  ago.  Thus  two  in- 
dependent lines  of  evidence  give  the 
same  result.  This  is  always  encourag- 
ing. In  addition,  Emiliani  has  calcu- 
lated that  the  maximum  drop  in  sea 
level  could  have  been  at  most  325  feet. 
Fig.  1  shows  an  appro,\imate  drop  of  310 
feet,  which  is  quite  close  to  his  predicted 
value. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  graph  showing 
sea  level  change  shows  a  peak  around 
35,000  to  40,000  years  ago,  while  the 
graph  for  temperature  change  shows  a 
minor  broad  peak  at  77°F.  around  45,- 
000  to  50,000  years  ago.  This  difference 
can  be  explained  by  the  lag  between 
changes  in  temperature  and  sea  level. 
For  example,  when  temperatures  grad- 
ually drop,  more  and  more  water  re- 
mains frozen  on  land,  thus  dropping  sea 
level  almost  as  quickly  as  the  cooling 
trend  sets  in.  But  when  a  warming  trend 
begins,  and  large  masses  of  ice  begin  to 
decay  and  melt,  not  all  the  melt  water 
returns  to  the  oceans  right  away.  Due  to 
the  weight  of  the  ice  sheet,  the  ground 
underneath  is  often  depressed  in  shallow 
basins  which  become  new  lakes.  Also, 
glaciers  carry  and  deposit  large  quanti- 
ties of  broken  rock,  called  glacial  till, 
which  often  dam  up  the  rivers  and  creeks 
through  which  drainage  had  previously 

Page  8    JULY 


occurred .  The  lake  country  of  northern 
Wisconsin,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  and 
Ontario  is  an  example  of  a  region  just 
recently  glaciated.  Most  of  these  lakes 
are  decreasing  in  size  as  the  drainage 
paths  to  the  oceans  become  unclogged. 
Thus,  after  a  temperature  rise  and  gla- 
cial decay  and  retreat,  it  will  take  sev- 
eral thousand  years  for  all  the  melt  water 
to  drain  off  to  the  sea  and  raise  it  to  its 
preglacial  level. 

From  Fig.  2  we  see  that  the  average 
oceanic  temjjerature  reached  a  maximum 
about  6,000  to  7,000  years  ago,  and  has 
dropped  since  then.  Here,  then,  appears 
to  be  the  answer  to  the  problem  of  in- 
terpreting recent  sea  level  changes.  It 
seems  that  a  peak  in  sea  level  could  have 
occurred  3,000  to  4,000  years  ago.  This 
would  mean  about  a  3,000  year  lag  be- 
tween temperature  peak  and  sea  level 
peak,  and  it  indicates  that  sea  level  is 
averaging  a  slow  rate  of  drop  at  present. 

What  does  this  mean?  If  we  project 
the  sea  level  drop  into  the  future,  in  a 
smooth  continuation  of  the  curve  in 
Fig.  1,  we  find  a  "trough"  at  about  15,- 
000  years  from  now  (Fig.  3).  Emiliani, 
on  the  basis  of  the  temperature  drop 
over  the  past  6,000  years  (Fig.  2)  pre- 
dicts the  beginning  of  another  glacial 
advance  in  about  10,000  years.  This 
would  put  the  maximum  glaciation  at 
about  15,000  years  from  now! 

Here  then,  is  the  answer  to  our  origi- 
nal question.  We  live  in  the  Pleistocene 
Epoch  still.  Our  whole  civilization  has 
been  born  and  has  grown  in  the  seventh 
glacial  interstage  (Fig.  2).  Ten  thou- 
sand to  15,000  years  sounds  far  off,  as 
indeed  it  is.  Human  beings,  however, 
have  been  around  almost  two  million 
years.  Our  ancestors  have  lived  through 
seven  glaciations  already.  It  is  not  likely 
that  our  descendents,  500  generations 
from  now,  will  succumb  to  so  well-known 
an  enemy  as  the  eighth  glacial  advance 
from  the  north.  ■ 

References 

1 .  FAiRBRiDGE,  R.  w.  Proceedings  of  l/ie  Royal 
Society  of  Western  Australia  (Perth),  Vol.  34, 
1947,  p.  35. 

2.  EMILIANI,  c.  Journal  of  Geology  (Chicago), 
Vol.  63,  1955,  pp.  538-578. 

3.  RUSSELL,  R.  J.  Science  (Washington, 
D.  C),  Vol.  139,  1963,  pp.  9-15. 

4.  SHEPARD,  F.  P.  Ibid.,  Vol.  143,  1964, 
pp.  574-576. 

5.  VAN  ANDEL,  T.  H.  Ibid.,  Vol.  145,  1964, 
pp.  580-581. 


MUSEUM   NEWS 

{Continued  from  page  7) 

teeth,  and  beetle  wings.  A  new  case 
shows  examples  just  received  by  the  mu- 
seum of  brilliant  featherwork  made  by 
the  Urubu  Indians  of  Brazil.  ■ 


This  shrunken  human  head^  thought  to  he  of 
a  European  woman,  is  one  of  four  such  speci- 
mens once  more  displayed  in  Hall  9, 


Chicago  Natural  History   Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1S93 

Roosevelt   Road  and   Lake   Shore   Drive 

Chicago,   Illinois  60605 

Telephone:   922-9410 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCormick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Marshall  Field 
Clifford  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 
Henry  P.  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 


Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 


J.  Howard  Wood 

OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  ViccPresidcnt 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 

Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer 

and  Assistant  Secretary 

E.  Lcland  Webber,  Secretary 

THE   BULLETIN 

EDITOR 

E.  Lcland  Webber,  Director  of  the  Museum 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Donald  Collier,  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropology 

Louis  O.  Williams,  Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Rainer  Zangerl,  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Relations  Counsel 

Members   are   requested  to   inform   the   Museum 

promptly  of  changes  of  address. 

PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO   NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM   PRESS 


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George  I.  Quimby,  Curator 
North  American  Archaeology  and  Ethnology 


Exploring  an  Underwater  Indian  Site 


THE  FIRST  underwater  exploration  of  an  Indian  village  site 
on  the  bottom  of  Lake  Superior  was  undertaken  jointly  by 
Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  and  The  University  of 
Michigan's  Museum  of  Anthropology  on  June  19  in  the  cold 
waters  off  Naomikong  Point  in  Chippewa  County,  Michigan. 

Discoveries  made  by  the  diving  members  of  the  expedition 
showed  that  the  site  was  an  Indian  village  of  the  Middle 
Woodland  period  occvipied  at  about  the  time  of  Christ  and 
subsequently  submerged  under  rising  water  levels. 

But  we  are  getting  ahead  of  our  story.  How  this  expedi- 
tion came  into  being  and  why  we  chose  Naomikong  Point  is 
an  important  part  of  our  narrative. 

In  the  last  few  years  Mr.  C.  Sprague  Taylor,  lumberman 
and  historian  of  Newberry,  Michigan,  and  his  son,  Charles, 
had  noted  flint  arrowheads  and  fragments  of  pottery  on  the 
beach  at  Naomikong  Point.  In  the  winter  of  1963  Mr.  Tay- 
lor brought  photographs  of  some  of  these  artifacts  to  Chicago 
Natural  History  Museum  for  me  to  examine.  And  in  Octo- 
ber of  1964  Mr.  James  R.  Getz,  Museum  Field  Associate,  and 
I  visited  the  Naomikong  Point  site  in  the  company  of  Mr. 

Page  2    AUGUST 


Taylor  and  his  son. 

Collecting  conditions  were  not  ideal  at  the  time.  Snow 
covered  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  several  inches,  a  north  wind 
swept  over  Lake  Superior,  and  fresh  bear  tracks  crossed  the 
trail  into  the  site.  Nonetheless  a  number  of  water-worn  arti- 
facts were  found  on  the  beach  and  some  were  even  observed 
being  tossed  up  by  the  waves.  It  was  obvious  that  the  speci- 
mens were  coming  from  beneath  the  water,  but  the  big  ques- 
tion was  this:  was  there  really  an  ancient  Indian  village  site 
on  the  bottom  of  Lake  Superior  or  had  the  artifacts  been 
washed  into  the  lake  by. wave  action  cutting  into  the  shore? 
The  question  could  only  be  answered  by  exploring  the  Lake 
Superior  waters  off  Naomikong  Point. 

In  the  spring  of  1965  we  made  our  plans  for  an  under- 
water archaeological  survey  of  the  area.  We  would  use 
divers,  establish  a  system  of  measurement,  and  study  the 
landward  side  of  the  beach  as  well  as  the  lake  bottom.  If 
the  site  looked  promising  a  University  of  Michigan  field  party 
would  conduct  intensive  investigations  later  in  the  season, 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  James  B.  Fitting,  Curator  of  the 


COVER :  Mrs.  Marilyn  Fifield  {left)  checks  equipment  Jor  under- 
water photography  oj  2,000-year-old  Indian  village  site  on  bottom  oj 
Lake  Superior.    Diving  with  her  is  John  Quimby  {right) . 

Left :  Preparing  to  dive. 

Inset :  Dr.  James  Fitting  examines  artifacts  brought  up  from  the 
sunken  village. 

(Photographs  by  C.  S.  Taylor.) 

Great  Lakes  Division  of  the  University's  Museum  of  Anthro- 
pology.' We  notified  Mr.  Taylor  of  our  intentions  and  the 
University  of  Michigan  applied  to  the  United  States  Forest 
Service,  custodian  of  the  land,  for  a  permit  to  excavate. 

On  May  30,  in  a  plane  piloted  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas 
B.  Fifield  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  I  flew  over  the  area  in  an 
efTort  to  determine  if  any  cultural  remains  under  water  could 
be  seen  from  the  air.  Although  we  maintained  an  elevation 
of  less  than  400  feet,  bad  weather  hampered  our  objective 
and  we  shifted  our  aerial  operations  to  sites  in  the  Lake 
Michigan  basin. 

Meanwhile,  back  at  Naomikong  Point,  some  expert  sur- 
veying was  under  way.  A  professional  surveyor,  Mr.  Eino 
Sainio,  assisted  by  Mr.  Taylor,  precisely  located  and  restored 
the  meander  corner  on  the  shore  between  sections  8  and  9 
and  set  station  posts  1 00  feet  apart  along  the  shore  line.  These 
station  posts  were  to  be  our  reference  points  for  all  measure- 
ments made  under  water.  By  means  of  100-foot  ropes  marked 
in  ten-foot  sections  and  sightings  by  engineers'  compasses  we 
would  be  able  to  locate  accurately  and  map  the  position  of 
all  underwater  finds. 

We  were  now  ready  and  the  exploration  date  was  set  for 
Saturday,  June  19. 

'  I  would  like  to  express  my  appreciation  to  Dr.  Fitting  for  sup- 
plying his  analyses  of  the  data  described  in  this  article. 


ierwater  photograph  oj  2,000-year-old  pottery  vessel  in  situ  ojf  shore 
Naomikong  Point,  Michigan.  {Photograph  by  Marilyn  Fifield.) 


On  the  appointed  day  we  assembled  at  our  meeting  place. 
Most  important  to  our  expedition  was  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Richard  Ruppenthal,  not  only  because  as  District  Ranger  of 
the  Hiawatha  National  Forest  he  was  in  charge  of  the  area 
we  were  entering,  but  also  because  he  had  a  large  truck  with 
4-wheel  drive  that  could  carry  our  divers  and  all  of  our  equip- 
ment through  the  woods  to  the  shore  of  Lake  Superior. 

With  Mr.  Ruppenthal  was  Mr.  Herman  Cameron,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Bay  Mills  Indian  Council,  whose  ancestors  had 
lived  at  Naomikong  Point. 

Our  divers  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fifield,  their  son,  George, 
and  my  son,  John.  Mr.  Taylor  acted  as  expedition  photog- 
rapher, and  the  land-bound  archaeologists  consisted  of  James 
Getz,  Dr.  Fitting,  and  myself. 

Mrs.  Molly  Fitting  acted  as  recorder  and  Mr.  Donald 
Janzen,  graduate  student  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  cata- 
logued the  finds  as  they  were  brought  ashore. 

Those  of  us  on  foot  walked  down  the  rough  logging  road 
to  Lake  Superior,  following  the  truck  that  carried  our  divers 
and  equipment.  Where  there  had  been  falling  snowflakes 
on  our  October  trek  to  the  site,  there  were  now  large  mos- 
quitos  in  the  same  abundance. 

Upon  reaching  the  shore,  we  unloaded  the  truck  and  car- 
ried our  equipment  across  a  small  neck  of  land  to  the  site. 
The  four  divers  put  on  their  wet-suits,  masks,  weights,  tanks, 
snorkels,  and  whatever  else  they  needed,  then  placed  our  red 
and  white  diving  flags  on  buoys  anchored  offshore  some  300 
feet. 

The  weather  was  ideal.  Although  the  water  temperature 
was  in  the  40's,  the  sun  was  shining,  visibility  was  excellent, 
and  the  lake  was  calm. 

The  divers  worked  under  water  in  1 00-foot  squares  based 
on  station  posts  set  at  100-foot  intervals  along  the  shore. 
Pottery  fragments  and  flint  chips  found  by  divers  were  placed 
in  bags  made  of  window  screening.  These  were  brought 
ashore  and  catalogued  according  to  the  100-foot  square  in 
which  they  were  found. 

Special  finds  such  as  collapsed  pottery  vessels  in  situ,  large 
clusters  of  sherds,  or  groups  of  fire-cracked  stones  indicative 
of  hearths,  were  marked  by  buoys,  stakes,  or  rock  cairns  by 
the  diver,  who  then  reported  his  discovery  to  the  shore-based 
archaeologist  in  charge  of  that  particular  sector.  Then  the 
location  of  the  find  was  fixed  by  measurement  and  compass 
direction  from  a  shore  point  related  to  the  line  of  station  posts 
placed  100  feet  apart.  Next  the  find  was  photographed  in 
situ  under  water;  and  finally  it  was  carefully  removed,  placed 
in  the  screen  bags,  and  brought  ashore  for  recording,  cata- 
loguing, and  analysis. 


One  of  the  archaeologically  significant  finds  was  that  of  a 
whole  pot.  Although  it  was  broken,  all  of  the  pieces  were  in 
place  on  the  lake  bottom.  Moreover,  the  sherds  were  en- 
crusted with  carbonized  food  remains,  showing  that  the  pot 
probably  had  broken  while  food  was  being  cooked  in  it,  and 
that  broken  pot,  food  and  all,  had  fallen  into  the  hearth  where 
it  remained  until  found  by  one  of  our  divers. 
{Please  turn  the  page) 


AUGUST    Page  3 


It  was  this  find  and  several  others  that  proved  conclu- 
sively that  there  was  a  village  site  under  water  and  that  the 
artifacts  had  not  just  been  washed  into  the  lake  by  wave  ero- 
sion of  the  shore.  For  one  thing,  wave  action  would  have 
resulted  in  considerable  smoothing  of  the  pottery.  It  would 
look  as  if  it  had  been  sanded.  Moreover,  the  carbonized  en- 
crustation would  have  been  worn  away.  And,  finally,  the 
broken  pieces  would  have  been  scattered  around  and  would 
not  have  been  found  in  one  place. 

The  other  significant  finds  bearing  on  this  problem  were 
hearths  marked  by  clusters  of  fire-cracked  stones,  and  a  pot- 
tery sherd  with  powdered  red  ocher  still  adhering  to  it.  The 
hearths  could  not  have  been  washed  into  place  and  the  pow- 
dered red  ocher  would  not  have  remained  on  the  sherd  if  it 
had  been  tumbled  in  sand  and  rock  by  wave  action. 

Thus  the  evidence  clearly  shows  that  there  is  an  Indian 
village  site  beneath  the  waters  of  Lake  Superior  just  off 
Naomikong  Point.  The  explorations  of  our  divers  indicate 
that  the  ancient  village  extended  in  an  east-west  direction  for 
about  500  feet  and  up  to  about  300  feet  along  a  north-south 
axis.  However,  since  this  was  a  limited  and  preliminary  sur- 
vey the  explorations  are  incomplete  and  the  village  area  may 
turn  out  to  be  larger  than  this. 

The  age  of  the  site  can  be  determined  by  the  kind  of  pot- 
tery found  in  it.  The  pottery  found  by  our  divers  consisted 
of  Middle  Woodland  types  which  elsewhere  have  been  radio- 
carbon dated  at  200  b.c.  to  about  a.d.  200. 

This  pottery  was  made  of  fired  clay  tempered  with  small 
particles  of  stone  and  decorated  with  various  kinds  of  stamped 
impressions.  The  kinds  of  stamps  used  in  decorating  the 
pottery  included  pseudo-scallop  shell,  and  bar  and  dentate 
stamps. 

The  300  or  so  sherds  collected  were  studied  and  analyzed 
in  detail  at  the  University  of  Michigan.  According  to  Dr. 
Fitting,  the  overall  distribution  of  the  kinds  of  Middle  Wood- 
land pottery  found  at  Naomikong  Point  is  co-terminus  with 
a  zone  of  pine-hemlock-northern  hardwood  forest  that  ex- 
tends westward  from  New  York  to  Manitoba.  This  zone  is 
called  the  Lake  Forest  formation.  And  since  the  various 
manifestations  of  Middle  Woodland  culture  found  within  this 
zone  seem  to  be  generally  related  to  each  other,  Dr.  Fitting 
believes  that  the  name  "Lake  Forest  Middle  Woodland" 
would  be  an  apt  term  for  the  entire  regional  tradition. 

Local  expressions  of  this  tradition,  however,  are  recog- 
nizably different  from  each  other  and  can  be  separated  as 
cultural  variants;  thus  the  Naomikong  Point  finds  are  a  new 
variant  of  the  Lake  Forest  Middle  Woodland.  Other  mani- 
festations of  the  Naomikong  Point  variant  may  be  found  on 
the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior  at  some  future  date.  At  the 
present  time  its  closest  relationships  are  with  Middle  Wood- 
land materials  found  recently  at  a  site  on  Isle  Royale  and  at 
another  site  on  Bois  Blanc  Island  near  Mackinac  Strait. 

How  did  an  Indian  village  site  that  existed  2,000  years 
ago  come  to  be  under  the  waters  of  Lake  Superior  in  1965? 

We  know  from  geological  evidence  that  the  north  shore 
of  Lake  Superior  has  been  rising  for  thousands  of  years  and 
is  still  rising.  Between  the  Nipissing  stage  of  about  3000  b.c. 
and  the  present,  the  north  shore  has  been  upwarped  at  least  a 

Paged    AUGUST 


hundred  feet  in  some  areas. 

This  upwarping  is  caused  by  expansion  of  the  land  that 
had  been  compressed  by  the  tremendous  weight  of  the  ice  in 
the  continental  glaciers  that  covered  the  area  for  thousands 
of  years  during  the  last  Ice  Age.  When  the  glacial  ice  melted, 
the  land  began  to  rise.  And  since  the  north  shore  is  rising 
more  than  the  south  shore  the  waters  are  flooding  or  drown- 
ing the  south  shore. 

If  one  can  picture  a  tilted  basin  with  one  side  up  higher 
than  another,  one  can  visualize  how  the  waterward  margins 
of  the  low  side  become  submerged  even  though  the  volume 
and  level  of  water  remain  unchanged.  This  situation  is  anal- 
ogous to  what  has  happened  to  the  south  side  of  Lake  Superior. 

The  Middle  Woodland  Indians  living  at  the  time  of  Christ 
probably  had  a  village  some  considerable  distance  from  the 
lake  shore.  In  all  likelihood  this  site  was  covered  by  humus 
or  by  blown  sands  after  it  was  abandoned  by  these  Indians. 
In  any  case,  it  seems  likely  that  the  Middle  Woodland  occu- 
pational debris  was  buried  before  encroachment  of  the  water. 

Then,  as  the  shore  line  receded  before  the  eroding  waters 
washing  on  it  because  of  the  tilting  of  the  Lake  Superior  basin, 
the  buried  village  site  became  submerged.  Wave  action  de- 
stroyed the  soils  and  any  cultural  levels  above  the  Middle 
Woodland  village,  but  did  not  cut  into  the  site  itself  probably 
until  this  century. 

