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The Museum is located on Central Park West from 77th Street to 81st Street and on 77th Street to Columbus Avenue. It may be reached as follows:
By Buses—8th Avenue or Columbus Avenue lines or 81st Street crosstown. By Subway—6th and 8th Avenue to 81st Street (Museum) station. 7th Avenue to 79th Street station. Lexington Avenue to 77th Street station. Take crosstown bus from East 79th Street to 81st Street and Central Park West.
The Main Entrance is on Central Park West at 79th Street. The South Entrance is on 77th Street. Telephone: ENdicott 2-8500.
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General Guide to the Exhibition Flalts of the
American Museum of Natural History
SCIENCE GUIDE NO. 118
LIBRARY
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Fifth Edition Published by
Division of Publications, Department of Education The American Museum of Natural History NEW YORK 24, N. Y.
1949
IMPORTANT NOTE TO VISITORS
As TuIs guide goes to press, the first of a number of changes in the halls of the Museum will be started. On November rst, 1948, the present Darwin Hall and the Hall of Forestry on the first floor will be closed to the public and work begun on the new halls of Forestry and Landscape which will occupy these areas.
Selected specimens from the extensive shell col- lection in the balcony of the Hall of Ocean Life will be incorporated into the invertebrate exhibits from Darwin Hall which will occupy that balcony.
The visitor will therefore find references in the fol- lowing pages to halls that no longer exist or that are temporarily closed to the public. Untul such a time as the new exhibits are completed, it is felt that these descriptions should remain, since many of these ma- terials will be used in the new halls. (Ed.)
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Table of Contents
MAP How TO REACH THE MUSEUM INSIDE FRONT COVER
THEODORE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL 6
GENERAL INFORMATION 10
BEHIND THE SCENES 14
ENTERING THE MUSEUM 14
INDEX TO FIRST FLOOR 16
INDEX TO SECOND FLOOR 17
INDEX TO THIRD FLOOR 18
INDEX TO FOURTH FLOOR 19
ASTRONOMY AND PLANETARIUM 20
GEOLOGY 24
HALL OF GEOLOGY AND INVERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY 24
HALL OF PETROLOGY 26 MINERALS AND GEMS 2
HALL OF MINERALS AND GEMS 29 GEOLOGY AND MINERALS OF NEW YORK STATE 31
PALEONTOLOGY 35
FOSSIL INVERTEBRATES 36
FOSSIL VERTEBRATES 38
FOSSIL FISHES 39
FOSSIL REPTILES 39
HALL OF JURASSIC REPTILES 41
CORRIDOR OF MARINE REPTILES 42
HALL OF CRETACEOUS REPTILES 42
HALL OF MONGOLIAN VERTEBRATES 45
FOSSIL MAMMALS 46
OSBORN HALL OF THE AGE OF MAMMALS (TERTIARY ) 46
OSBORN HALL OF THE AGE OF MAN (QUATERNARY ) 51
FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION 54
LIVING INVERTEBRATES 56
DARWIN HALL 56
CORAL REEF GROUP 62
PEARL DIVERS GROUP 62
GALLERY OF SHELLS 65
INVERTEBRATES OF NEW YORK STATE 67
INSECTS “i
HALL OF INSECT LIFE 67
INSECTS IN A SUBURBAN YARD 69
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LIVING FISHES HALL OF LIVING FISHES
LIVING REPTILES HALL OF LIVING REPTILES AMPHIBIA AND REPTILES OF NEW YORK STATE
LIVING BIRDS WHITNEY WING WHITNEY MEMORIAL HALL HALL OF BIOLOGY OF BIRDS GALLERY OF BIRD ART AUDUBON GALLERY BIRDS OF THE WORLD HALL HALL OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRD GROUPS LOCAL BIRDS
LIVING MAMMALS THE HORSE UNDER DOMESTICATION HALL OF NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS AKELEY MEMORIAL HALL OF AFRICAN MAMMALS
VERNAY-FAUNTHORPE HALL OF SOUTH ASIATIC MAMMALS
HALL OF NORTH ASIATIC MAMMALS OCEANIC MAMMALS
SYNOPTIC HALL OF MAMMALS MAMMALS OF NEW YORK STATE
MAN AND HIS ORIGINS HALL OF PRIMATES HALL OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MAN THE SKELETON FROM FISH TO MAN FAMILY TREE AND EARLY RACES OF MAN LIVING RACES OF MAN THE WOODLAND INDIANS THE PLAINS INDIANS INDIANS OF THE SOUTHWEST INDIANS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST ESKIMO CORRIDOR MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA INDIANS OF SOUTH AMERICA THE PACIFIC COLLECTIONS FROM PHILIPPINES AND MALAYSIA ASIATIC COLLECTIONS DRUMMOND COLLECTION OF JADE ASIATIC ETHNOLOGY HALL OF AFRICAN ETHNOLOGY
POPULAR PUBLICATIONS
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY:
BOARD OF TRUSTEES ADMINISTRATIVE AND SCIENTIFIC STAFFS
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ENTRANCE HALL ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL
The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial
THE Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, erected by the people of the State of New York in memory of the man whose name it bears, forms the main entrance to the Museum on Central Park West. Its graceful architecture follows a stately Romanesque design. Passing through the central archw ay the visitor steps into the great Memorial Hall. Above the marble mosaic floor, rise walls of cream colored marble and limestone extend-
ing to an elaborate Corinthian cornice over- arene by an octagonal coffered barrel-vault 100 feet above the floor. The central part of each wall is recessed and divided into three parts by two Roman Corinthian columns 48 feet high supporting the entablature. Three of ee recesses are adorned with great mu- ral paintings symbolic of the varied career of Theodore Roosevelt. On the walls, quotations
from his w ritings are given in bronze letters.
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MAIN ENTRANCE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL
The facade of the Memorial is adorned by four Ionic columns fifty-four feet high representing Boone, Audu- bon, Clark, and Lewis, pio- neers in the early explora- tion of our country. (Right) Sculptures of ani- mals in low relief decorate the base of the columns
(Above) Theodore Roosevelt stands over a Nubian lion and lioness. Several birds which completed the collections at the American Museum are included
(Left) Events in old Russian history are represented here through several historic per- sonages of the period before 1000 A. D. At the bottom are shown the ancestors of the Roosevelt family, their names being incribed above them. This and the opposite mural commemorate Roosevelt’s part in the Russo-Japanese peace treaty of 1905
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Murals in Roosevelt
NDS” OF JAPAN
(Above) In a tangle of gnarled trees, hemmed in by rocks, an African elephant is captured by a group of native hunters with shields and spears
(Right) Japanese spiritual be- liefs are here represented in the figures of various gods and goddesses and in the first historic Japanese emperor, descendant of the Sun God- dess. At the bottom are the
Veporigl ism
Hall
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General Lnformation
THE American Museum of Natural History is located in Manhattan Square and occupies most of the space between Central Park West, Columbus Avenue, 77th Street, and 8ist Street. The main entrances are on Central Park West, through the Roosevelt Memorial, at three levels: street, vehicle (drivew ay beneath the steps), and subway. There is also an entrance on West 77th Street (foot and vehicle, center of block), and one on Columbus Avenue, near 77th Street (foot). (See Frontispiece.)
The Planetarium may be entered from West 81st Street (vehicle and foot) and through the Museum. Cars may be parked at the curb on the streets surrounding the Museum square.
ADMISSION
There is no charge for admission except for the Planetarium. The Planetarium, which was constructed by Reconstruction Finance Corporation funds, is a self-liquidating pro- ject, and admission will be charged until the loan has been repaid.
The Museum is open to the public from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. daily except Sun- days, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, New Year's Day and July 4th, when it is open from 1:00 tO 5:00 P.M.
CHECK ROOMS AND GUEST SERVICES- INFORMATION DESKS The main check room is located at the right as one enters the main entrance on the first floor of the Roosevelt Memorial (carriage entrance). Coats and packages may be left here. Wheel chairs for children and adults are available free of charge. There is also a checking room at the left of the 77th Street entrance. There is no charge for checking. Information may be obtained at the check rooms and Guest Services-Information desks located on the main (second) floor of the Roosevelt Memorial, and in the 77th Street foyer. The latter is also the Education Bureau
for the registration of instructors and stu- dents and the convenience of Members de- siring guidance through the building by Masen instructors. informatie concern- ing the exhibits or lectures may also be ob- tained here. Announcements of lectures and meetings of societies held at the Museum may be obtained here free of charge.
MUSEUM BOOK AND GIFT SHOP The entrance to the Museum Book and Gift Shop is located near the 77th Street entrance to the Museum, adjacent to the elevators. Books on natural history and its allied subjects by Museum authors and others in good standing are for sale here, as well as postcards, souvenirs, and objects of interest to Museum visitors.
BULLETIN BOARDS The main bulletin boards are located at the right of Memorial Hall in the East Corridor, abean opposite the elevators and at the
77th St. Guest-Services Desk. Here programs ae lectures and meetings are displayed and also a directory to the exhibits on the various floors. Pictorial plans of the floors of the Museum are posted near the elevators and at convenient points throughout the Museum to aid in guiding the visitors to the various halls.
NOTE Due to constant rearrangements of exhibits in the halls, certain discrepancies may be noted at times between the arrangements in the halls and those in this volume. Various guide leaflets procurable at the Guest Ser- vices Desks and at the Bookshop will keep the visitor informed for the most part, while the most recent changes will be announced
on the bulletin bontde
SKETCHING AND PHOTOGRAPHING Artists and students are encouraged to draw from specimens on exhibit. Chairs may be had on application from the attendant. Amateur photographers may obtain permis- sion to photograph in the halls of the Mu- seum from the Guest-Services Desks. Pro- fessional photographers may obtain permis- sion from the Photographic Division of the Department of Education.
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GUIDING
Free Service: This is offered to New York City public schools and colleges and to Members of the Museum and their friends upon presentation of Members’ inscribed tickets. In order to secure a guide, an ap- pointment should be made in advance. Please state the day and hour desired, the number to be guided, and any special halls to be seen.
For appointments call ENdicott 2-8500, Extension 255.
Paid Service: This is provided for individ- uals not members of the Museum at 50 cents per hour for each person in a group. Mini- mum charge, $2.50.
Private and out-of-town schools may se- cure guide service at $5.00 per hour per class not exceeding 35 pupils.
CAFETERIA
(Index Plan, page 16, Hall 12, Basement) Convenient to the subway entrance in the Roosevelt Memorial Building is the Museum Cafeteria, which is operated as a Museum department for the accommodation of visi- tors. It is under the direction of a dietitian- manager.
The Cafeteria is open on all week days from 11:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. It is closed Memorial Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Breakfast and luncheon are served. There is also a sandwich counter and soda fountain.
CAFETERIA FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN
(Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 11, Basement)
A cafeteria in the Education Building caters
especially to school children and their -
teachers. Arrangements for using this cafe- teria should be made in advance. Call ENdi- cott 2-8500, Ext. 342, or write to Supervisor of Guest Services, Dept. of Education.
LIBRARY
(Take elevator to Fifth Floor)
The Library is located on the fifth floor of the Museum. It is devoted to works on natural history, exploration, and travel. It contains some 131,000 volumes, which com- prise not only the important periodicals of our own and foreign countries but also all
representative and standard works on zo- ology, physical anthropology, ethnology, prehistory, archaeology, geology, and pale- ontology. The collection on vertebrate pale-
ontology forms the Osborn Library of Ver- tebrate Paleontology, founded by President Henry Fairfield Osborn.
The Reading Room of the Library is also located on the fifth floor, and is open to the
ublic from 1o A.M. until 4 P.M. except on Sundays and holidays. The Library is also closed on Saturdays from June to September. Those interested in consulting the books and
periodicals are welcome to do so.
PUBLICATIONS The publications of the Museum fall natural- ly into two groups, technical and popular.
The technical publications, comprising the Bulletin, Anthropological Papers, Memoirs, and American Museum Novitates, contain information gathered by the various expedi- tions or derived from the study of material collected. The Bulletin contains the larger scientific papers, covering records of ex- plorations and collections of the Museum. The Anthropological Papers are devoted to researches in the study of man, supervised by the Museum’s Department of Anthro- pology. The Memoirs is an illustrated, quar- to-size, monographic series, issued from 1893-1926. The Novitates include the shorter scientific contributions, descriptions of spe- cies, etc., which demand immediate publi- cation. The Scientific publications are dis- tributed to libraries of scientific institutions and societies throughout the world, largely on an exchange basis.
The popular publications include Natural History Magazine, Junior Natural History (a children’s magazine), Guide Leaflets, Science Guides, Handbooks, and School Service Series. The purpose of all these publi- cations is to provide the public with accurate and interesting information in all fields of natural science.
Natural History is a copiously illustrated magazine containing articles of interest to the general public on exploration, primitive man, amateur science, nature photography, and the interpretation of the world of nature. It contains the stories of museum expeditions and describes interesting and noteworthy
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exhibits. It is distributed as a privilege of membership in the Museum, or on subscrip- tion. For information regarding subscription to Natural History and Junior Natural His- tory, inquire of the Membership Secretary, American Museum of Natural History, a7th Street and Central Park West, New York City.
The Museum’s popular Science Guides deal with exhibits of particular interest and other subjects. More than 1oo of these illus- trated booklets have been published, and new ones are constantly being prepared. The Handbooks, thirteen of Shick have been issued, deal vith themes related to the collec- tions rather than to the particular objects ex- hibited. They are frequently used as text- books.
A catalogue of the popular publications of the American Museum will be sent free on request. (Address: Man and Nature Publi- cations, American Museum of Natural History, 77th Street and Central Park West, New York 24, N. Y.)
An Annual Report is issued yearly.
EDUCATION BUILDING
Adjoining the West Corridor is the Bick- more Memorial Corridor, named in honor of Professor Albert S. Bickmore who inaugu- rated the work of the Museum with the schools. This leads to the Education Build- ing, a five-story structure which contains the exhibits, offices, and classrooms of the De- partment of Education.
The Department of Education includes in its services practically all of the public rela- tions work of the Museum. Intramuraliy it serves the public and private schools, col- leges, and other educational institutions, as well as many other adult and youth groups and individuals through lectures, demonstra- tions, guiding, and other contacts. Beyond this, information and materials are sent to thousands of persons throughout the United States and neighboring countries through portable museums, slides, motion pictures, and cased collections.
On the first floor is Education Hall (Index Plan, page 16, First Floor, Hall IL), which is used for important temporary exhibits and special gatherings.
On the second floor there is a /ecture hall, seating 200; one large classroom; the office of the Supervisor of Guest Services, with whom instructors make arrangements when planning to bring classes to the museum; the office of the Assistant Curator, who is in charge of the Teaching Staff and who should be consulted when guiding is desired; and the Audio-Visual Aids Center.
On the third floor are administration offices, Man and Nature Publications, and a teachers’ reference library.
On the fourth floor are the office of the photographic division, with the photo- graphic studios, and the motion picture di- vision, with the offices of the circulating film library; and the slide division.
MEMBERSHIP
Through its explorations, The American Museum of Natural History is bringing to- gether rare and valuable natural history coi- lections from all parts of the world. Through its exhibition halls, its lectures, its work with school children and its publications, the Museum is making these wonders of nature easily accessible. The growth of this work is in large measure dependent upon the con- tributions of friends. Membership receipts are applied directly to these purposes. There are approximately twenty-six thousand mem- bers, who believe that the Museum is doing a useful service to science and to education, and are contributing to this work.
The Trustees invite you to lend your sup- port by becoming a member.
Membership blanks may be obtained at the Education Bureau or Sales Booth, or from the boxes near the elevators.
Memberships may start at any time and will continue for a full year’s period.
The various Classes of Membership, with the sums they contribute, are:
Endowment Members $100,000 Benefactors 50,000 Associate Founders 25,000 Associate Benefactors 10,000 Patrons 5,000 Life Members 1,000 Fellows 500
Supporting Members (annually)
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Contributing members (annually) $50
Sustaining Members $ 25
Annual Members 15
Associate Members * 5
Associate Members of the American Mu- seum of Natural History enjoy the following privileges:
Current issues of Natural History—a pop- ular illustrated magazine of science, travel, exploration and discovery, published month- ly (except July and August), the volumes beginning in January and June.
_ A copy of the President’s Annual Report on request.
An Annual Pass admitting to the Mem- bers’ Room. This room is open every day in the year, is given over exclusively to Mem- bers, and is equipped with every comfort for rest, reading and correspondence.
Two Complimentary Tickets admitting to the Members’ Room for distribution by Members to their friends.
In addition to these privileges, Members of the higher classes, to which all friends of the Museum are eligible, enjoy the follow- ing: Phi Annual Pass admitting the Member and friends accompanying him to the Re- served Seat Section of the auditorium at Lectures for Members.
Two Single Admission Course Tickets to Spring and Autumn Series of Lectures for Members, to distribute to friends.
Two Single Admission Course Tickets to Spring and Autumn Series of Lectures for the Children of Members.
Current numbers of all Guide Leaflets, on request.
THE HISTORY AND WORK OF THE MUSEUM The American Museum of Natural History was founded and incorporated in 1869 for the purpose of establishing a Museum and Library of Natural History; of encouraging and developing the study of Natural Science, of advancing the general knowledge of kin- dred subjects, and of furnishing popular instruction. For eight years its home was in the Arsenal in Central Park.
The cornerstone of the present building in Manhattan Square was laid in 1874 by President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1877, the first section (South Central Wing) was com-
pleted, and on December 22, 1877, it was formally opened by President R. B. Hayes.
In 1880, the educational work with the schools was inaugurated by Professor Albert S. Bickmore.
The Museum building is one of the largest municipal structures in the city, and has cost to date approximately $16,000,000. The South Facade is 710 feet in length, and the present East Facade, on Central Park West, is 600 feet. When completed, the building is designed to occupy all of Manhattan Square.
The building is largely erected and main- tained by the City, through the Department of Parks. The Roosevelt Memorial section was the gift to the City by the State of New York as its monument to Theodore Roose- velt, and the Whitney Wing was erected jointly by the late Harry Payne Whitney and the City of New York. The Hayden Planetarium was financed by funds loaned by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation of the Federal Government. The annual City appropriation, known as the Maintenance Fund, is devoted to the care and upkeep of the building and the safeguarding of the col- lections.
The Museum is under the control of a self- perpetuating Board of Trustees, who give their services.
The scientific and educational work is carried on by some fourteen departments, each headed by a Chairman or Curator, under the leadership of the Director.
The funds through which specimens are purchased, exhibits constructed, explorations carried on, and scientific investigation con- ducted, are contributed by the Trustees, Members, and other friends. The scientific and popular publications of the Museum and the enlargement of the Library are also made possible through these contributions.
For the instruction of the public the halls of the Museum are devoted to the large series of exhibits which are described in this guide- book. These are supplemented by lectures and publications of a popular nature. On Wednesday and Saturday afternoons except from June through September there are special motion picture showings. An impor- tant course of evening lectures is given every Spring and Fall for the Members, also Satur- day morning courses of Science Stories for
Casa
children of Members. All lectures are illus- trated by lantern slides and motion pictures, many of which have been secured by Mu- seum expeditions.
Under the direction of the Department of Education of the Museum, extensive series of talks are given for the public school children of New York, and there are special showings of motion pictures on science, and social studies for students of high schools and col- leges. Series of talks on Museum activities also are broadcast by the Radio Division.
The larger audiences meet in the main auditorium of the Museum on the first floor (Index Plan, P. 16, First Floor, Hall 7). This hall is completely equiped with stereopticons and apparatus for projecting silent and sound motion pictures. A second hall, similarly equipped, is on the fifth floor of the Roose- velt Memorial, and additional rooms on the floors below are used for smaller groups.
Scientific Societies meet at the Museum regularly and a number of their lectures are of general interest.
The New York Academy of Sciences, the oldest scientific society in New York City, founded in 1817, has its headquarters in the Roosevelt Memorial Building (Index Plan, p- 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 12a). It offers to scientists interested in pure research a forum for the discussion of their problems from a technical standpoint, and opportunities for the publication of their results.
Behind The Scenes
THE fifth floor of the Museum is devoted to the administrative offices, the offices and laboratories of the scientific departments and the library. On this floor are the work rooms of the Department of Vertebrate Palaeont- ology, where the skeletons of fossil animals are prepared and mounted, and the labora- tory where the beautiful models of inverte- brates are made. These, like the other labora- tories, are of necessity not open to the public.
Scientific Laboratories and Study Collec- tions. On the sixth floor of the African Sec- tion are the well equipped laboratories de- voted to experimental biological research on problems of animal behavior and phys- iology. For experiments with animals such as tropical fish, a large greenhouse is located on the roof.
Most of the scientific study collections are on the fifth floor. These are for the benefit of investigators and to preserve the evidences and records of our vanishing animal life and of the life and customs of primitive peoples.
The vast majority of the Museum’s natural history specimens are in study collections,to protect them from deterioration and for ready accessibility to scientific investigators. A careful selection is made of objects of greatest educational value and these form the basis of the Museum displays in its exhibition halls.
Work Shops. An important part of the Museum not seen by the public comprises the work shops, located in the basement and provided with machinery of the most im- proved pattern. Here, among other things, are constructed the various types of cases used in the Museum. There is also a fully equipped printing establishment. In other parts of the Museum, also not open to the public, are the studios where the varied work of preparing exhibits is carried on by a large staff of artists and artisans. Here are cast, modeled or mounted the figures for the groups, while leaves and flowers are fash- ioned so accurately that they seem to grow and bloom. The latter are for accessories in the groups. Reptiles and amphibians are mounted and anatomical models of fishes are created in wax and other materials with pain- taking care.
Luntevr ine The Museum
FIFTY-EIGHT halls of the Museum cover- ing thirteen acres of floor space are now open to public exhibition. The visitor begins his journey through this immense treasure house
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of natural history from one of three direc- tions: through the Roosevelt Memorial (see pages 6-8), through the Planetarium (see page 20), or through the South, or Seventy- seventh Street Entrance, which will now be described. A glance at the frontispiece will enable the visitor to get his bearings.
SOUTH ENTRANCE ARCHWAY
Under the arch on Seventy-seventh Street, before entering the Museum doorway, may be seen the Bench Mark established by the United States Geological Survey in 1911, on which are inscribed the latitude and longitude, 40°46’47.17” N., 73°58’41” W., and height above sea level, 86 feet.
On the right is a Glacial Pot Hole from Russell, St. Lawrence County, New York, formed by an eddy in a stream beneath the melting ice of the glacier that once covered northern New York State. Pebbles, whirling around the eddy, cut and ground this hole, which is two feet across and four feet deep.
Glacial Grooves. On the left, is a large slab of fossiliferous limestone from Kelly Island in Lake Erie, near Sandusky, whose surface has been smoothed, grooved, and scratched by the stones and sand in the bottom of the vast moving ice sheet that covered north- eastern North America during the Glacial epoch.
On either side of the archway are the two largest beryl crystals ever quarried. They were cut in Albany, Maine. These hexagonal crystals show the typical aquamarine color in their clearer portions.
MEMORIAL HALL
(Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 2)
One enters Memorial Hall, through the lobby from the South Entrance. In this hall
are placed temporary exhibits of current interest. Many of these exhibits represent research in various departments of the Mu- seum and recent results of exploration by Museum expeditions. The walls of this ro- tunda display the famous Covarrubias maps of the world which show the distribution of primitive art, natural resources, etc. Attrac- tive reproductions of these maps can be purchased at the Bookshop, which is sit- uated near this hall.
EXPLORATION AND GEOGRAPHY
Exhibits showing equipment of polar ex- plorations made in cooperation with the Museum are located in the corridor leading to the elevators. (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 2b).
Here are sledges with which Peary (1909) and Azzundsen (1911) reached the North and South Poles, respectively; also souvenirs of the Ammumdsen-Ellsworth expeditions of 1925 and 1926. Maps of the Polar Regions show the routes of various explorers and the polar air flights.
In a room at the left end of this corridor is the large Mainka seimograph for recording earthquakes. This was presented to the New York Academy of Sciences by Emerson McMillin, and recently donated to the Mu- seum by the Academy.
Lindbergh Plane. Another exhibit of his- torical interest for scientific exploration, now in the Hall of Ocean life (Index Plan, p- 16, First Floor, Hall 10), is the airplane flown by Charles and Anne Lindbergh “north to the orient.” This plane later took them by way of Greenland to Europe, thence down to Africa, across to Brazil, and up the At- lantic Coast to New York, a total distance of 30,000 miles.
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EDUCATION HALL TEMPORARY EXHIBITS
ELEvatoR a
EXHIBITS 1
A Za / 7
NORTHWEST COAST INDIANS
ESKIMOS
FIRST FLOOR
The Index Plans on the four following pages will enable the visitor to locate the various exhibition halls -described in this guide. In the list beiow, the Arabic numerals refer to the Hall Num- bers in the plan.
g AUDITORIUM
N. AMERICAN MAMMALS
13 MEMBERSHIP OFFICE
ROOSEVELT ELEVATORS
PLANETARIUM
EXTRANCE TO PUANFTAR WS
EXHIBITS
I Pe Re Ne RE,
ANTHROPOLOGY. Halls 1, 4, 6, 7a, and 8. (See also Second Floor, Halls 4, 6, and 8; Third Floor, Halls 4, 6, and 8; Fourth Floor, Halls 6 and 8.)
AUDITORIUM. Hall 7. (See also smaller lecture rooms, Second Floor, Hall 11; Third Floor, Hall 12a; Fifth Floor, Hall 12a).
BIRDS (BIOLOGY OF). Hall 19. (See also Second Floor, Halls 1, 2, and 19; Third Floor, Hall 1; Fourth Floor, Halls 12a and 19.)
BIRDS, LOCAL. Hall 12a.
BOOK SHOP. Halls 2 and 2b. (See also Sales Booth, First Floor, Hall 18.)
CAFETERIA. Hall 12 (Basement). For teachers and children: Hall 11 (Basement).
CHECK ROOMS. Halls 2 and 12
CORAL REEF GROUP. Hall to.
DARWIN HALL. Hall 5.
EDUCATION BUREAU. Hall 2.
ELEVATORS. Halls 12a and 2b.
(Vestibules).
ESKIMOS. Hall 7a.
FISHES. Hall 9. (See also 12a.)
FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION. Hall 3.
INDIANS. Halls 1, 4, 6, and 8. (See also Second Floor, Halls 4, 6, and 8.)
INVERTEBRATES (LIVING). Halls 5, 10, and 12a. |
LINDBERGH PLANE. Hall to.
MAMMALS (LIVING). Halls 10, 12, 12a, and 13. (See also Second Floor, Halls 3, 5, 9, and 13; Third Floor, Halls 2, 3, and 13.)
PLANETARIUM. Hall 18. (See also Second Floor, Hall 18.) Automobiles reach the front entrance of the Planetarium from 81st Street.
POLAR EXPLORATION. Hall 2b.
SEISMOGRAPH. Between Halls 1 and 2b.
SUBWAY. Hall 12a (Basement).
TEMPORARY EXHIBITS. Halls 2 and 11.
TREE OF LIFE. Hall 5.
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EXPLORATION EXHIBITS
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INFORMATION
ENTRANCE -
AFRICAN MAMMALS. Hall 13. (See also Third Floor, Hall 13.)
AKELEY AFRICAN HALL. Hall 13. (See also Third Floor, 13.)
ANTHROPOLOGY. Halls 4, 6, and 8. (See also First Floor, Halls 1, 4, 6, 7a, and 8; Third Floor, Halls 4, 6, and 8; Fourth Floor, Halls 6 and 8.)
ARCHAEOLOGY. Halls 4 and 6.
ASIATIC MAMMALS. Halls 5 and 9.
BIRDS. Halls 2, and 19. (See also First Floor, Halls 12a and 19; Third Floor, Hall 1; Fourth Floor, Halls 12a and 19.)
EDUCATION. Hall 11. (See also First Floor, Halls 2 (Vestibule) and 11 (Temporary Exhib- its); Third Floor, Hall 11; Fourth Floor, Hall 11.)
GOLD ORNAMENTS. Halls 4 and 8.
INFORMATION DESK. Hall 12. (See also First Floor, Hall 2.
LECTURE ROOM. Hall 11. (See also First Floor, Hall 7; Third Floor, Hall 12a; Fifth Floor, Hall 12a.
MAMMALS (LIVING). Halls 5, 9, and 13. (See also First Floor, Halls 10, 12, 12a, and 13; Third Floor, Halls 2, 3, and 13.)
MEXICAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN INDIANS. Hall 4.
NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS. Hall 3. (See also First Floor, Hall 13.)
PANDA, GIANT. Hall 5.
PLANETARIUM. Hall 18. (See also First Floor, Hall 18.)
SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. Hall 8.
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77th St. ELEVATORS Le
AFRICAN ANIMALS. Hall 13.
AFRICAN NATIVES. Hall 8.
AKELEY AFRICAN HALL Hall 13.
AMPHIBIANS. Hall 9.
ANTHROPOLOGY. Halls 4, 6, and 8. (See also First Floor, Halls 1, 4, 6, 7a, and 8; Second Floor, Halls 4, 6, and 8; Fourth Floor, Halls 6 and 8.)
APES, MONKEYS, and LEMURS. Hall 2.
ASIATIC NATIVES. Hall 8.
BIRDS. Hall 1. (See also First Floor, Halls 19 and 12a; Second Floor, Halls 1, 2, and 19; Fourth Floor, Halls 12a and 19.)
COMPARATIVE ANATOMY. Hall 4.
EDUCATION. Hall 11. (See also First Floor, Halls 2 (Vestibule) and 11; Second Floor, Hall 11; Fourth Floor, Hall 11.)
(BALCONY).
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INSECTS. Hall 5. (Also First Floor, Hall 12a.)
JUMBO SKELETON. Hall 3. ~
LANTERN SLIDES. Hall 11.
LECTURE ROOMS. Hall 12a. (Also First Floor, Hall 7; Fourth Floor, Hall 12a; Fifth Floor, 12a.)
MAMMALS (LIVING), BIOLOGY AND EV- OLUTION OF. Halls 2 and 3; Akeley Hall Gal- lery, Hall 13. (See also First Floor, Halls 1o, 12, 12a, and 13; Second Floor, Halls 3, 5, 9, and 13; Fourth Floor, Hall 2a.)
PETROLOGY. Hall 7a. (See also Fourth Floor, Hall 1.)
PRIMATES. Hall 2.
REPTILES (LIVING). Hall 9. (See also First Floor, Hall 12a; Basement, Hall 12.)
WHALE MODEL. Hall 3. (See also First Floor, Halls to and 12a.)
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— & SOUTH SEA NATIVES § PHILIPPINE ISLAND NATIVES
“MINERALS- GEMS G_ = « sHORSES
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ROOSEVELT ELEVATORS
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DINOSAUR} TRACKS
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ANTHROPOLOGY. Halls 6 and 8. AUDUBON ART EXHIBIT. Hall 12a. BIRD ART GALLERY. Hall 19. CAMEL, EVOLUTION OF. Hall 3. DINOSAURS. Halls 5, 9, 12a, and 13. DRUMMOND COLLECTION OF JADE. Hall 6. EDUCATION. Hall 11. (See also First Floor, Halls 2 (vestibule) and 11 (temporary exhibits) ; Second Floor, Hall 11; Third Floor, Hall 11.) ELEPHANTS, MAMMOTHS, MASTODONS. Hall 2. FISHES (FOSSIL). Hall s. FOSSIL EXHIBITS: FISHES. Hall 5. INVERTEBRATES. Hall 1. MAMMALS. Halls 2 and 3. REPTILES. Halls 5, 9, 12, and 13. GEMS AND MINERALS. Hall 4. GEOLOGY. Hall 1. (Also Third Floor, Hall 7a.) HORSE, EVOLUTION OF. Hall 3. HORSES, (MODERN, INCLUDING FAMOUS
— : SIC DINOSAURS
RACERS). Hall 2a.
INVERTEBRATES (FOSSIL). Hall 1.
JADE, DRUMMOND COLLECTION. Hall 6.
LECTURE ROOM. Hall 12a. (See also First Floor, Hall 7; Second Floor, Hall 11; Third Floor, Hall 12a; Fifth Floor, Hall 122.)
LIBRARY. Take elevator (Hall 12a or 2b) to Fifth Floor.
MAMMALS (FOSSIL). Halls 2 and 3.
MAN, ORIGIN OF. Hall 2. (See also Third Floor, Hall 4.)
MINERALS AND GEMS. Hall 4.
MOTION PICTURES (SOUND AND SILENT FILMS FOR CIRCULATION). Hall 11.
NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. Hall 12a.
PHILIPPINE NATIVES. Hall 8.
PREHISTORIC ANIMALS. Halls 2, 3, 5, 9, 12a, and 113.
REPTILES (FOSSIL). Halls 5, 9, 12a, and 13.
SOUTH SEA NATIVES. Hall 6.
[19]
LHAULS 4819 LSUM
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HAYDEN PLANETARIUM AT NIGHT
Astronomy and Planetarium
(Index Plan, pp. 16-17, First and Second Floors, Hall 18)
THE Hayden Planetarium, with its main entrance on Eighty-first Street and Central Park West, constitutes the Museum’s Hall of Astronomy. The principal feature of the building is the projection instrument. In- stalled in the centre of a hemispherical dome seventy-five feet in diameter, this amazing instrument is made up of a series of projec- tors which throw on the artificial sky the fixed stars, the sun, moon, planets, and the Milky Way. Since there are no pillars to intercept the light, the illusion of the depth of space is perfect.
Plans for an astronomy section of the Mu- seum were first developed in 1925 by the late
Howard Russell Butler, in collaboration with the Museum staff and the architects, Trow- bridge and Livingston.
In the spring of 1933 the Trustees of the American Museum formed a separate cor- poration under the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to construct and equip such a planetarium. Mr. Charles Hayden of New York, after whom the building is named, generously donated both the projection planetarium instrument and the Copernican planetarium on the first floor.
The sky shows are scheduled as follows:
Weekdays: 2:00, 3:30, 8:30 P.M.
Saturdays: 11:00 A.M., 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 8:30 P.M.
Sundays and Holidays: 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 8:30 P.M.
Admission (including tax):
Mornings and afternoons $ .65 Evenings 95 Children under 17 yrs. of age, at all times .40 Groups of 25 or more children _.30 each
[20]
THE SUN GOD PURSUES THE MOON GODDESS ACROSS THE SKY. Mural painting by Charles R. Knight
As the visitor enters the first-floor cor- ridor he sees opposite the entrance -a large mural painting by Charles R. Knight, based on astronomical ‘legends and myths of the American Indians. The myths represented were selected from the Biackfoot Indians. The central figure depicts the Sun God pursuing the Woon Goddess across the sky. In the upper right may be seen the Pleiades as conceived by the Indians, and in the upper left the Big Dipper and the North Star. On a mountain in the lower left corner sits the Ancient or Original Man sending the little animals down below the water to bring up mud out of which he makes the world, in accordance with a wide-spread creation legend.
On the second floor of the Planetarium are hung the astronomical paintings of the late Howard Russell Butler, of Princeton, the most striking of which are the three eclipse subjects over the south-east entrance to the Planetarium dome representing eclipses ob-
served in 1918, 1923, and 1925, in Oregon, California, and Connecticut respectively.
Notable also among Mr. Butler’s paintings is the strange and beautiful “Lunar Land- scape,” showing the sky as it would appear from the surface of the moon, with the earth as a heavenly body shining in the distance. The two paintings of the red planet Mars, as seen from its inner and its outer moons, Shas the so-called canals and other surface fea- tures. The exquisite painting of the Northern Lights as seen in August, 1919, from the coast of Maine, is one of the most beautiful of all astronomical paintings.
On the first floor is the Hall of the Sun, with its animated model of the solar system, forty feet across. Here we see the sun and six of the nine known planets—part of that family of heavenly bodies to which our earth belongs—as though we were view ing them asm a great distance, from far out in space.
In the center of the circular room, sus- pended from the ceiling, is a large luminous
[21]
globe representing the sun itself. At increas- ing distances from this are the small globes of those planets nearest the sun: little Mer- cury, closest of all; Venus, veiled by a dense layer of bright clouds; Earth, with its seas and continents and its peren daar moon; Mars, long disputed as a possible abode of life: Jupiter, the giant planet, bigger than all the rest rolled together; and Saturn, surrounded by its unique and beautiful rings.
The miniature worlds of this complicated machine not only revolve about the sun but rotate on their axes as the real planets rotate, moving always at the correct relative speeds.
The three planets farthest from the sun, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, are not included in the apparatus because of their enormous distances.
Before each sky show in the planetarium dome, a preliminary talk is given in the Hall of theSun. This talk is arranged to prepare the audience for the show they will see later up- stairs. Each month it is changed to relate the planetary motionstothesubject of the month.
The floor of the Hall of the Sun is enriched by a reproduction in terrazzo by Victor Foscato of the famous Aztec Calendar Stone in Mexico City, The original symbolizes the Sun which was, to the Aztecs, the most im- portant of the heavenly bodies adored by them, and commemorates the four past epochs of the world and the one in which they lived. A cast of the original is to be found in the Mexican Hall on the second floor of the Museum. |
The projection apparatus itself is installed on the second floor. It is shaped like a huge dumb-bell about twelve feet long, at each end of which is a large globe. These two globes contain the projectors of the fixed stars, one globe for the northern hemisphere of the sky, the other for the southern. Lan- tern slides so shaped that their images fit together when projected on the dome, make a complete picture of the starry heavens without overlapping and without gaps.
The representation of the fixed stars, in- cluding the Milky Way, is a comparatively simple part of the performance of the in- strument, and yet it is certainly the most
impressive. When the light is gradually dimmed, bringing: on the darkness the stars are “turned on,” giving a realistic illusion of the starry heavens.
The projection of the stars is controlled by a switchboard arranged like a desk-top with switches reminiscent of organ-stops. These turn the stars on and off. On the verti- cal part of the board are rheostats controll- ing the brightness of the stars and other celestial objects. With this instrument before him, the lecturer has over two thousand com- binations at his command.
The apparatus has several different speeds, all many times faster than the real motions. This makes it possible to condense a very long astronomical story, so as to give in a few minutes a clear understanding of the seemingly intricate workings of the heavenly bodies.
The American Museum of Natural His- tory collection of meteorites exhibited in the first floor corridors of the Planetarium is one of the largest in the world, comprising many specimens from huge masses like the Ahnighito (Greenland) meteorite, weighing 36% tons, the largest meteorite in any mu- seum, to thousands of small specimens like gravel comprising the study collection.
Meteorites are those extra-terrestrial bodies which fall to the earth from outer space. They consist of stone or metal, or a combination of these materials, and vary in size from dust particles to immense masses weighing tons. When passing through the earth’s atmosphere these celestial objects are usually accompanied by manifestations of light and sound, and are known as shooting stars, meteors or fireballs. The term meteorite is applied only after they reach the ground and form a part of the earth.
Also in the first floor corridor is a remark- able collection of sun-dials, compasses, and astronomical instruments. This fine loan col- lection covers almost the entire range from ancient Chinese instruments through the fine metal instruments made in the middle-cen- turies in France and Germany, down to the very accurate compasses which play such an important part in modern navigation.
[22]
THE GREAT PROJECTION INSTRUMENT IN THE HAYDEN PLANETARIUM.
This is the principal feature of the Planetarium building. Through its means the illusion of the
heavens with the fixed stars and planets, following their apparent paths through the sky, is thrown upon a dome-shaped ceiling
Geology
(Index Plan, pp. 18-19, Third Floor, Hall 7a; Fourth Floor, Hall 7)
The geological exhibits in the Museum are found in the Hall of Geology and Inverte- brate Paleontology on the fourth floor, and on the third floor in the Hall of Petrology and Economic Geology.
Geology is the science of the past and present conditions*of the earth. It enters in- to a consideration of the materials compos- ing the earth, their composition, structure, distribution, and the physical changes they have undergone or may be undergoing. It deals with minerals and their arrangement and association in rocks and ores. It considers the occurrence, distribution, origin and his- tory of the principal kinds of rocks, namely: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. It especially treats of the order of deposition and sequence of the stratified beds of rock, for these, together with the fossils found in many of them, give not only a chronological account of the events in the development of the earth’s crust, but reveal the succession of life forms on the earth. The processes and agents at work within and on the surface of the earth, tending to modify it, such as rock weathering, underground waters, glaciation, diastrophism, vulcanism, metamorphism and gradation, are acting to-day and have been throughout the history of the earth.
The three principal branches of geology are: (1) Structural geology, treating of the form, arrangement and internal structure of rocks; (2) Dynamical geology, dealing with causes and processes of geologic change; (3) Historical geology, which, aided by other sciences, aims to give a chronological ac- count of the events in the earth’s history.
GEOLOGIC EXHIBITS IN THE: HALE OF GEOLOGY AND INVERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 1)
To illustrate the three principal branches of geology, pictorial models of fifteen areas
within the United States have been installed. These show the most evident and striking results of geologic forces acting through long periods of time.
Beginning at the left near the entrance, they are as follows: 1. The model of the Bright Angel section of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Arizona, illustrated on page 27. 2. A model of the Niagara Falls region, built to the same scale as the Grand Canyon, showing the falls and the seven-mile gorge which its waters have cut in ancient sedi- mentary rocks, and also the more recent glacial deposits covering the surface. 3. The Potomac River section, showing the Appalachian Mountain type of folding and erosion, with rivers adjusted to the softer rocks of Silurian and Devonian age. 4. The Van Horn, Texas, region, featuring fault block structures and a bolson basin—a depression nearly enclosed by mountains. 5. Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, including the geyser basins and the Rocky Mountain type of topography. 6. The Pike’s Peak, Colorado, model, show- ing the mountain, composed of red granite, and the bordering stratified deposits of the Great Plains near Colorado Springs. 7. The Caldera of Mt. Mazania, five miles in diameter and two thousand feet deep, which has been made a National Park and has be- come famous under the name Crater Lake. Numerous outpourings of lava suggest the structure and history of the ancient volcano. 8. The Standing Stone district near Mon- terey, Tennessee, showing normal subaérial erosion and the production of sink holes in horizontally disposed beds of limestone and shale.
Continuing on the opposite side of the hall are the following models: 9. The Mt. Tom-Mt. Holyoke district of western Massachusetts, showing a great trough, traversing the ancient crystalline rocks, which was filled with the sands, muds and intruded lava flows in Triassic time. 10. The Watkins Glen-Seneca Lake district of central New York State, showing moraine deposits and other features due to the ad- vance and retreat of the continental ice sheet over a region of horizontally bedded lime- stone, sandstone and shale. In the background
[24]
THE ERUPTION OF MT. PELEE ON THE ISLAND OF MARTINIQUE. This was one
of the most destructive eruptions known in history. It took place in the year 1902 and completely
destroyed the city of Saint Pierre causing the death of 30,000 inhabitants. From a painting in the Hall of Geology
appears a representation of the retreating ice- front of the last glaciation. 11. The Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, region, showing typical glacial cirques and other glacial phenomena in an area of crystal- line rocks. 12. The picturesque Yosemite Valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, with U-shaped glaciated valley bottom and pre- cipitous marginal walls. 13. The San Francisco, California, model, exhibiting a portion of the Pacific Ocean, the Coast Range with volcanic and sedimentary rocks, the California trough or inner low- land with plains bordering San Francisco Bay, and the famous strait, Golden Gate. 14. The New York City model, showing the Hudson River estuary; the crystalline re-Cambrian rocks on Manhattan Island to the north and east; the Triassic rocks west of the Hudson, which include red sandstone, shale and conglomerate, the Palisades diabase and the Watchung basaltic ridges; also the
glacial drift and terminal deposits on Long Island, on Staten Island, and in New Jersey. 15. The last model in this series is one of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, showing a narrow submerged platform and neighbor- ing vast oceanic “deeps.”
Facing the entrance of the Hall is a geo- logical relief model of the Jower Hudson River region from New York City nearly to Albany.
In each of the eight alcoves on the west side of the hall is placed a model showing a stage in the geographic development of the North American continent. Those repre- sented fall within the following geologic periods: Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Permian, Cretaceous, Eocene and Pliocene. The present known surface, evi- denced by outcrops of fossiliferous rock of the age represented, is shown in black. From this and other data the extent of the ancient epicontinental seas has been determined and the shore-lines marked. The present oceanic
[25]
depths are shown in relief, while the various marine basins and elevated land masses on the continent are marked with colors with- out relief. The present outline of North America, shown on each model, indicates that the geography during the first six periods was quite different from that of to-day.
At the rear of the hall, to the right, is the Copper Queen Mine exhibit. A large model, 18 by 12 feet, shows on a miniature scale the surface features and buildings over four of the principal mines belonging to the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company of Bisbee, Arizona, while a painted background represents the surrounding mountains and the town of Bisbee. The sides of the model give vertical sections to the depth of about 1,200 feet, illustrating the geology of the area and showing the general manner of getting out the ore and hunting for new deposits.
Specimens of ore, minerals and rocks from the mine and the adjacent country illustrate the geology of the region, including velvet malachites and a great block of malachite and azurite weighing about three tons taken from the original “Queen” mine.
Opposite the Copper Queen exhibit is a display of caves and cave material, including a reproduction of part of a beautiful cave discovered at the Copper Queen mine. It was formed by the dissolving action of water traversing joints in limestone, and its walls, roof and bottom were afterward coated with incrustations, stalactites and stalagmites of calcite, some of which are dazzlingly white while others are colored green with copper salts or pink with manganese compounds.
Near by is a reproduction of a chamber in Grand Caverns, Virginia. Here the heavy rainfall of the region is probably the prin- cipal factor in producing a greater wealth of stalactite and stalagmite growth than_in the Copper Queen Cave.
THE HALL OF PEFRGOLOGY. OR ROCK HISTORY
(Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 7a) The new Hall of Petrology, on the third floor, is approached through the Hall of North American Birds (Third Floor, Hall
1). It has been designed to present the visitor and student with a concise and graphic vis-
ualization of the basic processes of rock for- mation, as well as the application of the science of Geology to modern life and the industrial world.
At the entrance to the Hall is a series of paintings and exhibits’ depicting the most spectacular and best-known volcanoes in the world—Mct. Lassen, Mt. Pelée (see page 25), Vesuvius, Sakurajima and others—and a map showing the world distribution of volcanoes.
Leading from this section the Hall exhibits products of magma, or molten rock, from deep in the earth. The various products of volcanic eruptions, such as ash, pumice, lava, volcanic bombs, gaseous deposits, are also shown.
The following cases and diagrams show the result of igneous intrusions of molten rock into cold rocks at various levels and the types of rocks so formed—how man is able to glean the precious stores of gold, silver, copper, iron, radium and lead as a result of these cooling processes.
In the succeeding exhibits the visitor ob- serves the breakdown of primary rocks by wind and water and then the deposition in seas and valleys to build up a new class of rocks—the sedimentary rocks—forming sand- stones, shales and limestones.
Exhibits describing structural geolo show how rocks can be folded and broken when the surface of the Earth is being molded into new mountain chains and new seas. The third group of rocks shown is that of the metamorphic rocks—those created under such terrific pressures and heat that an entirely new class of crystalline rocks is made.
Further economic geology is shown by exhibits of ore-bearing rocks. The various processes that produce coal and oil are illus- trated, as well as the history and types of coal and their distribution in the United States.
The nature of the interior of the earth is shown in another case.
MINIATURE MODEL OF THE GRAND CANYON OF THE COLORADO SHOWING GENERAL APPEARANCE AND GEOLOGICAL SECTION (Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 1) The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is represented in this model in such a manner
[26]
MODEL OF THE GRAND CANYON OF THE COLORADO
as to show not only the chief features of this magnificent example of erosion but also the successive layers of rock which make up its geological structure. The Grand Canyon is more than three hundred miles long, thir- teen miles wide and a mile in depth from the brink of the canyon to the river bed. For countless ages the layers of gneiss and granite were formed. Then the region sank beneath the sea and successive layers of sandstone, limestone, and shales were deposited upon it to a depth of more than 4ooo feet. After several millions of years these rocks were raised above sea level, and erosion by streams, wind and frost took place. A second time this region was submerged beneath the sea and more marine deposits were laid upon it. Similar changes continued to take place throughout the ages until about a million years ‘ago, when the whole plain Was again above sea level and the excavation of the present canyon was started, which is still progressing.
This relief model represents a region about
sixteen miles wide from west to east and thirteen miles from north to south.
The Grand Canyon was first seen by white men early in the sixteenth century, when Cardenos and his twelve companions were guided by Hopi Indians to some now un- known point on the rim. He remained there four days looking in vain for a way to de- scend. Cardenos had been sent out by de Coronado to find the wonderful river whose existence had been communicated to de Tovor, another member of the famous ex- ploring expedition. The first sure traverse of the Canyon was made in small boats in the summer of 1869, by Major J. W. Powell with eight brave companions.
The head of the Bright Angel Trail is 6866 feet above mean sea level, while the river in front of this spot is about 2400 feet above the sea, making the canyon about 4460 feet deep below an observer ‘standing i in front of the hotel. The opposite brink of ‘the canyon, however, iseight thousand feetabove sea level so that the total depth is more than one mile.
27 J
JAPANESE ROCK CRYSTAL ELEPHANT. This polished rock crystal sphere is mounted on an elephant also carved from a single piece of clear rock crystal of transparent colorless quartz. The work is done in the Japanese manner
[28]
Minerals and
Gems
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 4)
HALL OF MINERALS AND GEMS
THE Morgan Memorial Hall of Minerals and Gems is entered through the Hall of the Age of Man on the fourth floor. This hall, through the gift of Mr. George F. Baker, has been remodeled to contain the General Collection of Minerals and the Morgan Gem Collection.
Of these, the General Collection of Miner- als is without question one of the finest to be found in the world, ranking with that of the British Museum and the Jardin des Plantes. It is composed chiefly of the well- known Bement Collection, presented to the Museum in 1900 by the late Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan. Although remarkably complete in its representation of most of the mineral species known to science, this collection is especially noteworthy for its assemblage of splendid examples of the commoner and more widely distributed minerals.
The visitor should begin with the first of the cases, to the left of the entrance, and pro- ceed from left to right along each side of every case, advancing through the south row of cases and returning through the north row. The different species are divided within the case by narrow strips between the mounts. The large and imposing specimens are arranged in wall panels around three sides of the Hall, and constitute a Key Col- lection. To the right of the entrance will be found cases in which the subject of Crystal- lization is presented by a series of models. This series, as well as other explanatory ex- hibits in adjoining cases, constitutes an im- portant key to the understanding and appre- ciation of the general mineral collection.
The cases occupying the middle of the hall contain the Morgan Gem Collection, comprising the valuable series of gems and precious stones also presented by J. Pierpont
Morgan, to which have been added from time to time noteworthy specimens given by other friends of the Museum.
The Morgan Collection includes the series of American gems assembled by Tiffany and Company for the Paris Exposition of 1889 and the series of foreign gems and gem stones exhibited at the Paris Exposition of 1900.
The installation comprises examples of those minerals which are used for gems and for ornamental objects and consists of rough, uncut material and of fashioned gem stones and carved objects. All of the specimens ex- hibited have been chosen with great care and are not only thoroughly representative but include many examples which are unique in size, beauty of coloring and perfection of execution, reflecting the very highest stand- ards of the art of the lapidary. Here again explanatory labels are used to give meaning and weight to the exhibit, not merely asa display of jewelry material but as a complete visual exposition of the knowledge of gem stones.
Among the notable gems included in this collection are:
The De Long Star Ruby, the finest gem of this kind in the world, and the “Star of India,” the largest star blue sapphire in the world (Case III).
The fine engraved emerald, bequeathed by Miss Cockcroft-Schettler (Case IV).
The Morgenthau blue topaz (Case VI).
The Vatican Cameo carved from essonite garnet (Case VIII).
The oriental cat’s eye, and the Russian alexandrite gems (Case XI).
The Betts bequest opal pendant (Case XII), and the “Harlequin Prince”.
The kunzite gems (Case XXIII).
The Tonnelier chalcedony figurine, the gift of Charles Lanier (facing the Morgan Tablet).
THE EMERALD
The emerald affords a striking example of a gem that owes its beauty of color to an im- purity which is non-essential to the mineral of which it is a variety. The fine green color so desirable in this stone, which is a variety of the mineral beryl, is entirely due to a very small amount of chromium.
[29]
The refractive index of emerald is very low, a fact which accounts for the lack of brilliancy and “fire” which characterizes the cut stones. Since little or nothing can be
ENGRAVED EMERALD ORNAMENT. This engraved emerald weighing 87.64 carats was originally from Muso, Colombia. Sir Purden Clarke placed this gem, probably of Delhi cutting and used as a head ornament by some Hindu prince, in the period of the Mogul domination of India (1526-1739). Gift of Elisabeth Cockcroft Schettler
gained by using a brilliant cutting for em- eralds, the step cutting is almost universally used. Flawless emeralds are extremely rare, the imperfection usually taking the form of cracks and inclusions which greatly impair the transparency of the stone. It is this rarity of desirable stones of the first quality which renders the emerald the most costly of precious stones, the value of the best gems being between three and four times that of diamonds of equal weight.
The principal source of emeralds is the Muso Mines of Colombia, a locality which was furnishing gems to the aborigines at the time of the Spanish conquest. —
THE TOPAZ
Although gem crystals of the mineral topaz are found in a variety of yellow, orange and blue shades, the deep orange-yellow color, resembling sherry wine, 1s generally ac-
cepted as best. To such an extent is this true that we find the word topaz often incorrectly used to describe other yellow stones, as for example, oriental topaz, (yel- low sapphire) and false topaz (quartz). A colorless variety is occasionally used as an imitation diamond in cheap jewelry, its bril- liancy surpassing that of cut glass. .
The hardness of topaz, greater than that of amethyst (quartz), 1s almost equal to that of emerald. It is therefore eminently fitted for the high rank which it takes among semi- precious stones. Gems of fine color outrank in value choice aquamarines of equal weight.
Although topaz is obtained from a great number of localities, the best colored stones come from Brazil.
THE EDITH HAGGIN DE LONG STAR RUBY
This is the finest and largest gem of its kind known to exist in the world. Its color is a peculiar milky crimson, best described as “orchid red.” The curious and beautiful six-
BLUE TOPAZ FROM JAPAN. Egg-shaped, brilliant cut, with 440 facets and weighing 1,463 carats. Natural size.
Gift of M. L. Morgenthau
rayed star which glows within the gem re- sults from a myriad of minute hollow tubes which are distributed throughout the crystal with great regularity, parallel to its six sides.
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THE EDITH HAG- GIN DE LONG STAR RUBY. This unusual- ly beautiful star ruby is reputed to be the largest and finest gem of its kind in the world. It weighs 100 carats and was discov- ered in one of the ruby mines of Burma. Its color is a peculiar orchid-red. A remark- able six-rayed star glows within the gem, formed from a myriad of minute hollow tubes which are distributed throughout the crystal with great regularity, parallel to its six sides. The stone has been cut in a rounded dome, the shape which best re- flects the light from the interior. It was pre- sented to the Museum by Mrs. George Bowen De Long, in whose honor it is named
When cut en cabochon, so that the rounded dome arches over this hexagonal pattern of cavities, stones of this kind ‘reflect the light from the interior as a six-rayed star and pte sequently they are termed star rubies and star sapphires. This gem, weighing 100 carats, was discovered in one oF the Ee mines as Burma and was presented to the Museum by Mrs. George Bowen De Long, in w hose honor it is named. It is unique among star rubies, being larger than any other remotely approaching it in quality.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALS OF NEW YORK STATE
Two cases illustrating these features are ex- hibited on the first floor of the Roosevelt Memorial (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 12). One case shows the principal min- erals characteristic of the State and the lo- calities where they may be found. The other demonstrates the extent of the sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic areas within the borders of the State.
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(Right) NATROLITE FROM WEST PATERSON, NEW JERSEY Similar in shape, but thinner, the fine hair-like crystals form of long slender silky needles radiating from a central nu- cleus, suggesting a fluffy seed ball of the dandelion
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TWO FINE SPECIMENS OF NATROLITE FROM THE MUSEUM’S COL- LECTION OF MINERALS. The specimen of natrolite to the left came from Lip- pa, Bohemia. The slender orthorhombic crystallized prisms, nearly square in cross section, form a radiat- ing group somewhat resem- bling clusters of organ pipes
TWO QUARTZ GEODES FROM URUGUAY. A geode is a nodule of stone often
having a cavity lined with crystals of mineral matter. The rock cavity in the upper
figure was encrusted in successive layers of agate deposited from the silica dissolved
in the water which circulated through it. Crystalline quartz was ultimately added in a final layer. This quartz, colored with a purplish hue, is known as amethyst
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STIBNITE (to the right) is a sulphide of the
semi-metallic substance known as antimony. The
slender orthorhombic prisms are made up of
many crystals joined parallel to each other.
This mineral is the chief source from which
antimony is obtained. The specimen illustrated came from Inyo, Japan
ASBESTOS (left) is a variety of serpentine, a hydrous magnesium silicate consisting of white, gray, or green fibers which are easily separated and can be spun or filtered to make non-combustible fabrics
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A FOSSIL AMMONITE of 150,000,000 years ago, related to the ancestors of the common nautilus
Pateontology
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 1)
CLOSELY connected with geology, and in- deed almost inseparable from it, is paleon- tology, or the study of ancient forms of life. The sedimentary rocks have been found, on examination, to contain in many places re- mains of plants or animals, w hich may closely resemble, but more often appear very dif- ferent from, those now livi ing on the ‘earth. The order of deposition of aha beds, with the oldest at the bottom and the y oungest at the top, and the imbedded fossil forms of life, give the geologist the means of constructing a chronological chart, or time scale, depict- ing the eras, periods, epochs and forma- feas of geologic time. There are five eras: Archaeozoic (Primal life), Proterozoic (Primitive life), Palaeozoic (Ancient life), Mesozoic (Medieval life), and Cenozoic (Modern life). The rocks of the Archaeozoic era have not afforded recognizable fossils,
(Right) FOSSIL SEA SCORPION: a eurypterid (Eusarcus scorpionis), probably ancestral to the scorpion
FOSSIL BRACHIOPODS OF THE SILURIAN AGE. Primitive shelled creatures somewhat resembling clams externally but not related to them
although the indirect evidence is sufficient to assume that life existed at that time. In a few localities (as in Montana and Southern Australia), fossils have been obtained from the rocks of late Proterozoic age. Beginning A FOSSIL
INVERTEBRATE OF ANCIENT
SEAS. (Below) A well-preserved crinoid, or sea- lily, a flower-like animal related to modern star- fishes
with the basal period of the Palaeozoic era, the Cambrian, well-preserved fossils indicate that most of the various classes of inverte- brate life were in existence, though repre- sented by primitive forms. The earliest known records of vertebrate life are fossil fish scales from the upper Ordovician rocks of Colorado.
FOSSIL INVERTEBRATES
As installed in the Hall of Geology and Invertebrate Paleontology the exhibits of fossil invertebrates occupy alcoves on either side of the hall. The specimens in the cases on the left are arranged to illustrate historical geology, beginning at the entrance with the Pre-Cambrian rocks and advancing regularly through the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian,
TRILOBITES (below) flourished in Devonian seas and became extinct millions of years ago. Per- haps related to the ancestors of modern Crustacea
Portion of a large rock crowded with brachiopods (Spirifer vanuxemi).
Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Per- mian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleisto- cene periods of geologic time. Most of the specimens shown are from American lo- calities. The examples shown are those par- ticularly characteristic of the various hori- zons, the object being to give an idea of the general character of the life of different periods of the world’s history.
The specimens on the right side are ar- ranged to illustrate the classification and re- lationship of the plants and animals of past geologic times. The series starts with the invertebrate animals, beginning with the lower, or simpler, forms and continuing to the highest. The specimens have been drawn
from foreign and domestic localities and different geologic ages. The exhibits illus- trate at a glance the wide range of variation which each group has taken during geologic time.
In the center of the hall are the stump and part of the roots of a large tree from an anthracite coal mine under Scranton, Penn- sylvania. Millions of years ago this tree grew upon the top of a thick swamp deposit of decaying vegetation, which ultimately became a valuable bed of coal. The stump, left in the roof of the mine when the coal was removed, fell to the floor years after the gallery had been abandoned, and was discovered only through the chance visit of a miner.
[371
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Two stumps of a large fossil tree-fern of Middle Devonian age from Gilboa, New York, appear in the first alcove on the right. These specimens were obtained from a quarry opened in connection with the great engineering work of the New York City Board of Water Supply. They are the oldest trees known.
FOSSIL VERTEBRATES
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Halls 2, 2b, 3, 5, 9, 12a, 13)
Fossils are the petrified remains of plants or animals that lived at some past period of the earth’s history. Sometimes, as with the bones of the great Irish elk, the objects have been buried in swamps or bogs, and in a few rare instances, as with the mammoth and woolly rhinoceros, entire animals have been preserved for thousands of years in ice or frozen mud. Fossils are found in localities where the dead animals or plants were grad- ually buried under layers of sediment to such a depth and for so long a time that they finally became petrified. Later, through up- heavai and erosion, they were again brought co or near the surface of the earth. Fetrifac- tion 1s the slow replacement of animal or vegetable material by such minerals as car- bonate of lime or silica, which are carried in solution by the underground waters. The process is very slow and for this reason the soft parts usually decay before they can be petrified. Fossil beds are found in every con- tinent. In our own country, Texas, Montana,
GIANT BULLDOG FISH (Portheus molossus). This huge fossil fish came from the chalk beds of Kansas. It is 15 feet, 8 inches long and about 80 million years old
Wyoming and the Bad Lands of South Da- kota are famous for their large fossil beds, and many of the finest and rarest fossils in the Museum were obtained in these localities.
As it takes thousands of years for the var- ious layers of earth to accumulate over the bones, and for the latter to become hardened to rock, the study of fossils and of the strata in which they are found is an important aid in determining the age of the earth and the succession of life thereon. The skeletons ex- hibited in these halls are of animals which lived from 10,000 to 250,000,000 years ago, while in the Hall of the Age of Man speci- mens of fossil man are exhibited dating from 10,000 tO I 9250, O00O Vets ago.
To prepare a specimen foe exhibition, the matrix in which the bones are embeduant is carefully chipped away and the missing parts restored in cement and plaster. The bones are then assembled as in life. In the specimens on exhibition, the restored parts differ in color from the original skeleton and can readily be distinguished.
The Museum’s collections of fossil verte- brates are probably the finest in the world, considering not merely numbers but espe- cially variety, quality and perfected methods of preparation and exhibition.
The walls of several of the halls are adorned by mural paintings by Charles R. Knight, portraying some of the more strik- ing ree. of the various geologic ages, culminating with those contemporary with early man in Europe and America.
The Museum’s exhibits of fossil verte- brates are all displayed on the Fourth Floor.
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FOSSIL FISHES (Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 5)
The Bashford Dean Memorial Exhibit of Fossil Fishes occupies the Southeast Tower of the Museum on the Fourth Floor.
One enters the exhibit below a model of the jaws of an enormous fossil shark about 9 feet across, with the actual fossil teeth set in place. This monster, closely related to the modern White Shark or ‘“Man-eater,” is estimated to have been 46 feet long.
At the left of the entrance is a bronze portrait plaque of Professor Bashford Dean (1867-1928), former Curator of Fishes at this Museum, where he studied especially the armored fishes of past ages, a fine series of which are included in this exhibit.
The huge fish shown as if swooping down from the ceiling is a model of Dinichthys, one of the great armored fishes from the Devonian of Ohio. The original skull, shown near by, is one of the prizes of the collection.
These curious forms, of numerous species, all had a pair of joints connecting their bony head-pieces with their shoulder plates. ‘This gave rise to their group name, “Arthrodira,” or “joint-necks.” They were the tyrants of their day and were doubtless unpleasant neighbors to the nearly naked fin-fold sharks, their contemporaries. These latter show a very interesting stage in the evolution of the fins, in which the skeletal rods supporting the primordial fin-fold, had begun to push outward well beyond the line of the body. Even our own arms and legs are only greatly enlarged and modified fin-paddles.