Now  the  waves  are  excavating  the  top  portions  of  the  old 
village  which  at  the  present  time  is  on  the  bottom  of  Lake 
Superior.  And  it  was  this  wave-excavated  part  of  the  2,000- 
year-old  site  that  was  seen  and  surveyed  by  our  divers  on  this 
first  underwater  exploration  of  a  Middle  Woodland  village 
site  in  the  Upper  Great  Lakes  region.  ■ 


Above :  Fragments  of  pottery, 
decorated  with  stamped  impres- 
sions, found  in  the  underwater  site. 

Left:  Ancient  knives  of  chipped 
quartzite  from  the  bottom  of  Lake 
Superior.  {Photographs  by  Dr. 
James  Fitting.) 


w^ 


Shape  of  leaves,  the  flower, 
thejruit,  and  an  unpleasant  odor 
help  to  identify  the  Jimson-weed, 
or  thorn  apple. 


'TT'he  family  of  plants  to  which  the  po- 
-*-  tato  belongs  is  popularly  called  the 
potato,  or  nightshade,  family.  Botanists 
universally  refer  to  the  family  as  "the 
Solanaceae."  This  large  and,  to  man, 
important  group  of  plants  contains  mem- 
bers that  produce  such  foods  as  potatoes, 
tomatoes,  sweet  and  hot  peppers,  and 
eggplants.  Tobacco  is  also  an  econom- 
ically important  member  of  the  family; 
and  several  drugs  come  from  the  Sola- 
naceae. An  old  and  important  drug  is 
belladonna,  used  to  relieve  pain.  Atro- 
pine, commonly  used  by  oculists  to  dilate 
the  pupil  of  the  eye  to  facilitate  exami- 
nation, comes  from  the  same  plant.  Sev- 
eral ornamentals  are  also  found  in  the 
family:  petunias,  so  conspicuous  in  an- 
nual plantings  around  Chicago,  are  an 
example. 

Weeds  are  to  be  found  in  the  potato 
family,  too.  Weeds  have  been  defined 
as  "plants  out  of  place."  One  of  these 
plants  is  the  Jimson-weed,  which  is  also 
called  thorn  apple,  Jamestown-weed, 
apple-of-Peru,  and  stramonium.  When 
the  spiny  fruits  are  conspicuous  then  per- 
haps the  commonest  name  is  "thorn  ap- 
ple." Stramonium  is  the  name  of  the 
drug  that  comes  from  this  plant;  it  is  an 
alkaloid  that  is  used  much  as  is  bella- 
donna. 

Vacant  lots  and  ciJtivated  fields  around 
Chicago  often  contain  plants  of  Jimson- 
weed,  which  is  probably  a  native  of  Amer- 
ica.   Normally  no  one  would  pay  much 


Louis  O.  Williams 
Chief  Curator  of  Botany 


Ihorn  apples  are  not  for  eating 


attention  to  the  plants  if  it  were  not  that 
children  sometimes  pick  the  thorn  apples 
and  test  them  out  to  see  if  they  are  good 
to  eat.  All  parts  of  the  Jimson-weed  are 
toxic  but  the  seeds  contain  a  greater 
amount  of  the  toxic  alkaloid  than  do 
other  parts  of  the  plant. 

Every  year  the  Museum  receives  fran- 
tic telephone  calls  about  children  who 
have  eaten  a  plant  and  are  sick.  The 
plant  described  and  the  symptoms  given 
often  indicate  that  another  child  has  ex- 
perimented with  thorn  apples. 

Symptoms  that  may  be  present  in  poi- 
soning from  Jimson-weed  include:  di- 
lated pupils,  delirium,  thirst  and  dry 
mouth,  lack  of  coordination,  headache, 
nausea.     If  these  symptoms,  or  part  of 


them,  appear  in  a  child  and  it  is  sus- 
pected that  he  has  eaten  from  a  wild 
plant,  he  should  be  taken  to  a  doctor  or 
a  hospital  immediately. 

In  any  plant  poisoning,  specimens  of 
the  plant  causing  the  distress  should  be 
taken  to  the  hospital  so  that  they  may  be 
accurately  identified,  for  not  all  poisons 
are  treated  in  the  same  way. 

The  spiny  fruit  (half  as  big  as  your 
thumb  to  the  size  of  a  small  egg),  leaf 
shape,  and  the  disagreeable  odor  of  the 
plant  will  all  help  in  the  identification  of 
this  weed.  We  suggest  that  you  destroy 
Jimson-weeds  around  your  property,  or 
if  there  are  too  many,  then  show  them 
to  children  and  explain  that  they  are  not 
to  be  eaten.  ■ 

AUGUST    Pages 


A  youngster  attending  last  jeafs  workshop  proudly  displays  his  insect  collection. 


An  invitation  to 


FALL  WORKSHOPS 
for   MEMBERS'   CHILDREN 


AN  OPPORTUNITY'  to  meet  Museum  staff,  and  work  with 
specimens  and  materials  from  the  Museum's  scientific 
collections,  is  again  offered  in  a  series  of  unique  workshops 
open  to  the  children  and  grandchildren  of  Members.  These 
workshops  will  be  held  on  Saturdays  in  October. 

Designed  by  the  Raymond  Foundation  to  stimulate  and 
develop  interest  in  the  study  of  nature  and  man,  the  work- 
shops have  been  enthusiastically  received  by  Museum  Mem- 
bers and  their  families  since  the  fall  of  1963. 

This  year,  classes  are  offered  for  four  different  age  groups: 
there  are  seven  sessions  for  boys  and  girls  aged  10  through  13; 
two  for  children  aged  8  and  9;  two  for  those  6  through  9;  and 
one  for  children  6  and  7.  All  workshops  last  about  one 
and  one-half  hours. 

Reservations  are  necessary,  and  an  application  form  is 
enclosed  with  this  month's  Bulletin.  Since  workshops  are 
limited  to  small  groups,  and  it  is  not  always  possible  to  ac- 
commodate all  applicants,  we  urge  you  to  mail  in  your  reser- 
vations early.  Resei-vations  will  be  accepted  in  the  order  in 
which  they  are  received.  Each  applicant  accepted  will  re- 
ceive a  confirmation  card  which  will  serve  as  an  admission 
card  to  the  workshops. 


Page  6    AUGUST 


Following  is  a  complete  schedule  of  dates,  hours,  and 
workshop  subjects: 


October  2 
Indians  of  the  Woodlands  and  Plains 

10:30  A.M.  or  1:30  p.m. 

For  ages  10-13 
Harriet  Smith  in  charge 

In  different  regions,  Indian  tribes  developed  a  life  that 
fitted  their  kind  of  country  by  exploiting  materials  furnished 
by  nature.  In  this  workshop,  youngsters  will  handle  these 
raw  materials  and  see  for  themselves  how  their  qualities  were 
utilized  in  the  making  of  tools,  weapons,  and  household  equip- 
ment. Movies  that  show  how  Indian  tribes  lived  in  the  wood- 
lands and  western  plains  before  the  settlers  came  give  a  basis 
for  class  discussions  comparing  different  Indian  ways  of  life. 


October  2 
Birds 

10:30  A.M.  for  ages  6-9 

1:30  P.M.  forages  10-13 

George  Fricke  in  charge 

What  birds  live  in  the  Chicago  area?  How  can  we  attract 
them  to  our  yards?  This  workshop  introduces  youngsters  to 
the  common  birds  whose  appearance  and  habits  should  be 
familiar  to  all.  In  both  sessions,  study  of  feathers  and  Mu- 
seum specimens  will  help  tell  the  story  of  birds. 

October  9 
Insects 

10:30  A.M.  for  ages  6-9 
1 :30  P.M.  for  ages  10-13 
George  Fricke  in  charge 

Insects  are  the  easiest  animals  to  collect,  and  October  is 
still  early  enough  to  start  your  own  collection  if  you  know 
where  to  look  and  how  to  begin.  This  workshop  will  help 
boys  and  girls  to  identify  insects  of  the  Chicago  area,  and  to 
make  their  own  collection. 

October  16 
Cave  Man  to  Civilization 

10:30  A.M.  or  1:30  p.m. 

For  ages  10-13 
Edith  Fleming  in  charge 

A  movie  on  the  life  of  the  cave  men,  which  shows  how 
they  hunted  prehistoric  animals,  opens  this  workshop.  In 
the  following  discussion-demonstration  period,  boys  and  girls 
will  examine  real  tools  used  by  cave  men  thousands  of  years 
ago,  learn  how  they  were  made,  and  compare  them  with  tools 
of  today. 


October  16 
Boneyard  Zoo 

10:30  A.M.  or  1:30  p.m. 

For  ages  6-7 
Ernest  Roscoe  in  charge 
Fossil  remains  of  ancient  fish,  amphibians,  reptiles,  birds, 
and  mammals  will  be  investigated  in  the  exhibition  halls  and 
through  examination  of  specimens. 

October  23 
"Rockology" 

10:30  A.M.  for  ages  8-9 
Ernest  Roscoe  in  charge 
A  beginner's  introduction  to  rocks  and  minerals  by  means 
of  specimen  study,  demonstrations,  and  informative  sessions 
in  the  exhibition  halls.  Topics  include:  what  are  rocks?  how 
are  they  formed?  what  characteristics  are  useful  in  identify- 
ing rocks  and  minerals? 

October  23 
Rock  and  Mineral  Kingdom 

1 :30  P.M.  for  ages  10-13 
Ernest  Roscoe  in  charge 
A  more  advanced  program  on  rocks  and  minerals.     In- 
cluded is  practice  identification  of  specimens  with  the  aid  of 
a  key. 

October  23 

Spices:  Trail-Blazers  to  New  Lands 

10:30  A.M.  or  1:30  p.m. 

For  ages  10-13 
Marie  Svoboda  in  charge 
Spices  were  once  so  much  in  demand  that  the  search  for 
them  drew  explorers  to  strange  and  distant  lands.  What 
were  these  spices  worth  their  weight  in  gold?  Where  did 
they  come  from?  How  do  we  use  them  today?  Boys  and 
girls  will  have  a  chance  to  explore  these  questions  by  means 
of  specimens  and  exhibits. 

October  30 
World  of  Fossils 

10:30  A.M.  for  ages  8-9 
Ernest  Roscoe  in  charge 
Youngsters  will  learn  the  main  ways  in  which  plants  and 
animals  become  fossils,  and  how  to  identify  the  major  groups. 
Stress  is  on  the  fossils  likely  to  be  found  in  the  Chicago  area. 
Highlights  of  the  session  include  a  movie 
and  work  with  specimens. 

October  30  ^ft''':il^-'^'-it^ 

Life  Through  the  Ages    '^^  ■^^^    'j^' 
1 :30  P.M.  for  ages  10-13        'Mi    5^  \ 
Ernest  Roscoe  in  charge  '   '    ' 

An  introduction  to  geology  from  the  historical  point  of 
view,  including  the  development  of  plants  and  animals  from 
the  Cambrian  Period  to  the  Ice  Age.  The  session  offers  a 
movie  and  work  in  the  exhibition  halls  with  question  sheets, 
as  well  as  handling  of  specimens.  ■ 

AUGUST    Page  7 


CHICAGO 
NATURAL 
HISTORY 
MUSEUM 


MUSEUM  NEWS 


THE    MUSEUM    LIBRARY   ON    EXHIBIT 


Chicago's  banking  and  financial  cen- 
ter along  LaSalle  Street  is  enlivened  these 
days  by  a  series  of  exhibits  in  the  win- 
dows of  the  American  National  Bank 
and  Trust  Company  of  Chicago.  En- 
titled "A  Salute  to  Chicago's  Libraries," 
the  displays  call  attention  to  the  many 
technical,  research,  and  other  specialized 
libraries  that  provide  essential  resources 
for  the  continuing  growth  of  the  city's 
intellectual  and  cultural  life. 

The  Museum  Library,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Mrs.  Meta  P.  Howell,  Librar- 
ian, has  been  pleased  to  cooperate  in  the 
setting  up  of  the  window  display  on  Chi- 
cago Natural  History  Museum.  With 
the  help  of  Mr.  John  R.  Millar,  Chief 
Curator  Emeritus  of  Botany,  a  colorful 
and  varied  group  of  materials  from  the 
Museum  collections  has  been  assembled 
to  illustrate  the  relationship  of  the  Li- 
brary to  Museum  scholarly  and  scien- 
tific inquiry. 

Museum  Members  are  well  aware  of 
the  important  services  that  the  Library 
furnishes  not  only  to  the  Museum  staff 
but  to  scientific  colleagues  resident  or 
visiting  in  the  city,  and  (through  inter- 


library  loan)  in  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. The  Library  is  also  responsible  for 
an  exchange  of  publications  with  major 
educational  and  scientific  institutions  in 
nearly  every  country  of  the  world.  In 
an  article  published  in  the  May,  1965, 
Bulletin,  Mrs.  Howell  described  the 
Library's  holdings  and  services,  and  out- 
lined the  major  expansion  of  its  facilities 
which  has  just  been  completed. 

Prehistorian  Appointed 

When  the  Museum's  hall  on  the  Stone 
Age  of  the  Old  World  (Hall  C)  was 
completed  in  1933,  the  latest  theories 
on  prehistoric  man  were  incorporated 
in  the  exhibits.  As  many  new  discover- 
ies have  been  made  since  that  time,  plan- 
ning for  re-installation  of  the  hall  will 
be  one  of  the  inajor  projects  to  be  under- 
taken by  the  Museum's  new  Assistant 
Curator  of  Prehistory  in  the  Department 
of  Anthropology. 

Dr.  Glen  H.  Cole  was  appointed  to 
this  position  as  of  June  1,  1965.  His 
two-year  appointment  has  been  made 
with  the  assistance  of  a  grant  from  the 


Mrs.  Meta  P.  Howell,  Museum  Librarian, 
and  Mr.  Allen  P.  Stultz,  President  of  the 
American  National  Bank  and  Trust  Com- 
pany oj  Chicago,  view  the  exhibit  on  the  Mu- 
seum''s  Library  in  one  of  the  bank's  windows 
overlooking  Washington  Street,  near  LaSalle 
Street,  in  Chicago. 

Wenner-Gren  Foundation  for  Anthro- 
pological Research. 

Dr.  Cole  will  also  make  an  inventory 
and  assessment  of  the  Museum's  Euro- 
pean and  African  prehistory  collections, 
and  do  research  on  the  paleolithic  cul- 
tures of  East  Africa  and  South  Arabia. 

Dr.  Cole  is  a  graduate  of  Reed  Col- 
lege and  received  his  Ph.D.  in  anthro- 
pology from  the  University  of  Chicago. 
He  has  done  archaeological  field  work 
in  Illinois,  Colorado,  northern  Mexico, 
Arabia,  and  in  East,  Central  and  South 
Africa.  ■ 


Chicago  Natural  History   Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt   Road   and   Lake   Shore  Drive 

Chicago,   Illinois  60605 

Telephone:  922-9410 


THE  BOARD  OF 
Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCormick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J,  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Marshall  Field 
Clifford  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 
Henry  P,  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 

J.  Howard 


TRUSTEES 
Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
Wood 


OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifiord  C.  Gregg,  First  ViccPresidcnt 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 

Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer 

and  Assistant  Secretary 

E.  Leland  Webber,  Secretary 

THE   BULLETIN 

EDITOR 

E.  Leland  Webber,  Director  of  the  Museum 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Donald  Collier,  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropology 

Louis  O.  Williams,  Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Rainer  Zangcrl,  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Relations  Counsel 

Members   are   requested   to   inform  the  Museum 

promptly  of  changes  of  address. 


Page  8    AUGUST 


PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  PRESS 


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MUSEUM     ^M<fem«fo»  49eS 

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Ci, 


p^pt  "^^^f^ 


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Wet-blasting.     Walter  C.  Reese,  Preparator. 


New 
Conservation  Laboratory 

is  Opened 


Donald  Collier 
Chief  Curator,  Anthropology 

Photographs  by  the  Dioision  oj  Photography 


AFTER  several  years  of  study  and  planning,  the  Museum 
has  recently  opened  a  conservation  laboratory  in  the  De- 
partment of  Anthropology.  This  new  facility  was  made  pos- 
sible by  generous  grants  from  the  Wenner-Gren  Foundation 
for  Anthropological  Research  in  New  York  and  the  Robert  R. 
McCormick  Trust  in  Chicago.  The  laboratory,  which  will 
be  dedicated  formally  this  fall,  has  been  named  the  Robert  R. 
McCormick  Conservation  Laboratory. 


The  purpose  of  the  new  laboratory,  which  is  operated  by 
Mrs.  Christine  Danziger,  Conservator,  is  to  preserve  the  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  rare  and  irreplaceable  specimens  in  the 
Museum's  anthropology  collections.  These  specimens  are  of 
varying  ages  from  ancient  to  modern  and  come  from  all  parts 
of  the  world.  They  are  made  of  a  great  variety  of  materials, 
including  stone,  minerals,  metal,  pottery,  glass,  bone,  ivory, 
horn,  shell,  wood,  vegetable  fibers  and  gums,  fur,  leather, 
rawhide,  feathers,  paper,  and  bark  cloth.  Each  of  these  ma- 
terials involves  particular  problems  of  conservation  and  some 
are  much  more  perishable  than  others.  Because  of  this  di- 
versity a  very  wide  range  of  techniques  and  procedures  is 
needed  to  preserve  the  collections. 

The  new  laboratory  is  divided  into  three  sections.  The 
first  contains  the  conservator's  office  with  space  for  the  con- 
servation library  and  the  storage  of  conservation  records.  A 
detailed  record  is  kept  of  every  specimen  treated  in  the  lab- 
oratory. Also  in  this  room  are  an  area  for  the  examination 
of  specimens  as  they  enter  the  laboratory  and  facilities  for 
chemical  analysis  of  specimens.  There  is  an  adjoining  stor- 
age room  for  supplies  and  equipment  and  for  holding  speci- 
mens in  various  stages  of  treatment. 

The  second  section  of  the  laboratory  contains  the  x-ray 
installation.  The  150-kilovolt  industrial  x-ray  machine  is 
used  in  the  diagnosis  of  specimens  needing  treatment,  espe- 
cially the  metal  objects.  Next  to  the  x-ray  room  are  a  dark 
room  for  developing  film,  and  a  small  room  for  the  study  of 
x-ray  pictures  and  the  viewing  of  specimens  in  ultra-violet 
light.  The  corridor  off  these  rooms  contains  a  refrigerator 
for  storing  film  and  chemicals  and  space  for  a  vacuum  oven. 
The  latter  is  used  to  dry  specimens  and  to  impregnate  them 
with  preservatives. 

The  third  section  is  devoted  to  the  cleaning  and  treatment 
of  specimens.  It  is  equipped  with  ample  washing  facilities, 
an  apparatus  for  demineralizing  water,  equipment  for  elec- 
trolytic treatment  of  metals,  and  a  chemical  fume  hood  for 
carrying  on  procedures  involving  explosive  or  toxic  chem- 
icals. There  are  abundant  electrical  outlets,  supplies  of  gas 
and  compressed  air,  and  additional  plumbing  outlets  for 
future  expansion  of  the  washing  facilities. 

One  of  the  most  complex  problems  in  conservation  is  the 
preservation  of  ancient  metal  objects.  The  Museum  has  a 
large  number  of  archaeological  specimens  of  copper,  bronze, 
and  silver  from  ancient  Italy,  Egypt,  Persia,  and  China. 
Many  of  these  are  badly  corroded.  Of  particular  concern 
are  the  bronzes  suffering  from  "bronze  disease,"  a  form  of 
continuing  corrosion  caused  by  chloride  salts  which  contami- 
nate specimens  while  buried  in  the  ground.  We  decided  to 
devote  the  first  major  effort  of  the  conservation  laboratory 
to  the  treating  of  these  metal  objects,  although  work  on 
other  types  of  specimens  would  be  carried  on  also. 

A  special  problem  came  up  in  the  treatment  of  Tibetan 
specimens  in  conjunction  with  the  planned  reinstallation  of 
the  Tibetan  exhibition  hall.  Several  hundred  vessels,  figu- 
rines, and  ornaments  of  copper,  brass,  silver,  or  a  combination 


Page  2    SEPTEMBER 


of  these  needed  to  be  cleaned  for  exhibition.  These  date  from 
the  nineteenth  and  early  twentieth  centuries.  We  desired 
that  they  be  bright  and  polished — just  as  they  were  when  dis- 
played on  altars  in  the  lamasaries.  The  specimens  were  badly 
tarnished  and  many  were  covered  with  a  brownish  lacquer 
which  was  very  difficult  to  remove.  Hand  polishing  was  ex- 
tremely time  consuming  and  not  completely  effective. 