At the far end of the exhibit is a “fossil aquarium’’—restorations in miniature of vari- ous well-known forms from the Old Red Sandstone of Cromarty, Scotland, as they would have appeared in life, more than three hundred million years ago.
They include Pterichthys and its allies of the distant past, when they were nearing the time of their extinction. Others represent “spiny sharks” and “joint-necks” which were then dominant groups. A third lot in- cludes advancing types, the “fishes of the
future,” the ancestors of the swarming teleost or bony fishes familiar to us today. But the most interesting group are the “lobe-fins,” which were the direct ancestors (or close relatives) of the later land-living vertebrates.
At that far-off period of the earth’s his- tory, some of the lobe-fins, or primitive ganoids, through their ability to suck at- mospheric air into a moist internal sac or lung, finally emerged from the water at the edge of the swamps, using their stout paired paddles to push themselves up into the mud- dy margins. These evolved the first limbs, and thus the adventurous air-breathing fishes began the conquest of the land and became the ancestors of all land vertebrates, includ- ing man.
The great fish on the rear wall, opposite the entrance, is Portheus molossus, popularly called the Giant Bulldog Fish. It comes from the chalk beds of Kansas. This huge creature is 15 feet, 8 inches long and about 80,000,000 years old. At that time, Kansas, now in the midst of the continent, was submerged under a shallow sea, somewhat like the Mediter- ranean, swarming with giant sea-lizards, huge marine turtles, and great and small fishes of many kinds.
In the first alcove to the right, a wall-chart illustrates the stream of fish life in geologic sequence, 500,000,000 years of fishes. It gives at a glance the basic arrangement of the specimens shown, notable among which are Ostracoderms from the Silurian and Devon- ian, the giant Portheus, and the saw-finned Protosphyrena from the Cretaceous of Kan- sas.
FOSSIL REPTILES
The dinosaurs, the largest of the fossil rep- tiles, form the most spectacular part of if Museum’s paleontologic exhibits. The more primitive reptiles and also those of such other groups as the fossil alligators and turtles are also well represented in the Museum’s collec- tions. They are displayed in a series of halls on the fourth floor of the Museum as de- scribed on the following pages.
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A CARNIVOROUS DINOSAUR AND ITS PREY (Allosaurus and Brontosaurus). Though not as large as Brontosaurus, the Allosaurus was a formidable carnivorous reptile which, it is believed, was able to devour its larger but more sluggish dinosaur contemporary
HALL OF JURASSIC REPTILES (Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 13)
The skeleton which dominates the center of the hall is that of the great Brontosaurus, or Thunder Reptile. This big bodied, small- headed dinosaur has massive limbs, whose joints, capped in life with cartilage, indicate that he lived in swamps and in the edge of streams where the great weight of his body— 25 to 30 tons—would be supported in the water.
Near Brontosaurus is Allosaurus, “ap- parently turned into a fossil while munch- ing on the tail of a defunct relative of that big beast.” Looking closely, one sees that the tops of the vertebrae of the victim are scored with grooves where some millions of years ago they were marked by the teeth of the flesh-eating dinosaur that destroyed it.
In a case to the left of the Brontosaurus skeleton is displayed the skeleton of a splen- did example of Stegosaurus. This curious creature had a small head with a brain weigh-
ing only a few ounces. The arching back- bone is composed of vertebrae that increase rapidly in size toward the middle of the back where they are enormous, showing cavities for spinal ganglia many times the size of the brain. A double series of huge bony plates are supported upright along the back and were probably defensive in character. At the end of the tapering tail are four long spikes of bone with which the Stegosaurus is sup- posed to have struck at its enemies, the for- midable weapons being brought into play as the dinosaur rotated upon its hind legs.
In the cases toward the end of the hall are found ancient Permian reptiles: Dia- dectes, Edaphosaurus, and Dimetrodon from North America, Dicynodon, Moschops, and Scutosaurus from South Africa and Russia. Here also are reptiles of Triassic age, some of them ancestral to the later dinosaurs. The most ancient types of land vertebrates, the stegocephalian amphibians, are also displayed in this portion of the hall. Eryops is of par- ticular interest.
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CORRIDOR OF MARINE REPTILES (Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 12a)
This corridor, situated in the Roosevelt Me- morial, occupies the angle to the right as one comes out of the Jurassic Hall. Here, on the wall, are displayed slabs of stone containing well-preserved fossils of the marine ichthyo- saurs, including one specimen with embryos visible through the ribs as they lay in the body cavity of the mother. A fine specimen of a plesiosaur i is exhibited in a case at the foot of the staircase leading to the fifth floor. As one turns the angle of the corridor, on the wall to the left are the Flying Reptile Mural and slabs containing fossil foot-prints somewhat resembling huge bird tracks. These are in reality impressions left by Triassic and Cretaceous carnivorous dino- saurs which ran on their hind legs (see
See skeletons in the Cretaceous Hall adjoining).
HALL OF CRETACEOUS REPTILES (Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 9)
The Cretaceous Age was the period of the greatest development of dinosaurs, and at the
close of that period they became extinct. At one end of the hall the visitor sees towering over his head the great Tyrannosaurus, the Tyrant Dinosaur, his head eighteen feet above the ground. This was the largest carni- vorous land animal of all time and it doubtless preyed upon contemporaneous dinosaurs, many of which were protected by defeasive armor and menacing horns.
A huge skeleton of Triceratops is seen at the left. This monstrous-headed creature doubtless fed on coarse vegetation. His jaws terminated in a great horny beak for clip- ping off branches and rushes, and his back teeth were adapted for shearing them. These teeth were arranged in several rows and as they wore out they were replaced by new teeth which pushed from below. The squatty fore-legs enabled the animal to lower his head to the ground with ease, and the big bony “frill” with which the skull terminated above the neck served as a protection, as a counterweight to the head and jaws, and as an attachment for powerful muscles.
To the right of Tyrannosaurus are the dinosaurs Trachodon and his relatives, Cory- thosaurus and Saurolophus. Note how the
STEGOSAURUS, a strange armored dinosaur of the past
THE DUCK-BILLED DINOSAUR (Trachodon). These remarkable herbivorous dinosaurs had a curious duck-like bill used in gathering aquatic vegetation. They walked on their hind legs or swam about using the tail as a propeller
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A GIANT FLYING REPTILE
(Pteranodon longiceps), the largest known American flying
reptile with toothless skull and long, pointed beak
two large Trachodon skeletons are equipped with flat, expanded jaws which enabled them to strain out and crush the water plants and mollusks growing abundantly in the Cre- taceous swamps w vhere they fed. Nearby is a remarkable Trachodon specimen in which the impression of a large part of the skin has been preserved, giving us definite informa- tion as to the covering of the animal.
Two extraordinary armored dinosaurs are represented by parts of their skeletons. Ankylosaurus, which has been called “the most ponderous animated citadel the world
DINOSAURS AND THEIR EGGS (Protoceratops andrewsi). From the western Gobi
has ever seen,” was protected about its head and body by thick plates of bone, while the tail, instead of tapering to a point, ended in a great bony ball. Nearby is the fore part of Paleo incus, whose sides bristled with huge bony spines and whose back was protected by bony plates.
On the right and left of the entrance are two lightly but powerfully built flesh-eating dinosaurs known as Gorgosaurus. They were doubtless swift and fierce and preyed upon other dinosaurs.
Near these are examples of a small dinosaur
A RESTORATION OF PALUCHITHERIUM, a gigantic fossil rhinoceros 34 feet in length
whose general appearance suggests an os- trich, but with a long tail. On account of this resemblance it is known_as Struthiomimus. This bird-like appearance, however, is purely superficial as it is not at all related to the ostrich. Nevertheless, primitive birds origi- nated from light-boned pre-dinosaurs of a far earlier epoch (Triassic). Some examples of fossil birds, including the giant long- legged Diatryma with its powerful beak, and the ancient swimming water bird, Hesperornis are now on exhibit in the Hall of Biology of Birds. In a neighboring case are casts of the famous Archeopteryx. This creature was actually transitional between reptiles and birds, having the skeletal char- acteristics, clawed fore-limb, and tapering tail of the former and the beak-shaped jaws and feathered covering of the latter. On the wall opposite are fossils and drawings of the great flying reptile, Pteranodon. A thin fold
of skin extending from the elongated fourth finger to the outer edge of the feet enabled Pteranodon to fly through the air like a huge bat or vulture.
HALL OF MONGOLIAN VERTEBRATES
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 5)
Here are exhibits of specimens obtained by the Central Asiatic Expeditions. Among them are the famous dinosaur eggs and skulls and skeletons of the dinosaur, Protocera- tops, that laid them. Here also is the skull of Andrewsarchus, the largest of carnivorous land-mammals; the shovel-tusk mastodon; and the skull and feet of Baluchitherium, an ancient relative of the rhinoceros, of titanic proportions. On the wall is a life-size model in low relief of this largest of all Jand-mam- mals.
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FOSSIL MAMMALS
OSBORN HALL OF THE AGE OF MAMMALS
(Index Plan, P. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 3)
This hall includes fossil remains of mammals of the Tertiary Period. To the left as one enters from the Hall of Mongolian Verte- brates, is a magnificent series of titanotheres, hoofed mammals related to the horses and rhinoceroses. This group has long been ex- tinct but it embraces a remarkable series of evolutionary stages from creatures not much larger than a de g, up to great tow ering bulky animals with huge heads terminating in flat shovel-like horns of tremendous weight.
Opposite the titanotheres are the remains of condylarths and am bly pods, very ancient hoofed mammals with no close relatives in the modern world. The most striking of these is the skeleton of Uintatherium, a six-horned ambly pod with a tiny brain. This race be-
came extinct early in the Age of Mammals.
Beyond the ambly pods are cases devoted principally to the smaller fossil mammals. Although fragmentary, these are among the
rarest and most interesting of fossils. The fossil primates (lemurs, monkeys, etc.) in-
clude unique specimens known throughout the world because of the light they cast on the earliest stages in the origin of man. Ro- dents ( (squirrels, rabbits, and their kin), in
sectivores (moles, hedgehogs, etc.), a marsupials (opossums, kangaroos, and their allies) are also ty pically represented here.
I tf ancestry of dogs, cats, and other liv- ing flesh- eating mammals and the various sorts of extinct carnivores including rare creodonts is shown near the middle of the hall on the right.
Fossil rhinoceroses are shown near the center of the hall on the left. A fine series of skeletons illustrates the diverse types of American rhinoceroses, and a synoptic series shows the evolution of this group of mam- mals. The large block in the central aisle is from Agate, Nebraska, and contains heaped- up bones, chiefly of the double-horned rhi- noceros, Diceratherium, still in the original rock, as found. There are twenty-one skulls and innumerable other bones in this single block, giving a graphic conception of the enormous numbers of prehistoric animals that once roamed over our West. Near this, in the center of the hall, is the skeleton of Moropus, a most extraordinary mammal of bizarre proportions and equipped with great
TITANOTHERES. These long-extinct relatives of the horses and rhinoceroses began as small animals about the size of a small fox. The last of the titanotheres such as Brontotherium, on the left, were gigantic beasts with horns on the front of the skull
A GROUP OF MIOCENE CAMEL SKELETONS (Stenomylus). Some of these are mounted
in characteristic attitudes as if they were alive, others are lying on the rock matrix as their
remains were actually found by a Museum expedition. These camels inhabited America at the beginning of the Miocene Period
claws. Nevertheless, it belongs among the hoofed mammals and is related to the horses and rhinoceroses.
Also on the right side of the hall are speci- mens illustrating the evolution of the even- toed mammals, or Artiodactyls. Here are found the pigs and their relatives, the pecu- liar extinct oreodonts, the camels, deer, gi- raffes, and cattle.
The group of small camels in the central aisle forms a striking display. The graceful little animals, Stenomylus, lived in Nebraska during the middle of the Age of Mammals. Four skeletons are shown exactly as they were found in the rock, and five others have been mounted in various living poses.
Among the other cloven-hoofed mam- mals, the so-called giant pigs or entelodonts and the oreodonts are noteworthy. The lat- ter, a totally extinct group somewhat pig-like in appearance but with teeth more like those of sheep, are strikingly represented by three complete skeletons huddled together, still intact in the rock just as death overtook them millions of years ago.
On this side of the hall are found skeletons of two extinct sea cows, one from Europe. the other from Florida. In addition at the end of the hall is a special exhibit of extinct proboscideans, mammals related to the mod- ern elephants.
One of the most outstanding exhibits is
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MAMMALS OF THE LOWER PLIOCENE PERIOD IN NORTHERN NEBRASKA.
During this period short-limbed rhinoceroses lived with ancient camels and single-toed horses of small size. Murals by Charles R. Knight
the series of skeletons in the last alcove on the left showing the evolution of the horse. This display presents the story from the little Eocene mammal, Eohippus, through intermediate stages to the Pleistocene and modern horses, Equus. (See Guide Leaflet No. 36, The Evolution of the Horse.) As shown by skeletons of horse and man in another hall, the single toe of the horse cor- responds to the middle finger or toe of man, and the same correspondence is seen in each of the other leg and arm bones. In the modern horse, all but the middle finger and toe have disappeared or have been reduced to “splint bones,” but the remote ancestor of the horse had five toes.
THE HORSE UNDER DOMESTICATION
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 2a)
This hall is devoted to exhibits illustrating
the great modifications that man has brought about by selection in adapting the horse to his various needs.
Under his management speed has been increased in the race horse, weight and strength in the draft horse, while the Shet- land Pony has been reduced to a diminutive size. The modifications in the skeleton that have accompanied these changes are well shown in the notable series of beautiful skele- tons mounted by S. H. Chubb.
The similarity in structure (homology) of the skeletons of horse and man is brought out in the exhibit of a rearing horse, con- trolled by man. It is interesting to note that both skeletons have the same principal parts, in spite of many conspicuous differences. In the horse the long upper and lower jaws, together with the high-crowned grinding teeth, form a very efficient mechanism for cropping and grinding the tough stems and hard kernels of grasses and similar vegeta-
MAMMALS OF THE UPPER PLIOCENE PERIOD IN NORTHERN TEXAS. The single- toed horses (Plesippus) were of larger size than those above, while the camels were more nearly like those of modern types. Glyptotherium, a gigantic armadillo-like animal, is shown
in the lower left
PLIOCENE
MICCERE HORSE MERVCHIPPUS
EVOLUTION OF THE HORSE shown by skull and foot bones. (See text) [ 49 J
[50]
tion, whereas the short upper and lower jaws and low-crowned cheek teeth of man are adapted for a mixed diet. Moreover, the horse’s long jaws enable him to reach his food, which is normally on or near the ground, while the short jaws of man have the food brought up to them by the hands.
The bony cranium or braincase of the horse is much smaller in proportion to the weight of the body than is the braincase of man, which is greatly enlarged by the enor- mous growth of the human brain. The bony hands of the remote ancestors of the horse have become greatly modified during long ages of specialization for swift running. Thus each “hand” of the modern horse has but one finger, is very long and slender, and ter- minates in a thick horny hoof corresponding to the nail on the middle finger of the hand of man. Likewise the bone beneath the hoof corresponds to the last bone of the middle finger of the human hand. The visitor may enjoy making similar comparisons for him- self: for example, where is the so-called “knee” of the foreleg of the horse and to what does it correspond in man? (Answer: the wrist.) Where is the true knee in the hind leg of the horse and where is its heel bone? What has become of the fibula or outer bone of the lower leg in the horse? Where is the “cannon bone” in the foot of the horse and to what does it correspond in man?
But why do the skeletons of horse and man have so many parts that correspond to each other? There can be no reasonable doubt that the remote common ancestors of horse and man were small mammals with five toes on all four feet The structural differ- ences have arisen as the result of gradually increasing differences in habits, the horse finally becoming highly specialized for run- ning and leaping on all fours, while man uses his fore limbs as arms and hands and balances his body on his hind legs.
OSBORN HALL OF THE AGE OF MAN
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 2) This hall is devoted to early man and his
contemporaries, the mammoths and masto- dons, and the giant ground sloths of South
America. The collection displayed through the center of the hall illustrates what is known of the early history of our own race as shown by the remains of early man and the implements he used. As fossil remains of man are rare and usually very fragmentary, these are represented mainly by casts, but they include examples of all the more perfect and noteworthy specimens that have been found, from the Neanderthal and Gibraltar, to the Piltdown and Talgai. (See Guide Leaflet No. 52, The Hall of the Age of Man.) These are illustrated and further described on pages 125-126.
In the surrounding cases are some of the principal skeletons and skulls of animals mostly of Pleistocene Age, known to have been associated with man especially in North and South America. Skeletons and skulls on the right side of the hall show the evolution of the Proboscidea. They fall naturally into two groups; first the mastodons; and second- ly, the mammoths and elephants. In the for- mer division, beginning near the entrance of the hall, are the most primitive mastodons, with two upper and two lower tusks, and a very short proboscis. The succeeding cases show the gradual reduction of the number of teeth and the shortening of the front part of the skull for the accommodation of the longer proboscis found in all of the later stages of mastodons and mammoths.
On the left is a group illustrating the famous asphalt trap of Rancho la Brea at Los Angeles, California, and fossils from South America, the most striking of which is the group of giant ground sloths. There are also good examples of glyptodonts, gigantic relatives of the armadillo. Among other . strange extinct animals are the camel-like Macrauchenia, and the rhinoceros-like Tox- odon. These evolved in South America dur- ing the Age of Mammals when it was an island continent as Australia is today. Here, too, are the fossils of other mammals which evolved in South America during its period of isolation from the northern part of the Western Hemisphere.
On the walls are mural decorations painted by Charles R. Knight showing the typical groups of Pleistocene animals of North and South America and Europe that were asso- ciated with early man.
[51]
PREHISTORIC saber-tooth tiger, dire wolf, and giant sloth, caught in the tar pools of La Brea California. (Above) as mounted skeletons; (below) as conceived by the artist, Charles R. Knight
(Above) (Left) WOOLLY SKELETON [AMMOTH OF THE JEF-
FERSONIAN MAMMOTH
from Indiana.
yn the River mme, France, during the Fourth lacial Period.
THE WOOL- JUNG IRISUE NOCEROUS DURING A GLACIAL WINTER IN NORTHERN FRANCE. The Murals by Charles R. Knight.
MODEL OF RHODODENDRON in the Forestry and Conservation Hall. Many of the trees in this Hall are accompanied by models of leaves, flowers, or fruit
Lorestry and Conservation
(Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 3)
Jesup Forestry Hall. The Forestry and Con- servation Hall contains a nearly complete collection of the native trees north of Mexico presented by Morris K. Jesup. On the right is a bronze tablet by J. E. Fraser, the gift of J. J. Clancy, depicting Mr. Jesup as he walked in his favorite wood at Lenox, Massa- chusetts. In front is a bust of Charles Sprague Sargent, under whose direction the collec- tion was brought together. At the farther end is a bust of John Muir, by Malvina Hoff- man, presented by Mrs. E. H. Harriman. To the left is a section of one of the Big Trees of California, sixteen feet in diameter
and 1341 years old. (See Guide Leaflet No. 42.) It began its growth in the year 550, so that it was nearly a thousand years old be- fore America was discovered. The label, illustrating the conclusions reached by Ells- worth Huntington as the result of long study, shows how the climate of the past is recorded by the trees and how great histori- cal events are related to great changes in climate.
In the center of the hall near the entrance from the 77th Street Foyer is a splendid life- size model in wax of a magnolia blossom belonging to the species Magnolia macro- phylla, surrounded by its long tapering leaves.
In the last alcove to the right is the Menken Collection of Glass Flowers, representing many of the common species of American flowers. They are modeled skillfully in glass, with their colors faithfully copied from nature.
In the center of the hall (Case D) will
C541]
be found a dissolving diorama, the first of a series on forest conservation. The first scene represents a forest area of Colorado White Pine in Idaho and shows the early glow of a forest fire in the distance. This dissolves into a scene of the same area after the fire, show- ing the burned trees, destroyed surface coverage, and general desolation.
The other specimens in the hall show cross, longitudinal, and oblique sections of the
3
A DISSOLVING-VIEW EXHIBIT in the Forestry and Conservation Hall. The disastrous effects of a forest fire are depicted when the three-dimensional scene above fades into the one below
wood of North American forest trees, finish- ed and unfinished. The labels adjacent give the distribution of the species, the character- istics of the wood, and its economic uses. The trees are grouped by families, and the location of each family will be found on the floor plans in the first case on either side of the hall. The reproductions of the flowers, leaves and fruits are made in the Museum laboratories.
Living L[nvertebrates
THE DARWIN, HALE. OFTHE EVOLUTION OF LIFE
(Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 5)
THIS hall is devoted chiefly to invertebrates and exhibits illustrating biological principles, especially those concerned with the evolu- tion of life. It is, therefore, dedicated to Charles Darwin. Facing the entrance is a bronze bust of Darwin by William Couper, presented by the New York Academy of Sciences on the occasion of the Darwin cen- tenary in 1909.
THE TREE OF LIFE In the first upright case at the left is a Family Tree of the Animal Kingdom. Each class of animals is represented by a color sketch, and the branches show the relationships of the various classes and indicate the evolution of each group from the parent stem.
SYNOPTIC SERIES
The exhibits in the succeeding upright cases comprise examples of the various groups or orders included in the Classes shown on the Family Tree. Passing around the hall from left to right, the progress of evolution is illus- trated from the lowest forms, the Protozoa, to the highest, the Primates, which include man.
ALCOVE 1, Protozoa. This alcove contains the lowest forms of animal life. All are single- celled individuals. Some are abundant in swamps and stagnant water, others are found in the sea. These exhibits are mainly models, some of which represent Protozoa enlarged more than a thousand diameters.
ALCOVE 2, Sponges. Sponges are principally of three kinds—distinguished from each other by their skeletons of lime, silica (i. e., flint) and of horny fiber. The sponges of com- merce belong to the latter class. In the dry specimens exhibited, the skeleton only can
be seen, the living tissue having been re- moved. Sponges range in size from the tiny Grantia of the New England coast to the gigantic “Neptune’s goblets” of the eastern seas.
ALCOVE 3, Polyps. Here are shown coral animals and their relatives: among them are the colonial hydroids; jellyfishes, bril- liantly colored sea anemones, sea fans and sea plumes; the stony corals, and the precious coral.
ALCOVE 4, Flatworms. The best known species include the tapeworms, whose development and structure are shown by models in the left-hand alcove case. The less familiar free- living flatworms, which inhabit both salt and fresh water, are represented by enlarged models.
ALCOVE 5, Roundworms. The roundworms are parasitic, since they live in the digestive canal of mammals. The most familiar is the common stomach worm, Ascaris, of which an enlarged model shows the internal struc- ture.
ALCOVE 6, Rotifers. The minute wheel ani- malcules, otherwise called rotifers, comprise many exquisite and grotesque forms, some of which construct tubes of a gelatinous sub- stance, sand-grains, etc. A few species are parasitic, but most of them live a free, active life. They are found mainly in fresh water. See group in window showing rotifers in their natural environment and the compara- tive series of enlarged models of typical roti- fers in the case to the left.
ALCOVE 7, Sea-Mats and Lamp-Shells. The sea-mats are minute, colonial animals of plant-like growth, often occurring as en- crustations on shells and seaweed. A few species also occur in fresh water. The lamp- shells shown in this alcove superficially re- semble clams, but by structure are more closely related to the sea-mats.
ALCOVE 8, Sea-Stars and Their Relatives. Here are shown sea-stars, brittle stars, sea-urchins, sea-cucumbers and sea-lilies. The sea-star is the pest of the oyster beds, where it feeds on oysters and destroys them in large numbers. ALCOVE 9, Annulates. As typified by the familiar earthworm, these are worms whose bodies are made up of rings or segments. They are inhabitants of both fresh and salt water, many kinds living in the mud and
[56]
A CORNER OF THE NAHANT TIDE POOL GROUP. On the rocky northern New Eng-
land Coast are numerous basin-like crevices in the cliffs. At high tide, many of these are totally
submerged, but as the water recedes they are left as stranded pools richly populated with
marine animals and plants. In the Tide Pool Group in the Darwin Hall, sea-anemones and hy- droids are disclosed among the rockweed, sea-lettuce and kelp
yal
A DETAIL FROM THE ROTIFER GROUP. A world of microscopic life magnified a million times shown in the Darwin Hall
(Left) The curious HORSE SHOE CRAB is a “living fossil” with ances- tors dating back 700,000,000 years. A detail from the Sound Bottom
Group
[58]
MODEL OF A ROCK-FORMING PROTO-
ZOAN (Globigerina). The microscopic creature
shown above builds tiny shells from lime dissolved
in sea water. These become compacted into lime-
stone layers on the sea-bottom. The Chalk Cliffs
of Dover are composed of elevated masses of this rock
ENLARGED MODEL OF THE PLUMED WORM (Diopatra)
GLASS MODEL OF A TYPICAL RADIO-
LARIAN. These tiny floating marine creatures
make glassy shells of intricate patterns and, when
they die, sink to the sea-bottom to form radiolarian
ooze, a flinty sand used for polishing precious stones
GLASS MODEL OF THE PORTUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR IN THE DARWIN HALL
sand of the shore while others bore into wood and shells. Their body structures are often very beautiful and i interesting examples of ingenious adaptation.
ALCOVE 10, Arthropods. Here are included the familiar crabs, lobsters, myriapods, in- sects, spiders and their relatives. The number of existing species in this group is greater than that of all the rest of the animal king- dom.
On the wall are the two largest lobsters ever taken. They weighed when alive thirty- one and thirty-four pounds, respectively. The largest of the arthropods is the giant crab of Japan, which, like that placed on the wall, may have a spread of about ten feet.
A series of models of insect heads, care-
fully wrought in wax and glass, shows, Se ly enlarged, their comparative anatom ALCOVE 11, Mollusks. The mollusks are next to the arthropods in the diversity and vast number of forms which they embrace, in- cluding marine, fresh-water and land ani- mals. All mollusks have soft bodies, but nearly all secrete a shell which is often of pearly material (mother-of-pearl). Well- known examples of this group are the com- mon clam and oyster. Enlarged models show the anatomy of these species. The main col- lection of mollusks is shown in the Hall of Ocean Life. ALCOVE 12, Chordates, including Vertebrates. Vertebrates include the largest, most power- ful and most intelligent of animals, the group culminating in man. Among the ancestral forms suggesting transitional stages from in- vertebrates are the “‘acorn-worm,” Dolicho- glossus; the Sea-squirts, or Ascidians; and the Lancelet, Amphioxus. Enlarged models showing, carefully dissected, their compara- tive internal anatomy are exhibited in the case to the left. Various species of Ascidians with their associated environment are shown among the animals on the wharf-piles in the window group. Other models in a case toward the front of the hall show the de- velopment of the egg of certain typical verte- brates.
WINDOW GROUPS In several of the alcove windows are habitat groups of invertebrates illustrating the
natural history of the commoner and more typical forms.
Marine Worm Group. In the Annulate Al- cove is shown the Marine Worm Group, reproducing these animals with their associ- ates in their natural surroundings, as seen in the harbor of Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Shore Mollusk Group. In the Mollusk Al- cove is shown the natural history of a sand- spit at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, including some of the nore mollusks and their associates.
Wharf Pile Group. This shows the sub- merged piles of an old wharf at Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, covered with flower- like colonies of sea~-anemones, hydroids and other stationary animals.
Rock Tide-Pool Group. In the farther left- hand corner of the hall, a window group shows the animals and plants of a rock tide- pool, the “Agassiz Cave,” at Nahant, Mas- sachusetts. The falling tide has left a pool in a rocky basin, sheltered within which is a community of sea~anemones, sea-stars, and other invertebrates.
Sound Bottom Group. In the Arthropod Alcove, a group shows the struggle for ex- istence among Crustacea on the sandy bot- tom of Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts. Here is a den of lobsters in a crevice beneath the seaweed-covered granite boulders form- ing the reef known as the Devil’s Bridge. Bryozoa Group. Another group represents two square inches of sea bottom as though enlarged under a microscope to an area five feet square. The front of the case is built to represent a huge magnifying glass, through which the visitor sees marine plants magni- fied to tree-like proportions, encrusted with colonies of Bryozoa or “‘sea-mats,” composed of thousands of individuals, each of which builds a shell of vase-like form. Associated animals, such as the flower-like, tube-build- ing worms and sea spiders, are enlarged to grotesque proportions.
Rotifer Group. A companion exhibit repre- sents a cubic half-inch of pond bottom en- larged one hundred diameters or cubically a million times, transforming a minute area into a towering aquatic forest peopled by rotifers and myriads of other strange crea- tures ordinarily invisible to the naked eye.
[ 60 J
A PORTION OF THE BAHAMAN CORAL REEF GROUP IN THE HALL OF OCEAN
LIFE. This group, the largest in the Museum, contains more than forty tons of coral from
Andros Island in the Bahamas and faithfully depicts a portion of the magnificent barrier reef as it appears from the sea bottom
(Right) BLACK ANGEL FISHES swim
in stately fashion among the corals
(Below) BLUE PARROT FISH peer out from a mysterious cavern in the heart of the reef
SPINDLE SHELL (Fusinus). These graceful shells are characterized by the long twisted spire and slender tapering canal terminating the body whorl
THE CORAL REEF (GROUFE (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 10)
As you enter the Hall of Ocean Life on the gallery level the Bahaman Coral Reef Group is seen at the farther end. Its proscenium arch rises from the main floor, passes through the gallery, and frames the upper part of the group in a half-circle 35 feet high.
The portion of the group above the gallery presents a vista of coral island, quiet lagoon, and tropical sky. On the distant horizon the low-lying Bahaman Island of Andros is visi- ble, soft with its fringe of coconut palms. Here the finest coral barrier reef in the West Indies parallels the shore. The small island in the foreground is Goat Cay, just back of the barrier reef.
The section of the group below the gallery obviously depicts the coral forest as seen from the bottom of the sea. On either side, staircases permit visitors to descend from the gallery, to find themselves standing on the ocean floor, gazing into the heart of a mag- nificent coral forest. The branching trees of elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) rise to the water surface sixteen feet above. A rocky arch at the right leads into the Cave of the Blue Parrot-fishes, inhabited by three of these magnificent creatures.
Between the rocky wall and the spreading tangle of the coral forest a vista opens out into a clearing where a school of black-angel fishes swims by in the distance. In the fore- ground are squirrel-fishes, striped and gray grunts, blueheads, slippery dicks, and spotted hinds. Above a school of yellow-tails swims around the coral cliff, and houndfishes dart about, alarmed by the approach of a bar- racuda visible just beneath the water-surface at the upper left. Rock beauties, butterfly fishes, and blue angel-fishes swim among the sea fans, sea-bushes and sea-plumes; while a large rainbow parrot-fish, Nassau groupers, and a huge green moray lurk in the crevices and caverns under the coral. The latter is gay with encrusting and chimney sponges of scarlet, green, purple, yellow, and gray. To the left, queen triggerfishes, numerous butterfly fishes, and a grotesque trumpet fish swim above the great heads of brain coral, orb coral, and star coral.
PEARL DIVERS GROUP (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 10)
This group represents a scene on the ocean floor within the enclosed lagoon of the coral atoll of Tongareva, or Penrhyn Island. This is a small ring-shaped island, eleven miles in
[ 62 J
diameter, situated in the South Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles due south of Honolulu. In the central panel of the group, two Ton- garevan pearl divers are seen plunging down into a gorge in the heart of one of the mag- nificent coral reefs which form the island. They are engaged in gathering shells of Meleagrina, the “oyster” in which are found the precious pearls. They go about their
work despite the dangers evidenced by the large shark swimming in the background, by the octopus lurking near the entrance of a near-by cave, and by the scarlet sixteen- rayed sea-star with its hundreds of poisonous sharp spines which is lying under the giant spiral mass of the acropore coral in the center of the group. As they work, fishes of every gaudy hue dart past them.
A DETAIL OF THE PEARL DIVERS GROUP. A coral fairyland of Tongareva Island, teeming with variegated undersea life, is the scene in which this native diver is shown searching for pearl shell.