After  much  investigation  and  experimentation,  Mrs.  Dan- 
ziger  concluded  that  the  job  could  be  done  mechanically. 
The  necessary  equipment  was  acquired  and  installed  near  the 
laboratory.  First  the  objects  are  wet-blasted  with  spherical 
glass  beads  of  about  the  fineness  of  flour  grains.  This  treat- 
ment removes  soot,  grease,  lacquer,  and  most  of  the  tarnish. 


Cover:  ^^  Dancing  Ghosts.''  These  brass  religious  objects  from  Tibet 
have  recently  been  cleaned  and  polished  in  the  Robert  R.  McCormick 
Conservation  Laboratory.  The  Museum'' s  treasured  collection  of 
Tibetan  materials  is  currently  being  restored  for  display  in  a  new  Ti- 
betan hall. 


X-ray  diagnosis  of  specimens.  Mrs.  Christine  Danziger,  Conservator. 


Cleaning  and  treatment  room. 


Polishing  mill. 

Then  the  specimens  are  placed  in  a  vibrating  polishing  mill 
which  contains  small  ceramic  cylinders  moistened  with  a  de- 
tergent and  a  corrosion  inhibitor.  The  objects  emerge  beau- 
tifully polished  and  absolutely  clean.  The  silver  ornaments 
receive  an  additional  silicone  coating  to  prevent  tarnishing. 
The  conservation  laboratory  was  planned  by  the  writer 
and  Mr.  Phillip  H.  Lewis,  Curator  of  Primitive  Art,  in  con- 
stant consultation  with  Mrs.  Danziger.  The  new  laboratory 
is  open  and  the  conservation  program  is  laimched.  But  it 
will  be  several  years  before  all  aspects  of  the  program  are 
fully  developed  and  we  have  solutions  to  the  various  problems 
that  face  us.  And  during  this  period  we  shall  adopt  new 
methods  and  techniques  as  they  emerge  from  the  rapidly  de- 
veloping field  of  scientific  conservation.  ■ 


SEPTEMBER    Page  3 


Summer  Classes  a  Success 


Ernest  Roscoe  (right)  with  group  of  teachers  attending  Museum's  summer  course  in  earth  science 


Both  students  and  teachers  spent  part 
of  their  vacations  attending  classes  at  the 
Museum  this  year. 

A  course  in  earth  science,  sponsored 
by  the  Museum's  Raymond  Foundation, 
was  attended  by  31  elementary  teachers 
from  the  Chicago  area.  The  course  was 
designed  to  give  participants  an  oppor- 
tunity to  explore  the  scope  of  earth  sci- 
ence and  its  application  to  the  Chicago 
school  curriculum. 

Five  course  sessions  were  conducted 
by  Ernest  Roscoe,  guide-lecturer  in  ge- 
ology for  the  Raymond  Foundation.  A 
final  field  session  was  led  by  Harry 
Changnon,  Curator  of  Exhibits,  Depart- 
ment of  Geology. 

According  to  Roscoe,  the  recent  addi- 
tion of  geology  to  the  science  curricula 
of  secondary  schools  is  now  being  felt  at 
elementary  school  levels;  many  educa- 

Page4    SEPTEMBER 


tors  suggest  that  earth  science  now  be  in- 
troduced in  the  primary  grades.  At  the 
same  time,  most  elementary  teachers 
have  had  little  or  no  training  in  this  sub- 
ject. It  was  to  meet  this  need  that  the 
Raymond  Foundation  decided  to  offer  a 
pilot  course  during  the  summer. 

"Our  limited  time  did  not  permit  us 
to  more  than  scratch  the  surface  of  this 
large  subject,"  Roscoe  said,  "but  judg- 
ing from  the  responses  received  from  the 
participants,  the  program  proved  very 
beneficial." 

"We  feel,"  wrote  two  young  teachers 
just  beginning  their  careers,  "that  the 
earth  science  course  will  be  extremely 
helpful  in  our  future  teaching."  An- 
other teacher  wrote:  "This  workshop 
gave  us  a  'bird's-eye-view'  which  I  feel 
was  essential  as  a  first  step,  especially  for 
those  of  us  with  no  college  geology  to 


draw  upon."  Especially  gratifying  was 
the  comment:  "My  only  regrets  are  that 
I  did  not  discover  earlier  the  thrill  of 
this  science  and  that  the  course  was  too 
short." 

Miss  Miriam  Wood,  Chief  of  the  Ray- 
mond Foundation,  and  her  staff  hope 
that  an  expanded  program  can  be  of- 
fered next  summer  based  on  the  experi- 
ence gained  from  this  pilot  project. 

The  summer  program  for  selected  high 
school  students,  offered  for  the  second 
year,  was  a  series  of  seminars  on  science 
and  man.  Designed  to  augment  the  stu- 
dents' knowledge  of  biology  and  geology 
and  to  provide  an  introduction  to  an- 
thropology, the  seminars  featured  work 
with  Museum  specimens  and  discussions 
with  the  scientific  staff.  The  seminars 
were  conducted  by  Miss  Edith  Fleming, 
Miss  Harriet  Smith,  and  Miss  Marie 
Svoboda,  guide-lecturers  in  anthropol- 
ogy, archaeology,  and  botany;  and  Mr. 
Roscoe.  ■ 


Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt  Road  and  Lake  Shore  Drive 

Chicago,  Illinois  60605 

Telephone:  922-9410 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 
Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCormick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Marshall  Field 
Clifford  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 
Henry  P.  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 

J.  Hov 


Hughston  M.  McBaia 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
'ard  Wood 


OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  Vice-President 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 

Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer 

and  Assistant  Secretary 

E.  Leiand  Webber,  Secretary 

THE   BULLETIN 

EDITOR 

E.  Leiand  Webber,  Director  of  the  Museum 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Donald  Collier,  Chief  Curator  of  Anthropology 

Louis  O.  Williams,  Chief  Curator  of  Botany 

Rainer  Zangerl,  Chief  Curator  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator  of  Zoology 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Relations  Counsel 


Fall  Journey 

Few  children  who  played  on  the 
beaches  of  Lake  Michigan  this  summer 
realized  that  the  sand  around  them  may 
have  concealed  countless  sapphires,  to- 
pazes, and  rubies.  A  pirate's  treasure? 
No.  The  gems — tiny  ones,  it's  true — 
are  among  the  more  than  thirty  minerals 
that  make  up  the  beach  sand. 

The  fascinating  story  of  a  "common- 
place" material,  sand,  is  the  subject  of 
the  Museum's  new  fall  Journey,  "The 
Sands  of  Time." 

Children  taking  the  self-guided  Jour- 
ney through  the  Museum  exhibition  halls 
will  learn  how  sand  is  formed,  how  it  is 
carried  for  miles  by  wind,  water,  and  ice 
and  heaped  into  dunes  and  moraines. 

The  exhibits  show  the  most  common 
minerals  found  in  sand,  and  explain  their 
characteristics. 

On  the  Journey  youngsters  may  be 


''Calico  rock'''  {bleached  sandstone) 


surprised  to  discover  that  sand  is  highly 
valued — not  for  its  minuscule  gem  frag- 
ments— but  for  its  many  economic  uses: 
as  an  abrasive,  as  a  soil  lightener,  as  a 
primary  ingredient  in  glass,  and  as  a 
building  material. 


Boys  and  girls  interested  in  taking  the 
new  fall  Journey,  "The  Sands  of  Time," 
may  pick  up  their  tour  directions  at  the 
Museum  doors. 

The  Journey  is  available  from  Sep- 
tember through  November.  ■ 


Staff  Notes 


Robert  Stolze 

Two  Department  of  Botany  members. 
Dr.  Patricio  Ponce  de  Leon  and  Mr. 
Robert  Stolze,  made  a  collecting  trip  to 
the  Big  Horn  Mountains  of  Wyoming 
during  June  and  July.  Among  other  in- 
teresting places,  they  were  able  to  go 
afoot  into  the  Cloud's  Peak  Wilderness 
area,  where  there  was  still  much  snow  in 


the  passes  of  the  "high  country."  Their 
collections  of  both  flowering  plants  and 
cryptogams  may  be  the  first  from  this 
region.  Duplicates  will  be  distributed 
to  the  Museum's  correspondents  as  soon 
as  they  are  ready. 

Wyoming  celebrated  the  75th  anni- 
versary of  statehood  this  year.  Most 
men  grew  beards  for  the  celebration. 
Mr.  Stolze,  who  cooperated,  is  shown 
with  "anniversary"  beard  seated  at  his 
"period"  desk  in  the  botany  department. 

Dr.  Glen  Cole,  Assistant  Curator  of 
Prehistory  in  the  Department  of  Anthro- 
pology, has  recently  returned  from  a  con- 
ference held  in  Burg  Wartenstein,  Aus- 
tria. Sponsored  by  the  Wenner-Gren 
Foundation,  the  conference  brought 
together  geologists,  paleontologists,  and 
prehistorians  from  many  countries  to  dis- 
cuss a  systematic  approach  to  the  study 
of  early  man  in  Africa  during  the  later 
Tertiary  and  Quaternary  periods.  Be- 
fore the  conference.  Dr.  Cole  studied  Af- 
rican paleolithic  materials  in  the  muse- 
ums of  Spain  and  England. 


Mr.  Leon  Siroto,  Assistant  Curator  of 
African  Ethnology,  gave  an  illustrated 
lecture  at  Roosevelt  University  in  con- 
nection with  the  university's  training 
program  for  Peace  Corps  members  plan- 
ning to  work  in  Sierra  Leone,  Africa. 

A  distinguished  summer  visitor  was 
Dr.  Rolf  A.M.  Brandt,  from  the  Sea  to 
Medical  Research  Laboratory  of  the 
Department  of  Medical  Zoology  in 
Bangkok,  Thailand.  A  parasitologist, 
Dr.  Brandt  came  to  the  Museum  to  study 
its  collections  of  freshwater  snails  as  part 
of  his  research  on  the  role  of  these  ani- 
mals in  parasitology. 

Dr.  In-Cho  Chung,  Assistant  Curator 
of  Vascular  Plants,  has  resigned  from  the 
Department  of  Botany  to  accept  a  teach- 
ing position  at  Chicago  Teachers  Col- 
lege. 

Mrs.  Paula  R.  Nelson,  Public  Rela- 
tions Counsel  and  Managing  Editor  of 
the  Bulletin,  has  also  resigned  to  be- 
come News  Director  for  the  Welfare 
Council  of  Metropolitan  Chicago.  ■ 

SEPTEMBER    Page  5 


La  Rochelle  harbor. 


FALL 

LECTURES 
FOR  ADULTS 


Making  fish  nets.    Both  scenes  Jrom  the  October  16th  film-lecture  on  France. 


ONCE  MORE  the  Museum's  fall  series  of  film-lectures  for 
adults  projects  a  brilliant  image  of  nature  and  people 
around  the  world. 

All  of  the  motion  pictures  are  filmed  in  color,  and  pre- 
sented personally  by  outstanding  lecturers  specializing  in 
world  travel  and  natural  history. 

The  programs  will  be  given  in  the  James  Simpson  Thea- 
tre on  Saturday  afternoons  at  2:30  p.m.  from  October  2 
through  November  27.  Reserved  seats  are  held  for  Museum 
Members  until  2:25  p.m. 

The  complete  schedule  follows: 

October  2 
German  Panorama 

Alfred  Wolff 
Here  is  a  fresh  vantage  point  from  which  to  enjoy  the 
many-sided  German  scene.  This  new  film,  a  distinguished 
addition  to  Alfred  WolfTs  Know  Tour  World  film  series,  shows 
us  a  land  famed  for  its  castles,  folklore,  dramatic  history, 
sports,  and  scenery.  Beginning  with  the  fabulous  treasures 
of  the  Emperor  Charlemagne,  the  film  transports  us  to 
Oberammergau,  the  Rhine  castles,  the  Grand  Prix  auto  race 
at  Neubergring,  medieval  Rothenburg,  a  daring  glider  school, 
East  and  West  Berlin.  Accompanying  every  scene,  WolfTs 
narration  both  informs  and  transmits  his  pleasure  in  finding 
beauty,  art,  and  charm. 

October  9 
Malaysia 

Margaret  Baker 
Formed  by  the  merging  of  four  British  colonies — Singa- 
pore, Malaya,  Sarawak,  and  North  Borneo — Malaysia  faces 
unfriendly  neighbors  without,  and  political  disunity  within. 
Margaret  Baker  knows  the  diverse  peoples  of  this  troubled 
area  intimately,  having  owned  a  rubber  plantation  in  Ma- 
laya and  traveled  widely  throughout  Southeast  Asia.  She 
has  photographed  the  new  nation  in  depth  and  detail :  Kuala 
Lumpur,  the  capital;  Prime  Minister  Rahman,  the  founder; 
and  dissident  Singapore,  now  a  separate  governmental  unit. 
Contrasting  with  the  rapidly  changing  political  situation  are 
scenes  of  everyday  life  on  a  rubber  plantation  and  in  the  vil- 
lages and  cities.  The  result  is  an  authoritative  documentary 
that  bespeaks  the  divided  nation's  geography  and  people; 
its  present  problems  and  its  potential  for  the  future. 

October  16 
Along  the  Rivers  of  France 

Philip  Walker 
The  total  history  of  France  comes  to  life  along  its  rivers. 
From  Le  Havre,  where  Atlantic  liners  disembark  their  pas- 
sengers, pleasure  cruisers  sail  up  the  Seine  to  Rouen,  where 
Joan  of  Arc  was  burned  at  the  stake.  Beyond,  the  Seine  flows 
to  Paris  and  to  Fontainbleau,  palace  of  Napoleon  and  the 
kings  of  France.  The  river  Marne  empties  into  the  Seine 
from  the  Champagne  country.  Chateaux  representing  a  cen- 
turies-old record  of  kings  and  queens  line  the  valley  of  the 


Loire.  The  Garonne  wends  toward  Bordeaux,  the  great  wine 
center  and  harbor  for  Atlantic  ships.  Past  Lyon  and  Avignon, 
the  Rhone  flows  through  Aries,  a  city  made  famous  by  Van 
Gogh  and  Gauguin  but  also  an  important  Greek  town  as 
early  as  the  sixth  century  B.C.  Every  bend  discloses  a  newly 
fascinating  scene  until  wc  reach  Marseille  and  journey's  end. 

October  23 
Today's  Stone  Age  People 
The  Australian  Aborigines 

Jens  Bjerre 
In  a  nearly  impenetrable  land  of  sand  dunes,  stony  des- 
erts, and  scorched  plains  live  today  some  of  the  last  survivors 
of  primitive  man.  Jens  Bjerre  has  sought  them  out  in  the 
Australian  interior  to  record  the  custouis  of  a  race  now  almost 
extinct.  His  documentary  probes  the  aborigine's  religion  and 
magic :  we  watch  the  ceremony  for  the  big  holy  snake,  and  the 
initiation  rituals  that  transfer  the  strength  of  the  old  himters 
to  the  young  men.  The  daily  life  of  these  Stone  Age  people, 
the  tattooing  of  the  young  women  by  burning  scars  into  their 
skin,  the  hazardous  conditions  and  constant  search  for  nour- 
ishment, are  reminders  of  the  contrasts  in  human  culture  that 
still  remain  in  the  world.  There  is  a  tense  kangaroo  hunt 
with  wooden  spears  for  weapons,  and  a  glimpse  of  the  totem 
dances  through  which  the  dancers  ascend  in  trance  to  the 
Great  Spirit. 


■xi 


Australian  boomerang.    Hall  D,  east. 


October  30 
Look  to  Finland 

Hjordis  K.  Parker 
The  majestic  forests  of  Finland  tie  into  the  daily  lives  of 
her  people  during  all  four  seasons  of  the  year.  In  mid-winter, 
lumbermen  fell  the  trees  and  drive  them  down  the  turbulent 
rivers  to  the  saw  mills.  Young  champions  run,  race,  and 
turn  somersaults  on  the  floating  logs.  Equally  daring  ski 
jumpers  compete  for  our  attention  with  graceful  girl  gym- 
nasts, performing  in  the  Helsinki  stadium.  At  the  nation's 
capital  young  people  enjoy  a  traditional  sauna  bath,  we  meet 
President  and  Mrs.  Kekkonen,  and  watch  the  nation's  arti- 
sans creating  the  crafts  that  are  famous  around  the  world. 
Christmas  is  spent  on  a  farm,  among  scenes  of  idyllic  beauty. 
{Continued  on  next  page) 

SEPTEMBER    Page  7 


ADULT 
LECTURES 


Scene  Jrom  the  October  30th  Jilm-lecture  on  Finland. 


Then  abroad  to  Lapland,  where  the  Laplanders  hold  a  rein- 
deer round-up  and  compete  in  games  under  the  midnight 
sun.  Other  highlights  are  the  uncovering  of  a  thousand- 
year-old  Viking  site,  and  an  exploratory  tour  of  Finnish  archi- 
tecture, from  the  castles  and  churches  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury to  the  airy  structures  of  modern  times. 

November  6 
Monsoon  Mosaic 

India 
Telford  H.  Work 
As  director  of  the  Virus  Research  Center  in  Poona,  India, 
Dr.  Work  specializes  in  the  epidemiology  of  tropical  diseases. 
His  avocation  is  wildlife,  which  he  has  photographed  in  every 
inhabited  continent.  Dr.  Work  is  especially  familiar  with  the 
many  and  varied  wild  animal  populations  of  India :  Langur 
monkeys  and  Mysore  elephants;  spot-billed  pelicans  that  nest 
near  the  Bay  of  Bengal;  the  paddybird  that  catches  polliwogs 
in  the  rice  fields;  Sarus  cranes,  cousins  of  our  "Whoopers"; 
and  the  cattle  egret  associated  with  India's  sacred  cattle. 
All  are  dependent  on  the  monsoon  wind  which  carries  the 
rainy  season  to  the  parched  land.  Dr.  Work  has  combined 
his  lively  records  of  each  animal  population  into  a  delightful 
"mosaic,"  demonstrating  that  the  wildlife  of  Kipling's  India 
still  abounds. 

November  13 
Scotland  and  Wales 

Ed  Lark 
Though  long  a  part  of  the  British  Empire,  Scotland  and 
Wales  have  retained  their  own  character  and  individuality. 
The  Welsh  heritage  permeates  each  scene  of  Lark's  film  as  he 
moves  his  color  cameras  from  countryside  to  industrial  city 
of  Swansea,  from  coal  mining  town  to  seaside  or  mountain 
resort.  We  view  fishermen  in  their  ancient  coracles,  and 
skilled  mountaineers;  linger  at  the  birthplace  of  Lawrence  of 

Page  8     SEPTEMBER 


Arabia  and  at  the  famed  International  Eisteddfod  Folk  Festi- 
val. On  turning  to  Scotland,  Lark  shows  us  Stone  Age  dwell- 
ings and  medieval  castles,  and  traces  the  story  of  the  kilt. 
There  are  visits  to  Ayr,  where  Robert  Burns  lived,  and  to 
Balmoral  Castle,  home  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  We  tour  all  the 
major  cities — Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Aberdeen;  the  Highlands; 
Loch  Ness  and  Loch  Lomond;  and  the  unspoiled  Scottish 
isles — Skye,  the  Orkneys,  and  the  Shetlands. 

November  20 
A  Second  Look  at  Africa 

Arthur  C.  Twomey 
Following  up  his  film,  Changing  Heart  of  Africa,  Arthur 
C.  Twomey' s  second  look  at  the  African  continent  is  to  the 
east.  There,  Kenya,  Uganda,  and  Tanganyika — which  has 
united  with  Zanzibar  to  form  Tanzania — are  countries  on 
the  move.  What  is  it  like  in  East  Africa  today?  Dr.  Twomey 
seeks  answers  to  this  question  in  his  film-study  of  three  new 
nations  whose  history  is  being  made  against  a  majestic  back- 
ground of  mountains,  lakes,  and  plains;  of  wildlife  and  still 
primitive  tribes. 

November  27 

High  Horizons 

Colorado  Wilderness 

William  Ferguson 
High  Horizons  is  the  far  reaching  story  of  a  vital  natural 
resource — water.  Told  by  a  naturalist,  the  film  begins  with 
the  melting  snows  above  timberline  in  America's  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  follows  the  waters  as  they  drop  past  the  Colo- 
rado upland  meadows  to  the  fertile  prairies  below.  Ferguson 
and  his  wife  have  long  made  their  summer  home  at  Estes 
Park,  where  they  are  close  neighbors  to  the  wildlife  of  the 
foothills  and  snow-capped  peaks.  In  their  film,  the  sweep  of 
wilderness  Colorado,  its  beauty  and  action,  its  animals  and 
plants,  are  vividly  portrayed.  ■ 

PRINTED  BY  CHICAGO  NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM  PRESS 


Fig.  1.    Buffalo  hunt 


Plains  Art  from  a  Florida  Prison 

by  GEORGE  I.  QUIMBT,  Curator  of  Ethnology,  Thomas  Burke  Memorial  Washington 
State  Museum  and  Professor  of  Anthropology,  University  of  Washington, 
formerly  Curator  of  North  American  Archaeology  and  Ethnology, 
Chicago  Natural  History  Museum 


The  vividly  illustrated  Indian  sketchbook  discussed 
in  this  article,  along  with  several  other  examples 
of  Plains  Indian  art,  will  be  displayed  in  Stanley 
Field  Hall  during  October. 


Page  2     OCTOBER 


A  FLORIDA  prison  became  a  lively  center  of  Plains  Indian  art 
during  the  years  1875  to  1878  when  some  72  Indians 
captured  on  the  western  frontiers  were  held  as  prisoners  of 
war  in  Fort  Marion  at  St.  Augustine.  Art  flourished  in  this 
unlikely  environment  because  it  was  encouraged  by  their 
humane  jailor,  Lieutenant  Richard  H.  Pratt,  who  had  fought 
against  them  in  the  West.  About  a  third  of  these  young  war- 
riors of  the  Cheyenne,  Arapaho,  and  Kiowa  tribes  made  pic- 
tures in  color  using  materials  supplied  by  Lieutenant  Pratt. 
Many  of  the  pictures  were  in  bound  sketchbooks  and  the  sub- 
ject matter  consisted  of  recollections  of  tribal  life,  their  east- 
ward journey  by  prison  train  in  the  spring  of  1875,  and  their 
life  as  prisoners  of  war  in  Florida.  The  former  warriors  took 
readily  to  art  because  recording  their  manly  exploits  in  color 
on  prepared  hides  had  long  been  a  part  of  their  cultural  tra- 
dition in  the  days  of  their  tribal  life. 

A  number  of  sketchbooks  made  by  the  Indians  at  Fort 
Marion  exist  in  various  collections.  A  beautiful  example,  the 
work  of  an  Indian  named  Cohoe,  has  recently  been  published 
with  a  commentary  by  Dr.  E.  Adamson  Hoebel  and  Karen 
Daniels  Petersen.'  In  the  collections  of  Chicago  Natural  His- 
tory Museum  there  is  a  heretofore  unknown  sketchbook  made 
by  the  Fort  Marion  prisoners.  It  is  the  work  of  Howling  Wolf 
and  Soaring  Eagle,  who  probably  were  Cheyenne  Indians. 

The  new  sketchbook  (catalog  number  83999)  was  given 
to  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  by  Mrs.  A.  W.  F.  Fuller 
of  London,  England  and  was  formerly  in  the  collection  of  the 

•  I  would  like  to  express  my  appreciation  to  Karen  Daniels  Petersen 
for  supplying  important  parts  of  the  information  used  in  preparing  this 
article. 


late  Captain  A.  W.  F.  Fuller  who  obtained  it  in  1930.  It 
measures  8^^  x  11 3^  inches  and  contains  eight  pictures  done 
in  color  with  crayon,  ink,  and  pencil  used  in  combination. 
Like  others  of  its  kind  some  of  the  pictures  closely  resemble 
paintings  on  robes  or  tipi  curtains.  Others  are  uniquely  Fort 
Marion  in  style  and  content.  The  subject  matter  is  divided 
between  recollections  of  tribal  life  and  their  long  overland  trip 
by  rail  from  the  western  Plains  to  their  prison  in  St.  Augus- 
tine, Florida.  The  sketchbook,  as  a  chronological  record  of 
events,  makes  more  sense  if  viewed  from  the  back  to  the  front 
of  the  book,  and  I  consider  them  in  this  reverse  order  here. 

The  first  picture  (fig.  2  in  this  article)  represents  a  scene 
and  event  prior  to  the  captivity  of  Howling  Wolf  and  Soar- 
ing Eagle.  It  probably  is  a  ceremony  of  one  of  the  Indian 
soldier  societies.  The  rituals  are  being  performed  inside  a 
tipi  and  the  woinen  of  the  tribe  are  seated  outside  in  the  fore- 
ground. The  men  at  the  right  of  the  tipi  are  holding  um- 
brellas decorated  with  eagle  feathers. 

The  cover  illustration  shows  a  ceremony  probably  being 
performed  by  one  of  the  soldier  societies  at  a  time  antedating 
the  outbreaks  of  1874.  A  group  of  26  Indians  is  seated  in  a 
circle,  probably  inside  a  tipi.  At  the  near  end  of  the  circle 
there  are  two  women  wrapped  in  one  blanket. 

A  spirited  buff"alo  hunt  is  shown  in  figure  1.  A  party  of 
mounted  hunters  splendidly  dressed  and  armed  with  bows 
and  arrows  is  in  pursuit  of  bison.  Four  of  the  buffalo  have 
been  wounded  by  arrows. 

Figure  3  seems  to  represent  another  soldier  society  cere- 
mony that  took  place  prior  to  1874.  The  locality  probably 
is  one  of  the  several  forts  at  which  the  Cheyenne  were  given 


Fig.  2.    Indian  ceremony 


mi/t%. 


^mm^ 


Fig.  3.    Ceremony  at  Army  post  before  uprising 


^>#<i|n»i»»bW#^ 


OCTOBER     Page  3 


rations  before  the  Darlington  Agency  was  established.  The 
Indian  warriors  in  a  U-shaped  line  probably  are  intended  to 
be  standing.  The  women  are  in  a  double  row  behind  them. 
The  two  dance  directors,  carrying  decorated  lances  and  wear- 
ing elaborate  headdresses  trailing  eagle  plumes,  are  mounted 
on  horses.  In  the  background  are  military  post  buildings, 
Indian  women,  and  United  States  soldiers. 

Figure  4  also  represents  a  United  States  military  post  and 
some  events  that  took  place  there,  after  the  outbreak  of  1874. 
The  Indians  are  encamped  outside  the  fort  in  a  grassy  area 
with  two  ponds  and  a  winding  stream.  Guarded  by  U.  S. 
cavalry  and  foot  soldiers  with  guns  and  bayonets,  two  groups 
of  Indian  men  (twenty  in  one  group,  ten  in  the  other)  are 
being  listed  or  registered  by  an  army  officer  who  is  writing 
on  a  tablet.  The  man  behind  him  in  civilian  dress  may  be 
an  interpreter.  Elsewhere  in  the  picture  there  are  other  In- 
dians, soldiers,  4  clusters  of  tipis,  military  buildings,  and  an 
American  flag.  In  the  upper  left  hand  portion  of  the  picture 
there  is  a  group  of  white  men  and  one  white  woman  in  Vic- 
torian dress. 

The  subject  of  the  next  picture  (fig.  5)  is  a  journey  on  a 
prison  train.  A  steam  locomotive  and  three  cars  are  shown 
in  three  different  places.  Probably  the  artist  intended  to  in- 
dicate the  beginning  of  the  trip,  a  stop  at  a  military  post  some- 
where enroute  to  Florida,  and  the  departure  from  the  military 
post.  There  are  guards  on  the  train,  but  not  many  soldiers 
in  the  rest  of  the  picture.  Twenty-three  Indians  in  a  line  are 
being  given  water  or  food  by  two  soldiers  while  two  other 
soldiers  stand  guard  with  rifles  and  bayonets.  Behind  the 
Indians  there  are  22  white  men  possibly  intended  to  represent 


newspaper  reporters  or  crowds  of  onlookers,  and  one  soldier, 
perhaps  meant  to  be  Lt.  Pratt.  The  buildings  may  be  those 
at  some  station  where  the  train  stopped  for  servicing.  The 
artist  has  drawn  these  buildings  so  that  one  views  the  front 
and  both  sides  simultaneously,  a  convention  used  frequently 
in  this  sketchbook. 

Figure  6  shows  a  large  body  of  Indians  at  a  military  estab- 
lishment. The  Indians  are  being  issued  blankets,  buckets, 
axes,  and  other  useful  items  which  are  piled  in  the  center  of 
the  scene.  A  sutler's  wagon  drawn  by  horse  probably  has 
just  delivered  these  supplies  which  are  being  distributed  by 
chiefs.  Also  in  the  center  of  the  picture  there  is  a  chief  talk- 
ing to  a  bearded  white  man  who  stands  back  to  back  with  an 
Indian  who  is  speaking  to  the  assemblage.  The  lines  from 
his  mouth  signify  speech  and  it  rather  looks  as  if  he  is  speak- 
ing forcefully.  In  his  left  hand  he  holds  a  pipe  and  a  fringed 
pipe  bag.  In  the  upper  half  of  the  scene  two  chiefs  are  dis- 
playing blankets  and  buckets  they  have  taken  from  the  pile. 
Dashed  lines  show  their  tracks.  Similarly  in  the  lower  half 
of  the  picture  there  are  two  chiefs  whose  tracks  indicate  that 
they  have  been  at  the  pile  of  goods  displayed  in  the  center 
ground.  The  chief  at  the  left  is  smoking  a  pipe.  The  chief 
at  the  right  is  distributing  food  from  his  bucket.  .Mthough 
all  of  the  action  is  taking  place  within  a  military  post  there 
is  only  one  soldier  in  evidence.     He  stands  at  the  right. 

The  last  picture  (Figure  7)  shows  the  arrival  of  the  Indian 
prisoners  at  Jacksonville  in  the  spring  of  1875.  At  the  right 
there  is  the  train  with  steam  locomotive  that  brought  the  In- 
dians to  Florida.  It  is  standing  on  a  pier  at  the  end  of  its 
journey.    The  Indians  have  now  been  transferred  to  a  steam- 


Fig.  4.   Indians  under  guard  at  Army  post 


Fig.  5.    Enroute  to  Florida  prison 


Page  4     OCTOBER 


boat  that  carries  them  part  of  the  way  to  their  prison  at  St. 
Augustine.  In  the  background  is  a  crowd  of  white  onlookers. 
The  steamboat  in  the  center  of  the  picture  also  carries  sol- 
diers armed  with  rifles  and  bayonets.  The  ocean  and  boats 
were  a  new  experience  to  these  Indians  of  the  Plains.  Al- 
though the  artist  has  done  a  good  job  with  the  small  gaflT- 
rigged  sloop  at  the  lower  left  of  the  scene,  the  auxiliary 
schooner  in  the  lower  right  is  sailing  backwards  or  else  he  has 
reversed  the  rigging.  In  any  case,  he  has  successfully  por- 
trayed the  radical  change  from  the  world  of  the  Plains  to  the 
world  of  the  sea  which  must  have  impressed  the  Indian  pris- 
oners tremendously.  It  was  on  the  bottom  of  this  picture  that 
Howling  Wolf  and  Soaring  Eagle  signed  their  sketchbook. 

The  Indian  prisoners  were  released  from  their  Florida 
captivity  in  April  of  1878.  A  number  of  the  prisoners.  Soar- 
ing Eagle  among  them,  then  entered  the  Hampton  Institute, 
a  Negro  agricultural  and  industrial  school  in  Virginia.  There 
one  former  Cheyenne  warrior  became  an  apprentice  tailor 
among  fifty  Negro  girls.  In  the  summer  of  1 879  Soaring  Eagle 
was  among  a  group  of  Indians  working  on  farms  in  New  Eng- 
land. Howling  Wolf  returned  to  his  western  home  and  for  a 
while  at  least  tried  to  live  like  a  white  man.  Only  their  art 
remains,  evoking  the  doomed  way  of  life  of  the  Plains  Tribes, 
and  their  troubled  contact  with  the  expanding  Republic. 
REFERENCES 

Ewers,  John  C,  review  of  E.  Adamson  Hoebel  and  Karen  Daniels  -^ 
Petersen,  Commentators,  "A  Cheyenne  Sketchbook  by  Cahoe."  Eth-  '"'^ 
nohistory,  Vol.  12,  No.  1,  pp.  67-68.    Bloomington,  Indiana,  1965.  ^ 

Hoebel,  E.  Adamson  and  Karen  Daniels  Petersen  (Commentary  by), 
A  Cheyenne  Sketchbook  by  Cohoe.  University  of  Oklahoma  Press.  Nor- 
man, Oklahoma,  1964 


mm 


mmmmmjmamm 


M.^^^^ 
'^'^^^, 


Fig.  7.    Nearing  journey's  end.  Fort  Marion 


Fig.  6.    Issuing  equipment 

I _,    _„ 


i 


■^1  'V'-siiirn 


Mr.  Qiiimby,Jor  many  years  Curator  of  North  American  Archaeol- 
ogy and  Ethnology  at  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum,  recently 
resigned  from  the  Museum  to  accept  an  appointment  to  the  faculty 
of  the  University  of  Washington  and  to  the  staff  of  the  Thomas 
Burke  Memorial  Washington  State  Museum.  He  will  remain  con- 
nected with  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  as  Research  Asso- 
ciate, North  American  Archaeology  and  Ethnology,  and  it  is  hoped 
that  his  name  will  continue  to  distinguish  the  pages  of  the  Bulletin. 


*'-''Hk>'UL'likM,"M/u  'M'Mi 


OCTOBER     Page  5 


Expedition  truck  beside  camp  at  Paghman 

it' 


letter 


Kabul,  Afghanistan 
August  2,  1965 

JAN  and  I  landed  in  Kabul  June  23.  The  further  delay  of 
M.S.  Hastings  with  our  shipment  suggested  that  we  leave 
Tehran  direct  for  Kabul  instead  of  Karachi.  A  good  thing, 
too !  That  time  was  well  spent  in  establishing  contacts  with 
government  officials  and  in  gradually  learning  the  ropes. 

On  June  26  I  received  a  cable  from  Henry  Selz  of  the 
CARE  Mission  in  Karachi,  advising  the  Hastings  had  ar- 
rived. He  had  the  shipment  off  the  boat  and  cleared  in  48 
hours.  Shanawaz,  Ltd.  and  International  Harvester  had 
the  cars  serviced  and  ready  to  go  almost  simultaneously. 
I  flew  to  Karachi  on  the  28th  of  June,  intending  to  fly  back 
after  clearance  was  completed,  but  when  I  found  how  ready 
everything  was  to  go,  I  decided  to  stay  with  mammalogists 
Jerry  Hassinger  and  Hans  Neuhauser  and  make  the  trip  up 
to  Kabul  with  the  shipment.  Jan  meanwhile,  in  Kabul, 
hired  a  cook  and  was  buying  provisions.  From  one  point 
of  view  it  was  a  good  choice  to  motor  back  to  Kabul,  but 
from  the  personal  point  of  view  it  was  an  endurance  con- 
test. The  Pakistan  scenery  was  interesting,  but  the  heat 
was  so  unbearable  that  one  nearly  lost  interest  in  anything 
but  survival! 

Our  two  cars,  trailer  and  truck  left  Karachi  at  6  p.m.  on 
the  29th,  and  arrived  at  Hyderabad  about  10  p.m.  Shana- 
waz, Ltd.  sent  a  man  along  to  check  the  cars  that  night, 
which  he  did  from  midnight  to  about  2  a.m.  At  5  a.m.  we 
were  up  and  away  shortly  thereafter.  That  day  I  got  a  taste 
of  what  it  is  like  to  ride  in  heat  registering  about  118°.    We 

Page  6     OCTOBER 


finally  arrived  at  Rahim  Yar  Khan,  where  arrangements 
had  been  made  to  stay  at  the  Lever  Bros.  Compound  (they 
manufacture  a  number  of  products  here)  where  they  take 
pity  on  poor  travelers  like  us,  bless  them.  Slept  in  the  home 
of  Mr.  Howe,  the  manager,  in,  of  all  things,  an  air-condi- 
tioned room.  Restored,  we  spent  the  next  day  with  wet 
bath  towels  over  our  heads  and  dripping  water,  as  often  as 
we  could  find  water  to  soak  in.  By-passed  Lahore  and 
Rawalpindi  with  a  short  cut  through  the  desert  and  then 
decided  to  drive  on  at  night.  Arrived  at  Campbellpore 
about  3  a.m.  Slept  on  the  front  seat  until  6  a.m.  and  then 
to  Peshawar,  where  we  arrived  Friday,  July  2.  With  every- 
thing closing  at  noon,  I  took  on  the  chore  of  clearing  Paki- 
stan Customs  while  the  men  went  to  bed  in  the  Dean  Hotel. 
With  the  help  of  a  sympathetic  major  in  the  Pakistan  Cus- 
toms we  cleared  the  shipment  ourselves. 

The  land  of  historic  Khyber  Pass  belongs  to  Pakistan  but 
it  really  is  Pushtu  country  and  in  some  ways  considered 
"No  Man's  Land."  Must  have  taken  us  an  hour  to  nego- 
tiate it.  No  photographing  is  allowed.  The  Militia  there 
reminded  me  of  pictures  of  Pancho  \'illa,  men  with  black 
mustaches,  each  with  a  rifle  and  one  or  two  bandoleers  of 
cartridges  slung  over  his  shoulder.  Along  the  way  various 
British  regiments  have  put  their  insignias  on  the  cliffs  for  all 
to  see.  On  one  disastrous  retreat  only  one  British  soldier 
reached  safety;  it's  easy  to  understand  why.  A  handful  of 
defenders  could  run  over  the  tops  of  mountains  bordering 
the  pass  and  with  plenty  of  cover  pick  off  the  poor  invaders 
struggling  to  escape  below.  This  particular  stretch  of  coim- 
try  is  ruled  by  local  chiefs  and  naturally  attracts  many  try- 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  S.  Street,  Field  Associates  of  the  Museum, 
here  report  on  the  progress  of  the  Afghanistan  Expedition,  which  left 
Chicago  in  mid-June  (see  Bulletin,  July,  1965)  and  is  engaged  in 
collecting  mammals  and  their  parasites  in  that  country. 


rom 


AFGHANISTAN 


ing  to  escape  justice  and  get  asylum  in  it.  All  along  above 
us  we  could  see  the  Militia  squatting  on  rocks  watching  the 
road  below.  Seeing  it  one  almost  has  the  feeling  it's  play 
acting,  but  when  I  proposed  to  take  a  picture  of  one  of  the 
men  at  the  entrance  gate,  he  clearly  wasn't  playing.  He  gave 
me  a  negative  answer  and  was  pretty  serious  about  it,  too. 

Needless  to  say,  I  slept  that  afternoon  and  night  and  the 
next  day  we  made  Kabul  in  the  early  evening,  about  1150 
miles  all  told.  All  the  road  through  West  Pakistan  is  paved 
for  one  car,  with  shoulders  on  each  side.  We  played  chicken 
with  every  car  coming  in  our  direction.  If  he  was  bigger 
than  we  were,  we  veered  first.  If  he  was  smaller,  he  moved 
first.  There  were  a  few  nonconformists;  so  there  always  was 
the  unexpected.  Glad  Jan  wasn't  along.  She  wouldn't 
have  had  a  nerve  left  that  wasn't  in  shreds. 

Dr.  Lewis,  our  Medical  Entomologist,  and  Sana  Atallah, 
his  graduate  student  assistant,  arrived  at  Kabul  the  night 
of  July  4,  having  driven  from  the  American  University  at 
Beirut;  so  the  party  was  now  complete.  The  shipment  was 
now  through  Customs,  and  we  were  ready  to  repack  and  get 
out  of  Kabul  as  soon  as  possible.  In  this  process  Brian  Rear- 
don,  the  local  representative  of  International  Harvester,  and 
his  wife,  Helen,  have  been  of  tremendous  help.  His  five 
years  of  experience  really  count. 