In the panel to the right, we look into a cavelike opening in the coral which has been pre-empted by the octopuses. One glides down from a ledge above the cave, Snorer lurks in a shadowy crev ice, while a third swims out through an arched tunnel, trail- ing its tentacular arms behind.
The panel on the left side of the group depicts the clifflike coral wall of the gorge, on which is grouped a colony of man- trap clams, Tvidacna. The sinuous apertures of the shells are partially opened, revealing the
gaily-colored mantle edges.
The group serves to emphasize the beauty of the delicate fronds and finely divided clusters of coral found in the Pacific reefs, as contrasted with the wierd branching species of the Atlantic coral faunas depicted in the adjacent Bahaman Coral Reef Group.
In cases near by are shown undersea paint- ings which were used in the creation of this realistic exhibit and other related ones.
Directly above the Pearl Diver Group 1 1S a mural by F. L. Jaques depicting the native divers in their outrigger canoes.
The corresponding position at the left of the Coral Reef Group Is occupied by a mural
THE PEARLY OR CHAMBERED NAUTILUS (Sectioned shell with animal in place). This re- markable creature belongs to a bygone age. It is the only surviving species of a long line of fossil forms reaching back 500,000,000 years or more
THE GLORY OF THE SEA (Conus gloria.
maris). This is the rarest and most romantic of
shells. Only a dozen specimens are known, and
none have been collected for more than a century. The Museum possesses two specimens
showing Florida sponge boats and their div- ing crews.
Other exhibits in the Hall of Ocean Life are described on pages 116-120.
GALLERY OF SHELLS
(Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 10, balcony)
Around the gallery of the Hall of Ocean Life is one of the largest and finest shell col- lections on display in any museum. Together with the study collections it comprises more than 760,000 catalogued specimens. It in- cludes many shells of unusual beauty and rarity, as well as important private collec- tions donated to the Museum.
The largest shell is that of the giant clam. Tridacna, weighing 579 pounds, exhibited in the small foyer as one enters from the Hall of Fishes. The largest mollusk known, however, is represented by the model of the Giant Squid (Architeuthis princeps) which is suspended above the balcony just inside the entrance. This species has been known to reach a length of over 50 feet.
The mollusks are classified in five main groups, as follows:
The Amphineura or Chitons and their relatives. These are the most primitive of living mollusks, the larger number of them having an oval, creeping body with a jointed shell of eight transverse plates. They have a certain serial repetition of body-parts and breathe by means of a double row of plume- like gills.
The Gastropoda or Snails. This is the most important group in number of species, dis- tribution, and extent of diversification. They are the most ancient from the standpoint of fossil remains. The earliest shells resembled a “liberty cap,” being cone-shaped with the shell uncoiled. Soon forms appeared with a one-sided roll. A little later the spirally twisted and usually right-handed shell was established, which has been generally charac- teristic ever since. The twist of the shell is reflected in the internal anatomy. In some gastropods the shell has become reduced, in others it has disappeared entirely.
The Scaphopoda or Tusk-Shells are rel- atively unimportant, comprising only a few
species. They possess a shell shaped like an elephant’s tusk open at both ends.
The Pelecypoda or Bivalves, including oysters, clams and their relatives, have the mantle divided into two halves, each of which secretes a shell. These, nearly equal in size, are hinged together. The foot is flat- tened vertically and extends down from the enclosed body-mass. It may be protruded from between the two shells for digging or swimming. Delicate, flattened and fine- meshed gill-flaps on either side furnish breathing organs and an arrangement for filtering out food-particles.
The Cephalopoda include the swiftly moving squids, cuttlefishes, and octopuses. This highly organized and specialized group is composed of predaceous species with effi- cient eyes and a peculiar method of propul- sion. The Pearly Nautilus is the most ancient type.
The arrangement of the shells in the gal- lery is as follows: The Amphineura, Marine Gastropoda, and Scaphopoda are exhibited in the series of “A-cases” along the two sides of the gallery in the order of their families. The A-cases are numbered from 1 to qo.
The Pulmonates or Land Gastropoda are displayed in the tops of eight table-cases, of which four are at either end of the hall in the transverse galleries. They are also arranged by families.
The Pelecypods, or bivalves, and the Cephalopoda are in the “wall-cases” on either side-gallery, beneath the murals.
In the wall-cases on either side of the en- trance are shells especially selected for their size and beauty, those to the right as one enters the hall, being from the Constable collection, and those to the left mainly from the Steward collection.
In the wall-case at the farther end of the gallery to the right of the Coral Reef Group is a series showing the commercial uses of shells and shells with unusual deformities. Continuing around the angle of the gallery is an exhibit illustrating the fisheries of fresh- water pearl shells and the pearl button in- dustry.
In the shell laboratory to the right of the entrance foyer an attendant is ready to give information about shells and their location in the hall.
[65]
STRIKING SPECIMENS FROM THE MOLLUSK COLLECTIONS (Right) THE IMPERIAL HARP SHELL (Harpa cos- tata). The graceful shape of this shell suggests its name. Variegated with rich color- ing, it is one of the most attractive of mollusks. It is distinguished by the close-set prominent ribs
(Right) THE RARE SLIT SHELL (Pleurotomaria). A nearly
extinct shell from deep water in the West Indies and near
Japan, characterized by the broad slit extending partly around the outer whorl
(Below, right) NORTHERN SCALLOP (Pecten islandicus): A form first discovered in Iceland
(Below, left) THE PAINTED THORNY OYSTER (Spondy- lus pictorum). A beautifully tinted bivalve from Lower Cali- fornia. The spines are rose-red, orange or yellow
THE SEVENTEEN-YEAR CICADA (Cicada septendecim Linnaeus): from a Group in the
Insect Hall. During May or June of a “locust year,” the immature seventeen-year-old Cicadas
emerge from underground and ascend tree-trunks. Within a few hours their skin splits along the
back and the adult emerges. The female deposits her eggs in a succession of slits in the slender twigs. The song is produced only by the male
INVERTEBRATES OF NEW YORK STATE
A series of the principal invertebrates except insects found within the boundries of New York State and its neighboring waters is ex- hibited in the corridor of the first floor of the Roosevelt Memorial to the right as one enters from the Fish Hall (Index Plan, p.16, First Floor, Hall 12a).
Lnsects
HALL OF INSECT LIFE (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 5)
THIS interesting hall is virtually a text- book of Entomology. A series of “‘A-cases”
surrounds the hall giving a vivid presenta- tion of insect biology, including the relations between insects and vegetation, the impor- tance of insects as carriers of disease, and general biological facts and theories as illus- trated by insects. These cases are numbered to facilitate the work of teachers sending students here for information.
In the center of the hall is a circle of ex- hibits, some of which show mounted insects in life-like artificial surroundings. Among the habitat groups is a series illustrating the life-histories of common butterflies. The very beneficial Lady Beetles are shown next to the very injurious Japanese Beetle. Other groups are concerned with such tropical in- sects as the Leaf-cutting Ants. Exhibits of Mole Cricket and Dragonfly larva show the insects and environment magnified five diameters.
E674
A GATHERING OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES. In early autumn the Monarch Butterfly,
Anosia plexippus, assembles in great swarms in the northeastern United States. At nightfall,
large numbers crowd the leaves and branches of trees or shrubs. These flocks move southward,
much as birds migrate. Individual females come north the next spring and reestablish the northern population
[ 68 J
The walls of the hall are used for supple- mentary exhibits. One of these displays strikingly beautiful butterflies and moths from all parts of the world. Another demon- strates the wealth of insect life at our very doors. The commercial use of insect silk and the use spiders make of their silk occupy the wall on either side of the entrance to the
| MODEL OF A MOLE
| CRICKET (enlarged five
diameters). An insect with
fore-legs especially adap- ted for digging
Reptile Hall. On the wall around the corner to the right are shown some of the results of the research work of the entomological department, especially in the field of experi- mental biology.
The collections in general are arranged with special reference to the insects found
MASSING OF LADY BEETLES ON MOUNTAIN TOP. From a group in the Insect Hall.
With few exceptions Lady Beetles (Coccinellidae), both larvae and adults, eat either plant-lice
or scale insects. The species of Hippodamia specialize on plant-lice. In the West, the adults often
gather in large masses under rocks on the tops of mountains to pass the winter. Such a gathering near Boulder, Colorado, is shown here
BUMBLE-BEE POLLINATING APPLE BLOSSOMS. From an exhibit in the Insect Hall. A few insects cause a loss of about one-fifth of our fruit, but we should have little or no fruit were it not tor other insects pollinating the blossoms
DRAGON FLY LARVA CATCHING A MOSQUITO LARVA by means of a curiously
modified lower lip, which is jointed and has a pair of pincers at its tip. (Insect Hall)
near New York City. They are presented in two series:
General Series. This is arranged in a definite order which should be followed as indicated by numbers.
’ The topics treated are: Importance of Insects, Geological History and Relation- ships, Anatomy and Phy siology, Develop- ment from Egg to Adult, Variation in Form and Color, Natural Selection, Inheritance, Collection and Identification, Habits, Ene- mies, Injuries to Man, Benefits to Man. Butterflies of New York State. A striking exhibit of some of the butterflies found in the State of New York is installed in the corridor of the Roosevelt Memorial Building (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 12a) just to the left of the entrance from the Fish Hall on the first floor of the Museum.
Living Fishes
HALE OF LIVING FISHES (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 9) ON ENTERING the Hall of Fishes from
the Darwin Hall one faces a group of sharks, sweeping down upon a helpless logger-head turtle. The uate sharks are represented in this grou
Gi) Wav hite Sa or Man-eater. One of the aon sharks, growing to a length of 30 feet or more. This ferocious shark feeds on large fish and sea-turtles. It has been known to attack men and even small boats. Fortu- nately it is apparently rare everywhere and usually remains on the high seas.
WHALE SHARK (Rhineodon typus). This is the largest species of shark; represented here by an eighteen-foot specimen. Note the wide mouth rectangular jaw, light spots, and the parallel ridges extending toward the tail
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MODEL OF THE MANTA OR DEVIL FISH (Manta birostris). From specimen taken off the west coast of Florida, measuring 17 feet across
(2) Spot-fin Ground Shark or Shovelnose. May be recognized by its small second dor- sal fin and very long tapering pectorals, in combination with a flattened shovel-like nose. It produces living young, feeds chiefly on fish and squid, and is harmless to man. (3) Southern Ground Shark. Somewhat re- sembles the Tiger Shark but differs in its very blunt snout, stouter body, very large pectoral fins, and complete absence of spots. It inhabits coastal waters and feeds on fish, etc. It is common about wharves, where it picks up refuse, but is not dangerous to man. (4) Tiger Shark. This fish sometimes reaches a length of 30 feet and is a very active, pre- daceous shark of the high seas. It has wide jaws and powerful sickle-shaped teeth, and it preys upon large sea turtles, other sharks, fish, and invertebrates. The tiger shark is much dreaded in the West Indies, but there is no authentic record of attacks on human beings.
(5) Hammer-head Shark. The strange flat-
tened and widened face of this shark seems to serve as a bow-rudder, which is used in making very quick turns in pursuit of fish. It occasionally reaches a length of 12 feet. (6) Sand Shark. This shark may be recog- nized by its combination of a delicate nose and unreduced second dorsal fin. The sand shark captures great numbers of small fish, which are its chief diet. There is no record that it attacks man.
The Systematic Exhibit includes a rep- resentative series of fishes, from the lowly “cartilage fishes,” such as the sharks and rays, to the highest or most complexly constructed bony fishes. Noteworthy in this series are the mounted groups of “ganoids,” including the sturgeons, spoonbills, bony gars, and bowfins, all of special scientific interest, since they are “living fossils,’ or descendants of the now extinct fishes of earlier geologic times. In the alcoves and wall cases on the right, the visitor will find many curious forms, such as the giant catfishes, the hand-
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(Above) DEEP SEA ANGLERS. Note fishing rod with luminous tip
some rooster fish, the brilliant parrot wrasses, and butterfly fishes.
On the right side of the entrance to the inner enclosure is the Biological Exhibit. This considers the fish as a machine—its stream-line form, its main principles of con- struction, its locomotor machinery, and the mechanism of its jaws.
The fish life of warm seas is represented in the inner enclosure, including the giant Manta, or Devilfish, a small individual of the spotted Whale Shark, largest of fishes, and in the foreground a bit of sandy bottom with small species as it would appear about Bimini, Bahamas.
The model of a Manta or Devilfish (Manta birostris) was made from a specimen taken in 1915 near Captiva Islands, off the West Coast of Florida, by Russell J. Coles. It meas-
ures 17 feet across the out-stretched wings. Still larger specimens up to 22 feet wide are on record. The Manta, like other skates and rays, may be regarded as a “winged shark” in which the body has become de- pressed and the breast fins enlarged into “wings” which are the chief organs of loco- motion.
The Whale Shark (Rhineodon typus) is an 18-foot specimen taken at Acapulco, Mexico, March 2, 1935. This species is the largest and most characteristically marked of living sharks. In 1935, 76 specimens had been recorded. Among these a measured specimen reached 45 feet in length, but there are reliable estimates of 60 to 70 feet. The markings form a striking pattern of vertical yellow bars separating vertical rows of yel- low spots.
(Below) VIPER FISH (Clauliodus) PURSUING BIGHEADS (Melamphaes)
The Deep Sea Fishes form a special ex- hibit in an inner room. Here in the semi- darkness we view some of the hobgoblins of the ocean depths—many of eee covered with jewels of phosphorescent light.
Fishes that live at great depths have to be able to endure enormous water pressure, low temperatures and total darkness. At one mile depth each square inch of surface of a fish’s body is under a pressure equal to about one ton. But the pressure is equal in all directions. It permeates the whole body of the fish inside and outside and evidently does not injure the most deli- cate tissues.
A small exhibit in the left-hand cor- ner of the central darkened room tells of the remarkable life-history in which there isa striking transformation of the “stalk-eyed fish” into a “Gleaming- tailed Sea Dragon.’ This exhibit is based on the investigations and material of Dr. William Beebe in connection with deep
sea fishes taken off Bermuda. He
roved that the minute “stalk- eyed fish,” which carries its eyes out at the ends of long stalks, really grows up into the Gleaming-tailed Sea Dragon” (Indiacanthus fasciola), for- merly supposed to be a different species.
The deep sea life is de- pendent ultimately upon the rain of food-bearing particles from the richer
Yj
TUNA (Thunnus thynnus).
A magnificent mounted tuna
fish from the Exhibit of Game Fishes
waters of the surface. The countless myriads of mi- croscopic plants are absorbed by the microscopic ani- mals and these
by the bil- lions of tiny copepods or shrimps, which in turn are devoured by the ravenous small fishes. Many different kinds of deep sea fishes have the power of lumines- cence. In some fishes the surface of the body is studded with little glow lamps, each of which has a lens, a reflector and a gland for producing a sub- stance called luciferin which emits a light when supplied with oxygen from the blood. The little shrimps and ‘other creatures upon which the fish feeds are attracted toward the lights as the moth to the flame. The lights ‘also enable fishes of the same kind to find each other and keep together in schools. Big Game Fishes. At fhe end of the Fish Hall toward the Roosevelt Memorial is the exhibit of Big Game Fishes, including many of great size taken with rod and line chiefly
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by Zane Grey and Michael Lerner. The huge ocean sunfish, caught by Mr. Grey with harpoon mad gaff, WwW eighed nearly a ton. A 74- pound channel bass, a 668- pound broadbill, and a 758- pound tuna look down from the walls.
The central feature of the Sailfish Group is the
mounted skin of a fish Ws caught off the rocky coast of Cape San \ Lucas, Lower Califor- nia. It is shown in the act of leaping from the water in a desperate effort to shake the hook from its jaws. Many other fishes well known to anglers and sportsmen, or greatly desired as closer acquaintances, hang in these cases, such as salmon, trout,
perch, muskellunge, barracuda, yellowjack,
bonefish, etc.
Three fine specimens of the fishes caught and presented by Michael Lerner are ex-
hibited in special cases as if rising through the water. One is the mounted Ban of atuna (Thunnus thynnus) which measured 8 feet, 3 inches in length and weighed 55 5 pounds. It me as
caught ona rod A reel off Wedge- port, Nova Scotia. This is the com-
mon or Bluefin Tuna, also called
Tunney and Horse Mackerel. It occurs in both the Atlantic and Pacific, and huge indi- viduals may reach a weight of over 1000 pounds.
The second specimen, a Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans ampla), weighed 305 pounds and measured 10 feet in length, It was caught on rod and reel off Bimini, Ba- hamas, on July 2, 1934. A Mako Shark (Isuropsis mako), caught off Bimini, is shown making one of its characteristic leaps above water in search of food.
The tuna, the swordfish, the marlin, the sailfish, and the mackeral are all related, be- longing to the same suborder of fishes, the Scombroidei, a group which attains the acme of speed and streamlined form. There is probably more confusion about the marlin than about any other large game fish.
This is due, first, to its similarity to its close relatives, the sw ce the sailfish, and the spearfish; secondly, to nae number a differ- ent kinds of the marlin itself. The sail of the sailfish is much higher and longer than that of the marlin.
The swordfish in Case 42 shows a dis- tinctly heavier body, longer and stouter sword, and shorter dorsal fre
The spearfish (Case 42) is a somewhat intermediate form. Its long dorsal fin is considerably lower than that of the marlins. On the wall in connection with the Big Game Fish exhibit may be found charts of the world record rod and reel catches.
BLUE MARLIN
(Makaira nigricans ampla)
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Living Reptiles
BALL OF LIVING REPTILES (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 9)
AS ONE enters this hall from the Insect Hall, the attention is attracted by four floor exhibits containing some of the largest living reptiles—the alligator, king cobra, and Gala- pagos tortoise. ‘A fine tine showing the largest living lizards. is at the right of the entrance. These are the Dragon Lizards of Komodo. The species Varanus kRomodoensis occurs only on Komodo and adjacent small islands in the Dutch East Indies. The scene in the group is laid on Komodo. A large male dragon lizard has just killed a wild boar, while another dashes forth from a nearby jungle to dispute ownership with the first.
Dragon lizards feed on deer, wild boar and water buffalo, possibly also birds and their eggs. They readily attack each other and have been known to seize a wounded
comrade.
The smaller lizard feeding on the boar is a female, the largest recorded individual of this sex. Few species of lizards show such a pronounced difference between the sexes. Komodo Island is uninhabited except for a convict village of Malays. Dragon lizards quickly secrete themselves on the approach of man. They apparently use vision alone in detecting their enemies, as they fail to react to sounds, and, in fact, appear to be deaf. The species is diurnal and hides away at night in large dens which it digs under the roots of ee or under rocks in iene open. Varanus Romodoensis is a large monitor lizard of the family Varanidae. It is closely related to certain monitor lizards of Aus- tralia, particularly to giant forms known only as fossils from the Pleistocene of that continent. These fossil species seem to have reached fifteen or more feet in length. Vara- nus komodoensis does not exceed ten feet, but large specimens may weigh over two hundred fifty pounds. It is therefore very much heavier than any other living lizard. The specimens and materials ton the dragon lizard exhibit were secured by an ex- pedition of the American Museum under the
THE DRAGON LIZARD OF KOMODO ISLAND (Varanus komodoensis)
RHINOCEROS IGUANA. This great Iguana from Santo Domingo is the most powerful lizard in the Americas. It is terrestrial, digging burrows in limestone
leadership of Mr. William Douglas Burden.
Near by a large chart outlines the history of all the vertebrate animals, including the . dragon lizards.
The central part of the hall is devoted to a large series of floor groups, showing various species of reptiles and amphibians in their natural environments. The cases on the right of the hall answer questions frequently asked, such as, “How do reptiles and amphibians feed?” “How do they protect themselves?” and “How do they breed?” also, “What is the economic value of reptiles and am- phibians?”
The left wall of the hall contains a series of exhibits installed in sunken panels, in which some of the principles controlling the existence of reptiles and amphibians are illus- trated. Among them are “Natural Selection, the Directing Principle of Evolution,” “Iso- lation, a Major Factor in the Origin of Species,” “Concealing Coloration and Form,” and “Parallel Evolution.”
Other exhibits are devoted to snake myths,
the structure of reptile skeletons, and to snake poisons and the treatment of snake bite.
On the left of the hall, in an enclosed cor- ridor, is a series of habitat groups portraying the home life of American reptiles and am- phibians. The subjects of these in order from the front of the corridor are:—The Leather- back Tortoise; The Giant Salamander; The Bullfrog; A New England Marshland in Spring; West Indian Tree Frogs; Reptiles of the Southwest; Galapagos Iguana; Rhi- noceros Iguana; Gila Monster; and the Flori- da Cypress Swamp. A few of these are de- scribed briefly.
The Rhinoceros Iguana Group illustrates the complete life history of a typical lizard. It inhabits the desert regions of Santo Do- mingo and is the most powerful lizard in the Americas.
It is a terrestrial animal, living in burrows which it digs through banks of limestone. The eggs are deposited during July in hills dug by the females in adjoining sand flats. The young iguanas hatch out and frequently
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pull their egg shells with them to the surface, The Rhinoceros Iguana, like most other large iguanas, is a vegetarian, feeding on Acacia beans, Saona berries, and other products of the desert.
The group depicts the western shore of Lake Enriquilla, a dead sea in Santo Domin- go, over 130 feet below the surface of the ocean.
The Reptiles and Amphibians of a Cy press Swamp. The primeval cypress swamps of northern Florida afford a home for the alli- gator, numerous turtles, lizards, snakes, and frogs. The large alligator on the left is a female guarding her nest (shown in cross section). Young turtles are hatching from eggs which have been hidden by the mother in the alligator’s nest. The group is a repro- duction of a Florida cypress swamp and
river cove in September. It portrays the feed- ing habits of several snakes, the breedin hanits of various turtles and toads, and many other reptiles and amphibians.
A New England Marshland in Spring. Toads and frogs come to the marshes and ponds in the spring to breed. ‘The males call loudly to attract mates. The shrill peeping which arises from so many ponds of eastern United States is made by a diminutive tree frog, while the trill which resounds from many orchards and water lily ponds is the voice of the gray tree frogs. Each species of frog and toad has a distinctive voice. In cail- ing, the throat of many species is blown out into a balloon-like sac and acts as a resonating organ. The group represents a small eon oe a swamp in southern New England during early May.
A CYPRESS SWAMP IN NORTHERN FLORIDA. Detail of a group in the Reptile Hall
Gila Monsters. The Gila Monster is well known as the only poisonous lizard in the United States. In the group but one species, Heloderma suspectum, is shown. The only other poisonous lizard known, the Mexican Gila monster, Heloderma horridum, is ex- hibited in a floor group in the adjacent main hall. The present group shows a small section of one of the canyons of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona. The snake gliding over the rocks is the Sonoran Racer, Masticophis bilineatus. The desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, illustrated below, is seeking a hiding place for the night.
AMPHIBIA AND REPTILES OF NEW YORK STATE
An exhibit showing the species found within the State of New York may be seen in the corridor of the Roosevelt Memorial on the first floor. (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 12a). (Below)
DESERT TORTOISE (Gopherus, agassizii). A detail from the “Gila Monster Group,” depicting the reptilian fauna of one of the Arizona canyons
DETAIL OF A GROUP SHOWING THE AMPHIBIANS OF A NEW ENGLAND MARSHLAND IN EARLY SPRING
Living birds
THE WHITNEY WING
(Index Plan, pp. 16-19, First-Fourth Floors, Hall 79)
THE Whitney Wing of the Museum, newest section of our Eerueture. was a joint gift of the late Harry Payne Whitney and the City of New York. It is wholly oc- cupied ‘by the Museum’s Department of Birds. Three of its eight floors are devoted completely or in part 7 public exhibits.
The main entrance of this wing leads into Whitney Memorial Hall from the New York State Theorore Roosevelt Memorial. The display represents bird life on islands in the Pacific Ocean, covering an expanse from the Hawaiian Islands Sachin ard beyond New Zealand and from the Galapagos Archi- pelago and small islets off the coast of Peru westward to the Australian barrier reef and New Guinea. Foyers at the ends of the hall contain maps and mural texts which describe both purpose and plan of the exhibits. Near the ends of the main hall are bronze busts of the late Messrs. William C. Whitney and Harry Payne Whitney, father and son, to whom the building and its contents are dedi- cated.
WHITNEY MEMORIAL HALL (Index Plan, p. 17, Second Floor, Hall 19)
The design of Whitney Memorial Hall is intended to give Museum visitors the illusion that they are standing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and viewing scenes in every direction throughout hundreds or even thousands of miles. In other words, the hall represents the Pacific itself, reduced to ex- tremely small compass. A common horizon crosses the background of all 18 habitat groups, and from these the sky appears to rise behind the fronts of the cases and to be continuous with the blue dome that forms the ceiling of the hall. Suspended by invisible wires in this vault are examples of oceanic birds which inhabit the Pacific from the
tropical environment depicted near the nor- thern end of the hall to the edge of the Antarctic toward the south end. It is through the latter that the visitor approaches from the Roosevelt Memorial building.
At the present time only Asa three-
fourths of the exhibits are completed. In addition to the dome and the decorations in the two foyers, nine groups on the right- hand side of the hall and four on the left and two center cases are on display. These are as follows: Ship-Followers. The point of view is from the deck of an old-fashioned sailing vessel in the open ocean south and east of New Zealand, in the zone of the westerly winds. In the background is the Whitney South Sea Expedition schooner, the “France,” which served the American Museum during ten years in Polynesia. The expedition col- lected most of the specimens used through- out this hall.
Pelagic birds shown in the exhibit com- prise a variety of albatrosses and petrels, es- pecially characteristic of the higher south- ern latitudes.
Samoa. A view from the hills of the island of Savaii toward the ocean. The site is at the point where forest meets more cpen slopes. The birds include those of both woodland and grassland, such as fruit pigeons, ducks, members of the parrot family and many smaller forms. Especially noteworthy is the tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus), a very peculiar member of the pigeon family, con- fined entirely to a few islands of the Samoan group.
Tuamotu. The island of Hao, an atoll, with the coral-grown lagoon at the left and the surf of the open ocean on the right. In the distant background can be seen tree- and shrub-covered segments of the island ring. Among the coconut palms and other typical beach vegetation of a coral island are man- o’-war birds, boobies, a nesting red-tailed tropic-bird, several terns, including the white fairy tern which lays its egg on rough bark or in the crotch of a bush, and also a number of shore birds of both migratory and resi- dent species. The example of the latter is the rare or nearly extinct Polynesian sandpiper, one of the smallest members of its family, of which two stand in the left foreground.
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The Tuamotu archipelago occupies a huge area in the central South Pacific and is one of the most extensive island groups on earth. Marquesas. A scene in the volcanic Island of Nukuhiva, showing a rugged shore line and ridges dissected by the sea, as viewed from a height of nearly 2000 feet. On the right is the Valley of “Typee,” famous as the locale of Herman Melville’s romance of the same name.
The birds include the giant pigeon (Ser-
resius), which exists only at the island of Nukuhiva, a smaller native fruit pigeon, swifts of the “edible-nest” group, warblers and old world flycatchers peculiar to this island, a forest rail, a ground dove and a pair of wild chickens or jungle fowl, the ancestors of which were widely distributed in the Pacific by the original Polynesian immi- grants. Peruvian Guano Islands. Looking southward across the Bay of Pisco, Peru, from the south- ern island of the Chincha group. The scene represents the rainless coast of Peru, where climatic conditions are responsible for the accumulation on such islands of sea bird manure known as guano, which was the fer- tilizer of the Incas and other ancient agri- cultural peoples of the west coast of South America. :
Despite the exhaustion of the old supplies of guano, it has again become an important commercial resource in Peru, and the in- dustry is now operated upon a scientific con- servational basis.
The three principal species of guano-pro- ducing birds, all of which are peculiar to the coasts of Peru and northern Chile, are shown. These are the Peruvian cormorant, booby, and pelican. Other birds of interest are the white-moustached Inca tern, two species of gulls, and on the rocks of the painted background a distant cluster of Peruvian penguins.
Galapagos. This scene is in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago looking from James Island across the water toward Albemarle, the largest island of the group. The Gala- pagos lie on the equator about 600 miles west of the South American coast. They are fa- mous as the native home of many peculiar and long isolated species of both plants and animals, and they received their first notable
scientific fame as a result of the visit of Charles Darwin in H.M.S. “Beagle” about 1834.
Man-o’-war birds, herons, an owl, mock- ingbirds and hawks are among the birds shown in the exhibit. Most of these are re- markable because of their total lack of shy- ness in the presence of man, a trait doubtless acquired during residence throughout a very long period in a land without man or other mammalian enemies. The most important of the Galapagos birds from a biological
oint of view are several species of small finches which show a great variation in the size of the bill. These mostly belong to the genus Geospiza, and Darwin’s observations of them in the field are believed to have had much to do with his original ideas on the principle of natural selection as an explana- tion of evolutionary change. Hawaii. This exhibit shows a deep and steep valley on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, with slopes and gorges descending about 4000 feet from the high plateau of the island toward low banks above the beach. The opposite or windward side of Kauai is extremely rainy and, on the right, fragments of storm clouds are shown whisking out over the valley which, however, is not very humid because most of the rainfall is precipitated farther to windward.
The Hawaiian archipelago, like that of the Galapagos, has been isolated from other land areas throughout many ages, and some of the native birds and other animals show even more peculiar and pronounced evolutionary changes. The Hawaiian honeycreepers (Dre- panididae), for example, are obviously mem- bers of a single family of small land birds, yet the specializations in the bills of several species range from short, stout, almost par- rot-like beaks to extremely long, pointed and sickle-shaped organs. Feeding habits are, of course, correlated with such structures, for the stoutest-billed species can manipulate hard seeds and fruits, whereas those with long slender bills must use them in extracting nectar or small insects and spiders from the corolla of flowers. Several examples of these honeyeaters are exhibited, but it would be impossible to show the whole range of varia- tion in bills without drawing upon species in- habiting other islands of the Hawaiian group.
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BROWN PELICANS (Pelecanus occidentalis). Brown Pelicans inhabit our coasts from South
Carolina to the West Indies. They often fly in diagonal files and under favorable conditions sail
long distances on set wings. Facing the wind, they travel high, but at times they skim just above the crest of curling breakers
EMPEROR PENGUIN (Aptenodytes forsteri). This is the largest of the existing species of the penguins. The mounted bird here shown, a male, weighed seventy-nine pounds. The Emperor Pen- guin is excusively Antarctic, inhabiting the fring- ing ice of the south polar continent and the adja- cent islands. It rarely sets foot upon land or rock. The single egg is laid on the ice in midwinter and is carried on top of the bird’s foot until it hatches, the male and female taking turns at incubation
At the right of the group three geese are shown in flight, the species being peculiar to Hawaii. In the air, down the valley, are two white-tailed tropic-birds, and the small land birds include one or more species having tufts of brightly colored feathers which were used by the ancient Hawaiians in manu- facturing the famous feather cloaks worn by chiefs of high rank.
Lysan. Albatrosses, of which there are some seventeen species in the world, resort during the nesting season to remote oceanic islands. There they carry on their remarkably elabo-
rate courtship precedure, lay the single egg, and rear their chick before they depart once more on the oceanic w anderings which they continue until the return of the next breed- ing season.
Most albatrosses inhabit the higher lati- tudes of the southern oceans, and no species regularly enters the North Atlantic. The North Pacific Ocean, however, is the home of three kinds of albatrosses, two of which
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are here shown on the nesting ground of Laysan Island, a leeward outlier of the Ha- waiian archipelago.
The two species shown are the white- breasted Lysan albatross and the all dark black-footed albatross. Both carry on an ex- traordinary ritual, commonly known as a courtship dance, although it really partakes of community behavior. The birds on the nesting ground salute, cross bills, and bow not only to their own mates but to other albatrosses of both sexes.
A pair of the small native teal of Laysan,
found nowhere else in the world, is also shown in this exhibit. Others displayed are nesting sea birds, such as boobies, man-of-war birds, and petrels (which occupy burrows in the sandy soil), and shore birds that make the island a resting place during their long migration from Alaskan breeding grounds to a winter home among islands of the south seas—bristle-thighed curlews, golden plovers, and others. New Caledonia. Yhis large island, which is east of Australia, lies on one of the western Pacific arcs or submerged mountain ranges. It has had no connection with any other land area since it arose from the ocean in the early part of the Age of Mammals.
Because its life hasbeen obtained by natural means from places across the sea, it is in- teresting to note that, among the 64 species of New Caledonian land birds, six belong to widespread Pacific species, 35 appear to have come from Australia, and 23 from the New Guinea region.
New Caledonia has five genera of birds found nowhere else, these comprising a pigeon, a parrot, a warbler, a honey-eater, and the strange, flightless, heron-like Kagu. The last is a very extraordinary bird, which appears to have no near relatives any where else in the world.
The site of this exhibit is on the north- easterly coast of New Caledonia, at an alti- tude of slightly more than 1000 feet. The birds, in addition to the Kagu (on the ground), include a fruit dove, kingfisher, cuckoo, warblers, flycatchers, whistlers, a wood-swallow, starling, honeyeaters, and a parrot finch.
Solomon Islands. Since the United States armed forces have made history at Guadal-
canal Island, the savage Solomons no longer seem so far away as they formerly did. In this exhibit of bird life in a hot, humid, and mountainous archipelago, the background shows Guadalcanal itself. The foreground represents a small islet off the southeastern end of Guadalcanal, with a cluster of native huts, and a garden in which coconut palms, bananas, papaya, cassava, breadfruit, taro, and sweet potato are growing on the site of a recently-felled tropical forest.
The Solomon Islands have a rich bird fauna, with 128 species of land birds alone. The 21 species shown in the exhibit can therefore be only a representative selection. They include the following: the Brahminy kite, a bird of prey; the brush fowl or mega- pode, which lays its eggs in mounds or rot- ting vegetation, so that the heat of fermenta- tion may hatch them, several species of doves, parrots, lories, and cockatoos, includ- ing the king parrot, of which the male is green and the female vivid red; the giant swift, a relative of our American chimney swift; and various colorful representatives of Old World families, such as rollers, cuckoo-shrikes, flycatchers, sunbirds, and flower-peckers.
Australian Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, which for more than 1200 miles guards the east coast of Australia, is the largest coral reef in the world. In the extensive lagoon between the Barrier and the mainland are countless lesser reefs, islets of coral limestone
A GIANT SWIFT soars into a jungle \\ clearing in the exhibit showing the bird N life of the Solomon Islands
and, near shore, higher islands which are
detached fragments of the continental rock. Many of these haave collected wind-blown soil and have acquired a luxuriant, even if limited, plant life. Others remain relatively bare but are still for enough above the reach of the ocean to furnish breeding grounds for great colonies of sea fowl.
The birds of the Great Barrier are mostly of widespread types, as is characteristic of the avifaunas of beaches and small islands. They include a noisy colony of brown noddies and sooty terns, the fledgling young of the latter being the dark speckled birds which look so unlike their parents, Aus- tralian silver gulls, crested terns, reef herons
in both gray and white phases, and man-of-
war birds complete the list of resident oceanic species. The sandpipers or tattlers in the beach pool are winter migrants from northern Asiatic nesting grounds. The white land birds painted in flight are nutmeg pig- eons bound, perhaps, toward fruit trees growing on the islets.
New Guinea. Among its 650 species New Guinea has many birds not known in Aus- tralia, though the two land masses are only 100 miles apart at Torres Strait. A drop of 50 feet in the sea level would probably join them. On a map of the United States, New Guinea would reach from New York City to Colorado, and its interior offers some of the largest unexplored areas on earth. This exhibit depicts a scene on Lake Habbema,
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF. Most of the flying birds in this view are sooty terns. The darker ones are part of a colony of brown noddies
BIRDS OF NEW GUINEA. Three Alpine Lories, brilliantly colored New Guinea Parrots, are perched above two Macgregor’s birds of paradise
11000 feet above sea level, looking south- ward toward Mount Wilhelmina.
Fiji. The Fiji archipelago is one of the largest, most beautiful, and most important in the Pacific. It forms part of one of the several great island arcs to the east of Australia and New Guinea and comprises more than 200 separate islands and islets. The larger mem- bers are mountainous, and many are sur- rounded by fringing reefs of coral.
Fiji has about 54 species of land birds, or only half as many as the Solomon Islands, which are hundreds of miles nearer the ulti- mate source of supply in the Australasian
region. The principal Fijian types are birds of families known to be able to make long colonizing flights across the ocean, such as parrots, pigeons, kingfishers, starlings, and white-eyes.
In the silky dove and the golden dove, Fiji has two of the most spectacular of all birds. Both species are peculiar to this group of islands, and one of them only to Viti Levu Island, the site of the exhibit. The thirteen additional birds shown all belong to families found at other Pacific islands, but the species are mostly peculiar to Fiji. Most of the ab- original Fijian birds are confined to mountain
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districts, while the common birds of town and village are more widespread or recently introduced kinds.
Birds of Paradise. The first case consists of two exhibits, one on the Plume-Bird-of- Paradise, and one on South Sea Lories, a group of parrots. The second case contains an exhibit on the Rifle Birds (Birds-of-Para- dise) and one on various birds of the Malay Archipelago.
HALL OF BIOLOGY OF BIRDS (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 19)
In Sanford Hall, on the first floor of the Whitney Wing, much fascinating infor- mation on the biology of birds is given in an attractive setting. ake key note of the exhibit is the story of the bird’s adaptations to flight. Characteristic representatives of over 140 families are shown. The evolution of birds, bird flight, the anatomy of birds, the bird feather, origin of species in birds, bird dis- tribution, and bird migration are subjects that are treated in deal!
Special exhibits are devoted to the giant fossil birds, to various remarkable bird nests (hornbill, osprey, social weaver, caciques ) and to various extinct North American birds (Passenger Pigeon, Heath Hen, Labrador Duck). Paintings are shown of most of the more than too birds that have become extinct in the world. The causes of this extinction are discussed.
The entrance exhibit is a breathtaking sunset scene in the Caribbean with flying flamingoes, spoonbills, scarlet ibises, and egrets.
GALLERY OF BIRD ART (Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 19) A collection of original drawings and paint- ings of birds by Louis Agassiz Fuertes is in- stalled in the Gallery of Bird Art on the Fourth Floor of the W hitney Wing. These works cover most of Fuertes’ life as an artist, from a painting made while a young boy to his mature work of the later years preceding his untimely death. The collection includes numerous studies made in the field, many of them while on expeditions of the Aerie Museum, and finished pictures, both pub- lished and unpublished.
The same hall contains a series of original
water-color paintings by Joseph Wolf which were published as illustrations of various of the ornithological monographs of D. G. Elliot, particularly the Monograph of the Pheasants.
Included in this hall, also, are two large oil paintings from the collecuiag of Audu- boniana, most of which is installed in the alee of the Theodore Roosevelt Me- morial Wing immediately adjoining. One of these paintings is by John James Audubon, showing a dog surprising a group of pheas- ants. The other is a portrait of Audubon with his dog, horse, and gun from the brushes of his sons Victor and John Woodhouse Audubon.
AUDUBON GALLERY (Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 12a)
A noteworthy collection of objects relating to the life and work of John James Audubon is exhibited in the corridor on the fourth floor of the Roosevelt Memorial leading into the Whitney Wing. These include original sketches and paintings by Audubon, and by his son, John Woodhouse Audubon, mainly of the Quadrupeds of North America; some of the copper plates from which the Birds of America were printed, and a portrait of Robert Havell, their engraver and publisher of the first pricier of the ‘ ‘Birds.” Of special interest are the portraits of Audubon, one of which is displayed on the right-hand wall of the Whitney Gallery of Bird Art, just inside the entrance. Of more personal interest are the guns carried by Audubon on many of his expeditions and the buckskin suit he wore. These objects were presented mainly by his grand-daughters, Maria R. and Florence Audubon, but the largest piece, a covey of pheasants, was given by Miss M. Eliza Audu- bon. Gifts have been received also from Dr. Edward H. Rogers, Miss Anne E. Roelker, Robert Havell Lockwood, and others.
BIRDS OF THE WORLD HALL (Index Plan, p. 17, Second Floor, Hall 2)
This hall is devoted to a projected series of twelve habitat groups to show the major faunal areas of the world and their character- istic birds. Eleven groups have been com- pleted. The backgrounds, by Francis Lee Jaques, Frank McKenzie, and Arthur A.
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Jansson, are reproductions of actual scenes made from color sketches and photographs taken on the spot. Beginning at the right of the entrance, the completed groups are as follows:
Pampas Group. The pampas and lagoons of the South Temperate Zone of South America harbor a varied assemblage of birds. These include some twenty species of North Amer- ican sandpipers and plovers that migrate to this region to spend the northern winter. Some of the birds are permanent residents. The scene is laid at Lake Chascomus, near Buenos Aires, Argentina, a region made fa- mous by the writings of William Henry Hudson, to whom the group is dedicated. It is a gift of Mrs. Anna E. Erickson.
High Andes Group. The Paramo Zone of South America is found at sea level at the southern end of the continent but occupies increasingly high elevations in the Andes, below the snow line, as the equator is ap- proached. In the neighborhood of Mt. Acon- cagua, Chile, shown in the background, this zone is reached at 10,000 feet elevation, but the birds are still closely related to those of the lowlands of Patagonia and southern Chile. The giant Condor is a characteristic species.
American Tropical Zone. Barro Colorado Island, in the Canal Zone, was once a hilltop and part of the unbroken humid tropical forest of the Panamanian lowlands but it was cut off from the surrounding forest when the valley of the Chagres River was flooded by the closing of Gatun Dam. It is now pre- served as a natural laboratory under the care of the Institute for Research in Tropical America. It has been made known to many through the writings of Dr. Frank M. Chap- man, particularly by his books, “My Tropi- cal Air Castle” and “Life in an Air Castle.” South Georgia Group. The bird-life of the Antarctic regions is not as rich in species as that of the tropics but possesses certain very interesting forms, among which the pen- guins are outstanding. The group shows an assemblage of King Penguins on the island of South Georgia, 1200 miles east of Cape Horn. Among the other characteristic species are the Wilson’s Petrel (one of the birds known to sailors as “Mother Carey’s Chickens’), the Kelp Gull, Giant Fulmar, the curious
Sheathbill, and (painted) the Wandering Albatross.
East African Plains. The easterly third of Africa is largely a grassy country dotted with thorny bushes and trees. The Kidong Valley, scene of the group, lies some 40 miles northwest of Nairobi, Kenya Colony, in the Great Rift Valley that extends from north- ern Tanganyika to the Red Sea and southern Palestine. The Ostrich, Marabou, Bustard, Courser, Secretary Bird, Hoopoe, Coly, and Lark shown in the group are typical of the plains region, though some of the other birds shown have close relatives in the forests. Gift of Henry W. Sage.
Congo Forest Group. The equatorial forests along the Congo River in western Africa are rich in bird-life. As in other tropical forests, many species of birds often band to- gether in loosely mixed flocks that roam the woods for insects and other food, searching from the ground to the tops of the trees. The exhibit shows such an assemblage together with other inhabitants of the region. The scene is at Lukolela, about 500 miles upstream from the mouth of the Congo River. Pre- sented by Mrs. Dwight Arven Jones. Australia. This is a scene in the Blue Moun- tains of New South Wales, about 100 miles west of Sydney, at the edge of the forest look- ing out over the eucalyptus-dotted savanna. Two Lyre Birds (male and female) have come to the forest margin. A flock of Crim- son Rosella Parrots has settled on the ground and in the trees, and two Eastern Rosellas are near-by. Several Black-backed Magpies are on the ground or (painted) flying, and a Laughing Jackass is perched in a tree over- head. Various characteristic birds of eastern Australia are shown, such as the Peaceful Dove, Satin Flycatcher, Broad-billed Roller, Gang-gang Cockatoo, and others. In the dis- tance (painted) are scattered the ostrich-like groups of Emus. The group was the gift of Archer M. Huntington.
Gobi Group. The extensive desert of central Asia, known as The Gobi, contains a number of brackish lakes, without outlets and fed by surface and underground streams from mountains such as the Altai Range shown in the background. The climate is cold except for a brief summer, and the bird-life consists largely of migrant species that go south for
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MACAWS (Ara macao). From the exhibit showing the bird life of Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal Zone. This island, made by the spreading of Gatun Lake, has cut off a portion of the continental trop- ical jungle with its abundant mammal and bird life
A DETAIL FROM THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CALI- FORNIA, BIRD GROUP. This valley, once a vast desert, has now been irrigated. Well-water- ed grass lands have resulted, inhabited by birds in great abundance and variety
BIRD LIFE OF THE GOBI
the winter, as the Demoiselle Crane, Great Bustard, and Ruddy Sheldrake. The Raven remains throughout the year. The interesting Sand-Grouse often travels long distances daily for water and has an irregular local migration.
Palaearctic Alpine Group. The Zermatt Val- ley and the Matterhorn, in Switzerland, are shown with some of the characteristic birds of the upper Alps at timberline at 7000 feet elevation. Some of the species, like the Wall Creeper and the Snowfinch, probably reached the Alps from the Himalayas in pre- historic times when these two now distant mountain ranges may have been continuous. Others, like the Arctic Ptarmigan and Red- poll, may have come from the north, driven by the advancing ice of the Glacial Period. Sull others are inhabitants of the lower eleva- tions that have extended their ranges up- ward to the timberline.
New Forest Group. The Palearctic Zone or Old World North Temperate Zone cor- responds to the Nearctic or North Tem- perate Zone of North America. The families of birds found in the two regions are much the same and some of the species are identi- cal although their local names may differ. Occasionally the same name is applied to quite different species as in the case of the European and American robins. The group
GREAT AUK, or Gare Fowl, a bird now extinct.
No living specimens have been recorded since
1844. (A mounted specimen in the American Museum)
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shows the famous “Roosevelt Walk” in the New Forest, in the Valley of the Itchen, in Hampshire, where Lord (then Sir Edward) Grey and Theodore Roosevelt watched the birds together in 1910. The group is dedi- cated to Lord Grey and was the gift of Mrs. Carll Tucker.
Tundra Group. Churchill, Manitoba, on the western side of Hudson Bay, lies in what the
Indian called the “land of little sticks.” Here the Canadian forests to the southward are giving way to the treeless tundra that reaches northward to the Arctic Ocean. In summer the tundra is dotted with innumerable insect- filled ponds. Hither to nest come myriads of migratory water birds—sandpipers, plo- vers, gulls, ducks, and geese—that have win- tered in warmer lands to the southward. A few land birds also nest on the tundra. One of these, the Arctic grouse or Ptarmigan, is able to endure the long Arctic winter and, unlike most of the tundra birds, does not migrate. A number of forest- or bush-dwel- ling birds reach the northern limit of their distribution near Churchill. Some of these may be seen in the group, the gift of William A. Rockefeller.
HALL OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRD GROUPS (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 1)
Here are the Habitat Groups of North American birds, prepared under the direc- tion of Dr. Frank M. Chapman, Curator of Ornithology, who collected most of the specimens and made practically all the field studies. The backgrounds are reproductions of specific localities, painted from sketches made by the artist who usually accompanied the naturalists when the field studies for the groups were made. Practically all sections of the country are represented; thus the series depicts characteristic North American scen- ery as well as the bird-life. The backgrounds of the groups were painted by Bruce Hors- fall, Charles J. Hittell, Hobart Nichols, Carl Rungius, W. B. Cox, Louis A. Fuertes, and Francis L. Jaques. The foliage and flowers were reproduced in the Museum laboratories from material collected in the localities rep- resented. (See Guide Leaflet No. 28.) The visitor should follow the series to the right around the hall.
Orizaba Group. The distribution of birds, notwithstanding their powers of flight, is limited in great measure by climate. Thus in traveling from Panama north to Greenland there are zones of bird-life corresponding to the zones of temperature. This condition is illustrated on the mountain of Orizaba in Mexico, where in traveling from the tropical
jungle at its base to its snow-clad peak the naturalist finds zones of life comparable with those to be found in traveling north on the continent. Thus the Orizaba group, so far as the distribution of life is concerned, is an epitome of all the groups in the hall.
Cobb’s Island Group. Among our most beautiful and graceful shore-birds are the terns and gulls, which (because of their plumage) were once ceaselessly hunted and slaughtered for millinery purposes. Thanks to protection, they have now greatly in- creased in numbers. The group represents a section of an island off the Virginia coast, where the birds are now protected by law. Duck Hawk Group. The Duck Hawk may be found nesting on the Palisades of the Hud- son almost within the limits of New York City. It nests on the ledges of the towering cliffs. This hawk is the Peregrine Falcon, which was so much used for hunting in the Middle Ages. It often comes into the city for pigeons.
Hackensack Meadow Group. In August and September the meadows and marshlands bordering the Hackensack River, New Jer- sey, formerly teemed with bird-life, but this is rapidly disappearing before the march of “improvements.” In the group are swallows preparing to migrate southward, Bobolinks or “Rice Birds” in autumn plumage, Red- winged Blackbirds, Rails, Wood Ducks and Long-billed Marsh Wrens.
Wild Turkey Group. The Wild Turkey is a native of America and was once abundant in the wooded regions of the eastern portion of the United States, but is now very rare. It differs slightly in color from the Mexican bird, the ancestor of our common barnyard turkey, which was introduced from Mexico into Europe about 1530 and was brought by the colonists to America. (Reproduced from studies near Slaty Forks, West Virginia.) Florida Great Blue Heron Group. The Great Blue Heron usually nests in trees. The bird flies with its neck curved back on its body, and because of this habit it can readily be distinguished from cranes, with which it is frequently confused. (Reproduced from studies near St. Lucie, Florida.)
Water Turkey, or “Snake-bird,” Group. In the yellow pond-lily swamps grown with cypresses and cabbage palmettos, the shy
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ARCTIC SEABIRD LIFE. From a group in the Gallery of North American Birds. The group depicts the lower part of a 1000-foot cliff on Little Diomede Island in Bering Sea. Here myriads of sea birds come each summer to lay their eggs and rear their young
Water Turkey builds its nest. It receives the name “turkey” from its turkey-like tail, and the title “snake-bird” from its habit of swim- ming with only the long slender neck above Ww ten (Reproduced from studies near St. Lucie, Florida.)
Sandhill Crane Group. Unlike the herons, the Sandhill Crane builds its nest of reeds in the water. It differs also in its manner of flight, always fully extending its neck when on the wing. (Reproduced, from studies on the Kissimmee Prairies of Florida.)
Brown Pelican Group. Pelican Island, on the
Indian River of Florida, has been made a reservation by the United States Govern- ment, and these grotesque birds now breed there in comparative safety. The view shows a section of the island at the height of the
fo) nesting season. (Reproduced from studies at
Pelican Island, Florida.)
American Egret Group. This beautiful bird has been brought to the verge of extinction in this country through the use of its “aig- rette plumes” ‘for millinery purposes, and is now confined to a few protected rookeries in the South. The birds have these plumes
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only during the nesting season, at which time the death of the parent means the starva- tion of the young. (Reproduced from studies in a rookery of South Carolina.)
Turkey Vulture Group. The Turkey Vul- ture, or “buzzard,” is one of the best-known birds of the South, where it performs a valu- able service in acting as scavenger. On this account it is protected by law and by public sentiment and has become both abundant and tame. (Reproduced from studies at Plummer Island in the Potomac River, near Washington. )
California Condor Group. The California Condor is the largest and one of the rarest of North American birds. It is not so heavy as the condor of the Andes, and has a slightly smaller spread of wing. In the group the visi- tor is supposed to be standing in the interior of the condor’s cave, and is looking down on the river of the canon. (Reproduced from studies in Piru Canon, California.)
Brandt’s Cormorant Group. The foreground of the group shows a detail of the island that is painted in the background. The young birds are feeding, and it will be noticed that one fledgling is reaching down the mother’s throat after the predigested food. (Repro- duced from studies at Monterey, California.) San Joaquin Valley Group. Formerly this area was an arid place with a characteristic desert bird fauna. Now the ranchmen have irrigated the land, and aquatic bird-life abounds. This group is a good illustration of the influence of man on the bird-life of a region.
Bering Sea Bird Group. Little Diomede and Big Diomede form a group of two islands which lie in Bering Sea, fifty miles south of the Arctic Circle and about midway between Alaska and Siberia. ;
The site of the group is the lower part of the 1000-foot cliff at the south end of Little Diomede. Here, protected by isolation, as well as by the nature of their haunts, myriads of murres, guillemots, puffins, auklets, gulls, and cormorants come each summer to lay their eggs and rear their young.
Flamingo Group. There were estimated to be two thousand nests in this colony. The Flamingos construct their nests by scooping up mud with their bills and packing it down by means of bill and feet. The nests are raised
to a height of twelve or fourteen inches. This protects eggs and young from disasters due to high water. Only one egg is laid, and the young, covered with down, is fed by the mother on predigested food. (Reproduced ~ from studies in the Bahama Islands.)
Booby and Man-of-War Bird Group. In this group is shown a portion of a coral islet on which three thousand Boobies and four hun- dred Man-of-War Birds were nesting, the former on the ground, the latter in the sea grape bushes. (Reproduced from studies in the Bahama Islands.)
Florida Rookery Group. \n this group are Roseate Spoonbills, Snowy Egrets, American Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Louisiana Herons, ibises, cormorants, and Water-Turkeys. Be- cause of the great inaccessibility of this is- land it was one of the last places to feel the depredations of the plume-hunter. (Repro- duced from studies in the Everglades of Florida.)
Whistling Swan Group. A Whistling Swan on the nest is visible far across the arctic tundra, the summer home of this species. The nest is built of moss, etc., and in it are laid two to five white eggs, four and a quarter inches long. Both male and female share the labor of nest-building, incubation, and caring for the young.
Whooping Crane Group. The Whooping Crane is so nearly. exterminated that not only was it impossible to obtain a nest and young, but in making this group it was necessary to use specimens taken many years ago. Golden Eagle Group. The Golden Eagle is one of the most widely distributed of birds. In North America it is common from the Rockies to the Pacific, as far east as Maine. Stories to the contrary notwithstanding, the eagle never attacks man.
Its food consists of rabbits, squirrels, woodchucks and occasionally sheep. (Re- produced from studies near Bates Hole, Wyoming. )
Klamath ieee Group. The bird-life here shows how normal nesting habits may be changed by birds being forced to live in a new locality. White Pelicans, which usually make a nest of pebbles, Caspian Terns, which commonly build their nests on sand, and Cormorants that nest on rocks are all nest- ing together here on the islets of the lake.
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Unfortunately the breeding ground shown here, with its wonderful bird-life, has been destroyed by ill-advised drainage. (Repro- duced from studies at Klamath Lake, Ore- on.)
Arctic-Alpine Bird-Life Group. The scene represented in this group is above the timber- line on the crest of the Canadian Rockies, 8000 feet above the sea. Although these mountains are in the temperate region, the altitude gives climatic conditions that would be found in the Far North, and the bird-life is arctic in character. Here are nesting the White tailed Ptarmigan, Rosy Snow Finches, and Pipits. (Reproduced from studies in the Canadian Rockies.)
Sage Grouse Group. This group shows a stretch of western plateau covered with sage brush. In this brush is seen the male Sage Grouse strutting and wooing a mate (Repro- duced from studies at Medicine Bow, Wyoming.)
Prairie Chicken Group. The Prairie Chickens are akin to the common grouse. The group represents a typical scene during the mating season. The male birds go through most surprising antics in their efforts to attract
the females. They inflate the orange-colored.
sacs on the sides of their necks, dancing and strutting about and uttering a loud, resonant, booming note. (Reproduced from studies near Halsey, Nebraska.)
Wild Goose Group. The Wild Goose is one of the first birds to migrate north in the spring. It nests among the lakes of Canada even before the ice is melted. (Reproduced from studies made at Crane Lake, Saskatche- wan, Canada.) Grebe Group. The grebes are aquatic birds which build their nests in the water. During incubation the parent bird usually covers the eggs with grass arid reeds when leaving the nest. Nesting at the same lake with the grebes was the Redhead Duck. (Crane Lake, Sas- katchewan, Canada.) Loon Group. The Loon is justly famed for its skill as a diver, and can swim with great speed under water. Its weird call is a familiar sound on the northern New England lakes. Many Loons pass the winter at sea fifty miles or more from land. (Lake Umbagog, New Hampshire. ) Bird Rock Group. This rocky island thirty miles from shore in the Gulf of St. Lawrence affords some protection to the sea birds which still nest in considerable numbers on its cliffs. Seven species are shown nesting in the group—the Razor-billed Auk, Leach’s Petrel, Gannet, Puffin, Kittiwake Gull, Com- mon Murre, and Briinnich’s Murre. This was the Museum’s first large group. (Bird Rock, Gulf of St. Lawrence. )
(See also Guide Leaflet No. 28, The Habi- tat Groups of North American Birds.)
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peter
(Above) GREEN HERON
(Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 12a)
In the corridor on the first floor of the Roosevelt Memorial are shown all the species of birds that have been known to occur within 50 miles of New York City. The first four lettered cases, A-D, on the right, opposite the entrance to the new Hall of North American Mam- mals, contain the permanent resi- dents. The next four lettered cases, E-H, contain the migrants. The latter are changed as necessary about the first of each month. Be- ginning at the entrance to the Mammal Hall on the left-hand wall, the numbered cases contain the general collection of all birds found within this area.
A case containing the nests and eggs of the local birds will be found around the corner from case A, on the opposite side of the stairway leading to the second floor.
LOCAL BIRDS
In the central Hall of this floor of the Roosevelt Memorial, to the right of the entrance is the Roosevelt Sanctuary Group, showing characteristic spring migrants in the New York City area. The scene is laid in the Roosevelt Wild-life sanct- uary at Oyster Bay, Long Island, and shows the memorial fountain (reversed) and the site of Theodore Roosevelt’s grave on the hillside to the left. The background was painted by James Perry Wilson, as- sisted by Fred F. Scherer.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE
(Above) WOOD THRUSH (Below) KINGBIRD
ALASKA BROWN BEAR. The world’s largest carnivore. It goes into hibernation high on the mountain slopes in the fall and emerges in April or May
Living Mammats
HALL OF NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS
(Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 13)
THE new Hall of North American Mam- mals was opened to the public April 8, 1942, although a number of the groups are still unfinished.
At the west end of the hall, opposite the entrance, is the Alaska Brown Bear Group. These great carnivores are shown against the background of the Pinnacles, precipitous mountains of the Alaska Peninsula. A salmon lies on the shore of a small-creek, also an
Otter, frightened from its catch by the bears.
On each side of the entrance to the hall are small-scale groups, showing the mammals of North America and their environment during the Ice Age. These animals are now extinct in North America, although their close relatives exist in other parts of the world. The group to the right shows the mammals that existed in Alaska, the group on the left those that occured in southern Cali- fornia.
The first large group to the right of the entrance exhibits the Grant Caribou. The landscape is the Alaska Peninsula.
Next is the White Sheep Group. Hand- some rams are resting on a mountain with a
“midnight sun” striking the top of Mount McKinley, Alaska, in the background.
The Rocky Mountain Sheep Group shows how unlike in color and details of structure related species may be. The massive, closely spiraling horns of the Bighorn contrast w ith those of the White Sheep. In the foreground may be seen a Say Ground Squirrel, or “big chipmunk” as it is locally called.
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THE BIG-HORN SHEEP inhabits the rugged mountains far above the tree line and only descends when forced down by deep snow. The scene portrayed for this group in the American Museum is in Jasper National Park, Alberta
The Alaska Moose Group, around the corner, shows two bulls locked in a struggle for mastery, while a cow moose, interested but not concerned over the outcome, looks on. The number of moose that are painted in the background convey an idea of their abundance on the Kenai Peninsula, where the scene is laid. A Canada Jay, or Whiskey Jack, may be seen in a bush to the right of the fighters, and a spruce grouse is in a tree to the left of the cow.
The Grizzly Bear Group, with a male, a mother bear, and her two cubs, is around the corner to the right. They are on the edge of the Canyon of the Yellowstone in the National Park. The Falls are shown in the distance, and an osprey, or fish hawk, is painted in the middle distance. The nest of this bird may be seen on a rocky pinnacle in the canyon.
Next is the Jaguar Group, showing a pair of these large, spotted cats on a rocky moun- tainside in Sonora, Mexico.
The Mountain Lion Group, exhibiting a
pair in a shallow cave, has as a background the picturesque Grand Canyon of the Colo- rado. One of the cats is interested in the movements of a deer, far below, while the other lies on the floor of the cave.
Behind the Alaska Bear Group is a small passageway containing a faunal map of North America and photographs of mam- mals in the wild.
The Wapiti Group is on the opposite side of the hall from the Mountain Lion Group. A splendid bull Wapiti, or Ameri- can Elk, a young bull, a cow, and a calf of the year are shown in the northern Colorado Rockies.
The Virginia Deer, or Whitetail, occur in numbers as close to the metropolitan area as Bear Mountain Park. A buck and two does are exhibited in the group amid the brilliantly colored foliage of the eastern fall.
The Devil’s Tower in northeastern Wy- oming is the scene portrayed as the setting for the Mule Deer Group.
The next group shows Bison and Prong-
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horn Antelope on the North Platte River, Wyoming. Vast herds of Bison as shown here formerly roamed from the Appalachians to the Rockies and from Mexico into the Ca- nadian Northwest. A prairie dog is poking its head out of a burrow, and cowbirds are associated with the bison.
Around the corner is the Musk Ox Group. Well equipped for life in the rigorous arctic regions with their long, dense coat of fur and hair, these animals are at home in the blizzard in northern Ellesmere Land.
Both Black-tailed and Antelope Jack Rab- bits may be seen next, on the lower slopes
THE MUSK OX is now restricted to certain parts of Arctic America, though in the Ice Age it ranged over most of Europe, Asia, and what is now the United States
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of the Rincon Mountains, southern Arizona, among saguaro and barrel cactus, and other desert plants.
The Rocky Mountain Goat Group ex- hibits a billy, a nanny, and a kid on a moun- tain in southern Alaska, over looking a beauti- ful fiord, the Endicott Arm.
ocotillo,
DHE
MOUNTAIN GOAT is famous for its climbing ability.
The Osborn Caribou Group has as back- ground the mountain grasslands of northern British Columbia. These caribou move down into the forest during heavy storms, but do not migrate like the caribou of the Barren
Lands. A flock of ptarmigan may be seen in the background.
The animals in the Museum ex-
hibit reproduced here are shown on a precarious ledge ov erlooking the Sawyer Glacier in Alaska
Ee eS
MOUNTAIN GORILLA (Gorilla gorilla beringei). Of all living animals, the gorilla appears to
be most nearly like man. The adult males may reach a weight of 500 pounds. Their strength is
tremendous, and they are dangerous when enraged. They are found in the rain forests in the
highlands of the eastern Belgian Congo. Terrestrial in habit, they feed on fruits and herbage. Detail of group in Akeley African Hall
Eee
AKELEY MEMORIAL HALL OF AFRICAN MAMMALS (Index Plan, p. 17, Second Floor, Hall 13)
The main floor of this hall, entered from the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Building, was opened to the public in the spring of 1936. Here are recreated examples of the mammals typical of Africa, in their natural surroundings.
At each side of the two doors are sculp- tured representations of African natives by Malvina Hoffman.
In the center, dominating the hall, stands a herd of elephants in characteristic forma- tion when alarmed. The great bull is testing the air for scent, while a younger bull wheels to cover the rear of the herd from possible attack.
Immediately to the right of the entrance is the Water Hole Group. The animals of the dry plains must come to such seepage holes to drink. Here are reticulated giraffes, Grant gazelles, oryx with long straight horns, and Grévy zebra. Other typical mammals are seen in the background, and several sand grouse in the foreground.
Next are seen the handsome antelopes, Mountain Nyala, on the heather-covered uplands of Abyssinia.
A herd of African Buffalo is next, emerg- ing from the marshes along the Tana River, Kenya, in late afternoon.
A family group of Lions resting in the shade of a tree is the following scene, typical of the great plains of East Africa. In the background a herd of antelopes and zebra feed unconcernedly.