Our  first  camp  was  at  Paghman  from  July  12  to  July  23, 
only  about  ten  miles  from  Kabul,  altitude  8,000  feet.  This 
was  an  area  Jerry  wanted  to  check  on  because  mammal 
specimens  had  been  previously  collected  there.  We  col- 
lected over  200  specimens  and  obtained  some  nice  series  of 
species  previously  reported  but  very  limited  in  quantity. 


Next  we  went  to  Shumbul  village  in  the  Shibar  Pass  area 
of  the  Hindu  Kush,  on  the  road  east  to  Bamian.  Here  our 
camp  was  at  8,500  feet,  and  we  worked  up  to  9,800  feet,  the 
height  of  the  pass.  As  in  Paghman,  this  was  a  place  pre- 
viously collected  and  again  we  added  good  series  of  certain 
mammals  where  earlier  collectors  got  only  very  few.  To 
date  our  collecting  is  doing  very  well.  With  four  men  out 
collecting  and  Jan  and  I  available  part  time  for  that,  and 
all  of  us  skinning  when  necessary,  I  can  see  that  we  are  very 
likely  to  exceed  the  numbers  of  the  Iranian  trip.  We  have 
found  that  if  we  have  a  big  result  in  some  24  hours  of  trap- 
ping and  hunting  we  can  put  up  almost  fifty  specimens  under 
pressure. 

We  returned  to  Kabul  with  some  350  specimens  of  mam- 
mals and  from  these  Dr.  Lewis  had  obtained  about  800  fleas 
and  over  a  thousand  ticks,  etc.  Before  you  gulp  at  these  flea 
figures,  remember  we  have  to  catch  the  mammal  before  we 
can  collect  its  fleas,  and  not  all  individual  mammals  have 
fleas.  Bob  Lewis  is  delighted  with  our  ecto-parasite  collect- 
ing. He  and  Sana  are  both  good  mammal  collectors  them- 
selves so  they  contribute  tremendously  to  our  result.  How- 
ever, from  the  mammal  collecting  viewpoint  only,  getting 
ecto-parasites  frequently  means  an  extra  visit  to  the  traps, 
usually  about  10:30  p.m.,  making  bedtime  for  the  collector 
about  midnight  and  then  up  at  five  to  pick  up  the  rest  of  the 
traps.  This  is  because  the  parasites  tend  to  leave  a  body 
that  gets  cold.  After  about  four  days  in  a  row  of  this  kind 
of  going  I  try  to  insist  on  the  men  slowing  up.    My  guess  is 

Map  showing  route  of  expedition 


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OCTOBER     Page  7 


they  arc  now  beginning  to  realize  that  a  six-months  expe- 
dition is  different  from  a  two  or  three-week  trip.  So,  as  time 
goes  on,  we  will  pace  ourselves  better. 

We  are  camping  high  where  the  nights  are  cool.  The 
land  about  us  is  thoroughly  cultivated  in  every  piece  possible 
(and  some  impossible  spots  from  our  point  of  view).  Culti- 
vation is,  of  course,  along  the  rivers  which  provide  the  irri- 
gation in  the  mountainous  areas.  Crops  are  wheat,  barley, 
peas,  corn,  potatoes,  alfalfa,  with  some  patches  of  other  veg- 
etables. We've  seen  stands  of  wheat  three  and  a  half  feet 
high.  All  is  planted  in  very  small  patches  of  not  more  than 
one  or  two  acres.  Grain  is  cut  by  hand  sickle  (they  are  do- 
ing it  now)  and  threshed  by  beating  it  or  running  animals 
over  it. 

The  mountains  generally  appear  bare  from  a  distance 
but  when  one  is  collecting  plants  as  Jan  is  doing  (I'm  No.  2 
boy  in  this  work)  it  is  surprising  to  see  the  variety.  I  think 
she  has  almost  100  specimens  already  and  mostly  all  dif- 
ferent species. 


PROGRAMS  AT  THE    MUSEUM 

The  fall  lecture  series  for  adults  continues  on  Saturday 
afternoons  during  November.  The  programs  are  given  in  the 
James  Simpson  Theatre,  beginning  at  2 :30  p.m.  Reserved 
seats  are  held  for  Museum  Members  until  2 :25  p.m.  Follow- 
ing is  the  schedule  of  the  November  programs.  Descriptions 
of  the  entire  series  were  published  in  last  month's  Bulletin. 


November  6 
November  13 
November  20 
November  27 


Monsoon  Mosaic  (India) 
Telford  H.  Work 

Scotland  and  Wales 
Ed  Lark 

A  Second  Look  at  Africa 
Arthur  C.  Twomey 

High  Horizons, 
Colorado  Wilderness 
William  Ferguson 


The  Illinois  Audubon  Society's  1965-66  series  of  free  na- 
ture film  programs  begins  on  October  31  with  the  showing  of 
Teton  Trails.  Mr.  Charles  Hotchkiss  will  narrate  the  film  in 
person.  The  program  begins  at  2  :30  p.m.  in  the  James  Simp- 
son Theatre. 


Cadette  Girl  Scouts  are  invited  to  three  programs  at  the 
Museum  designed  to  help  them  earn  nature  proficiency 
badges.  The  projects  center  on  Trees  and  Wild  Plants  (Oc- 
tober 9),  Birds  and  Mammals  (October  16),  and  Rocks  and 
Minerals  (November  7).  The  programs  begin  in  the  James 
Simpson  Theatre  at  10:15  a.m.  with  a  movie  on  the  day's 
subject  and  then  continue  into  the  Museum  halls  for  study 
of  related  exhibits.  ■ 


Our  camp  life  is  the  best.  We  hate  to  come  to  town  for 
we're  actually  more  comfortable  in  camp.  Beds  are  better, 
no  noise,  less  likely  to  come  down  with  something  (if  we're 
careful  and  while  we  are  in  the  high  mountains),  good  food 
prepared  by  Nadir,  our  cook,  and  served  by  Abdul,  his 
helper.  After  we  located  Syed  Mohammed  (he  had  been 
recommended  to  us)  and  got  him  up  from  Kandahar,  he 
turned  out  to  be  good  at  driving  and  interpreting  but  was 
also  fat  and  lazy  and  not  too  trustworthy.  So  he  went  back 
after  ten  days  to  Kandahar,  and  we  have  found  a  man 
named  Lai  Mohammed  to  drive  and  interpret.  With  him 
we  think  we're  in  luck. 

Each  of  us  except  Dr.  Lewis  and  Sana  (who  by  living  in 
Beirut  so  long  are  definitely  immunized  to  some  degree)  has 
had  one  or  two  bouts  with  dysentery,  accompanied  by  tem- 
peratures between  1 00  and  1 02 .  Most  of  us  have  lost  weight 
(I'd  guess  about  ten  pounds  or  more)  and  are  happy  for  it. 
Generally  speaking,  Kabul  has  been  very  enervating  to 
Jan  and  me.  During  the  day  we  often  exhaust  our  capacity 
and  can  do  nothing  but  sit  and  try  to  cool  off  in  the  evening. 
High  (6,000  ft.)  and  dry  it  takes  a  toll  for  a  while.  Until 
December,  January  and  February  we  won't  encounter  too 
much  cold  weather  unless  we're  high  (10,000  to  15,000  ft.) 
in  the  mountains  and  by  winter  we'll  be  heading  south  to 
the  desert. 

For  two  weeks  we  have  had  an  Afghan  student  from  the 
Kabul  University  Agricultural  School,  Aminnudin  by  name. 
Must  have  been  quite  an  experience  for  him  but  he  learned 
to  skin,  clean  skulls,  and  go  night  hunting  and  trapping  with 
the  men. 

— William  S.  Street 


CHICAGO  NATURAL   HISTORY  MUSEUM 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 

Roosevelt  Road  and  Lake  Shore  Drive  Chicago,   Illinois  60605 

Telephone:  922-9410 


THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCormick  Blair 
Bowcn  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Marshall  Field* 
Clifford  C.  Gregg 
*  Deceased 


Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 
Henry  P.  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 
Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoe  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 


John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 
John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpsoa 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
J.  Howard  Wood 


OFFICERS 

James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  Vice-President 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 
Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer   and  Assistant  Secretary 
E.  Leland  Webber,  Secretary 

DIRECTOR  OF  THE  MUSEUM 
E.  Leland  Webber 

CHIEF  CURATORS 
Donald  Collier,  Department  of  Anthropology 

Louis  O.  Williams,  Department  of  Botany 

Rainer  Zangerl,  Department  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Department  of  Zoology 

THE  BULLETIN 

Edward  G.  Nash,  Managing  Editor 

Kathleen  Wolff,  Associate  Editor 


Page  8     OCTOBER 


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Robert  F.  Inger,  Curator,  Amphibians  and  Reptiles 


COLD  BLOOD 
WARM  CLIMATE 


OUR  general  knowledge  of  natural  history  is  largely  based 
on  observations  made  in  the  Temperate  Zone.  That 
is  not  surprising  since  most  biologists  have  lived  and  worked 
(and  still  do)  in  the  Temperate  Zone.  The  tropics  have  been 
relatively  neglected.  To  a  certain  extent,  this  regional  limi- 
tation has  caused  biologists  to  think  in  fixed  terms  that  may 
be  misleading.  For  example,  we  tend  to  think  that  most 
animals  have  an  annual  rhythm. 

The  yearly  cycle  of  the  seasons  in  the  Temperate  Zone 
has  profound  effects,  as  we  all  know,  on  the  activities  of 
animals.  Birds  migrate  north  and  south  on  a  regular  sched- 
ule. Frogs  call  only  at  certain  times,  and  each  species  has 
its  own  particular  breeding  season.  Insects  are  dormant  in 
the  winter.  And  so  on.  Through  expermentation  and  ob- 
servation we  have  learned  that  changes  in  length  of  day, 
increasing  temperatures,  and  in  some  cases  regular  changes 
in  rainfall  may  trigger  these  various  kinds  of  cyclic  behavior 
in  animals. 

We  can  also  understand  easily  why  these  creatures  must 
behave  cyclicly.  Frogs  are  cold-blooded.  Their  body  tem- 
peratures drop  as  temperatures  in  the  environment  fall.  At 
near-freezing  temperatures,  their  movements  are  as  slow  as 
molasses  in  January  and  at  much  below  32°  they  freeze  to 
death.  Insects  have  the  same  limitations.  Birds  are  warm- 
blooded and  can  keep  their  body  temperatures  high.  But 
they  need  food,  which  becomes  very  scarce  in  winter.  Any 
bird  species  which  feeds  on  insects  must  move  south  in  the 
fall  or  die  of  starvation. 

The  parts  of  the  tropics  that  support  rain  forest,  besides 
being  very  warm  all  year,  have  heavy  rainfall  in  every  month. 
The  cold-blooded  animals  can  remain  active  at  all  times. 
Since  plants  thrive  throughout  the  year,  food,  both  animal 
and  vegetable,  is  abundant  continuously.  One  of  the  trig- 
gering signals  for  Temperate  Zone  animals — changing  day 
lengths — is  weak  or  even  absent  near  the  equator  where 
the  difference  between  the  longest  and  shortest  days  is  only 
a  few  minutes.  We  know  that  in  the  continuously  humid 
tropics  plant  species  rarely  exhibit  regular  seasonal  or  cyclic 
behavior.  But  we  know  very  little  about  the  annual  behavior 
patterns  of  the  animals  in  that  environment. 

To  learn  something  about  the  annual  patterns  of  tropical 
reptiles  and  amphibians  was  one  of  the  major  goals  of  the 
Borneo  Zoological  Expeditions,  1962-64.  Participants  in 
these  expeditions  were  the  late  Dr.  Bernard  Greenberg,  F. 
Wayne  King,  William  Hosmer,  James  P.  Bacon,  Jr.,  and 
myself.  The  bulk  of  the  field  work  was  carried  out  by  King, 
Hosmer,  and  Bacon.  The  Expedition  was  supported  by 
National  Science  Foundation. 

Page!    NOVEMBER 


The  basic  field  plan  called  for  collecting  and  preserving 
twenty  to  forty  individuals  of  several  species  of  frogs  and 
lizards  each  month.  By  recording  the  date  and  habitat  in- 
formation for  every  animal  caught,  we  hoped  to  be  able  to 
detect  any  changes  in  abundance  and  position  of  these 
species  during  the  year.  The  preserved  specimens  were  to 
be  examined  in  the  Museum  laboratory;  the  presence  and 
number  of  eggs  in  the  females  would  reveal  the  pattern  of 
reproductive  activity. 

We  knew  from  previous  experience  that  snakes  would  not 
be  caught  in  sufficient  numbers  to  give  us  adequate  monthly 
samples.  And  they  were  not.  The  numbers  captured  each 
month  were  sufficient  for  four  species  of  lizards  and  six 
species  of  frogs.  The  frogs  lived  along  stream  banks  and  were 
active  only  at  night,  All  four  lizard  species  were  tree  dwellers, 
but  two  were  active  only  at  night  and  two  only  during  the 
day. 

Climate  in  the  rain  forest  is  in  reality  composed  of  a  num- 
ber of  microclimates.  The  microclimate  in  the  tree  crowns 
is  very  different  from  the  climate  close  to  the  ground.  The 
sun  shines  through  the  open  branches  of  the  tree  crowns,  be- 
coming filtered  out  by  successive  layers  of  branches  until 


Left,  native  collector  gathering  data  from  typical  Bornean  forest 
stream;  cover,  Phoxophrys  nigrilabies,  a  rare  lizard  native  to  Borneo, 
in  a  defensive  posture. 

near  the  ground  one  sees  only  scattered  flecks  of  sunlight. 
As  a  result,  the  air  in  the  tree  crowns  is  heated  each  day  to  a 
greater  extent  than  is  the  air  near  the  ground;  relative  hu- 
midity drops  more  during  mid-day  up  in  the  tree  crowns  than 
below  the  canopy  formed  by  the  branches.  An  animal,  such 
as  one  of  our  arboreal  day-time  lizards,  is  active  only  when 
the  temperature  is  high.  Our  nocturnal  lizards  not  only 
are  active  in  the  trees  when  the  temperature  is  low  and  hu- 
midity high,  but  they  also  sleep  on  the  ground  under  logs 
during  the  day  and  avoid  the  higher  temperatures  altogether. 
Thus  the  two  sets  of  lizards  lived  in  diflferent  microclimates. 

None  of  these  species  showed  any  change  in  position  or 
numbers  during  the  year.  Moreover,  it  is  clear  that  they 
breed  throughout  the  year.  In  each  monthly  sample  of 
lizards,  for  example,  we  found  some  females  with  eggs  ready 
to  be  laid.    All  adult  males  contained  sperm. 

This  result  is  not  surprising  for,  as  we  have  seen,  the  cli- 
mate of  the  rain  forest  neither  imposes  the  necessity  nor 
provides  the  triggering  signals  for  cyclic  activity.  The  fact 
that  the  nocturnal  and  diurnal  lizards  lived  in  different 
microclimates  had  no  effect. 

One  of  the  other  results  of  our  study  was  not  expected. 
Our  collecting  yielded  adequate  samples  for  estimating  the 
number  of  eggs  per  clutch  in  9  species  of  lizards.     The 


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largest  clutch  consisted  of  5  eggs,  which  is  rather  small  for 
lizards.  Much  larger  clutches  (5  to  12  or  more  eggs)  are 
found  in  related  lizards  living  elsewhere  in  the  oriental  trop- 
ics. Those  places,  though  tropical,  have  distinct  dry  seasons 
and  the  lizards  living  there  breed  only  during  three  or  four 
months  of  the  year. 

Generally,  animals  lay  enough  eggs  to  maintain  their 
populations  at  a  more  or  less  steady  level.  Let  us  imagine 
two  species  of  lizards  that  are  alike  in  many  ways.  Let  us 
say  that  they  have  similar  population  sizes,  the  same  food, 
the  same  predators,  and  the  same  life  span;  and  let  us  also 
stipulate  that  the  females  of  each  can  lay  a  clutch  of  eggs 
each  month  of  the  breeding  season.  In  order  to  maintain  the 
same  population  size,  both  species  will  have  to  produce  the 
same  number  of  eggs  during  the  total  breeding  season.  If  the 
breeding  season  of  Species  A  is  half  as  long  as  that  of  Species 
B,  there  is  only  one  way  that  A  can  produce  as  many  eggs 
as  B:  by  having  a  clutch  size  twice  as  large  as  B"s. 

Now,  going  back  to  our  real  lizards  from  the  seasonal 
tropical  climate,  we  can  see  that  they  must  have  larger 
clutches  than  rain  forest  lizards  because  they  have  only  3 
or  4  months  instead  of  12  in  which  to  produce  the  year's 
quota  of  offspring. 

It  frequently  happens  in  biological  research  that  we  start 
out  with  one  goal  or  question  in  mind  and  end  by  reaching 
others.  In  this  case  the  search  for  an  answer  to  the  original 
question  (namely,  do  these  animals  show  seasonal  rhythms) 
led  us  to  insights  into  problems  of  productivity.  ■ 


Left,  chart  showing  "microclimatic"  temperature  changes  at  two 
forest  levels:  below,  Draco  maximus.  one  of  the  flying  lizards  char- 
acteristic of  Borneo. 


NOVEMBER    Page  3 


MARSHALL   FIELD 


1916  -1965 


The  death  of"  Marshall  Field,  in  September,  cut  short 
a  life  of  public  service  which  added  new  distinction  to  an 
already  famous  name.  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum, 
of  which  he  had  been  a  Trustee  since  1946,  shares  the  sorrow 
of  Chicago  at  the  loss  of  this  remarkable  man. 

Mr.  Field  was  born  in  New  York  City,  attended  St. 
Paul's  School,  and  graduated  from  Harvard  University  with 
a  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree,  magna  cum  laude,  in  1938.  He 
attended  the  University  of  Virginia  Law  School,  from  which 
he  received  his  Bachelor  of  Law  degree  in  1941,  after  being 
elected  president  of  his  graduating  class. 

His  record  as  a  naval  officer  in  World  War  H  from  1942 
to  1945  was  a  distinguished  one.  For  more  than  two  years 
he  participated  in  every  major  naval  engagement  in  the 
South  Pacific,  and  he  was  awarded  the  Silver  Star,  Presi- 
dential Unit  Citation,  and  Purple  Heart  as  recognition  for 
his  conduct  in  the  Battle  of  Santa  Cruz. 


-After  the  war,  he  joined  the  Chicago  Sun  Times,  founded 
by  his  father.  After  assumption  of  many  departmental  re- 
sponsibilities from  riding  circulation  trucks  to  that  of  assis- 
tant publisher,  he  succeeded  his  father  as  editor  and  publisher 
on  October  1,  1950.  He  also  was  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Field  Enterprises,  Inc.,  a  Director  of  Marshall  Field  & 
Company  and  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Field's  participation  in  civic  affairs  was  broad.  He 
was  Vice  President  and  Director  of  The  Field  Foundation, 
Inc.  and  Chairman  of  the  Board  and  Director  of  The  Field 
Foundation  of  Illinois,  Inc.  In  addition  to  serving  as  a 
Trustee  of  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum,  he  was  a 
Trustee  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  the  Art  Institute  of 
Chicago  and  Presbyterian-St.  Luke  Hosipital. 

He  had  a  great  faith  in  the  vigor  and  vitality  of  Chicago 
and  hoped  to  devote  much  of  his  life  to  the  building  of  a 
greater  city.  Although  the  demands  on  his  time  were  many, 
he  was  deeply  interested  in  the  Museum  and  its  future  and 
he  maintained  close  touch  with  its  programs. 

Marshall  Field's  death  at  49,  at  the  period  in  his  life  that 
he  hoped  would  begin  his  greatest  contribution  to  Chicago, 
is  a  loss  that  only  those  who  knew  his  intense  dedication  can 
know.  A  man  unassuming  in  demeanor  and  considerate 
of  all,  he  desired  little  other  than  that  he  serve  his  city  and 
country  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 


^^//  €£  ^€'m^ 


One  of  the  world's  notable  gem  collections,  consisting  of 
more  than  one  thousand  cut  and  uncut  stones  of  nearly  every 
known  variety,  is  open  once  more  to  the  public  in  the  Mu- 
seum's Hall  of  Gems,  after  the  installation  of  a  modern  elec- 
tronic security  system. 

Several  choice  specimens  from  the  Museum's  collection  of 
uncut  gem  crystals  have  been  exquisitely  faceted  recently  by 
a  local  lapidarist,  Mr.  Walter  Kean,  of  Riverside.  These  lat- 
est additions  to  the  Hall  of  Gems  include  a  296-carat  kunzite 
of  lilac  color,  a  91 -carat  topaz,  and  a  13-carat  tourmaline. 
Photographs  of  these  gems  are  shown  scattered  on  this  page. 


Page  4 


From  Ceylon  and  Burma,  a  selection  of  blue,  yellow,  and 
white  sapphires  are  displayed  in  the  Hall.  Six  are  large 
"star"  sapphires,  three  of  these  weighing  more  than  130  carats 
each.    Also  shown  are  two  fine  "star"  rubies. 

The  larger  emeralds  are  displayed  in  uncut  crystals.  Em- 
eralds come  from  crystals  of  the  mineral  beryl,  and  so  do  the 
aquamarines,  which  differ  from  emeralds  only  in  color.  The 
largest  faceted  aquamarine  in  the  Hall  is  an  unusually  perfect 
stone,  one  of  the  Crane  collection,  weighing  341  carats.  Only 
slightly  smaller  is  the  331 -carat  Hope  aquamarine. 

The  collection  of  faceted  topazes  in  shades  of  blue,  white, 
pink,  and  golden,  is  unusually  comprehensive.  One  of  the 
largest,  of  rose  color,  weighs  290  carats.  The  cut  topazes 
may  be  compared  with  a  gigantic  uncut  topaz  crystal  weigh- 
ing 90  pounds — one  of  the  largest  ever  found. 

A  highly  prized  specimen  is  an  11.51-carat  alexandrite,  a 
rare  variety  of  chrysoberyl  discovered  in  Russia  in  1833  and 
named  after  Czar  Alexander  II.  Alexandrites  appear  green 
in  the  daylight,  but  have  the  magic-like  quality  of  changing 
to  red  under  artificial  light. 

There  is  also  a  remarkable  collection  of  historic  jewelry  in 
the  Hall.  The  rarest  pieces,  of  lapis  lazuli  and  gold,  were 
uncovered  by  a  Museum  expedition  to  Kish,  in  ancient  Baby- 
lonia, and  are  four  or  five  hundred  years  older  than  Abraham. 

Other  cases  hold  fine  examples  of  jewelry  from  India, 
from  ancient  Egypt,  Greece,  and  Etruria,  and  from  the  Aztec 
and  Inca  civilizations. 


by  Bertram  G.  Woodland,  Curator, 
Igneous  and  Metamorphic  Petrology 

AT  the  present  time  the  earth's  land  area,  comprising  about 
,  29%  of  its  surface,  has  an  average  height  above  sea  level 
of  2,700  feet.  The  agents  of  erosion,  running  water,  ice  and 
wind,  which  derive  their  energy  from  the  sun  (an  external 
source)  and  gravity  (an  internal  source),  are  forever  acting 
on  the  land's  surface  and  slowly  removing  its  material  to  the 
surrounding  oceans.  Erosion  is,  in  general,  more  active  the 
higher  the  land  stands  above  the  sea.  Measurements  of  the  rate 
of  denudation  (i.e.,  the  load  of  sediment  carried  by  the  rivers) 
show  that  the  eroding  agents  would  lower  the  land  surface  to 
near  sea  level  in  a  relatively  short  time,  geologically  speaking 
— say,  a  few  million  years,  which  is  very  brief  in  relation  to 
the  earth's  age,  some  4' 2  billion  years.  So  the  question  of 
why  there  are  mountains  is  a  very  real  one  indeed. 

The  short  explanation  is  that  mountains  are  created  by 
the  internal  energy  of  the  earth,  which  acts  continuously  to 
renew  elevations  for  further  attack  by  erosion.  There  is  thus 
a  constant  struggle  between  external  and  internal  sources  of 
energy;  so  far,  and  apparently  for  billions  of  years  to  come, 
the  internal  energy  prevails  in  supplying  mountains  to  be  re- 
moved by  denudation  or  slumping.  Geological  studies  show 
that  for  at  least  3^2  billion  years  mountains  have  been  thrust 
up  in  one  place  or  another  and  from  time  to  time.  The  up- 
lifts are  very  slow  affairs  by  human  standards,  although  it  has 
been  possible  to  measure  the  rate  of  some  of  the  earth's  move- 
ments. The  most  obvious  manifestations  of  the  earth's  inter- 
nal energy  are  earthquakes,  such  as  the  Alaskan  one  of  March 
1964  when  an  area  of  some  75,000  square  miles  was  affected 
by  uplift  or  subsidence  (the  maximum  uplift  reported  was 
over  45  feet),  and  volcanic  activity.  A  further  spectacular 
form  of  evidence  of  the  effectiveness  of  uplift  in  rejuvenating 
the  land  is  that  rocks  that  must  have  formed  beneath  the 
ocean  are  now  to  be  found  in  the  highest  mountain  peaks, 
e.g.,  on  the  peak  of  Mt.  Everest  nearly  six  miles  above  sea  level. 

Before  attempting  to  indicate  current  ideas  on  the  mech- 
anisms and  energy  sources  for  mountain  building  let  us  first 
examine  some  of  the  characteristics  of  mountains  and  the 
techniques  of  study  applied  to  the  problem  of  why  they  are 
there. 


Mountains  are  not  moimtains  because  of  high  elevation 
alone  but  because  they  stand  high  above  the  surrounding 
land.  The  higher  this  differential  elevation  or  relief  the  more 
imposing  the  mountains.  Rugged  and  dramatic  mountains 
may  rise  3  to  4,000  feet  on  the  seacoast,  while  the  plains  east 
of  the  Rockies  which  are  actually  higher  in  elevation  are  rela- 
tively flat  and  featureless.  Thus  location  of  the  uplift,  as  well 
as  amount,  influences  to  some  extent  the  development  of  re- 
lief. More  important  in  this  respect  is  the  age  of  the  uplift. 
Initially,  a  broad  uplifted  area  may  be  devoid  of  relief,  but, 
as  rivers  form  and  valleys  are  cut,  relief  develops  and  eventu- 
ally reaches  a  maximum.  Then  it  becomes  less  and  less  as  the 
residual  masses  (mountains)  far  removed  from  the  rivers  are 
gradually  worn  down.  Marked  relief  can  also  be  formed 
directly  by  the  uplift  process  if  adjacent  blocks  are  thrust  up 
varying  amounts  or  if  uplift  of  some  blocks  of  the  earth's  crust 
is  accompanied  by  subsidence  of  adjacent  ones.  In  this  way 
block  faulted  mountains  are  formed,  the  uplifted  masses  being 
separated  from  the  lower  blocks  by  ruptures  or  faults.  Very 
fine  examples  of  such  mountains  are  the  Sierra  Nevada  range 
of  California  and  the  numerous  ranges  of  Nevada  and  western 
Utah  where  the  fault  scarps  are  sometimes  exposed  by  recent 
movements  along  the  faults.  Erosion  here  does  not  make  the 
relief  but  immediately  starts  to  reduce  it,  following  each  uplift. 

One  type  of  mountain  which  is  not  formed  by  the  usual 


mountain  building 

Mallory,  the  great  mountaineer  who  disappeared  more  than  jorty 
years  ago  within  a  Jew  hundred  feet  oj  the  summit  oj  Everest,  is 
supposed  to  have  said  that  men  climb  mountains  "because  they  are 
there.^^  This  famous  statement,  while  it  says  a  great  deal  about 
man,  says  little  about  mountains.  The  mountains  were  not  always 
"there."  The  very  peak  on  which  Mallory  lost  his  life,  six  miles 
above  sea  level,  contains  rocks  which  were  formed  on  the  ocean  floor. 
This  article,  and  several  to  follow  in  coming  issues  of  the  Bulletin, 
tells  much  of  what  we  know  about  the  rise  and  fall  of  mountains, 
about  processes  which  began  not  long  after  the  birth  of  our  planet 
and  continue  today. 


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uplift  mechanism  is  the  volcano.  Here  outpourings  of  molten 
material  from  below  the  crust  and  carrying  with  them  some 
of  the  reserves  of  the  earth's  heat  accumulate  on  the  surface 
to  great  heights  and  form  some  of  the  most  majestic  moun- 
tains in  the  world,  such  as  Mt.  Rainier,  Washington,  and 
Fujiyama,  Japan.  Mauna  Loa,  Hawaii,  is  a  huge  volcanic 
pile  rising  over  30,000  feet  above  the  surrounding  Pacific  floor. 
Other  extinct  volcanic  mountains  in  the  Pacific  have  sunk 
under  their  own  weight  beneath  the  ocean — some  to  support 
coral  growths  as  atolls,  others  to  form  sea  mounts  and  guyots 
which  have  flat  tops,  formed  by  wave  erosion  before  they  sank. 

Dome  mountains  as  the  name  suggests  are  more  or  less  circu- 
lar or  oval  shaped  uplifts,  some  of  which  were  caused  by  in- 
trusion of  magma  (molten  rock)  into  the  earth's  crust,  e.g., 
the  Henry  Mountains  of  Utah,  or  by  intrusion  of  rock  salt 
squeezed  up  from  depth,  of  which  there  are  excellent  exam- 
ples in  Iran,  or  by  uplift  of  the  whole  crust  such  as  in  the 
Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota.  Fold  mountains  are  characteris- 
tically formed  of  parallel  ridges  and  valleys  which  have  re- 
sulted from  erosion  of  beds  thrown  into  simple  linear  wrinkles 
the  arches  of  which  are  called  anticlines  and  the  intervening 
troughs  synclines.  A  classic  example  is  the  series  of  parallel 
ridges  of  the  Appalachians  west  of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania. 
It  is  to  be  emphasized  that  these  ridges  and  valleys  are  not  the 
simple  direct  result  of  the  folding  but  of  denudation  of  such 
a  folded  series  of  rocks. 

Other  mountain  ranges  are  much  more  complex  than  those 
described  above.  They  are  composed  not  only  of  intensely 
folded  sedimentary  rocks  but  of  large  volumes  of  highly  al- 
tered rocks,  called  metamorphic  rocks,  and  vast  cores  of  igneous 
rocks,  particularly  of  a  granitic  type.  Such  mountains  form 
the  most  prominent  relief  of  the  continents — the  Himalayas, 
the  Alps,  the  Andes,  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire, 
the  Blue  Ridge  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  the  coast 
ranges  of  the  North  American  Pacific  coast,  and  many  others. 
Because  they  form  the  most  prominent  relief  features  of  our 
continents  and  because  the  making  of  these  types  of  moun- 
tains has  been  very  important  throughout  the  geological  evo- 
lution of  the  earth,  at  least  for  the  last  332  billion  vears,  it  is 


with  these  we  will  now  be  particularly  concerned. 

These  complex  mountains  form  very  long  but  relatively 
narrow  linear  belts  which  can  be  traced  both  by  broad  physi- 
cal continuity  and  approximate  contemporaneity  of  origin  for 
hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  miles.  Within  each  belt 
there  are,  however,  a  number  of  zones  which  differ  in  details 
of  structure  and  age  of  formation.  The  large  thickness  of  sedi- 
ments that  were  originally  deposited  to  form  the  great  masses 
presently  exposed  in  the  ranges  demands  that  the  area  now 
uplifted  must  have  experienced  a  long  period  of  considerable 
subsidence.  This  is  in  contrast  to  the  adjacent  continental 
areas  which  bear  much  reduced  thicknesses  of  the  sedinients 
of  the  same  age  as  those  in  the  mountain  belt.  The  latter  has 
thus  been  a  very  active  region  experiencing  subsidence  of  sev- 
eral miles  and  uplifts  of  perhaps  ten  miles  or  more.  The  ad- 
jacent continental  crust  areas  were  relatively  stable,  moving 
up  or  down  no  more  than  a  few  thousand  feet.  The  long 
subsiding  zones  which  receive  great  thicknesses  of  sediment 
are  known  as  geosynclines  while  the  resultant  uplifts  are  called 
geanticlines.  Another  feature  of  these  belts  is  the  great  amount 
of  volcanic  and  other  igneous  activity.  Much  volcanic  mate- 
rial is  incorporated  with  the  geosynclinal  sediments.  The 
nature  and  composition  of  the  volcanic  material  alter  both 
in  place  and  time  during  the  development  of  the  mountain 
belt.  Early  manifestations  of  activity  in  the  geosyncline  are 
lavas  and  igneous  rocks  of  basic  and  ultrabasic  types,  some 
of  which  when  altered  now  provide  us  with  asbestos  deposits 
in  northern  Vermont  and  Quebec.  Later  the  lavas  become 
more  acidic  and  the  periodic  geanticlines  are  capped  by  vol- 
canoes issuing,  with  explosive  violence,  a  characteristic  lava 
in  marked  contrast  in  composition  to  the  quieter  effusions  of 
the  Hawaiian  Islands.  Examples  of  such  volcanoes  are  found 
today  on  the  Indonesian  islands.  The  mountain-building 
episode  often  culminates  in  the  intrusion  of  truly  gigantic 
amounts  of  granitic  type  rocks,  such  as  form  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada moimtains.  Later  in  time  solutions  migrating  upward 
have  produced  many  of  the  ore  deposits  from  which  we  ob- 
tain our  copper,  tin,  lead,  and  zinc  supplies.  But  a  further 
important  characteristic  of  these  mountain  belts  is  that  the 


Left:  Glacier  National  Park,  Montana,  showing  ancient  flat-lying  beds  which  have  been  uplifted  into  a  plateau  and  then  deeply  eroded  to  form 
attractive  mountain  scenery.  Right:  Bear  Butte,  South  Dakota,  a  dome,  exposing  the  core  of  igneous  rock  with  turned-up  sedimentary  strata 
around  the  base.  The  previous  page  shows  the  Grand  Tetons  of  Wyoming,  examples  of  a  block  of  the  crust  uplifted  between  75  and  50 
million  years  ago;  the  rocks,  however,  were  reconstructed  during  an  orogeny  around  2,600  million  years  ago. 


sedimentary  rocks  have  been  intensely  folded  and  deformed 
in  a  very  complex  way  and  large  masses  of  rocks,  under  the 
influence  of  high  temperatures  and  pressure,  have  been  trans- 
formed into  completely  new  types.  In  these  metamorphic 
rocks  the  deformations  have  induced  new  structures,  com- 
monly obliterating  all  of  the  characteristic  features  that  mark 
bedded  sedimentary  rocks.  New  minerals  have  grown  and 
chemical  compositions  may  have  altered. 

The  mountain  belts  which  exhibit  the  results  of  the  forces 
supplied  by  the  earth's  internal  energy  on  such  a  great  scale 
are  known  as  orogenic  belts.  At  the  present  time  certain  ero- 
genic belts  are  high  mountainous  regions  and  are  of  geolog- 
ically recent  origin,  as  their  birth  dates  from  less  than  50 
million  years  although  their  developmental  history  goes  back 
much  longer.  Such  are  the  Alps,  Himalayas  and  the  moun- 
tains of  Burma,  Sumatra  and  Java.  Other  orogenic  belts 
have  reached  their  acme  of  activity  much  earlier,  e.g.,  the 
Appalachians  of  Pennsylvania  some  250  to  300  million  years 
ago  and  the  New  Hampshire  White  Mountains  some  370 
million  years  ago.  These  mountainous  regions  owe  their 
present  elevation  to  uplifts  long  after  their  orogenesis,  with 
its  attendant  igneous  intrusions  and  metamorphism,  had 
ceased.  Even  older  mountain  systems,  e.g.,  the  Adirondack 
region  of  about  one  billion  years  ago,  are  high  ground  today. 
But  many  orogenic  belts  are  to  be  recognized  in  the  low-lying 
parts  of  all  continents,  for  example,  in  Canada  around  Hud- 
son Bay.  Such  regions  have  remained  remarkably  stable  for 
a  very  long  period  of  time  and  we  call  them  stable  platforms 
or  shields.  In  them  the  deep  roots  of  the  old  orogenic  systems 
are  exposed  to  our  view  to  provide  evidence  of  mountain- 
building  dating  back  to  about  314  billion  years.  They  are 
exceedingly  complex  geologically  and  we  have  so  far  only 
pieced  together  the  merest  fragments  of  their  history.  We 
have  no  record  at  all  of  the  first  billion  years  of  our  planet. 

A  LL  the  tools  and  methods  of  all  the  branches  of  geology 
'»  as  well  as  of  physics  and  chemistry  are  applied  in  the 
study  of  such  a  complex  problem  as  orogenic  belts  and  their 
origin.  Generations  of  geologists  have  studied  the  sedimen- 
tary rocks,  determined  their  order  of  formation  and  erected 
a  time  scale  based  on  fossil  content  so  that  the  sedimentary 
rocks  can  be  traced  and  followed  from  one  exposure  to  another 
and  from  one  mountain  side  to  another,  enabling  the  struc- 
ture of  the  once  horizontal  rocks  to  be  worked  out  and  the 
form  of  the  complex  folds  and  dislocations  to  be  deciphered. 
In  this  way,  too,  we  can  determine  if  whole  sequences  have 
been  completely  overturned  so  that  they  are  now  upside  down : 
they  often  are.  Further  careful  work  also  provides  evidence 
of  the  depositional  history  in  a  geosyncline — the  varying  thick- 
nesses of  sediment,  the  recognition  of  uplifts  that  interrupted 
deposition  and  caused  erosion,  whether  local  or  widespread, 
and  events  of  a  more  catastrophic  nature  which  caused  slump- 
ing of  already  deposited  sediment  into  deeper  parts  of  the 
geosyncline.  Detailed  studies  of  the  sedimentary  rocks  them- 
selves and  of  any  fossils  they  contain  tell  us  much  about  the 
environment  in  which  they  formed.  By  tracing  their  lateral 
and  vertical  extents  and  changes  we  build  up  a  picture  of  the 
geographic  distribution  and  its  alteration  with  time.    These 


Dome  Mountains 


Block  Fault  Mountains 


Fold  Mountains 


Complex  Mountains 


NOVEMBER    Page  7 


data  give  us  a  dynamic  insight  into  the  history  of  the  trough. 
The  igneous  rocks  demand  study  to  determine  their  chemical 
and  mineralogic  composition,  distribution,  age  and  geographic 
and  chemical  relationships.  From  the  mass  of  data  so  gleaned 
generalizing  principles  are  attempted  which  can  be  dove- 
tailed into  all  the  other  data  to  present  an  ever  more  com- 
plete understanding  of  the  nature  of  events  and  their  timing 
in  the  orogenic  belt. 