The Bongo Group shows a pair of these handsome antelopes in the bamboo forest high on the Aberdare Mountains, Kenya. They have disturbed another typical forest- dweller, the giant forest hog.
The next group on the right-hand side of the hall shows a fine pair of Giant Eland, the largest of the antelopes, in their natural habitat in southern Sudan.
The Upper Nile Region Group. Water- buck, kob, Nile lechwe, tiang antelope, sita- tunga, roam antelope, and hippopotamus are shown in this exhibit. A tributary of the Nile, with crocodiles, forms the background.
At the end of a short hallway there is a
large-scale map of Africa, showing localities from which the various animals and their settings were taken.
On the left-hand side of the hall, begin- ning at the far end, is the Plains Group. Here is depicted the teeming mammalian life of the East African plains. The several kinds of antelope and the zebra in this group are typical of this part of Africa.
The Greater Koodoo bears the longest horns of any African antelope. An old male with a female and young male are placed here in a setting duplicating the rough, scrub-covered hills where these animals were collected.
The Giant Sable is noted for its handsome form, rich color, and long, saber-like horns. It is found in the dry, park-like country of central Angola, in a limited area, and is rapid- ly becoming extinct.
The Gemsbok is a larger relative of the oryx seen in the Water Hole Group. Al- though once widely distributed in South Africa, it is now common only in the dry Kalahari Desert. *
Next is the family of Okapi, the strange forest-dwelling relatives of the giraffe.
In a typical scene in the Libyan Desert are shown several addax, which possess spirally twisted horns, also scimitar-horned white oryx, and addra gazelles.
The Gorilla family is of particular sig- nificance to human beings, because these great apes are perhaps the most like man of all the living animals. They are shown here in a clearing in the dense rain-forest of the Kivu Mountains, an exact reproduction of their natural habitat.
MEZZANINE, AKELEY AFRICAN HALL (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 13) The first group on the right shows the Klip- springer, the small, rock-climbing antelope in the right background. East African Ba- boons are in the right foreground, and a pair of Mountain Reedbuck appears on the left. Among the rocks in the left foreground may be discovered a hyrax, or cony.
The next is the Cheetah Group, which shows a pair of these fast running cats in- specting a family of nyalas which have just emerged from the forest. This scene is near the lower Zambesi River in Mozambique.
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THE REAR GUARD. Detail from the great elephant group in the Akeley African Hall. In
every herd of elephants, in the wild condition at least, one animal takes the responsibility of
wheeling about at frequent intervals to see that all is well behind. The young male shown above
is mounted in this position in the elephant herd. It was collected by John T. McCutcheon in 1910 when he was in the field with Carl Akeley
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| | | |
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Akeley African Hall
AFRICAN BUFFALO (Syncerus caffer). Detail of the group in
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GREATER KOODOO GROUP (Stepsiceros strepsiceros)
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A party of Chimpanzees are shown in their arboreal habitat overlooking the Caval- ly River. This river forms the boundary between the Ivory Coast and Liberia. The animal at the right is in the process of build- ing a nest.
In the next habitat group we see several Lesser Koodoo, the males of which have twisted horns. ‘There are two gerenuk in the group, strange, long-limbed and long-necked gazelles with a small head. A flock of Vul- turine Guinea Fowl is seen in the back- ground.
A scene from the dense rain forest of the Cameroons shows a group of Mandrills foraging for food. The females of these baboons are much smaller than the males. In the front, at right, one of the young ani- mals is surprised by a Gaboon viper.
Impala prefer the park-like country in which they are shown. With handsome carriage and lyre-shaped horns, the males rank among the most beautiful = the ante- lopes.
The White or Square-mouthed Rhinoc-
eros is third in size among living land mam- mals. In front of this family group is an African Porcupine.
On the other side of the passage, at the end of which is a large map of Africa, a Black Rhinoceros family can be seen enjoy- ing a mud wallow. AS pair of long-nosed Dik-dik are included in this group
Next there is a Hunting Dog pack at even- ing looking over the plains to where herds of Wildebeest and Zebra can be dimly seen. The dogs rarely bother these larger species; gazelles, impala, and smaller animals are their eal prey.
The Hyaena-Jackal-Vulture Group. Out on the Serengeti Plains, Tanganyika, a pair of lions have killed a zebra, and as they are withdrawing after completing their feast, the scavengers arrive for their share of the spoils. The animals and birds in this group include a Spotted Hyaena, two Black-backed Jackals, White-backed Griffon Vultures, a Riippel’s Griffon Vulture, two Eared Vul- tures, a Hood-Vulture, a Marabou Stork, and a White-collared Raven.
WHITE RHINOCEROS GROUP (Ceratotherium simum cottoni)
The next group exhibits a pair of leopards about to spring upon an unsuspecting Bush Pig. The scene is on the edge of a small swamp in the Aberdare Mountains, Kenya.
The Colobus Monkey Group shows a troop of these showy black and white monkeys among the branches of a tree over- looking a section of the Aberdare Mountain Forest, Kenya.
The South African Group shows typical mammals of the high veldt as they were when white men first came. Now the Springbok are greatly restricted in numbers and Blesbok and Black Wildebeest are found only on a few farms where they are protected.
The Ostrich Group shows a pair of these large birds with young ones just hatched from the eggs. The wart hogs would relish a few young ostriches, but the parents stand guard belligerently.
ROAN ANTELOPE: a graceful animal found over a large part of Africa from the Sudan south to Rhodesia
“CAMEL” of East Africa: the gerenuk is said not to drink even in the well-watered Tanganyika country
VERNAY-FAUNTHORPE HALL OF SOUTH ASIATIC MAMMALS (Index Plan, p. 17, Second Floor, Hall 9)
We enter this hall from the left end of the Roosevelt Memorial Hall.
From 1922 to 1928 Mr. Arthur S. Vernay and Colonel J. C. Faunthorpe of Great Britain made six expeditions into India, Burma and Siam to collect and later donate to the Museum this collection, which now stands as the finest and most complete ex- hibition of the larger South Asiatic Mam- mals in existence.
The groups and architectural setting were designed and executed under the direction
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DETAITII
US FROM WATER HOLE GROUP IN AKELEY AFRICAN HALL
(Above) GREVY ZEBRAS (Opposite page) GIRAFFES AND GAZELLES AT A WATER HOLE
of James L. Clark. The accessories were con- structed under the direction of Albert E. Butler.
Dr. Harold E. Anthony, Curator of Mam- mals, was responsible for the scientific direc- tion.
Two fine examples of the Indiax Elephant stand in the center of the hall, giving due prominence to the largest and perhaps most characteristic mammal of southern Asia. This species differs from the African Elephant by smaller ears, higher forehead, and arched back. It has also different teeth and a trunk with only one “finger.”
The Nilgai or Blue Bull Group is also centrally placed. This is the largest Asiatic antelope. It exhibits marked sexual diver-
gence in color, the female and y oung being reddish fawn, the male a blue gray. The Nilgai is related to the African tw "isted-horn antelopes like the Koodoo and Eland.
The Indian Leopard differs only slightly from those found in Africa. Both are forest animals but occur in the dry bush country also. They feed on deer, pig, and the larger birds such as the peafowl] that has been captured by the leopard in this group.
The Sambar is the largest of the Indian deer, found throughout the wooded part of southern Asia. Its size makes it an important source of food for the larger carnivores, but it is powerful and, w hen brought to bay, may be dangerous. The red W Tild Dog of India hunts in packs, sometimes as many as
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(Above) SAMBAR ATTACKED BY WILD DOGS
(Left) THE LEOPARD GROUP IN SOUTH ASIATIC HALL
forty strong. In combination these fierce animals attack and kill animals as large as the Sambar.
The Black Buck (the adult male alone is blackish, the females and young males being yellowish-brown) is found in the high plains country. Here also lives the Chinkara, the Indian gazelle.
The Muntjac, or Barking Deer, is one of the most primitive of the true deer, Males, in addition to bearing small antlers, sup- ported on bony pedicels, have well developed canine teeth. The Mouse “Deer” or Chevro- tain is not a deer, but is probably more closely related to the camels.
The Lion formerly had an extended range in northern India, chiefly in the plains coun- try. It is usually pale in color, but does not differ greatly from the several races found in Africa.
The Four-horned Antelope is the only living wild four-horned animal. It is found in small groups in most wooded and hilly parts of India but not in dense jungle. The Smooth Otter is found south of the Himalaya
Mountains in India, Burma and the Malay Peninsula.
The Chital or Axis Deer is one of the most handsome of the deer family. The young of most deer are spotted, but this species retains the spotted pattern through life. It frequents the bamboo jungle and wooded regions near water, and is found in suitable habitats throughout most of India and Ceylon.
The Gaur is perhaps the largest of the existing cow-like animals, large bulls stand- ing over six feet at the shoulder. Gaur are found in forested hilly country from India to Indo-China and the Malay Peninsula.
Water Buffalo occur in the lowlands and swamps of central India, Ceylon, and the Malay Peninsula. Buffalo have been domes- ticated and used as beasts of burden and milch animals. Wild Buffalo are the most dangerous Asiatic bovines to hunt, for they frequently charge. A herd will attack a tiger without hesitation.
The great one-horned Indian Rhinoceros is characterized by thickened skin which has the appearance of plate armor. Its pre-
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THE GAUR (Bos gaurus). The Gaur is an imposing animal of India, Burma and the Malay Peninsula. It is found in the forests, but sometimes feeds in grassy areas on the high hills. Tt is
not found in the lowlands
hensile upper lip indicates that it feeds partly at least on leaves and twigs, but it is found chiefly in the grass- jungles of Assam.
The Banting is perhaps the most like the domestic cow in appearance of all the wild bovines, and may be ancestral to the Indian cattle. It is, however, closely related to the Gaur, but is found chiefly in flat country and at lower altitudes. Banting are found from Burma and Cochin China to Bali in the Malay Archipelago.
The Eld Deer, or Thamin, is distinguished from other species by the graceful curve of the antlers in the male. It is found on the alluvial plains and in suitable localities east of the Bay of Bengal, from Assam and Mani- pur to Gaaboue Hainan, and the Malay Peninsula.
The Sumatran Rhinoceros is related to the Indian species but has two horns and is much smaller in size. It is found in Assam, Burma, Siam, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo, but is rare and secretive. It is found exclusively in forests.
The Sloth Bear, or Honey Bear, is char- acterized by the long flexible muzzle, which is used to such termites from their deep run- ways. These animals feed almost exclusively on insects, fruit, and honey. They climb
trees with difficulty. Bears are usually timid, but if wounded or cornered may be danger- ous antagonists. :
The Hog Deer, or Para, is a small rela- tive of the Sambar and is found in the Indo- Gangetic Plain, the flat country in Burma, and much of Indo-China. It is usually solitary in habit.
The Indian Wild Boar is closely allied to the Eurasian Boar, but has a higher crest. It is one of the most “gamy” of the Indian mammals, fighting until killed.
Gibbons are fe most primitive of the anthropoid apes, but the most arboreal. They are capable of walking upright but travel by swinging from hrence to branch and tree to tree. The Hoolock Gibbon inhabits the hills of Assam, Burma and southern Yunnan. Males are black, with white brows, but fe- males are often pale yellowish- -gray.
The Swamp Deer, or Barasingha, is related to the Thamin, bat differs in ae shape of the antlers. It is a large species, restricted to the vicinity of water in open forest, and on grassy plains. The Sambar is usually found in wooded regions, but is the most widely distributed species.
The Tiger is the largest Asiatic cat. Tigers live characteristically in the forest and tall
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grass country, the stripes blending closely with the light and shadow of this habitat. They feed largely on deer and pigs but fre- quently kill domestic cattle. Individuals too old or decrepit for their usual prey may turn man-eaters.
HALL OF NORTH ASIATIC MAMMALS
(Index Plan, p. 17, Second Floor, Hall 5)
This hall is approached through the South Asiatic Hall from the Roosevelt Memorial, or through the adjoining Special Exhibi- tions Hall. It is incomplete at present but eventually the exhibits will cover the re- gion north of the Himalayas, including Tibet, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Siberia.
Two groups are now completed—The Giant Panda Group and the Siberian Tiger Group, both of which are illustrated on pages 114-115.
Until such time as other groups are
planned and completed, the remainder of the hall is given over to the Corner Gallery, where temporary exhibits of current interest are displayed.
OCEANIC MAMMALS (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 10)
Leading from the Hall of Fishes is the Hall of Ocean Life. In this hall are displayed whales, porpoises, marine mammals, the great coral reef group, and shells. Although much of the space is now occupied by permanent exhibits, the final plans have not yet been fully consummated, and additions to the ex- hibits in the hall will be made from time to time.
Immediately upon entering, the visitor will note the large skeletons and models of whales and porpoises suspended from the ceiling. Just in front of the entrance to the hall is the striking full-size model of the Killer Whale, with contrasting black and white markings— a fierce predatory cetacean capable of swal-
ASIATIC WATER BUFFALO (Bos bubalis). These buffaloes are the cattle of the grassy plains of India. They are widely domesticated as draft animals and furnish milk to the natives. They have been employed for hunting the Indian lion
THE GIANT PANDA (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). This interesting creature lives in the bamboo forests growing on the sides of the mountains of western China. Though it resembles a bear in outward appearance, anatomical studies show that it is more closely allied to the raccoon
[114]
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HARPOONING THE SPERM WHALE DURING THE DAYS OF SAILING SHIPS. One of a series of murals in the Hall of Ocean Life depicting whaling in olden times when sail-rigged vessels were used and the whales were killed with a harpoon thrown by hand
lowing a fur seal or small porpoise at a gulp. Near the Killer and facing it hangs the model of a Blackfish, like the Killer a species of giant porpoise but of a much milder disposition. Skeletons of these animals are hanging be- neath the models. Above the balcony in front of the entrance is suspended a lifelike model of a Giant Squid, a great marine invertebrate upon which the Sperm Whale preys. The large skeleton to the right is that of a Sperm Whale, the largest of the living toothed whales, formsrly much sought by whalers as the source of spermaceti. Beyond the Sperm Whale, on the same side, hangs a skeleton of the Finback Whale.
Just above these two large skeletons are found skeletons of several species of toothed whales, including several rare types, and the Narwhal. At the near end of this row is a model of the Sperm Whale, and at the far end is a small model of the Szlphur-bottom Whale, the largest animal in the world.
Along the left side of the hall, three skele- tons of whales are suspended. The one nearest the entrance is a Right Whale, that in the middle a Pigmy Right Whale, and the third a California Gray Whale. Above them is a long row of life-like models of porpoises ranging in species from the common dolphin to the rare river and lake dolphins. Here also
(Below) SKELETON OF THE ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE (Eubalaena glacialis). The “whalebone” is shown in the skeleton suspended from the roof of the mouth as close-set, horny plates
A BULL WALRUS FROM THE PACIFIC WALRUS GROUP IN THE HALL OF OCEAN LIFE. One of the specimens secured by the Stoll-McCracken Expedition to Bering Sea. Group presented by Mrs. Andrew Carnegie
is a model of the Pigmzy Sperm Whale. At the far end are two large models, one of the spectacular Narwhal with long ivory tusk (at the right), the other the False Killer, formerly a very rare species but in recent years appearing unexpectedly off the British Isles and the coast of South Africa, where a large number were stranded in shoal water. At the opposite end, on the left of the en- trance, is a model of the White Whale, a large northern porpoise.
Around the walls of the balcony are spaces for twelve mural paintings, of which nine have been completed. Along the right side are four great paintings showing scenes typi- cal of American Sperm Whaling and ttled respectively, “The Chase,” “The Attack,”
“Towing the Carcass,” and “Trying Out.” On the left wall are three canvases portraying the life of Typical Species of Whales and including “Bowhead Whale,” “Finback Whale,” and “Killer Whales attacking a Gray Whale.” These seven murals are the work of Mr. John P. Benson, the noted marine painter.
At the far end of the hall is the large habitat group showing a Coral Reef in the Bahamas. The group Beads from the main floor of the hall up to the limits of the balcony ceil- ing and shows the multitudinous life below the surface, as well as the land, sea and sky above. This group was completed after twelve years study and preparatory work. (See page 62.)
Below the level of the balcony and hang- ing just beyond reach from the rail at the head of the stairway is a cast of a Young Sperm Whale which came into New York - Harbor and eventually was held a captive in the Gowanus Canal at Brooklyn. It was brought to the Museum in the flesh.
On the main floor of the Hall of Ocean Life and under the balcony are the habitat groups of marine mammals. Beginning at the first right corner, the first of these is the group of Northern Elephant Seals, huge, ponderous mammals hauled out on the rocky beach of Guadaloupe Island, Lower Cali- fornia. The full-grown male of this species has a long, pendulous proboscis suggestive of an elephant’s trunk. Continuing along the right side of the hall, the next exhibit is that of the Florida Manatee, a thick-set, homely
beast, well adapted to its aquatic life. Next is the group of Pacific Walrus, one of the largest in the Museum, which shows these Arctic Sea mammals at home on an ice floe.
In the first left corner is a large group of Steller Sea Lions at home on St. George Island, on of the Pribilofs. The male Sea Lions are huge, powerful seals with massive necks and shoulders.
Adjacent to the Sea Lions are found the Alaska Fur Seals on Kitovi Rookery, St. Paul’s Island. Many details of the home life of these beautiful seals are to be noted in this group, which shows the vigorous domi- nant bulls, each with his harem of sleek, slender cows, the bachelor bulls, and the playful pups.
On the floor of the hall are several cases with special exhibits. One of these is the Townsend Fur Seal, a species on the verge of extinction and only recently rediscovered after it was believed by many to have dis- appeared completely. Another case displays several types of diving gear with full equip- ment of pump, telephone, etc.
At either side, at the right side of the hall, main floor, are two cases aah the beautiful Undersea Paintings by Mr. Zarh H. Pritch- ard.
Suspended from the ceiling at the far end of the hall is the Lindbergh Plane, “Ting- mussartog.” This, together with the equip- ment used in flyi ing across Bering Strait to China, and later in exploratory flights over Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic, Europe, the South Atlantic Ocean and South America, was the gift of Colonel and Mrs. Charles A. Lindbergh.
Other exhibits in the Hall of Ocean Life are described on pages 61-64.
SYNOPTIC HALL OF MAMMALS (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 3)
This hall, entered from the Insect Hall, is devoted mainly to a series of exhibits illus- trating the characters of mammals, their principal groups, or orders, the main sub- divisions of these, known as families, and various interesting peculiarities of ante and structure. Each family is, so far as possible, represented by a mounted specimen and a skeleton. Starting from the further end and
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walking around the room from left to right, one passes from the egg-laying Platypus to man, represented by the figure of an Aus- tralian native, armed with the characteristic boomerang. Certain exhibits demonstrate modifications of form and structure for vari- ous modes of locomotion, and superiority of the brain of mammals over that of other vertebrates. Others show illustrations of al- binism and melanism, that animals outwardly similar may be only very distantly related; how the coat of the hare changes from brown to white; and the adaptations of plants and animals to a desert habitat.
(Below) A toy-size antelope, Swayne’s dik-dik,
which is a close relative of the Giant Eland, weigh-
ing 1200 pounds: one of many interesting exhibits in the Synoptic Hall
Of special note is the skeleton of Jumbo, the largest elephant ever brought to this country alive.
The fruit bats, often known as flying foxes, the largest members of the Chiroptera, and found only in the warmer parts of the Old World, are represented by a small portion of a colony from Calapan, Philippine Islands. Such a colony may number several thous- ands, and may be very destructive to bananas and other fruits.
The most striking object in the hall is the life-size model of a Sulphur-bottom W hale, seventy-six feet in length. The original of this specimen was captured in Newfound- land, and the model is accurately reproduced from careful measurements. This species of whale is not only the largest of living ani- mals, but, so far as we know, the largest animal that has ever lived. A specimen of this size weighs from sixty to seventy tons, twice as much as Brontosaurus. Although whales and porpoises live in the water, they are not fishes, but mammals, as they are warm- blooded and breathe by means of lungs, not gills.
MAMMALS OF NEW YORK SLATE
A complete series of the living animals which have been known to exist within the limits of New York State is presented in the corridor on the first floor of the Roosevelt Memorial in the neighborhood of the elevators (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor Hall 12a). This ex- hibit includes skins of all animals of moderate size, models of the larger species and cutout figures of the whales and other large sea animals, the latter recorded from the waters around New York.
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Man and H1s Or1es
HALL OF PRIMATES (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 2)
THE Systematic Series of Primates, intended to give some idea of the number of species in this order, and their range in size, form, and color, begins on the left with examples of gorillas and chimpanzees and is continued in the wall cases around the room, ending with the lemurs. Noteworthy among the Primates is the Gorilla, largest and most powerful of apes; the curious “Proboscis” Monkey from Borneo; and the Aye-Aye of Madagascar.
The center corridor contains groups of Primates characteristic of various parts of the world, Africa, Asia, South America and Madagascar, and a group of Pygmies living in the forest in central Africa.
Outside of the central corridor, on the left side of the hall, is a group of Orang Utans from Borneo.
At the farther end of the hall, a series of skeletons demonstrates the comparative structure of the Primates and the changes
that take place in passing from Lemurs to Man.
HALL OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MAN (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 4)
The Hall of the Natural History of Man when completed will consist of two parts, the first entitled “Introduction to Human and Comparative Anatomy,” the second dealing with the physical characteristics of the Races of Man, Development, Growth and allied topics.
The first part begins by showing Man in His Cosmic Aspect, conceived as a living engine which derives its working capital of energy directly or indirectly from the energy of the sun stored up in plant and ani- mal tissue. This energy is appropriated by man in food substances and distributed
through the various anatomical systems.
In another exhibit the Elements of the Locomotor Apparatus are set forth. It is shown how red muscle fibres of the fish are combined into W-shaped muscle flakes, or myomeres.
Other exhibits deal with the anatomy of man as compared with lower vertebrates, following the chief organ systems and the locomotor apparatus.
The position of man among the vertebrates and the evidences of his evolution from lower types are illustrated by comparisons of skeletal structure in living and fossil types and by comparisons of his muscle system with lower forms, as well as by comparative embryology. An analysis of the nervous sys- tem, and the evolution of the human brain are dealt with and the functions of the brain are demonstrated.
The second part of the exhibit, on the right side of this hall, is devoted to exhibits illustrating human biology. It is planned to show the growth and development of the individual, the differentiation of man by constitutional and endocrine types, the racial classification of man, human genetics and race mixture, population problems and the technique of physical anthropology.
There have already been installed exhibits illustrating the growth and development of a human embryo, skeletal growth as shown in the head, and the variety of endocrine physi- cal types. A series of full-size figures showing some of the major racial types has been placed in the central alcove.
Also in this alcove two charts are dis- played. One illustrates the natural habitats of the various racial types exhibited. The other depicts the major population move- ments throughout the world since 1492.
At the far end of this side of the hall will be found an exhibit on some of the more importaont endocrine functions.
THE SKELETON FROM FISH TO MAN (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 4)
The judgment of science is that our pre- human ancestors only reached the grade of humanity after millions of years of slow pro- motion from lower to higher grades of life.
pers
Stage 1
Cheirolepis
Eusthenopteron
Owing to the enormous number and var- iety of living forms in all ages and to the wholesale destruction of their skeletons by natural agencies, only about thirty of the fossil forms which we have discovered to date happen to lie in or near the direct line of ascent from fish to man. Nevertheless the story of the evolution of the skeleton from fish to man is already clear in its main out- lines as shown by this exhibit prepared under the direction of Dr. William K. Gregory.
The First Stage represents the earliest true fishes by a model based on a fossil fish named Cheirolepis from the Old Red Sandstone (Devonian of Scotland). This fish, which breathed by gills in the normal fish way, must have looked somewhat like a trout,
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THE FIRST FOUR STAGES FROM FISH TO MAN. (From water-living to land-living)
but its tail was more like that of a shark. The body moved forward in the water by a wriggling movement caused by the regularly arranged muscle flakes along either side of the body. The axis of the body was an elastic rod called the notochord (similar to that which appears in the embryonic stages of all higher vertebrates, including man). The fins were folds of skin, serving as keels and rud- ders.
The Second Stage, of Upper Devonian age, represents a long step in advance. It is based on a fossil fish named Eusthenopteron, from the Upper Devonian of Canada. This fish still had gills but there is some evidence that it also possessed an air-sac or lung. It had two pairs of paddles, corresponding to
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Stage 5 Cynognathus
Stage 6 Opossum
Stage 8 Gibbon
Notharctus
THE SECOND FOUR STAGES FROM FISH TO MAN. (From ground-dwelling to tree- dwelling)
the fore and hind limbs respectively of four- footed animals.
The Third Stage, from the Carboniferous age, represents the oldest known type of four-footed animals. The skeleton of the hands, feet and limbs is much more developed than in the previous stage. There are five digits on each of the hands and feet.
The Fourth Stage represents the primitive reptilian or lizard-like stage, from the Lower Permian of Texas. The skeleton on the whole is not greatly different from the preceding stage (except in detail) but the limbs were better developed.
The Fifth Stage represents an advanced mammal-like reptile (Cynognathus) from
the Upper Triassic of South Africa. In this form the limbs were better adapted for run- ning, and there are many features of the skull, backbone, and limbs that approach those of mammals.
For the Sixth Stage the skeleton of a modern opossum was used. It retains in the main the leading characters of the skeletons of the older fossil mammals. This form has five-toed grasping hands and feet, by means of which it climbs about in the trees. It has retained a relatively low type of skull, teeth, and brains.
In the Seventh Stage we come to Notharc- tus, a form that lies near the lower limits of the order of Primates. These animals were
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THE TWO FINAL STAGES FROM FISH TO MAN. (On the ground again, and attainment of erect posture)
thoroughly adapted to life in the trees but they had much larger eyes and bigger brains than any of the preceding stages.
The Eighth Stage is represented by the skeleton of the gibbon, an East Asiatic ape which is a tree-living descendant of the first family of the tail-less or man-like apes. When on the ground he is the only existing man-ape which normally walks on his hind legs. His skeleton begins to be almost human in many ways but his arms are excessively long.
The Ninth Stage is represented by our distant cousins the gorilla (below) and the chimpanzee (above). These apes retain the essential characters of the fossil apes of India
and South Africa, some of which in turn approached quite near to the oldest known fossil men. The ape brain is much more de- veloped than the brains of lower animals, and ape intelligence at times is almost human.
In the Tenth Stage we see that the human skeleton is built upon the same general plan as that of the chimpanzee, gorilla, and gib- bon, but that in man the backbone, pelvis, and limbs are modified to enable him to walk on his hind legs and to use his forelegs as arms and hands rather than as supports. His brain is much larger and more highly de- veloped than in the apes.
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MAN AND THE APES. This exhibit illustrates the comparison of the skulls of man and the
present-day apes, monkeys, and lemurs—all belonging to the great order Primates. The re- lationships of these groups are indicated by the branching lines of ascent from the inferred common stock
FAMILY TREE AND EARLY RACES OF MAN
In the Hall of the Natural History of Man (third floor) we see models of various skulls, ranging from the earliest Primates of the Eocene Period, through the monkeys and apes of the Miocene and Pliocene, to the subhuman and human races of the Pliesto- cene and Recent ages.
The exhibits in the central aisle of the Hall of the Age Man deal mainly with the older races of ein as shown by their fossil remains and by preserved fragments of their handiwork.
RESTORATIONS OF HEAD AND SHOULDERS OF EARLY MAN.
Men of the Stone Age. Here we see a skull-cast of Trinil, or Java “ape-man,” and skeletal remains or casts representing Pilt- down Man, Heidelberg Man, Neanderthal Man, and Cro-Magnon Man. An excellent series of sculptured restorations of these types, four of which are illustrated below, have been made by Dr. J. H. McGregor, and are generally considered as embodying the most recent scientific deductions as to the general appearance of these primitive races of mankind. The earliest of them takes man back at least to the lower Pleistocene, estimated at 1,000,000 years ago.
Weapons and implements ioe rough and
These restorations
were made by Professor J. H. McGregor following scientific principles and utilizing the skull remains of the various types as a starting point. They are as follows:
(2) Piltdown Man
(1) Trinil Ape-Man Pithecanthropus erectus
(3) Neanderthal Man Homo neanderthalensis
(4) Cro-Magnon Man Homio sapiens cro-magnonensis
Eoanthropus dawsoni
CRO-MAGNON ARTISTS OF SOUTHERN FRANCE, at work in one of the limestone grottoes of the region. They are engaged in painting on the rough stone walls pictures of the woolly mammoths, which were then living
polished stone and of bone are exhibited as evidence of the gradual up-building of human culture through the “rough stone” and “polished stone” ages of man’s prehis- toric periods. Reproductions of the cave paintings of Cro-Magnon man in France and
Spain show the artistic ability of the early stock which first represents modern man in Europe.
A series of mural paintings by Charles R. Knight over the doorways of the Hall of the
Age of Man give a vivid idea of the various races of early man as visualized by the artist in harmony with our best scientific know- ledge.
The Hall of Prehistoric Cultures on the second floor of the Museum (Index Plan, p. 17, Second Floor, Hall 6) is also devoted to exhibits of the early arts and industries of the European Cave Men and Lake Dwellers, as well as of North American prehistoric men.
STAG HUNTERS OF THE NEOLITHIC OR NEW STONE AGE. These men came into
Europe after the climax of the glacial climate had passed. Their descendants apparently still
exist in parts of Europe. This mural represents a family living on the shore of the Baltic. These people were the forerunners of later civilized man
MAPLE SUGAR CAMP: a miniature group showing how the Indians in the sugar maple region engaged in this springtime activity. [Lhe sap was boiled in bark kettles. The dome- -shaped house was used for storing the utensils when not in use
LIVING RACES OF MAN NORTH AMERICA
The Museum’s exhibits on the life of the native peoples of North America occupy five halls on the first floor. The Indian ex-
hibits radiate left and center from Memorial Hall, near the 77th Street entrance.
(Below) HOW the Indians gathered maple sugar
THE WOODLAND INDIANS (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 4)
Walking toward the left on entering the building, we meet first the Indians of New York and New England, and the successive exhibits are so arranged that you can imagine yourself traveling across the United States from east to west.
Although designated as the Eastern Wood- lands Indian Hall (northeastern United States and Canada), the exhibit in this hall ex- tend beyond these cultural and geographical limits. They include the Southeastern and Mackenzie culture areas, the former con- tiguous to the Eastern Woodlands on the south, the latter on the northwest. The whole of the Eastern Woodland area was in forest and extended westward from the Atlantic coast almost to the Mississippi River. Objects in the cases show that these Indians lived in the forest. The materials they used came from the forest, and this fact influenced their houses, tools, weapons, clothing, and orna- ments, so that they are readily distinguished from those of other areas.
These forest Indians were primarily hunt- ers and fishermen, but wild rice and maple sugar were staple foods. Agriculture was practiced where the climate permitted, and corn, beans, squash, tobacco, etc., were raised. (See miniature dioramas at north side of hall.) Their woodland environment led to various simple industries naturally de- pendent upon the raw materials that were at hand and adaptable to their daily needs.
Wood was used for canoes, mortars, spoons, bowls, dishes, houses, and wood splint baskets. Bark of various kinds was a
f 127 J
USE OF BIRCH BARK AMONG THE EASTERN INDIANS (From a miniature group in the Woodland Indians Hall)
favorite material. For example, the birch- bark industry, as shown in the model illus- trated above, is exemplified by containers and ornaments in many of the cases. Bark like that of the basswood tree was also shredded to make the fiber for weaving bags.
Skins were originally used for costumes, but cloth was often ‘bought from white traders. Many wild plants aad trees furnished fiber from which these Indians made good
string and cord for making fish-nets and weaving bags. Every well- furnished home required mats for the floor and for sleeping, as shown in the group pictured below. Climate influences the ways of life. In this hall, the tribes represent a range from near- Arctic Canada to sub- -tropical Florida. Their clothing varies from fur garments among
the Dene and the Cree, to thin dresses of commercial cloth among the Seminole.
MAKING CORN BREAD IN AN IROQUOIS HOUSE (From a miniature a
A number of miniature groups along the side walls and in the cases show tribal cos- tume, housing, and industries. Especially interesting subjects are rock shelters, the making of rabbit-skin clot hing, weaving wit = basswood fiber, making a false face, and stages by which grains of com are trans- formed into bread.