The  metamorphic  rocks  need  special  study  and  techniques 
of  their  own,  too.  Wc  must  try  to  determine  the  nature  of 
the  original  rock  types.  Assuming  that  they  were  sedimen- 
tary rocks,  for  example,  we  face  major  problems,  as  their 
metamorphism  and  deformation  commonly  erases  most  if  not 
all  the  evidence  that  would  be  available  to  us  if  they  were  in 
their  original  state.  Not  only  is  the  depositional  history  very 
difficult  to  piece  together,  but  frequently  even  the  order  in 
which  the  rock  layers  were  formed  is  problematical.  This 
makes  it  difficult  to  correlate  the  rocks  from  one  area  to  an- 
other; and  so  to  build  up  an  idea  of  the  structural  disposition 
and  form  of  the  rock  masses.  However,  the  rocks  in  their 
transformation  have  within  them  many  data  relating  to  the 
stages  of  deformation  and  recrystallization  and  the  operation 
of  the  forces  which  caused  these  changes.  New  textures  and 
structures  imparted  to  the  rock  bear  a  systematic  relation  to 
the  overall  structure  of  an  area.  By  careful  recording  of  data, 
usually  obtained  by  microscopic  examination  of  numerous 
rock  samples  throughout  an  area,  it  is  possible  to  appreciate 
relationships  and  to  understand  the  geometry  of  the  internal 
structures.  Gross  structures  can  thus  be  interpreted  and  di- 
rections of  movement  of  the  rock  masses  which  produced  the 
structures  inferred;  it  is  even  possible  to  recognize  two  or 
more  stages  of  deformation  overprinted  in  the  same  rocks. 
The  perfect  cleavage  of  slate,  a  low  grade  metamorphic  rock, 
and  the  micaceous  foliation  of  schist,  a  higher  grade  rock 
type,  are  structures  which  are  imparted  to  the  rock  during 
metamorphism  and  have  nothing  to  do  with  layering  as  seen 
in  sedimentary  rocks.  It  is  such  structures,  and  others,  that 
are  studied  to  develop  relationships  and  interpret  the  defor- 
mation history.  Chemical  and  mineralogic  examination  of 
metamorphic  rocks  enables  us  to  differentiate  rock  masses 
into  differing  environments  of  alteration.  Deep  in  an  oro- 
genic structure,  pressure,  temperature,  and  the  a\ailability 
of  solutions  that  catalyze  reactions  are  variables  which  pro- 
duce different  products  from  essentially  the  same  initial  rock. 
The  occurrence  and  distribution  of  these  various  zones  also 
tell  us  much  of  the  dynamics  of  orogenesis  and  its  mecha- 
nisms, although  again  it  is  often  complicated  by  the  overprint- 
ing of  more  than  one  type  of  alteration  at  different  times  dur- 
ing the  total  history  of  the  belt.  Also,  of  course,  rocks  that 
have  been  through  one  cycle  or  orogenesis  may  be  incor- 
porated into  a  new  orogenic  belt  and  reworked.  In  the  Alps, 
the  geosyncline  which  later  gave  rise  to  the  Alpine  orogenic 
belt  formed  on  a  basement  of  an  older  Eurof)ean  mountain 
system,  called  the  Hercynian  orogenic  belt  (roughly  equiva- 
lent in  age  to  the  Appalachian  orogenic  belt  south  of  New 
York  State).  The  Hercynian  rocks  were  then  caught  up, 
deformed,  altered,  and  thrust  to  great  elevations  in  the  Alpine 


orogenesis.  In  this  way  portions  of  a  continent  are  made 
over,  in  some  areas  probably  several  times,  although  the  evi- 
dence of  earlier  episodes  becomes  lost  if  the  later  reworkings 
are  too  numerous  or  thorough. 

The  special  study  of  land  forms  and  their  mode  of  origin 
also  has  its  part  in  understanding  the  orogenic  process  both 
in  principle  and  in  a  particular  case.  Evidence  of  erosion 
surfaces  sheds  inuch  light  on  oscillations  of  the  land,  particu- 
larly in  the  areas  that  are  regarded  as  sites  of  active  orogenesis 
today.  Such  an  area  is  the  Indonesian  island  arc  of  the  West- 
tern  Pacific.  Here  many  geologists,  particularly  the  Dutch, 
have  collated  a  remarkable  amount  of  information,  often 
under  the  difficult  conditions  of  tropical  forest,  pertaining  to 
the  development  of  geosynclines,  geanticlines,  volcanism,  de- 
formation and  intrusive  activity  which  has  been  traced  over  a 
wide  area.  It  has  been  shown  that  the  history  of  an  orogenic 
belt  is  extremely  complex  and  that  the  zones  of  subsidence 
and  uplift  migrate  in  time  both  along  the  belt  and  at  right 
angles  to  it.  It  might  be  mentioned  here  that  the  data  made 
available  by  the  study  of  the  Indonesian  area,  which  is  still 
an  active  orogenic  belt  as  witnessed  by  the  numerous  volca- 
noes and  earthquakes  and  observable  recent  changes  in  levels 
are,  of  course,  supplemented  by  the  study  of  older  orogenic 
belts  which  have  been  worn  down  by  denudation  to  reveal 
the  deeper  structures. 

Radioactive  dating  is  proving  to  be  a  very  useful  tool  par- 
ticularly in  studying  the  relationship  of  the  old,  now  much 
denuded  orogenic  belts  of  a  billion  years  of  age  and  older. 
Here  the  evidence  is  so  obscured  by  the  complexities  revealed 
that  correlations  of  rocks  can  hardly  be  made  in  the  usual 
ways.  Dating  of  events  such  as  major  intrusions  and  meta- 
morphisms  in  the  various  belts,  however,  is  beginning  to  en- 
able us  to  decipher  the  relationships  and  ages  of  the  various 
belts  in  the  shield  areas. 

This  article  will  be  continued  in  subsequent  issues  of  the  Bulletin. 


Special  Exhibit 

ORCHID    SHOW 

November  20  and  21 

Hundreds  of  orchids — -fresh-cut  blooms  and  flowering  plants — 
will  be  on  display  at  the  Museum  November  TO  and  21  when 
the  Illinois  Orchid  Society  presents  its  annual  show. 

To  be  held  in  Hall  9,  the  display  will  also  include  an  exhibit 
showing  the  native  origins  of  many  of  the  species,  a  series  of 
paintings  of  orchids,  and  an  educational  exhibit  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Botany.  The  Society's Jilm  The  Secrets  of  Sewing 
and  Germinating  Orchid  Seeds  will  be  shown  during  the 
two-day  show. 


Pages     NOVEMBER 


HISTORY   To^.36      ^..,2 

MUSEUM     &ec0m4o*  4965 


Science 


o, 


'uR  correspondents  are  Dr.  Fred  M.  Reinman,  Assistant 
Curator,  Oceanic  Archaeology  and  Ethnology,  leading  the 
Marianas  Islands  Archaeological  Expedition,  on  Guam; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  S.  Street,  Field  Associates  in  Zoology, 
heading  the  Afghanistan  Expedition,  based  in  Kabul;  and 
Dr.  Alan  Solem,  Curator,  Lower  Invertebrates,  conducting 
the  South  Pacific  Field  Trip,  in  Western  Samoa. 

Housing 

Cinematic  expeditions  invariably  live  in  tents;  some  Mu- 
seum expeditions  do,  some  don't.  From  Dr.  Reinman,  Hous- 
ing is  practically  non-existent.  .  .  .  From  Dr.  Solem,  the  Casino 
Hotel  is  standard  Somerset  Maugham,  with  12  foot  ceilings,  slowly 
rotating  Jans,  lizards  scurrying  on  the  walls  and  ceilings,  three  inch 
roaches  on  the  floors  and  walls,  weather-beaten  exterior,  undoubtedly 
termites  .  .  .  accommodations  are  very  tight  here.  A  happier  note 
from  Mr.  Street,  A  perfect  camping  spot.  .  .  .  Each  time  we  say  we 
shall  never  find  a  spot  like  our  present  camp,  but  next  we  seem  to  get 
a  belter  one  still.  The  one  really  bad  camp  we  have  had  was  in  the 
Wakhan  Corridor.  It  was  very  dusty  and  had  no  trees,  but  there  we 
drank  water  Jrom  the  river,  good  cold  snow  water,  cool  and  safe. 

Red  Tape 

Although  the  authorities  are  generally  extremely  coopera- 
tive, on  occasion  mix-ups  occur,  and  sometimes  the  sad  real- 
ities of  the  Cold  War  touch  the  scientific  expedition.  Tou'll 
be  pleased  to  know,  writes  Solem,  that  I'm  accompanied  by  the  only 
officially  approved  illegal  entrant  into  Western  Samoa  oj  my  acquaint- 
ance. The  entry  visa  for  Mr.  Price  (a  New  Zealand  collector, 
assisting  Dr.  Solem)  was  not  provided  in  time  to  reach  him  in  New 
Zealand.  .  .  .  Red  tape  still  raises  its  ugly  head.  Despite  starting  in 
April  we  still  do  not  have  a  visa  to  Tonga  for  Laurie  Price.  I  am  now 
trying  the  cousin  oj  the  prince  who  is  the  favorite  nephew  of  Queen 
Salote  to  get  a  visa  for  him.  The  Street  Expedition  was  lucky 
enough  to  get  permission  to  enter  the  Wakhan  Corridor,  a 
thin  finger  of  Afghanistan  which  runs  between  the  Soviet 

Page  2     DECEMBER 


Union  and  Pakistan  and  barely  touches  on  China.  A  num- 
ber of  other  expeditions  were  refused  entry  into  the  area. 
The  Government  sent  an  escort  with  the  Streets:  The  Soviet 
border  is  no  more  than  25  or  50  yards  away  on  the  Oxus  River,  and 
we  go  alongside  it.  With  us  are  the  Colonel,  a  Major  Jrom  Faizabad 
and  three  or  Jour  soldiers.  When  Jan  (Mrs.  Street)  went  plant 
collecting  a  soldier  went  with  her.  Bob  Lewis  (expedition  ento- 
mologist) had  a  soldier  with  him  when  he  took  off  to  Jind  something 
in  the  valley  behind  us.  The  AJghans  are  taking  no  chances  oJ  our 
accidentally  causing  a  border  incident. 

Wild  Animals 

Lions,  tigers  and  crocodiles  are  fine  on  film,  but  the  real 
animal  enemies  are  somewhat  smaller.  From  Dr.  Reinman, 
The  bees  are  still  at  it.  Fve  been  tagged  six  times  since  the  last  letter, 
twice  yesterday,  and  my  arm  is  swollen  Jrom  wrist  to  elbow.  *  *  * 
Samoan  houses  offer  ideal  ventilation  and perjectjeedingjor  mosquitos. 
Europeans,  i.e.,  all  non-Polynesians,  are  expected  to  set  an  example,  so 
each  Wednesday  we  now  gulp  eight  hetrazan  tablets.  The  enemy 
may  not  only  attack  the  scientist,  but  even  his  subject :  at  low 
elevations  tiny  ants  seem  to  have  eradicated  the  land  snails,  as  in 
Hawaii  and  Tahiti.  Alas,  poor  endontodids,  IJear  you  may  be  gone. 
Sometimes,  the  enemy  is  even  smaller  than  that:  from  Mr. 
Street,  Most  everyone  has  had  a  touch  oJ  dysentery  .  .  .  Sulpha  really 
helps  to  knock  it  out  with  the  first  symptoms.  Cholera  is  still  present 
and  our  cook  has  been  sufficiently  impressed  so  that  our  tea  water  Jrom 
the  ditch  is  really  boiled. 

Transport 

Getting  there  is  not  always  half  the  fun.  A  scientist  must 
have  courage :  /  learned  that  Samoan  drivers  equal  the  Indian  cab 
drivers  in  Fiji — previously  my  nominees  Jor  the  world's  worst;  even 
a  touch  of  daring:  a  couple  oJ  the  sites  (on  Guam)  apparently  had 
never  been  seen  by  archaeologists.  In  one  oJ  these  areas  we  had  to  go 
over  afijlyjootjace  oJ  sheer  cliff  hand  over  hand  on  a  ^th  inch  manilla 
line  to  get  to  a  rock  Jail  we  could  climb  down.    It  was  the  most  in- 


and  the  silver  screen 

Addicts  of  late  evening  television  are  familiar  with  the  scientific  expedition  as  a  cliche  of 

Grade  B  adventure  and  horror  films.    They  know  that  in  the  search  for  knowledge,  the 

devoted    and  strikingly  handsome    scientists  must  undergo  appalling  dangers,  which  they  overcome 

with  great  fortitude  and  bad  acting. 

While  all  leaders  of  expeditions  for  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  are  strikingly 

handsome,  or  at  least  presentable,  we  have  long  felt  that  in  other  respects  the  cinematic  version 

of  the  scientific  expedition  presents  a  somewhat  distorted  picture.    From  the  letters 

and  reports  of  three  expeditions  presently  working  in  the  field  for  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum, 

we  have  compiled  a  composite  picture  of  the  actual  difficulties  and  joys  of  expedition. 

We  present  it  in  the  public  interest — and  to  set  the  record  straight. 


accessible  place  we  have  entered  yet,  and  even  so  we  found  pottery 
scattered  around.  .  .  .  Stamina  is  essential :  About  twenty  miles  west 
oj  Aqcha,  Afghanistan,  the  road  .  .  .  was  really  a  series  of  dust-cov- 
ered holes  in  which  the  car  would  drop  a  foot  on  one  side,  come  out 
of  it,  and  go  into  another  on  the  other  side.  .  .  .  When  promised 
means  of  transport  do  not  appear,  the  scientist  on  expedi- 
tion must  call  on  his  ingenuity  and  adaptability  to  save  the 
day:  This  morning  we  took  a  taxi  out  to  our  snail  collecting  sta- 
tions, as  usual.  When  all  else  fails,  desperate  steps  are  taken : 
Sunday  we  had  a  six  mile  hike  (fortunately  downhill),  since  every- 
thing in  Samoa  stops  as  completely  as  a  bible-belt  town  on  Sunday, 
and  where  on  a  weekday  there  was  a  car  a  minute,  we  saw  none  in 
two  hours.    Nice  crop  of  blisters,  too. 

Natives 

Museum  expeditions  are  luckier  with  the  inhabitants  of 
their  areas  than  their  screen  counterparts.  The  local  people — 
both  Guamanians  and  statesiders  working  here — have  been  very  help- 
ful. Some  of  them  have  done  wonders  in  terms  of  struggling  through  the 
boondocks  on  hikes  for  various  reasons  and  really  know  quite  a  bit 
about  the  island'' s  archaeology.  Locals  do  not  always  appreciate 
the  value  of  scientific  research:  Collecting  "sisi"  (snails) /or 
purposes  other  than  eating  them  is  beyond  reason  to  the  Samoans  .  .  . 
they  are  a  very  likeable  people.  Many  officials  go  out  of  their 
way  to  help  exf)editions.  A  commissioner  of  the  village  of 
Dawlatabad,  Afghanistan,  had  dinner  waiting  for  the  Streets 
after  they  finished  a  long  desert  journey:  In  a  courtyard  with 
the  moon  flooding  the  place  with  light  we  were  seated  on  cushions  on  a 
rug.  He  hadnU  realized  that  there  would  be  eleven  of  us,  but  soon  we 
were  all  eating  kebobbed  lamb,  eggplant  sauce,  rice,  fried  eggbread 
and  melon,  topped  of  by  tea.  When  it  comes  to  hospitality  we  West- 
erners cannot  hold  a  candle  to  the  officials  in  this  part  of  the  world. 

Weather 

The  rainy  season  has  set  in  on  Guam  with  all  its  fury  and  the  last 
few  days  have  found  us  looking  like  Japanese  stragglers  just  coming 


in  to  give  ourselves  up  after  twenty  years  in  the  jungle.  Much  too  wet 
to  take  pictures  or  do  more  than  scrawl  shorthand  notes  on  a  soggy  pad. 

*  *  *  Generally,  Kabul  has  been  enervating  for  Jan  and  me.  Dur- 
ing the  day  we  often  exhaust  our  capacity  and  can  do  nothing  but  sit 
and  try  to  cool  ojf  in  the  evening.  High  and  dry,  it  takes  a  toll  for  a 
while.  *  *  *  Rains  are  heavy  and  frequent  in  Samoa,  mildly  annoying 
when  light,  incapacitating  when  torrential  since  my  glasses  lack  wipers 
and  without  glasses  I  can't  see  the  snails.  Hot  and  wet  or  hot  and 
dry,  there  is  not  much  that  can  be  done  about  climate.  Only 
the  recollection  of  the  weather  they  have  left  behind  provides 
comfort :  /  think  we  have  gotten  as  used  to  the  heal  and  humidity  of 
Guam  as  our  genes  will  allow  and  therefore,  while  you  freeze  in  Chi- 
cago, we  just  go  on  looking  for  an  occasional  breeze.  *  *  *  91°  today 
in  Samoa,  with  the  usual  saturated  humidity.  I  would  feel  better  if  I 
could  read  of  a  blizzard  in  Chicago,  but  mail  only  comes  in  on  Sundays. 

The  End 

As  the  long  awaited  words  the  end  flash  on  the  screen, 
our  hero  has  found  the  lost  temple  or  exotic  animal,  has 
vanquished  disaster  and  gained  the  heart  of  the  young  lady 
(whom  we  forgot  to  mention).  Our  expedition  leaders,  hav- 
ing already  gained  the  heart  of  the  young  lady,  are  generally 
married  and  often  take  their  families  into  the  field.  Nor  is 
the  finish  of  a  real  exfjedition  so  conclusive:  months  of  diffi- 
cult and  painstaking  research  await  them  at  the  Museum,  as 
they  study  and  evaluate  their  finds.  But  the  excitement  of 
success  in  their  field  work  greatly  outweighs  the  minor  incon- 
veniences of  life  in  the  field.  Our  box  score:  2,010  specimens 
from  well  over  fifty  species  of  Afghan  mammals,  plus  thousands  of 
fleas  and  other  parasites,  botanical  specimens,  reptiles  and  amphibians. 

*  *  *  Although  cut,  battered  and  bruised  and  above  all  SOAKED, 
we  carry  on.  Gets  more  exciting  every  day  with  each  new  indication 
that  many  sites  on  Guam  remain  to  be  discovered.  Even  smaller 
results  are  important :  We  have  doubled  the  known  material  of  one 
new  endontodid  snail — we  have  found  the  second  specimen. 


DECEMBER     Page  3 


WHAT  do  I  do  in  the  Museum?  How  do  we  get  speci- 
mens? What  do  we  do  with  them?  and  why  do  we  have 
so  many?  These  are  the  questions  answered  by  the  new  ex- 
hibit of  five  cases  just  installed  in  Hall  13,  using  birds  to  illus- 
trate the  points.  In  one  form  or  another,  I  have  been  asked 
these  questions  many  times.  They  are  easier  to  answer  when 
you  are  talking  to  an  individual.  You  can  evaluate  your  lis- 
tener and  modify  your  pitch  until  you  see  you  are  getting 
across. 

A  satisfactory  answer  must  be  an  intellectually  satisfying 
one.  It  must  fit  into  the  questioner's  background  of  informa- 
tion and  his  way  of  thinking.  It  must  correlate  with  his  frame 
of  reference,  and  by  building  on  what  he  has,  enlarge  his  hori- 
zons. An  answer  in  different  terms  is  needed  for  a  research 
meteorologist,  a  college  teacher,  a  business  executive,  and  an 
intelligent  layman. 

To  answer  the  research  meteorologist  is  easiest,  for  he  is 
a  man  of  few  words  even  if  they  are  big  ones.  I  am  a  museum 
zoologist,  specializing  in  ornithology  and  using  specimens  in 
my  studies. 


The  college  professor  is  a  bit  more  complicated,  for  he 
likes  to  have  things  spelled  out  in  a  way  that  he  can  repeat 
to  his  class.  For  him  I  am  a  naturalist,  one  whose  studies 
center  around  information  to  be  read  from  sfjecimens.  Zoo- 
geography, speciation,  ecology,  and  behavior  are  my  sfjeclal 
interests.  In  these  fields  of  study  I  make  the  results  available 
to  students  by  publishing  them  in  journals  and  books,  and 
available  to  the  general  public  through  the  preparation  of 
exhibits — three-dimensional  displays  of  specimens,  art  work 
and  text. 

To  the  business  executive,  I  say  the  Museum  is  like  a  fac- 
tory of  knowledge  with  wholesale  and  retail  outlets.  The 
raw  material  is  specimens  from  field  and  forest,  and  our  notes 
made  while  collecting  this  material.  These,  along  with  in- 
formation in  books,  we  process  to  produce  new  information, 
or  to  reinterpret  old  information  in  new  ways.  This  we 
wholesale  in  the  form  of  scientific  papers  and  monographs, 
to  be  used  by  the  retailers,  the  teachers  and  writers  who  pre- 
pare lectures  for  college  courses  and  books  for  the  public. 
Some  information  we  prepare  for  the  retail  trade  ourselves. 


THE  FLOW  OF  INFORMATIOI 


Zoology's  newest  exhibit 


Austin  L.  Rand,  Chief  Curator,  Zoology 


Paged    DECEMBER 


in  books  and  articles  for  the  general  public.  Some  we  retail 
by  incorporating  it  into  exhibits  to  place  in  our  own  museum 
exhibition  halls,  which  are  seen  by  an  impressive  total  of 
1,500,000  visitors  annually. 