Travel was on foot. Dugout or bark canoes were used in summer where streams or lak were available. Snowshoes were used in wi ter, and in the north the toboggan was com- mon.
The dwellings of this area are of several forms. Among these are the long rectan- gular houses of the Iroquois cov ered with oak bark, the dome- shaped huts of Long Island and vicinity which were covered
cove pottery, dnt or birchbark. ouery was
made by most of the Eastern tribes a
to be ass ociated wit h the pra : :
painted. of wood
~
strncr 10n of light, DOTr.2a
SMLUCLI ii=ii eal
sels is one of the particular Eastern Indians. Examples of Indian i inven tions are canoes
The Indians’ history begins with the land- ing of white men. Many of the objects shown in the cases are historic, but others, such as the stone, bone, and shell objects found in the ground, are usually prehistoric. In the nba dealing with Manhattan and Staten Islands, from w Sie the Indians were driven by the first settlers, we can exhibit nothing but pottery, stone, bone, and shell objects. These local relics will be found near the en- trance to the hall. On the left are some pottery vessels and many small objects of stone and bone from Manhattan Island, Staten Island, Long Island, and Westchester County. Near by on the same side of the hall are collections obtained from living Indians of the coast region north and sec of New York. These are the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy of Maine, the Micmac and Malecite of the lower provinces of Canada, and a few but rare objects from the Dela- ware who once occupied the vicinity of New York City and the State of New Jersey. The age and historical relations of these cultures are shown in a large label at the left of the entrance.
A family group of Micmac Indians, in a birchbark conical house, is shown half w ay down the hall.
On the opposite side are the Iroquois, whose league comprised the Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and later the Tuscarora. They dominated New York and much adjoining territory. The ex- hibits represent particularly the agriculture of the East, which was carried on with rude tools by the women.
In the farther end of the hall, on the left, are the collections from the Ojibway, Hia- watha’s people, who lived mainly north of the Great Lakes. They had but little agri- culture, living chiefly by hunting and fishing. Beyond the Ojibway are the Cree, who lived still farther north.
Opposite the Ojibway are the great Cen- tral Algonkin tribes, the Menomini and Sauk and Fox, who lived south and west of the Great Lakes.. They gathered wild rice and hunted and fished, also practicing some agri- culture.
In the southeastern portion of the United States, agriculture was highly developed. These tribes are represented by the Cherokee
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A DAKOTA SIOUX WARRIOR (Model in Plains Indian Hall)
A DAKOTA SIOUX WOMAN (Model in Plains Indian Hall)
and Yuchi, who made pottery, and by the Choctaw and Chitimacha, who made in- teresting baskets of cane. The Seminole of Florida have maintained an independent ex- istence in the Everglades for nearly a Cen- tury. Their prehistoric arts are illustrated in the table case. They excelled in polishing stones and working shell. (See the diorama on the north wall.)
THE PLAINS INDIANS (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 6)
The keynote to Plains Indian life could be sounded by such terms as “tipi,” “buffalo,” “horse,” and large decorated “pipes.” The tipi and the pipe are especially conspicuous in the center of the hall.
The art of these Indians is highly original and popular. Painting upon skin is the usual method, but many designs in beadwork and quills are shown prominently in the hall.
Artists look upon the feather headdress of these Indians as the most beautiful type of headdress to be found anywhere in the world. With this and his highly decorated costume, the Plains Indian is Scolortul:
Indians of the Plains comprised the tribes living west of the Mississippi and east of the Rocky Mountains as far south as the valley of the Rio Grande and as far north as the Saskatchewan.
Occupying the greater part of the hall, beginning on the left, are the buffalo-hunting tribes: the Plains-Cree, Dakota, Crow, Black- foot, Gros Ventre, Arapaho and Cheyenne. These tribes did not practice argriculture but depended almost entirely on the buffalo. Buffalo flesh was their chief food, and of buffalo skin they made their garments. In some cases a buffalo paunch was used for cooking, and buffalo horns were made into various implements of industry and war. The spirit of the buffalo was considered a power- ful ally and invoked to cure sickness, to ward off evil, and to give aid in the hunt. Wher- ever the buffalo herds led the way, the more nomadic Plains tribes moved their tipis and followed. With the extermination of the buffalo the entire life of the Plains Indians was revolutionized.
On the right, near the entrance, are the village tribes of the Plains: the Mandan, with
C131]
LEACHING ACORN MEAL AMONG THE HUPA INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. Water is placed in a basket and brought to the required temperature with heated stones
whom Lewis and Clark passed the winter of 1804-1805; the Hidasta, who now live with them; and the Omaha, Kansa, Iowa, and Paw- nee. All these tribes raised corn and lived in earth-covered houses of considerable size. A small model of one of these houses stands near the exhibits.
In the center of this hall is a Blackfoot Indian tipi with paintings of otters on the sides, representing a vision of the owner. This tipi has been fitted up to show the home life of a typical buffalo-hunting Indian.
There were numerous soldier societies among the Plains Indians which included practically all the adult males. Each society had a special dance and special costumes. (See the Arapaho cases ae costumes of dancers.) There were other dances con- nected with tribal religious ceremonials, the best known and most important of which
is the Sun Dance, illustrated by a model at the left of the tipi. The Sun Dance was held annually in the early summer in fulfilment of a vow made during the preceding winter by some member of the tribe who wished a sick relative to recover. The dance involved self-torture, great physical endurance and a fast lasting fee days.
In the center of the hall is a genuine medi- cine pipe, held in awe by the Indians and dearly parted with; also the contents of a medicine- -pipe bundle. The contents of an- other medicine bundle, belonging to a lead- ing man of the Blackfoot tribe (medicine- man), together with the headdress which he wore in ceremonies, are in a case near the tower. Other remarkable bundles, particu- larly the skull bundle, are in the Pawnee case, on the north wall.
The Plains Indians are noted for their
[132]
a aaa
(Above) BLACKFOOT WOMAN AND CHILD TRAVELING WITH TRAVOIS, which
are attached to the horse and dog and are dragged behind them. A primitive method of trans-
portation. From a miniature group in the series of models showing methods of transportation. In the Eastern Woodlands Indian Hall
A BULL BOAT OR CORACLE OF THE HIDATSA INDIANS OF NORTH DAKOTA was made by stretching skins over a basin-shaped wooden frame. It was used for fording streams
(Above) APACHE WOMAN BUILDING FRAMEWORK OF A HOUSE to be covered
with thatch and rushes
A NAVAJO MEDICINE LODGE. For the celebration of the Navajo Night Chant a special house is erected. The medicine man is laying down an elaborate ceremonial sand-painting. Group in Southwest Indian Hall
picture-writing on skins and for their quill- work, which was superseded by beadwork when glass beads became available in his- torical times. They have a highly developed decorative art in which simple geometric designs are the elements of composition, this being one of the most interesting features of their art. (See Dakota case and Guide Leaflet No. 50, also Handbook No. 1, North American Indians of the Plains.)
INDIANS OF THE SOUTHWEST (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 8)
This region is famous for two reasons: the picturesque living Indian tribes, and the large number of ruins built by prehistoric Indians. Since many of the latter are placed upon high rocks or in the walls of canyons, they are spoken of as Cliff Dwellings.
This hall presents collections from both the prehistoric and the living Indians of the Southwest. On the right are the nomadic tribes: the Apache, Navajo, Pima, Papago, and Havasupai. A life-size exhibit, the first of a series along the right-hand wall, shows the home life of the San Carlos Apache. Next is a larger group showing a Navajo hogan in Canyon de Chelly, and the Night Chant ceremony. The painted background in this group gives a view of the canyon, and in a cave of its walls, one may see the famous White House ruins.
In near-by cases, Navajo silverwork and blankets are exhibited. The Navajos are the modern blanket makers. With simple im- plements and looms, they card, spin, and weave the wool of the sheep they raise. This art has arisen since the coming of the Span- iards and it is known to have passed through several stages in the last sixty years. Some of the older types of blankets here shown contain yarn which was obtained by cutting or raveling from imported flannels, called in Spanish “bayeta,” from which these blan- kets receive their name. These are either bright red or old rose in color, resulting from cochineal dye. Several blankets are made of yarn bought ready dyed from traders and are called Germantowns. The greater num- ber, however, are made of yarn of native spinning, dyed with native vegetable and mineral dyes.
The Navajo are a large and widely scat- tered tribe. During the winter they occupy log houses, but in milder weather they camp in the slight shelter of a cliff or windbreak and shade made of brush. They live by rais- ing corn in the moist valleys, and on the flesh of their numerous flocks of sheep.
The Western Apache live along the upper portion of the Gila and Salt rivers, where they practice agriculture, gather natural products, and hunt. Indians related to these, under Geronimo, raided the settlements of southern Arizona and northern Mexico and evaded our troops for years. They live in grass-thatched houses or in the open under the shade of flat-topped, open-sided shelters.
The Eastern Apache lived in buffalo skin tipis. They went far out on the plains in search of the buffalo herds, avoiding, if pos- sible, the Plains tribes, but fighting them with vigor when necessary. In dress and out- ward life they resemble the Plains Indians, but in their myths and ceremonies they are like their Southwestern relatives and neigh- bors.
In the first alcove to the right of the en- trance is a basketry exhibit showing the types of baskets and the materials, tools, and tech- niques employed by the Southwestern tribes. This exhibit is in contrast with the corre- sponding case of pottery on the opposite side. Not the environment, but social habits, caused one people to develope pottery and the other to make the easily transported and not easily breakable baskets. (See Handbook No. 2, Indians of the Southwest.)
At the left of the hall, as we enter, are ex- hibits for the modern village Indians—first types of pottery from San Ildefonso, Laguna, Santo Domingo, Zuni, and Hopi.
The Pueblo Indians live in large com- munity houses, built of stone or adobe, often with several receding stories. They depend chiefly upon agriculture for their food, make a great variety of pottery, and have many elaborate religious ceremonies. The nomadic peoples live in tipis or small brush and thatched houses which are moved or deserted when they are forced to seek the wild game and wild vegetable products which furnish much of their food. They make baskets for household purposes which are more easily transported than vessels of clay. In the hall
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MODEL OF A KWAKIUTL HOUSE (In the North Pacific Hall). The Kwakiutl In- dians live on Van- couver Island, and on the mainland to the north. They build their rec- tangular houses of split cedar planks on a framework of heavy posts and beams. The front is decorated with fantastic designs and a totem pole near the house door is carved with gro- tesque figures as a coat of arms of the owner
RATER OB GE HAIDA INDIANS
(Below) TLINGIT BAS- KETS. Twined | basketry made by the Tlingit Indians of the British Columbian sea coast. Spruceroot fibers are used for both warn and woof
min
are models of the pueblos of Taos and Acoma, of prehistoric cliff-dwellings, and of the houses used by the Navajo.
The inhabitants of Zuni are believed to be the descendants of the first people seen by the Spaniards in 1540. Their former villages, many of which now are in ruins, were prob- ably the “Seven Cities of Cibola,” for which de Coronado was searching at that time. Although there were missionaries among them for about three centuries, they have retained many of their own religious cere- monies. Many ceremonial objects as well as those pertaining to everyday life are shown in this alcove.
In the Hopi section are costumes, masks, images, and basketry plaques used in their ceremonies. Their best known ceremony is the Snake Dance, the performance of which is supposed to increase rainfall and the crops. Some of the regalia worn for the Snake Dance are shown, as well as a small model of a single phase of the ceremony. On the right side of the hall, next to the Navajo group, is a representation of Hopi life.
In the center of the hall, as well as in the farther half of the left side, are special ex- hibits for the prehistoric Indians of the Southwest. Near the center is an exhibit showing how many prehistoric ruins have been dated by the tree-ring method. A chart at the entrance to the hall gives the succes- sive culture periods for the Southwest, be- ginning with early Basket Maker and ending with the modern Pueblo villages. Typical objects made by the Basket “Makers are shown in small cases in the center of the hall and in upright cases to the left.
Two of the most famous prehistoric Southwestern ruins are Bonito and Aztec. A model of the latter stands in the center, and near the entrance is an exhibit of tur- quoise from Pueblo Bonito. Other collec- tions from these two ruins are shown in cases at the left of the hall. One contains a remarkable collection of pottery from Pueblo Bonito. Similar black-on-white wares with very elaborate and splendidly executed designs, shown in adjacent cases, are from Rio “TEs and in part from cliff-dwel- lings. In another case will be found material
HOUSE POST FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND Lets 7 el
gathered by the Museum expedition which explored the Galisteo Valley, New Mexico. (See Guide Leaflet No. 73, Pottery of the Southwest Indians.)
At the farther end of the hall, at the right, is an exhibit from the prehistoric Indians of California. (See Guide Leaflet No. 55, Bas- ketry Designs of the Mission Indians.)
INDIANS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC-GOAST. (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 7)
The Jesup North Pacific Hall is devoted to the Indians living in the heavily forested and mountainous coastal belt extending from the Columbia River in Washington to Mt. St. Elias in southern Alaska as well as on the offshore islands. They are the most skilful wood workers on the American continent, as demonstrated here by the models of their houses; their intricately carved and painted totem, house, and grave posts; their cere- monial masks, boxes, implements, and tools. Paralleling their dependence on their forest environment for housing, clothing, and uten- sils, was their dependence upon the products of the sea for food. Travel and transporta- tion were mainly by water, for which canoes, like the large Haida war canoe in the center of this hall, were built by skillfully hollow- ing out giant cedar logs.
Except for two tribes, the Shushwap and Thompson, who live in the interior of British Columbia, the exhibits are arranged in the order in which the several tribes are en- countered in traveling from south to north along the coast of Washington, British Co- lumbia, and Alaska. On the right side of the hall are the Bella Coola, Tsimshian, Haida; on the left, the Nootka, Kwakiutl, Tlingit.
The murals of Will S. Taylor illustrate not only the industries, religious and social life of these Indians, but also their heavily forested and fog- and rain-drenched environ- ment. The murals on the right side are de- voted to ceremonial and religious life, on the left to daily life and industries. Over the en- trance are shown games, and at the farther
CARVED WOODEN FIGURE made by the Quinault Indians inhabiting the northwestern coast of the State of Washington
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ESKIMO WOMAN FISHING THROUGH THE ICE
end of the hall is depicted the return of a victorious war party.
No less conspicuous than the wood-carv- ing art of the Northwest Coast Indians is their skill in weaving in mountain goat wool and shredded bark and in making baskets. Notice in this connection the Chilkat cere- monial blankets a little over halfway along
(Group in the Eskimo Hall)
the hall, on the left, and the Tlingit baskets at the end. These Indians have likewise dis- tinguished themselves in the carving of stone, bone, and ivory, examples of which are shown for the various tribal groups. Outstanding perhaps is the wealth of deco- ration observable on all their products. The typical grotesque art motives, based on the
[ 139 ]
distortion of animal forms, are found in equal abundance on utilitarian and ceremonial ob- jects.
ESKIMO CORRIDOR (Index Plan, p. 16, First Floor, Hall 7a)
The Eskimos are frequently cited as the primitive people who have achieved the most complete adjustment to their environment. They inhabit the northern shores and ad- jacent islands of North America, from east- ernmost Siberia and the Aleutians to East Greenland and Labrador. All these Eskimos, who differ somewhat in details of culture according to locality, are represented here,
fo) though not with equal completeness.
Gunter with the white man has changed the Eskimo’s way of life to greater or lesser extent, but he continues to use many of his traditional tools, implements, and distinctive articles of fur clothing. The Eskimos are hunters and fishermen. In summer they hunt the caribou, musk ox, and birds, often inland. Their dwellings at this season are tent-like frames covered with deer or seal skin. In winter they hunt sea mammals, especially seals. Their winter houses are of stone built over shallow excavations and covered with earth. The familiar snow-house is the tradi- tional winter dwelling of certain tribes but is unknown in Alaska and most of Greenland. Models on exhibit show how the snowhouse is built. The Eskimos are skilled in the mak- ing of fur clothing and skin boats. The in- genious implements they fashion of wood, bone, and ivory are frequently decorated with naturalistic incised designs.
Many of the objects shown here are from the collections made by the Peary, Comer, MacMillan, and Stefansson-Anderson ex- peditions.
Near the entrance of the corridor is an Eskimo woman fishing through the ice. She has formed a windbreak with blocks of ice. The fishing rod and hook and the long ladle are made of bone, and with this latter she keeps the water in the hole from freezing over while she is fishing. In another case will be found an Eskimo woman cooking in the interior of a snow hut that is lined with seal skin. She is using a stone lamp filled with seal oil, which feeds the flame over which the meal is being prepared.
MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
(Index Plan, p. 17, Second Floor, Halls 2a and 4)
At the west stairway on the second floor we enter a corridor and hall devoted to the ancient civilizations of Mexico and Central America. Along the walls of the stairway are casts of some of the finest stone monu- ments from the Maya cities of Central America, and the corridor alcove contains pottery and stone objects from Costa Rica. In the main hall are a number of cases devot- ed to the finest objects in the collection, which well illustrate the great artistic achievements of the Middle American civ- ilizations.
The far end of the hall is devoted to the
Maya culture. The right side shows the known cultures of Central Mexico, from the earliest to the latest, and the left side deals with Northern Mexico, the Mexican Period of Yucatan, the Zapatec culture of Oaxaca, and Aztec sculpture. Peoples and Time: The history of ancient Middle America is little known. Contem- porary archaeological opinion gives the fol- lowing rough dates:—
10,000 B.C.—200 B.C. Period of Population and Settlement. No remains yet identified.
200 B.C.—500 A.D. Early Cultures, including growth of techniques of farming, weaving, ceramics, stonework, and establishment of permanent villages. Some persist until the Spanish Conquest.
500 A.D.—1000 A.D. Ritualized Civilizations with Temple Cult, Polytheism and Sacred Calendar, like Maya of Guatemala, Zapotec of Oaxaca, Olmec of Vera Cruz, Teotihua- can of Valley of Mexico.
1000 A.D.—1200 A.D. Period of Unrest and Migration, Chichimec Period in Valley of Mexico, Mexican invasion in Yucatan.
1200 A.D.-1519 A.D. Domination of Mexi- can Peoples. Mexican Period in Yucatan, Mixtec Period in Oaxaca, Aztec Period in Valley of Mexico.
There are specimens shown in the hall whose makers are absolutely unknown, but whose styie is distinctive. Conceivably in
[ 140 J
time we may be able to assign them to the speakers of some one of those fifty languages recorded for Mexico, a fact which in itself indicates that in Middle America there were tribes not empires.
Nature of Objects: The majority of ob- jects shown in the Hall are made of pottery, stone, bone, shell, and metal, because these substances best resist the destructive action of time and weather and are preserved through the centuries. Therefore, the wood- en drums in the Aztec case and the obsidian mirror with the wooden frame are great treasures, since only a handful of examples of the woodcarver’s art survived the Con- quest.
Architecture: The varied and imposing temple architecture of Middle America may be estimated by the models distributed throughout the hall. The Maya buildings of
(XN0- BP soecaia. Phisey Gn Bh no Wa icxiai. OF. Catlctn
iat Digen
AZTEC PICTURE WRITING recording the last
of the “New Fire Ceremonies” before the Spanish
Conquest in 1519. It also represents an eclipse of the
sun, an earthquake, and the drowning of two
thousand warriors on their way to make war on the people of Southern Mexico
which we have examples ranging through the span of their history show “how a sculp- tured platform evolved into one supporting a massive shrine, and how that in turn de- veloped into temples and _ priest’s quarters. Yet the architecture of the Zapotec, Toltec, and Aztec is hardly less imposing, and the cast of a Serpent Column from Chichen Itza brings vividly home the tremendous scale of these Indian’ temples.
Sculpture: It is in sculpture that we may gauge best the tremendous attainments of the ancient peoples of Middle America. The polytheistic religion required many images depicted in a great variety of forms ate
animal, and grotesque. The casts of Maya GOLD OBJECTS FROM MEXICO stelae from Quirigua indicate that the native AND CENTRAL AMERICA sense of design could function in terms of
[141 ]
A PRIEST MAKING AN
an enormous mass. The intricate monuments from Copan likewise show how skillful a mass sculpture can be. Equally important are the casts from the southwest coast of Guatemala ranged along the stair to the first floor. Yet there is an abundance of original material, which includes for the Maya some of the cream of the Coes style as well as original examples from Yucatan collected by the famous traveller, Stephens, a century ago. The abilities of the Aztec are displayed both i in casts and original examples, which cannot be duplicated in this country. The work of the Totonac and Olmec, in the form of masks and small figures including jades, is thought by various authorities to be the best produced in Indian America, while the vigorous barbarity of the Geutar carving of Costa Rica is w orthy of attention. A series from Oaxaca shows the laborious methods
OFFERING: a cast of a Maya relief sculpture from Jonuta, Tabasco, Mexico. The original of this cast is in the National Museum of Mexico and is one of the finest examples of the Palenque style of Maya sculpture. This piece dates from the Maya Great Period in the centuries immediately preceding the year 1,000
of carving stone with stone, since no metal tools hard enough for this purpose were de- veloped by the Indians.
The figures i in baked clay are worthy of considerable attention, since the Middle Americans developed this type of work into a fine art. Especially i interesting are the his- torical series of figurines from the Early Culture and Teotihuacan horizons. These show the change in styles in two cultures, over a period of nearly a thousand years. The most notable clay” sculpture is the life size warrior of the Chichimec period of the Valley of Mexico. However, for sheer vigor and vitality the large clay figures from West- ern Mexico are preeminent. A profound grasp of realistic appreciation of human features is displayed by the Vera Cruz ex- hibit of clay heads, laughing ones from the Totonac area, more serious ones from the
MODEL OF A MAYA TEMPLE: a miniature replica of the temple at Rio Bec in the eastern part of the state of Campeche, Mexico
Tuxtla region. A culmination of ceremonial requirements is to be seen in the funerary urns from Oaxaca, where a great sense of design mitigates the grotesque forms em- ployed.
Writing: Examples of the methods of writ- ing used in Middle America are found in different parts of the hall. The simple picto- graphic style of the Aztec and Mixtec are represented by original paintings on cloth and by skillful reproductions. A post-Con- quest land map and genealogical tree from Tlaxcala throws much light on dress and costume fifty years after the Conquest. The Zapotec and Maya writing was expressed by highly Eaaeacoadlined signs. On the May a casts long inscriptions relating to the
dates of astronomical phenomena may be found. Aztec w riting can be read, May a writing partly deciphered.
Jewelry: Certain cases in the hall show priceless examples of Middle American jewelry. Jade was the substance most highly prized, and there are several local sty ies of working it. The American variety of jadeite and nephrite is distinct from the Asiatic type. Especially important are the Zapotec and Olmec collections, which include two of the finest specimens in the world. Gold was esteemed only as an easily malleable metal, but the workmanship on the Mexican pieces and the design of the Costa Rican ornaments attest again to the high level of Indian civili- zation.
[C143 J
FIGURE OF A GOD. MAYA CULTURE. Limestone sculpture from Copan, Honduras. This
is one of the finest examples of Maya sculpture in the round, showing how perfe tly the Maya
represented their physical type, and how beautifully they could express their art without t use of metal tools of any kind. Around the tenth century
[144 ]
Aletals and Precious Stones: Silver is very rare, owing to the difficulty of extracting the ore, but copper was used in late times for tools and ornaments. Mirrors of iron pyrites used in their matrix and as a mosaic show an interesting utilization of this min- eral. Obsidian or volcanic glass, commonly used for tools, was wrought into mirrors and ornaments with the simplest abrasives. Rock crystal, amethyst, moonstone, opal, jasper, and porphry were other stones valued and worked as ornaments by these people.
Pottery: The commonest product re- covered by archaeology y is pottery, and the halls are full of vessels recovered from graves and ceremonial deposits. These vessels were not made on a wheel, and building up the pots with strips of clay brings about a squat appearance to our eyes. lower er, the variety of shape and design shows how each tribe or community had its own styles. Notable techniques are the vitreous ware from Salva- dor and the plaster cloissonné from Jalisco. Note also the common use of lost-color or
MOCIUTLXOCHITL, THE GOD OF GAMES AND FLOWERS. A fine example of Mexican terra cotta pottery dating from about 1400 A. D.
BOY AND DOG (Below). This little pair of clay figures from Colima, Mexico, shows the
vitality of western Mexican art
batik decoration in Jalisco and Costa Rica. Vessels of huge size were sometimes made, like the Toltec vessels from Azcapotzalco. Even the earliest forms from the early cul- tures of the Valley of Mexico reveal a de- velopment of technique and style that indi- cates long years of experimentation. Few regions in the world can show such a wealth of form and ornament as Middle America.
Design: The textile art was important in Middle America but time and weather have destroyed almost all of it. However, hints are given by the ancient picture writings and the use of textile designs on pottery. The art is old and cotton has been recovered from the earliest levels in the Valley of Mexico. Examination of the designs on the Puebla pottery, on the West Mexican fig- urines, and on the dress of the figures on the Maya stelae will show how skilled these people were. In various cases the clay weights for spindles are exhibited, many of which are beautifully carved and polished. The size and w eight seem to be gauged in some cases to the fineness of the thread.
Musical Instruments: Music was not high- ly developed in ancient Middle America, but many examples of flutes, whistles, shell trumpets and rattle bones attest to an in- terest in tone and rhythm. Most notable are the Aztec two toned drums which give forth very pleasing notes. A pottery w histling jar in the form of a rain god is one of the out- standing pieces in the Salvador collection.
Tools: The chief tools of the ancient Mid- dle Americans were made of stone, bone and wood. Copper tools were only sporadically employed and in late times at that. The great wonder of Middle American civilization is that with these simple elements and without knowledge of the wheel or draft animals, these people were able to achieve an impos- ing culture comparable to the great civili- zations of the Old World, w hose technical basis was so much more highly dev eloped.
THE GOD XIPE, LIFE-SIZE, in terra cotta. Worshipped by the Central Mexicans as the God of the Flayed, Xipe is shown here wearing a human skin. When the skin was fresh it was tied on the God. As it dried it wrinkled, and the wrinkles formed the scales. This practice flourished in Central Mexico about the year 1200
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CORN GODDESS OF THE ANCIENT AZTECS. This figure from Ixtapalapa, Mexico, is carved in black basalt. It is an outstanding example of Aztec art showing great naturalistic skill in presentation (Fifteenth century)
i FIGURE OF A SEATED WOMAN: a splendid example of clay modeling from western Mexi- | co, illustrating the remarkable ability of these ancient sculptors in depicting form and expression |
LAUGHING CLAY HEAD. An example showing conscious humor. Clay heads of this type are said to be parts of complete figures. They come from cen- tral Vera Cruz. Nearly all the figures are laughing or smiling in a very contagious manner
MAYA VASE WITH FIGURE PAINTING. From San Jacinto, Salva- dor. Not only does it illustrate great skill in depicting attitudes, but seems to indicate a re- markable sense of humor in the artists
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INDIANS OF SOUTH AMERICA
(Index Plan, p. 17, Second Floor, Hall 8) This hall contains Indian exhibits from all the South American countries except Para- guay and Uruguay. The largest portion of these illustrate the prehistory of the peoples of Peru and Bolivia and are arranged in the front of the hall.
Unlike the ancient peoples of Mexico and Central America, the Peruvians had no writ- ten language. They were tillers of the soil and mieedie a wide variety of crops. They domesticated the llama, which was used as a beast of burden. They excelled in the manufacture and decoration of pottery vessels, in metal work, and in textile fabrics.
MUSICAL
Their gold and silver objects, such as beads, cups, pins, plates, and ear ornaments, show a high degree of skill in the beating, soldering, and casting of metals.
In weaving, the Peruvians were perhaps preeminent among prehistoric peoples of the world, many of their textiles exhibited here being unsurpassed at the present day. The materials used were cotton and the wool of the llama, alpaca, and vicuna. In the cases near the entrance are examples of these tex- tiles and the fibers, spindles, thread, looms and other equipment used in their manu- facture.
On the right side of the hall are collections from important localities in Peru, followed by exhibits from Ecuador, Colombia, Vene- zuela, Brazil, and Panama. In case 57, near
WIND INSTRUMENTS OF ANCIENT PERU. The wind instruments of the
ancient inhabitants of Peru, as illustrated below, included the panpipe or syrinx shown in the center; resonator whistles (/eft); trumpets of clay and wood; and a great variety of simple whistles. The pottery figure at lower left shows how the panpipe was play ed
4 bi s
POTTERY OF THE MOCHICA OPRS By AGRaL, CHIMU PERIOD. A warrior in full regalia is depicted on the vessel at the left. In his right hand he holds a mace; in his left, a shield, spear throw- er, and _ javelins. The central piece is a “portrait” jar. The vessel at the right shows a hand to hand combat between mythical beings
the center of the hall, selected examples of pottery show the different forms and deco- rations which distinguish the various im- portant cultures of Peru and Bolivia. As far as our present knowledge permits, the changes which occurred in the course of time are also indicated. Each of these cultures is shown in greater detail in individual cases.
POTTERY OF EARLY NAZCA PERIOD. The Val- ley of Nazca was the center of one of the earliest highly developed cultures in Peru. It dates from the beginning of the Christian Era. The two jars at the left show conventional repre- sentations of the fe- line-monster deity
Pec a
Outstanding is the beautiful work of the Nazca people in cases to the left of the en- trance. In special exhibits are grouped such things as musical instruments, whistling water jars, examples of intentionally de- formed human heads and trephined skulls showing the successful practice of a delicate surgical operation by the ancient Peruvians.
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Much of our knowledge of their daily life we owe to a foreanaees combination of cli- matic conditions and tribal customs. Along the coast of Peru, where the extreme dryness of the climate and nitrous character of the soil have preserved perishable materials for centuries, are more extensive burial places than anywhere else in America. Countless thousands of bodies were interred with such things as had been most useful and prized during life or were considered to be most serviceable in a future life. Examples of these mummy bundles are displayed, and it was from such as these that many objects in the hall were secured.
The mummy in the case at the west side of the room was found in a copper mine at
PREHISTORIC DOUBLE CLOTH.
Chuquicamata, Chile. The body is that of an Indian miner who was killed by the falling in of rocks and earth while engaged in get- ting out the copper ore (atacamite) used by the Indians in making implements and orna- ments in prehistoric times. The tissues of the body have been preserved by copper salts with which they are impregnated. The im- plements he was using at the time of his death are shown beside him in the case.
Much more primitive than any of the pre- historic peoples just mentioned were the nomadic hunters and fishermen who in- habited the southern end of the continent and the adjacent islands. Their story from the time when they hunted the extinct native American horses and ground sloths was re-
The finest example of this technique in the museum
collection. Double cloth is woven on a loom having two separate sets of warp and weft yarns, a technique which yields sharply contrasting geometric patterns.
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PERUVIAN EM- BROIDERED SHAWL. The designs in poly- chrome chain stitch em- broidery depict mythical warrior figures. Weaving was an outstanding artistic and technical achievement of the ancient Peruvian civilizations. The thread was hand-spun from cot- ton and wool and the fineness has never been surpassed. The textiles, from 500 to 2000 years old, have, for the most part, been preserved as mummy wrappings in the graves of the dry desert of Peru
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A PERUVIAN WOMAN’S WORK BASKET. Containing spindles, bobbins, carded fibre, and other materials for spinning and weaving
covered from caves and shellmounds. The _ living in widely different geographical areas, simple tools and weapons which they used _ the collection is far from complete. An ex- are arranged chronologically in a case inthe ample of native life in the tropical rain forest rear of the hall. Near by are examples of the — of northeastern Peru is shown in a miniature equipment of the various tribes surviving in group of the Chama Indians. They raise the same region at the present time. plantains and cassava and hunt small game, In neighboring cases are exhibits for other so their equipment is naturally specialized living Indians of South America. As there for these occupations. are a great many distinct tribes, sometimes
(Below) AN EXAMPLE OF SOUTH AMERI- (Below) A PERUVIAN TAPESTRY. An ex- CAN EMBROIDERY. This elaborate fabric is a cellent tapestry from Pachacamac, Peru, with slits Paracas type solid polychrome embroidery left open between color areas as part of the design
MINATURE MODEL OF A SOUTH SEA ISLAND CANOE. The Polynseians make canoes hollowed out of tree trunks. An outrigger on one side keeps them from capsizing easily
EASTER ISLAND STATUE. Easter Island in the
South Pacific is famous for the immense stone
statues found there, from one of which a Museum expedition made the cast illustrated at the right
THE PACIFIC
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Halls 6 and 8)
Two halls are devoted to the Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The first contains collections from Pol ynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. The second is principally an exhibit for the natives of the Philippine Islands, Java, an Borneo. However, the collections from New Zealand extend into this hall.