For  the  intelligent  layman,  the  best  answer  I  have  been 
able  to  devise  is,  "I  write  books  about  birds.  Other  curators 
in  Zoology  write  about  other  kinds  of  animals."  The  printed 
page  is  familiar  to  inost  people  and  this  gives  a  first  common 
meeting  ground.  From  this  it  is  easy  to  talk  about  the  speci- 
mens needed  to  supply  the  information;  the  Museum's  role 
in  providing  facilities  for  study;  the  ways  of  getting  specimens 
and  the  facts  and  ideas  to  be  secured  by  studying  specimens. 
Finally,  one  comes  to  the  ultimate  role  of  this  information 
which  will  affect  our  understanding  of  man  and  nature,  an 
understanding  that  becomes  increasingly  important  in  our 
complex  modern  world. 

To  explain  this  story  to  an  individual  is  one  thing.  To 
prepare  an  exhibit  to  convey  the  same  story  to  the  cross  sec- 
tion of  the  American  public  represented  by  our  million  and 
a  half  annual  visitors,  is  another.  The  exhibit  must  be  color- 


Exhibit  panel  showing  scientist  at  work  in  the  field 


ful,  intriguing  enough  to  attract  the  visitor,  and  interesting 
enough  to  hold  him.  The  story  should  be  told  simply  enough 
to  reach  the  completely  uninitiated,  yet  with  enough  intellec- 
tual content  and  artistic  merit  to  appeal  to  the  sophisticated. 
There  must  be  enough  diversity  in  material  and  approach  so 
that  there  is  something  for  everyone. 

With  these  as  our  guidelines,  we  have  prepared  the  story 
in  five  unit  cases.  We  have  given  it  the  running  title  of  the 
FLOW  OF  INFORMATION  to  indicate  that  the  information  comes 
from  animals  in  the  wild  that  are  brought  as  specimens  to  the 
Museum,  where  they  are  interpreted,  and  the  information 
finally  gets  to  the  public  by  way  of  various  books,  or  through 
exhibits. 

The  first  of  the  five  cases  simply  points  out  that  Zoology 
is  the  study  of  animals,  and  that  the  Museum  has  specialists 
in  mammals,  birds,  reptiles  and  amphibians,  fishes,  insects, 
and  mollusks,  each  group  illustrated  with  specimens.  Though 
each  type  of  animal  needs  different  specialized  techniques, 
the  basic  goal  of  the  specialist  in  each  is  the  same :  to  under- 
stand living  nature. 

The  second  unit  case,  labeled  expedition  and  using  birds 
as  examples,  shows  specimen-collecting.  A  curator  sits  at 
a  table  in  camp,  surrounded  by  his  equipment,  preparing 
specimens  and  writing  notes.  Finished,  dried  specimens  partly 
fill  an  open  trunk.  Real  objects,  replicas,  photographs,  sil- 
houette cutout  figures,  and  art  work  tell  the  story  one  way, 
while  the  story  is  also  outlined  in  another,  in  two  outsized 
pages  of  "comic  book"  type  cartoons. 

The  third  unit,  labeled  research,  shows  the  curator  in 
his  study,  bent  over  his  work  table,  with  his  material  and  ref- 
erence works  spread  out  in  front  of  him,  near  a  case  of  speci- 
mens. Actual  specimens  are  arranged  to  the  left  to  show  some 
of  the  puzzling  problems  that  have  been  solved  by  museum 
researchers.  On  the  stand  below  is  a  handwritten  manuscript 
and  a  typescript  that  have  been  used  in  a  book. 

The  fourth  case,  exhibition,  shows  how  exhibits  are 
made,  from  the  original  planning,  layouts,  pilot  models, 
through  art  work,  modeling  and  casting,  taxidermy  and  re- 
producing of  plant  material,  to  the  finished  specimens  and 
paintings.  This  provides  a  glimpse  behind  the  scenes  of  the 
sort  of  work  that  goes  into  the  exhibits  of  animals  in  Zoology 
exhibition  halls.  There  one  can  see  a  synopsis  of  the  various 
groups  of  animals  in  systematic  series,  and  also  these  animals 
in  habitat  groups  from  various  continents,  giving  windows  on 
the  world. 

Finally,  the  fifth  case,  communications,  shows  the  all- 
important  flow  of  information  from  book  to  book  to  people. 
The  dull  looking  scientific  reports  on  the  left  are  read  by  only 
a  few  people.  But  they  provide  the  scientific  basis  for  the 
more  popular  books  with  gaily-colored  jackets  in  the  center 
of  the  case,  books  read  by  the  many.  Ultimately,  some  of 
this  information  is  gathered  and  woven  into  theories  pub- 
lished in  readable,  philosophical  books  such  as  those  shown 
to  the  right.  From  these  theories  come  ideas  that  influence 
man's  thinking,  his  social  activities,  and  his  concept  of  him- 
self and  the  world  around  him.  Lastly,  the  newspapers  pub- 
lish items  about  nature  in  its  many  aspects,  giving  the  reading 
public  an  additional  opportunity  to  be  biologically  literate. 

DECEMBER     Page  5 


CHICAGO 
NATURAL 
HISTORY 
MUSEUM 


MUSEUM  NEWS 


This  month's  cover:  a  bronze  plaque  of 
a  King  of  Benin,  assisted  by  two  cour- 
tiers. From  Chicago  Natural  History 
Museum's  extensive  collection  of  objects 
from  Benin,  Nigeria. 


WINTER  JOURNEYS  FOR  CHILDREN 

Two  self-guided  tours,  especially  designed  for  the  holiday 
season,  await  yuletide  visitors  to  the  Museum.  One  directs 
visitors  to  exhibits  of  plants  and  animals  of  Biblical  times,  and 
the  other  introduces  children  to  the  new  winter  Journey, 
"Winter  Greens." 

The  new  Journey  takes  a  close  look  at  some  of  the  most 
familiar  plants  of  the  holiday  season — red-berried  holly,  firs, 
waxy  mistletoe — and  uncovers  some  fascinating  and  little- 
known  facts  about  the  greens.  Youngsters  and  their  families 
taking  the  self-guided  tour  will  learn,  for  example,  how  an 
animal  "plants"  mistletoe;  will  learn  of  some  unusual  by- 
products of  the  Christmas  tree,  and  discover  that  it  is  only 
the  female  holly  plant  that  produces  red  berries. 

Available  from  December  through  February,  the  new 
Journey  on  "Winter  Greens"  will  also  acquaint  visitors  with 
some  of  the  legends  and  lore  that  surround  these  holiday 
plants. 

Boys  and  girls  who  wish  to  answer  the  questionnaire  ac- 
companying the  Journey  will  receive  credit  in  the  Museum's 
Journey  Program. 


The  annual  self-guided  tour  of  "Bible  Plants  and  Ani- 
mals," available  from  mid-December  through  mid-January, 
takes  visitors  to  exhibits  linked  with  the  Scriptures. 

The  plague  locusts  that  caused  famine  many  times  in  the 
Bible  lands;  the  young  lions  described  so  vividly  in  the 
psalms;  and  the  camel,  are  a  few  of  the  animal  exhibits  to 
be  seen. 

Some  of  the  plants  featured  on  the  tour  have  now  all  but 
disappeared  from  Biblical  countries.  Among  these  are  the 
cedars  of  Lebanon,  the  magnificent  evergreens  which  fur- 
nished wood  for  the  Temple  of  Solomon.  Other  exhibits 
show  the  olive  tree,  date  palm,  fig,  and  grape. 

Direction  sheets  for  both  self-guided  tours  are  available 
at  the  Museum  entrance  doors. 

Page  6    DECEMBER 


PLAN  WATER  RESOURCES  CONFERENCE 

THE  urgent  problems  of  water  resources  and  use  will  be  ex- 
amined in  a  day  long  conference  entitled  "Water  Plan- 
ning, State  of  Illinois  and  Chicago  Metropolitan  Area"  to  be 
held  at  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  on  January  12. 
The  program,  sponsored  by  the  League  of  Women  V^oters  of 
Illinois,  is  divided  into  a  morning  session  on  National  and 
State  Water  Planning,  and  an  afternoon  session  on  Chicago 
Metropolitan  Area  Water  Planning.  Speakers  at  the  morn- 
ing session  will  include  Mrs.  Arthur  E.  Whittemore,  League 
of  Women  Voters,  on  "League  Accomplishments  on  the 
National  Water  Scene";  William  C.  Ackermann,  Chief  of 
Illinois  State  Water  Survey,  on  "Water  Resources  Planning 
in  Illinois";  Gene  H.  Graves,  Director,  Department  of  Busi- 
ness and  Economic  Development,  State  of  Illinois,  on  "Eco- 
nomic Advantages  of  Good  Water  Management." 

"Water  Resources  Management  in  the  Chicago  Metro- 
politan Area"  by  Dr.  Gilbert  White,  Professor  of  Geography, 
University  of  Chicago,  and  "Guidelines  to  Intergovernmen- 
tal Cooperation  in  Metropolitan  Water  Management"  by 
Matthew  Rockwell,  Executive  Director,  Northeastern  Illi- 
nois Planning  Commission,  will  be  the  topics  of  the  afternoon 
session. 

Admission  to  the  conference  is  free  but  reservations  are 
required  and  may  be  obtained  by  writing  League  of  Women 
Voters,  67  E.  Madison  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois,  60603. 


MUSEUM   HOSTS  CONCERT  SERIES 

THE  American  Woodwind  Quartet,  whose  members  include 
three  former  Chicago  Symphony  players,  inaugurated  a 
new  series  of  Indiana  University  faculty  and  student  concerts 
at  the  Museum  November  30. 

The  Beaux  Arts  Trio  will  present  the  next  program  in  the 
series  January  1 1 .  Composed  of  Menahem  Pressler,  piano; 
Daniel  Guilet,  violin;  and  Bernard  Greenhouse,  cello,  the  trio 
has  been  called  by  The  Washington  Post  "...  one  of  the  world's 
superlative  ensembles." 

Subsequent  programs  will  feature  the  Indiana  University 
Chamber  Singers,  March  8,  and  the  Indiana  University 
Opera  Theater,  April  19. 

All  programs  begin  at  8:15  p.m. 

The  Museum  will  send  free  tickets  for  the  concerts  to 
those  requesting  them  in  writing  before  each  performance. 
A  self-addressed,  stamped  envelope  should  be  included  with 
the  ticket  request. 


Dr.  Kusch 


HOLIDAY  SCIENCE  LECTURES 
FEATURE  NOBEL  PRIZE  WINNER 

DR.  POi.YKARP  KUSCH,  Nobcl  Prize  Winner  and  atomic 
physicist  from  Columbia  University,  will  be  speaker  at 
the  1965  Holiday  Science  Lectures  to  be  held  at  the  Museum 
December  28  and  29.  In  the  audience  will  be  approximately 
800  outstanding  science  students  from  Chicago  area  high 
schools  who  were  selected  for  the  two-day  series  by  their  school 
principals  and  science  teachers. 

Dr.  Kusch  will  present  four  illustrated  lectures  dealing 
with  the  developing  knowledge  of  the  electron,  one  of  the 
fundamental  particles  of  the  universe.  Title  of  the  lecture 
series  is  "The  Magnetic  Dipole  Moment  of  the  Electron." 
It  was  for  his  work  in  this  area  that  Dr.  Kusch  was  awarded 
the  1955  Nobel  Prize  in  Physics. 

Dr.  Kusch  will  also  discuss  the  general  environment  in 
which  physics  has  been  done  in  the  past  thirty  years,  tracing 
and  commenting  upon  some  of  the  very  startling  changes 
that  have  occurred.  A  question  and  answer  period  will 
follow  each  session. 

The  Museum  is  especially  pleased  that  Dr.  Kusch  will 
deliver  the  Holiday  Science  Lectures,  since  he  is  noted  for 
his  teaching  ability  as  well  as  for  his  scientific  research.  Con- 
sidered to  be  one  of  Columbia  University's  most  stimulating 
teachers.  Dr.  Kusch  received  the  "Great  Teacher  Award" 
from  Columbia's  Society  of  Older  Graduates  in  1959. 


The  Holiday  Science  Lectures,  now  in  their  fourth  year 
at  the  Museum,  are  sponsored  by  the  American  .-Xssociation 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science  in  cooperation  with  scientific 
institutions  in  major  cities  across  the  country.  The  entire 
Holiday  Science  Lecture  program  is  made  possible  by  a  grant 
from  the  National  Science  Foundation.  The  purpose  of  the 
program  is  to  bring  high  school  students  a  first-hand  report 
of  work  being  done  by  the  nation's  foremost  scientists. 

In  previous  years,  the  students  have  heard  Dr.  Rene  Jules 
Dubos,  microbiologist  and  pioneer  discoverer  of  antibiotics, 
who  is  Professor  at  the  Rockefeller  Institute  in  New  York; 
Dr.  William  A.  Fowler,  nuclear  physicist  from  California  In- 
stitute of  Technology;  and  Dr.  Francis  O.  Schmitt,  molecular 
biologist  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology. 

VERTEBRATE  ANATOMIST  JOINS  STAFF 

THE  Curatorship  of  Vertebrate  Anatomy,  vacant  since  the 
death  of  Dr.  D.  Dwight  Davis  early  this  year,  has  been 
filled  by  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Karel  F.  Liem  as  Assistant 
Curator  of  Vertebrate  Anatomy.  Dr.  Liem  is  Assistant  Pro- 
fessor of  Anatomy  in  the  College  of  Medicine,  University  of 
Illinois  in  Chicago,  and  will  continue  in  his  faculty  post.  The 
dual  appointment,  which  highlights  the  increasing  collabo- 
ration between  Chicago  Natural  History  Museum  and  the 
metropolitan  Universities,  will  allow  Dr.  Liem  to  maintain  a 
program  of  teaching  at  the  University  of  Illinois  and  conduct 
research  programs  at  both  institutions. 

Dr.  Liem  was  born  in  Java,  Indonesia,  and  gained  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Science  from  the  University  of  Indonesia  in 
1958.  He  received  his  doctorate  in  Zoology  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois,  Urbana,  in  1961  and  then  became  Assistant 
Professor  of  Zoology  at  the  University  of  Leiden,  The  Nether- 
lands, where  he  served  as  Acting  Head  of  the  Department  in 
1963.  He  joined  the  Faculty  of  the  University  of  Illinois  in 
1964. 

His  research  is  concerned  with  the  analysis  of  feeding  and 
respiratory  functions  in  the  air-breathing  and  sometimes  ter- 
restrial fishes,  including  the  lungfishes,  the  climbing  perch, 
and  the  mud  skipper.  These  fishes,  which  seem  to  be  evolv- 
ing in  the  direction  of  land  life,  may  provide  a  valuable  par- 
allel to  the  great  vertebrate  leap  from  water  to  land,  from 
fish  to  amphibian. 

Dr.  Liem  is  also  interested  in  sex  difTerentiation  in  fishes. 
An  Asian  air-breathing  fish,  Monopterus  albus,  is  invariably 
born  a  female,  according  to  experiments  by  Dr.  Liem,  and 
changes  to  a  male  at  two  and  a  half  years.  One  Florida  fish 
is  a  true  hermaphrodite,  with  the  ability  to  fertilize  its  own 
eggs.  The  genetic  and  evolutionary  problems  raised  by  these 
fishes  are  being  studied  by  the  new  Assistant  Curator. 

DECEMBER     Page  7 


Aid  to  Medical  Research 

MAMMALOGIST  REVISES 
MONKEY  GENUS 

DR.  JACK  FOODEN,  Associate  in  Mammals,  Department  of 
Zoology,  returned  recently  from  a  four-month  study  trip 
in  seven  European  countries.  He  measured  and  recorded 
observations  upon  more  than  two  thousand  specimens  of  ma- 
caque monkeys  in  1 5  European  museums.  His  trip  completes 
the  primary,  or  data-gathering  stage  of  an  intensive  taxo- 
nomic  revision  of  the  genus  Macaca,  a  genus  which  includes 
the  principal  species  of  monkey  used  experimentally  in  med- 
ical and  biological  research.  This  is  the  rhesus  monkey,  Ma- 
caca mulatta,  which  lives  in  India,  Pakistan,  Burma,  Thailand, 
North  \'ietnam,  and  China. 

The  genus  Macaca  contains  about  a  dozen  species  accord- 
ing to  the  most  recent  authorities,  and  all  but  one  of  the  dozen 
are  Oriental.  These  eastern  species  range  from  Kashmir 
2,000  miles  south  to  Ceylon,  from  West  Pakistan  3,500  miles 
eastward  to  Northern  Honshu,  Japan,  and  4,500  miles  south- 
eastward from  West  Pakistan  to  Timor,  Celebes  and  the 
Philippines.  Their  greatest  north-south  range  is  from  Hon- 
shu to  Timor,  which  is  50°  of  latitude.  The  one  western  spe- 
cies, Macaca  sylvana,  lives  in  Morocco  and  Algeria,  nearly 
4,000  miles  from  its  nearest  relative,  M.  mulatta,  and  extends 
the  geographic  range,  albeit  discontinuously,  to  more  than 
9,000  miles,  from  Timor  to  Morocco.  The  range  of  the  genus 
Macaca  thus  greatly  exceeds  that  of  any  other  living  genus  of 
primate  except  man. 

The  number  of  species  of  Macaca,  the  wide  geographic 
range  and  the  truly  immense  amount  of  knowledge  that  many 
kinds  of  research  have  yielded  on  the  one  species,  mulatta, 
would  in  themselves  make  this  taxonomic  revision  of  the  genus 
Macaca  one  of  much  importance.  Other  factors,  however, 
endow  this  study  with  a  sense  of  urgency.  One  factor  is  the 
growing  knowledge  of  the  importance  of  the  macaque  mon- 
keys as  reservoirs  of  diseases  affecting  mankind  and  trans- 
mitted from  monkey  to  man  by  biting  insects  in  the  sub- 
stantial part  of  the  earth  that  the  macaques  coinhabit  with 
man.  Another  factor  is  the  explosive  expansion  of  medical, 
behavioral,  anatomical,  and  other  federally-supported  re- 
search on  live  macaques  of  several  species.  For  this  research 
to  have  significance,  a  medical  scientist  in  field  or  laboratory 
needs  to  know  infallibly  the  species  of  macaque  his  research 
involves.  In  the  state  of  knowledge  oi  Macaca  existing  today, 
this  is  not  possible.  Dr.  Fooden's  study  of  the  great  suites  of 
specimens  available  in  the  larger  museums  of  the  world  today 
intends  to  close  these  knowledge  gaps  with  a  completeness 
never  possible  before. 

This  research  is  supported  by  a  Public  Health  Service 
grant  from  the  National  Institutes  of  Health  to  Chicago  Nat- 
ural History  Museum  where  Dr.  Fooden  does  his  research  on 
afternoons  and  weekends.  Dr.  Fooden  is  an  Assistant  Pro- 
fessor at  Illinois  Teachers  College — Chicago  (South). 


Lion-tailed  Macaque,  the  Indian  species  Macaca  silenus 


CHICAGO   NATURAL  HISTORY  MUSEUM 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1S93 

Roosevelt   Road  and   Lake  Shore  Drive  Chicago,   Illinois  60605 

Telephone:   922-9410 


THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


Lester  Armour 
Wm.  McCortnick  Blair 
Bowen  Blair 
Walter  J.  Cummings 
Joseph  N.  Field 
Clifford  C.  Gregg 
Samuel  Insull,  Jr. 


Henry  P.  Isham 
William  V.  Kahler 
Hughston  M.  McBain 
J.  Roscoc  Miller 
William  H.  Mitchell 
James  L.  Palmer 
John  T.  Pirie,  Jr. 


John  Shedd  Reed 
John  G.  Searle 
John  M.  Simpson 
Edward  Byron  Smith 
Louis  Ware 
J.  Howard  Wood 


OFFICERS 
James  L.  Palmer,  President 

Clifford  C.  Gregg,  First  Vice-President 

Joseph  N.  Field,  Second  Vice-President 
Bowen  Blair,  Third  Vice-President 

Edward  Byron  Smith,  Treasurer   and  Assistant  Secretary 
E.  Leland  Webber,  Secretary 

DIRECTOR  OF  THE  MUSEUM 
E.  Leland  Webber 

CHIEF  CURATORS 
Donald  Collier,  Department  of  Anthropology 

Louis  O.  Williams,  Department  of  Botany 

Rainer  Zangerl,  Department  of  Geology 

Austin  L.  Rand,  Department  of  Zoology 

THE  BULLETIN 

Edward  G.  Nash,  Managing  Editor 

Kathleen  Wolff,  Associate  Editor 


Page  8     DECEMBER