The conspicuous objects in these halls are as follows: a statue from Easter Island; life- sized models, showing the Tahitian fire- walking, grating of eee etc; a collection of tattooed heads from New Pealaade and a tree-house from the Philippines.
SOUTH PACIFIC HALL
On entering the South Pacific Hall (Fourth Floor, Hall 6) beyond the Hall of Minerals, the visitor faces a huge monolithic figure. This is a cast of one of the famous images found on Easter Island and was brought back
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Rt ee as SS i ee ee << TAHITIAN KAVA-BREWER AND ROOF-MAKER. The Tahitian woman, at the left, is preparing a stimulant from the roots of a species of pepper. The beverage is known as ava in Yahiti but is identical with kava of other islands. The woman to the right is manufacturing roofing from pandanus leaves in an elaborate form often employed in Tahiti. Life size figures cast in the
Museum from Tahitian fire-walkers who once visited New York City
in 1935 by the Templeton Crocker Expedi- Circular stone mats of red tufa formerly 935 0} P P y
tion. Statues such as these, representing de- completed the figure. parted chieftains, were found set up on stone Directly in the center of the hall is a Tahi- platforms all along the coast of Easter Island. tian priest taking part in the fire-walking
TAHITIAN FIRE-MAKER AND COCONUT GRATER. The old way to make fire in Tahiti
was to rub a blunt-pointed stick in a groove made in another until the dust became ignited.
The natives produced fire within a few minutes. In preparing grated coconut the Tahitians sit
on a stool which has a blade projecting in front. This blade is used for grating the white inside part of the coconut
POLYNESIAN BARK CLOTH OR TAPA. This cloth was made from the inner bark of the
paper-mulberry tree which is steeped in water, thinned out with a shell scraper, and pounded on
a board with a mallet. Designs may be painted on the cloth free-hand, but more frequently they are printed from wooden stamps
ceremony, in which the participants walk over heated boulders of lava. On each side isa group showing natives engaged in typical activities,—grating coconut, preparing kava, or plaiting Pandanus.
One of the exhibits in this hall is a fine Hawaiian feather cape, such as was formerly worn by the highest ranks of the Hawaiian society. Red and yellow honeysucker feathers completely hide the netted twine
A MANUS VILLAGE reconstructed with scientific accuracy in every detail: one of many miniature models in the American Museum showing native home life and activities
foundation. The value of these garments was proportionate to the enormous labor expended on their manufacture.
The hall is roughly divided into two main sections. In the first half are exhibited the collections from Polynesia and Micronesia, while the second half is devoted to New Guinea, Melanesia and Australia. However, it proved impossible to be wholly consistent and to separate Melanesian Fiji from Samoa and Tonga.
In the Polynesian section the examples of decorated native bark cloth (tapa) are es- pecially noteworthy, and a number of canoe models remind us that these people are dar- ing seafarers. A series of ceremonial adzes from the Cook Islands in the farther quarter of the hall shows aboriginal carving at its highest level.
In the section on the right, the elaborately carved sacred masks, about 14 feet back of the Tahitian priest, illustrate the zsthetic
BRIDE’S APRON OF SHELL MONEY: A Melanesian wo- man’s dress used on festival occasions. Her costume is part of the payment which her kin make to her husband’s family. The most important part of her dress comprises the two aprons woven of shell money
MELANESIAN MASK
tendencies of Melanesia, which are also ap- parent in a carved pole set on top of a verti- cal case. Very different from these artistic
USIAI CARVED WOODEN BOWL FROM MELANESIA
ee
St s es weer
ESS
MELANESIAN SACRED FLUTE
manifestations are the carvings of the Nex Zealanders (Maori), characterized by rae dominant spiral motive. The series of dried and tattooed Maori heads forms one of the most remarkable exhibits in the Museum. (See Guide Leaflet No. 71, The Maoris and Their Arts.)
Near the boundary between the two main sections are the Azwstralian cases with nu- merous boomerangs and very crude stone tools, which should be compared with those in the archeological hall. The farther corner is devoted to a collection from the Admiralty Islands, including a model of a village of the Manus tribe, a lagoon-dwelling, fishing people who build their houses on piles far from land. In the right corner of the hall are shields, clubs, carvings and household uten- sils from New Guinea.
The islands of the Pacific Ocean are of two kinds; first, those which are the remnants of a sunken land mass running southeast from Asia formerly connecting Australia and Tasmania with the mainland; and secondly, in the case of the numerous islands to the eastward, those which were formed by vol- canic action and coral growth. The inhabit- ants belong physically to two very distinct races: the frizzly-haired, nearly black Pa- pauns and the former inhabitants of Tas- mania; and the wavy-haired, light-colored Polynesians of the islands stretching nearly across the Pacific. South of these islands are others inhabited by the Melanesians, who have straight or wavy hair and darker skins.
The cultural grouping is generally similar to that of the physical types. The Poly- nesians manufacture bark cloth and matting, have no pottery, drink kava, fight with clubs, and are skilled navigators. They are governed by chiefs who trace their ancestry back many generations. The Melanesians make some pottery, chew the betel nut, do grotesque carving, use bows and arrows for hunting and spears for fighting. They have
CARVED WOODEN HOOKS USED IN DECORATING MEN’S HOUSES IN NEW GUINEA
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PHILIPPINE TREE HOUSE
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secret societies and the men live in clubs. Between these two are the Micronesians, possessing some of the cultural traits of both their neighbors but differing considerably from each. Their islands being small, they depend for food chiefly on fish and pandanus and coconut palms. They are socially divided into castes: nobility, commoners, and slaves.
In addition to these cultural groups there are two specialized ones: the Polynesian Maori of New Zealand, and the Negroid inhabitants of Australia. The former have a very rich development of practical and aes- thetic arts; the latter are almost without them. Besides, there are the inhabitants of New Guinea, generally Melanesian-like, but varying somewhat in race, language, and culture, and as yet not very well known.
COLLECTIONS FROM PHILIPPINES AND MALAYSIA
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 8)
This hall is reached by turning to the right in the South Sea Islands Hall.
The side aisles are devoted to the Philip- pine Islands. The farther section of the hall contains exhibits from other parts of Malay- sia with an interesting series of marionettes from Java.
At the right of the entrance is a case con- taining life casts of faces, nose and hair from the different races represented in this hall, also charts of stature and head form, with distribution maps.
In the center is a model of a Filipino bamboo-walled and thatch-roofed house. At the far end a native tree house dominates the scene, and on the left may be seen the model of a woman weaving a garment on a native loom.
The visitor should note that, like the Afri- can Negroes, but unlike all other primitive stocks, the Malayan tribes represented in this hall used iron tools. The numerous iron weapons—spears, battle-axes, and krises (dag- gers with serpentine blades)—are especially remarkable.
On the left side of the hall will be found a number of synoptic exhibits of native krises, shields, fabrics, basketry and ceramics. Pottery is not highly developed in this area,
but the textile arts flourish to a remarkable degree. The industrial life of the Bagobo of Mindanao is particularly well illustrated in the collections.
Much more primitive in their culture than the other Malaysians are the Negritos, a dark- skinned and frizzly-haired pygmy stock forming with similar groups in other parts of the world a distinct division of the Negro race. They are everywhere hunters, using the bow and arrow, and ignorant of agri- culture. Their simple implements are shown in a table case in the farther section of the hall.
The islands lying close to the coast of Asia have been subjected to several migrations and to varying cultural contacts. Judging from the Andaman Islands and the Negrito remnants in the Philippine Islands, the origi- nal inhabitants were physically the most primitive of living men, related to the Afri- can Bushmen and the extinct Tasmanians. The present population is predominantly Malay in origin, members of the great Mon- golian race. Their cultural arts include pot- tery, metal work, and textiles. The metal work is especially fine in the weapon-making of Java and among the Mohammedan inhabi- tants of the Philippines. Among the textiles are exhibited the batik work of Java, the tie dyeing of the Bagobo in the Philippines, and fine textiles of Luzon.
They possess fowls and pigs, cultivate rice, and use the Carabao, or water buffalo, as a domestic aid in agriculture and transporta- tion. They possess the out-rigger canoes generally in use throughout the Pacific. Their weapons are blow-guns, bows and arrows, spears, and knives. They are devoted to head-~ hunting, considering it necessary for re- ligious peace and security.
The original culture of the first black race has disappeared. That existent at present is basic Malay, on which has been superim- posed the influence of India and China, the former affecting thought and philosophy, and the latter furnishing, through commerce, cherished objects of art and utility. Next came Mohammedanism, which is the pre- vailing religion in some of the islands, and about three hundred years ago Christianity and European culture were brought by the Dutch and Spaniards.
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AN EMPEROR’S BIRTHDAY GIFT. An assemblage of elaborate carvings fashioned from purest white jade and fitted together
ASIATIC COLLECTIONS
(Index Plan, p. 19, Fourth Floor, Hall 6, also Hall 4, and p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 6)
DRUMMOND COLLECTION OF JADE
The famous Drunznond Collection of carved Chinese jade, amber, Japanese ivory, and sword-guards is in the Southwest Tower on the fourth floor, opening out of the South Sea Islands Hall. This magnificent collection gathered by the late Doctor I. Wyman Drummond and presented to the Museum
in his memory, is installed as a unit, largely according to Doctor Drummond’s original arr angement.
It is really a group of collections, each one of the greatest importance and beauty. The jade collection alone is a rich and well bal- anced series, representative of all periods and covering a cultural range of more than thirty centuries. The left half of the room is de- voted to jade arranged by periods, while the right half is given over to amber, ivory, lacquer and bronze sword-guards. The ori- ental amber displayed is the finest of its kind in the world.
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A unique composite piece of white jade, occupying the center of the room, was a birthday gift to the Emperor Kien Lung from the officials of his court. This assem- blage of jade carvings consists of thirteen pieces fashioned from purest white jade and fitted together. Surrounding the central piece are twelve segments fitted together, each of which is carved with a representa- tion of one of the twelve terrestrial branches
corresponding to the signs of the zodiac.
A very fine piece of w *hite jade of the Kien Lung period of renaissance in glyptic art is in the form of a “Scepter of Good Luck” (Joo-i scepter). On the long handle of this piece are carved in high relief the figures of the Eight Immortals, the half- mythical, half- historical personages so often represented i in Taoist art. Each of these carries some charac- teristic object, such as the flute of Han Hsiang-tzu, whose marvelous tone caused flowers to grow and blossom instantly.
ASIATIC ETHNOLOGY
Other fine examples of jade are also to be seen in the Morgan Gem Collection (Fourth Floor, Hall 4) ) and in the Asiatic Ethnology
JADE SCEPTER (Right). From the Drummond Collection
JADE CUP (Below). The dragons on this jade cup are of the form which developed in China in the Ming dynasty
WANG MU, THE CHINESE QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES. This is a carved ivory figure from the Drummond Collection. Though pro- duced by a Japanese artist, it is founded upon a Chinese myth. It is said that the palace of Wang Mu is in the Juen-lun Mountains, where she guards the Tree of Immortal Peaches that grows beside the Lake of Gems, whose fruit ripens upon her birthday, every 3000 years. Here gather to the Feast of Peaches all the immortals to renew their immortality by eating the celestial fruit
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K’WAN YIN, GODDESS OF THE FISH. A carved ivory Japanese figure of great beauty from the Drummond Collection. This ivory statuette is characteristically Japanese both in conception and rendering. It immortalizes in ivory the story of the princely fisherman who set up a shrine to this goddess after he had repeatedly found her image in his net instead of the fish he sought
CHINESE BRONZES. A set of three bronze ornaments inlaid with silver from the Sung Dynasty, 960-1279 A. D. To the right is a bronze libation cup, probably used in religious ceremonies, from the Shang Dynasty, 1766-1122 B. C.
Hall on the third floor (Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 6), where are installed collections from eastern and northern Asia. Specimens illustrating the culture, industries, religion and manufacture of China are on the left. Others, showing the mode of life, the costumes, and the war implements of Siberia, are on the right.
The fur-work, costumes, and rugs of the people of eastern Siberia reveal remarkable skill in workmanship. Two models show respectively summer and winter scenes in Siberia. In the rear are collections from
Japan, the Ainu and the Amur River tribes noted for decorated fabrics and picturesque costumes.
The collections on the left side of the hall deal mainly with the everyday life of the modern Chinese and have a special value, as they were made just before the sweeping changes of the last few years took place. These abolished many of the customs in which these objects were used. For example, the series of weapons and material showing the tests to which a soldier was submitted on entering the army have been rendered ob-
THE EIGHT IMMORTALS. A group of figurines in Formosa coral depicting eight legendary beings who became immortal. From the Morgan Hall of Gems and Minerals on the fourth floor of the Museum
~ 4
(Above) CHINESE BRONZE BOWL. This large bronze bowl has the original scroll design characteristic of the Chou dynasty. Attributed to the Han Period
(Below) A PAIR OF CHINESE BRONZE HORSES. They may have represented the horses of a chariot which has been lost. Ts In dynasty
SIX EXAMPLES OF CHINESE CLOISONNE ENAMEL FROM THE CHINESE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEUM
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THREE BRONZE STATU- TSONG-KHA-PA. The great YAK-HEADED RAKSAI. ETTES FROM THE TIBE- fifteenth century Reformer of One of the animal-headed TAN COLLECTION. (Above) Lamaism goddesses who appear in the
NARO KHE-CHO-MA. A feminine divinity, invoked to confer superhuman power
solete by the introduction of modern weap- ons and tactics. Bamboo, porcelain, basketry, inlaid work, cloisonné enamel, agricultural implements, carvings in wood, ivory and stone, and examples of embroidery, are shown to advantage.
A special collection of great value is com- prised in the ancient bronzes shown in the wall cases near the entrance. In the tower is the Whitney Collection from Tibet, illus- trative of the costumes and religious rites of that little-known region.
An exhibit illustrates the production of cloisonné by the Chinese. A series of eight vases is display ed showing various stages sof the process.
The foundation of all enamel objects is red copper of the shape and size desired. The decorations are first sketched on paper by special artists. These patterns are traced with a stylus on the copper. Vase No. 1 shows the simple copper foundation. No. 2 is a vase to which has been glued a network of thin copper wire following the tracings of the pattern. The whole is then powdered with a composite of silver filings, copper
Bardo, or After-Death State
and borax (No. 3). The vase is now enclosed in an iron vise placed in an iron wire cage filled with burning charcoal which produces a perfect soldering (No. 4). Then an acid solution of apricots is brushed over it, and it is ready to receive the enamel. The enamel paste is troweled into the cell-like compart- ments (“cloisons”) formed by the copper wire (No. 5).
After cooling, the vase is again exposed to the fire to properly harden the pigments. Nos. 6, 7, and 8 show the vases after succes- sive firings. Very fine pieces of work may be fired eight times. Next the vases are polished with a steel file—then with sandstone and lime tree charcoal while the vase revolves on a lathe. Finally it is gilded.
The Koryak of Siberia. The Koryak live in northeastern Siberia, south of the Chuk- chee, between the Anadyr River and the central part of Kamchatka. Their number is about 7500. In language they are related to the Chukchee and Kamchadal, with whom they also share their arts and practices. Like the Chukchee, the Koryak are divided into a Reindeer and a Maritime Branch but differ
[ 168 |]
from their neighbors in the almost exactl equal size of these divisions. The Reindeer Koryak subsist mainly on the flesh of their herds. The Maritime group depend largely on fishing, while the hunting of sea Haters is also important but relatively less so than among the Maritime Chukchee. The Rein- deer people live in movable tents. The sta- tionary, partly underground house of the Maritime division is illustrated by a model in this hall. Both divisions of the Koryak wear clothing made of reindeer skins.
Before contact with other peoples the Koryak had no metal and made all their im- plements by chipping stone. At present, several settlements are renowned for their iron technique, which may antedate the com- ing of the Russians, since the Tungus and Yakut were both familiar with the black- smith’s art. The dressing of skins and the weaving of baskets by the coiled and twined methods are important industries. Remains brought to light by excavations of old dwel- lings show that the ancient Koryak knew how to manufacture pottery. In art the Kor- yak have attained a high degree of perfection as carvers in wood, antler, and ivory, as well as in the tasteful ornamentation of clothing and fur rugs.
(Right) KORYAK MAN IN ARMOR. Life size figure, clothed in original Koryak armor. From the Jesup North Pacific Collection
(Below) IVORY CARVING OF A BOY AND REINDEER FROM EASTERN SIBERIA
FEI (APE A ze SSIS EAE OE = VE = OEM NIE OE 0D SEEMED OLESEN EE VEU OEE USESTIEAEICORI TICE TUUE Tete
RED CAM- WOOD BOXES FROM MANG- BETULAND. These boxes have hollow sections of ivory engraved with hunting epi- sodes like those shown above and below the picture. The tops repre- sent the hairdress of a man and two women
AFRICAN TOM-TOM DRUMMER. Exhibited in the Akeley Memorial Hall of African Mammals. Sculptured by Malvina Hoffman
HALL OF AFRICAN ETHNOLOGY
(Index Plan, p. 18, Third Floor, Hall 8)
The order in this hall is roughly geographi- cal. Thus, as one proceeds through the hall he meets the tribes that would be found in passing from south to north in Africa, while
the west coast is represented along the left- hand wall, the east coast along the right-hand wall, the central Congo tribes at the far end.
There are three aboriginal races in Africa: the Bushmen, the Hottentots, and the Ne- groes. In the north the Negroes have been greatly influenced by Hamitic and Semitic immigrants and have become mixed with them.
Nothing is more characteristic of the Negro culture, to which the rest of the hall is devoted, than the art of smelting iron and fashioning iron tools. The process used by the African blacksmith is illustrated in a group on the left, and the finished products, such as knives, axes and spears, are amply shown throughout the hall. The knowledge of the iron technique distinguishes the Negro culturally from the American Indian, the Oceanian, and the Australian.
All the Negroes cultivate the soil, the women doing the actual tilling, while the men are hunters and, among pastoral tribes, herders. Clothing is either of skin, bark cloth,
WOODEN MASK FROM WESTERN AFRICA
[171]
or loom-woven plant fiber. The manufac- ture of a skin cloak is illustrated by one of the figures in the group to the left of the en- trance. Bark cloths from Uganda are shown in the farther right-hand section of the hall,
while looms and the completed garments are
shown in the large central rectangle devoted
CARVED IVOR ARTICLES FRO THE CONGO Ivory carvings are among the most cherished possessions of African chiefs the emblems of rank and power
to Congo ethnology. The most beautiful of the last-mentioned products are the “pile cloths” of the Bakuba, woven by the men and supplied with decorative patterns by the women. Very fine wooden goblets and other carvings, especially a series of ivories from the Congo, bear witness to the high artistic
L722]
IVORY HANDLED IRON WEAPONS OF THE MANG- BETU. The great sickle-shaped _ knives were worn over the shoulder by the king and other prominent men when they were sitting in council, partly as proof of the Wearer’s readiness to strike. At other times the knives were pushed under the belt
sense of the African natives, who also excel other primitive races in their love for music, which is shown by the variety of their musi- cal instruments.
A unique art is illustrated in the Benin case in the farther section of the hall, where the visitor will see bronze and brass castings
fs «sae eae
made by a process similar to that used in Europe in the Renaissance period.
The religious beliefs of the natives are illustrated by numerous fetishes and charms, believed to give security in battle or to avert evils. Ceremonial masks are shown, which
were worn by the native pediciae ent
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Popular Publications
THE museum publishes a series of handbooks, postcards and science leaflets dealing with Man and His Arts, Animals of Land and Sea, Birds and Insects, and The World and Its Wonders. Among the titles included in this series of publications are:
The Dinosaur Book by Edwin H. Colbert (Handbook No. 14)
Birds of Central Park by Geoffrey Carleton (Science Guide No. 68)
Dinosaurs by Edwin H. Colbert (Science Guide No. 70)
The World of Fishes by William K. Gregory and Francesca LaMonte (Science Guide No. 122) i
The Cereals and Civilization by Clark Wissler (Science Guide No. 129)
The Life of the Water Film by Lorus J. Milne and Margery J. Milne (Science Guide No. 130)
For complete free catalog of all Museum Popular Publications write to Division ot Popular Publications, Department of Education at the Museum.
San and OCature
PUBLICATIONS
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American Museum of Natural History
MALCOM P. ALDRICH
JAMES ROWLAND ANGELL
ANDREY AVINOFF
HARRY PAYNE BINGHAM ROBERT WOODS BLISS
W. DOUGLAS BURDEN EDWARD C. CHILDS
H. B. CLARK
S. SLOAN COLT
SUYDAM CUTTING LEWIS W. DOUGLAS LINCOLN ELLSWORTH
Founded in 1869
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
F. TRUBEE DAVISON, President A. PERRY OSBORN, First Vice-President
CLEVELAND E. DODGE, Second Vice-President
E. ROLAND HARRIMAN, JT reaszrer CLARENCE L. HAY, Secretary CHILDS FRICK
CHAUNCEY J. HAMLIN WILLIAM H. HARKNESS ARCHER M. HUNTINGTON MICHAEL LERNER
JOHN J. MCCLOY ROBERT EARLL MC CONNELL RICHARD K. MELLON GEORGE M. MOFFETT DANIEL E. POMEROY WILLIAM PROCTER
WILLIAM O’DWYER, Mayor of the City of New York LAZARUS JOSEPH, Comptroller of the City of New York
ROBERT MOSES, Commissioner of Parks of the City of New York
A REPRESENTATIVE Of the Board of Education of the City of New York
A. HAMILTON RICE BEVERLEY R. ROBINSON JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, 3RD DEAN SAGE
LEONARD C. SANFORD KEITH SPALDING FRANCIS T. SPAULDING ARTHUR S. VERNAY FREDERICK M. WARBURG ALEXANDER M. WHITE CORNELIUS V. WHITNEY
SCIENTIFIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFFS, JANUARY, 1949
Albert E. Parr, D.SC., Director Wayne M. Faunce, Sc.B., Vice-Director and Executive Secretary Walter F. Meister, Assistant Treasurer
ANTHROPOLOGY
H. L. SHAPIRO, Ph.D., Chairman, Curator of Physical Anthropology
MARGARET MEAD, Ph.D., D.Sc., Associate Curator of Ethnology
BELLA WEITZNER, Associate Curator of Eth-
nology
JUNIUS B. BIRD, Associate Curator of Arch-
aeology
SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
GORDON F. EKHOLM, Ph.D., Associate Cu-
rator of Archaeology
JAMES A. FORD, M.A., Assistant Curator of North American Archaeology
HARRY TSCHOPIK, JR., M.A., Assistant Curator of Ethnology
CLARENCE L. HAY, A.M., Research Associate
ROBERT VON HEINE-GELDERN, Ph.D., Research
Associate
RALPH LINTON, Ph.D., Research Associate
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WILLIAM DUNCAN STRONG, Ph.D., Research Associate
FREDERICK H. OSBORN, Litt.D., Sc.D., Honor- ary Associate
ANTOINETTE K. GORDON, Associate
MAMMALS
HAROLD E. ANTHONY, D.Sc., Chairman and Curator
CHILDS FRICK, D.Sc., Honorary Curator of Late Tertiary and Quaternary Mammals
G. H. H. TATE, D.Sc., Curator
GEORGE G. GOODWIN, Associate Curator
T. DONALD CARTER, Assistant Curator
RICHARD ARCHBOLD, Research Associate
ARTHUR S. VERNAY, Field Associate
WILLIAM D. CAMPBELL, Field Associate
BIRDS
ROBERT CUSHMAN MURPHY, Sc.D., Chairman
JOHN T. ZIMMER, D.Sc., Curator
ERNST MAYR, Ph.D., Curator of the Whitney- Rothschild Collections
JAMES P. CHAPIN, Ph.D., Associate Curator
CHARLES E. O'BRIEN, Assistant Curator
E. THOMAS GILLIARD, Assistant Curator
DEAN AMADON, B.S., Assistant Curator
ELSIE M. B. NAUMBURG, Research Associate
CHARLES K. NICHOLS, Research Associate and Honorary Librarian
JEAN DELACOUR, Lic. Sci., Research Associate
CHARLES VAURIE, D.D.S., Research Associate
WILLIAM H. PHELPS, B.S., Research Associate
AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES
CHARLES M. BOGERT, A.M., Chairman and Curator
BESSIE MATALAS HECHT, A.B., Scientific Assis- tant
HARVEY BASSLER, Ph.D., Sc.D., Research As- sociate
JOHN A. MooRE, Ph.D., Research Associate
JAMES A. OLIVER, Ph.D., Research Associate
EMMETT R. DUNN, Ph.D., Research Associate
ROGER CONANT, Research Associate
FISHES AND AQUATIC BIOLOGY
C. M. BREDER, JR., Sc.D., Chairman and Curator JOHN T. NicHoLs, A.B., Curator of Fishes
FRANCESCA R. LA MONTE, B.A., Associate Curator of Fishes and Museum Secretary for International Game Fish Association Affairs
JOHN C. ARMSTRONG, A.B., Assistant Curator of Invertebrates
PRISCILLA RASQUIN, A.B., Scientific Assistant
WILLIAM BEEBE, Sc.D., Research Associate in Fishes
CHRISTOPHER W. COATES, Research Associate in Fishes
DANIEL MERRIMAN, Ph.D., Research Associ- ate in Oceanography
FRANK J. MYERS, Research Associate in Rotifers
HORACE W. STUNKARD, Ph.D., Research Asso- ciate in Parasitology
LIBBIE H. HYMAN, Ph.D., Sc.D., Research Associate in Invertebrates
H. E. CRAMPTON, Ph.D., Sc.D., Research Asso- ciate in Mollusks
WILLIAM J. CLENCH, M.S., Research Associ- ate in Mollusks
VAN CAMPEN HEILNER, M.S., Field Repre- sentative
MICHAEL LERNER, Field Associate
ROSWELL MILLER, JR., C.E., Field Associate
WYLLYS ROSSETER BETTS, JR., Field Associate
INSECTS AND SPIDERS
MONT A. CAZIER, Ph.D., Chairman and Asso- ciate Curator
C. H. CURRAN, D.Sc., Curator
WILLIS J. GERTSCH, Ph.D., Associate Curator
MARGARET L. SAULINA, Scientific Assistant
HERBERT F. SCHWARTZ, M.A., Research Asso- ciate
ERNEST L. BELL, Research Associate
CYRIL F. bos Passos, LL.B., Research Associ- ate
ALFRED E. EMERSON, Ph.D., Research Associ- ate
E. IRVING HUNTINGTON, Research Associate
ALEXANDER B. KLOTS, Ph.D., Research Asso- ciate
HERMAN T. SPIETH, Ph.D., Research Associate
WILLIAM P. comstock, B.A., Research As- sociate
J. H. MC DUNNOUGH, Ph.D., Research Associ- ate
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ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
LESTER R. ARONSON, Ph.D., Acting Chairman and Associate Curator
T. C. SCHNEIRLA, Sc.D., Curator
A. MARIE TUCKER, M.A., Scientific Assistant
FRANK A. BEACH, Ph.D., Research Associate
MYRON GORDON, Ph.D., Research Associate
CARYL P. HASKINS, Ph.D., Research Associate
BERNARD F. RIESS, Ph.D., Research Associate
W. DOUGLAS BURDEN, M.A., Honorary As- sociate
BARBARA BoGGs, Honorary Associate
FORESTRY AND GENERAL BOTANY
HENRY K. SVENSON, Ph.D., Chairman and Curator
CLARENCE L. HAY, A.M., Honorary Curator
CHARLES RUSSELL, Ph.D., Associate
RICHARDSON L. WRITE, M.A., Research Associ- ate
GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY
GEORGE GAYLORD SIMPSON, Ph.D.,Sc.D.,Chair- man and Curator of Fossil Mammals and Birds
EDWIN H. COLBERT, Ph.D., Curator of Fossil Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fishes
NORMAN D. NEWELL, Ph.D., Curator of His- torical Geology and Fossil Invertebrates
FREDERICK H. POUGH, Ph.D., Curator of Physi- cal Geology and Mineralogy
otto H. HAAS, Ph.D., LL.D., Associate Cu- rator of Fossil Invertebrates
BOBB SCHAEFFER, Ph.D., Assistant Curator of Fossil Vertebrates ’
RACHEL HUSBAND NICHOLS, A.M., Scientific Assistant
HORACE ELMER WoobD, 2nd, Ph.D., Research Associate in Fossil Mammals
ERICH M. SCHLAIKJER, Ph.D., Research As- sociate in Fossil Reptiles
LOUIS HUSSAKOF, Ph.D., Research Associate in Fossil Fishes
J. BROOKES KNIGHT, Ph.D., Research Associ- ate in Fossil Invertebrates
ARTHUR K. MILLER, Ph.D., Research Associ- ate in Fossil Invertebrates
MICROPALEONTOLOGY
BROOKS F. ELLIS, Ph.D., Chairman and Curator ANGELINA R. MESSINA, M.A., Associate Cu- rator
ELEANOR S. SALMON, Ph.D., Scientific Assist- ant
MOLLIE FRIEDHOFFER, A.M., Scientific Assist- ant
HANS E. THALMANN, Ph.D., Research Associ- ate
MAYNARD P. WHITE, Ph.D., Research Associ- ate
STANLEY G. WISSLER, M.A., Research Associ- ate
ASTRONOMY AND THE HAYDEN PLANETARIUM
GORDON A. ATWATER, Chairman and Curator ROBERT R. COLES, Associate Curator CATHARINE E. BARRY, Assistant Curator FRED RAISER, Scientific Assistant SHIRLEY 1. GALE, B.S., Special Lecturer KENNETH J. HEUER, Special Lecturer WILLIAM J. MCDONALD, Special Lecturer FRANK H. SCHLEIFER, Special Lecturer EUGENE L. BENEDICT, Special Lecturer CLARENCE V. LEE, Special Lecturer
HUGH Ss. RICE, A.M., Research Associate
EDUCATION
CHARLES RUSSELL, Ph.D., Chairman
GRACE FISHER RAMSEY, Ph.D., Curator of School Relations
JOHN R. SAUNDERS, M.A., Associate Curator
GEORGE F. MASON, Associate Curator
WILLIAM A. BURNS, M.A., Acting Associate Curator
WINFIELD G. DOYLE, M.A., Acting Associate Curator
JOHN C. ORTH, Assistant Curator
MARGUERITE R. ROSS, M.A., Assistant Cura- tor
FARIDA A. WILEY, Instructor
ALMEDA JOHNSON, Instructor
LUCY W. CLAUSEN, Ph.D., Instructor
INEZ E. BORDNER, B.A., Instructor
HESTER RICH HOPKINS, M.A., Instructor
HAZEL L. MULLER, B.A., Supervisor of Dance and Lecture Programs
KATHARINE BENEKER, Supervisor of Special Exhibition
ETTA FALKNER, M.A., Associate Supervisor of Special Exhibition
ANNA MONTGOMERY, Supervisor of Guest Services
MARGUERITE NEWGARDEN, M.A., Supervisor of Audio-Visual Aids
EH7 A
LIBRARY
HAZEL GAY, Librarian HELEN M. GUNZ, B.A., Assistant Librarian
RICHARD H. POUGH, Curator, Conservation and Use of Natural Resources
G. EVELYN HUTCHINSON, M.A. Consultant in Bio-geochemistry
J. HOWARD McGREGOR, Ph.D., Research As- sociate, Comparative Anatomy
DUDLEY J. MORTON, M.D., Research Associ- ate, Comparative Anatomy
EXHIBITION AND PUBLICATION ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
VICTOR WILLIAM RONFELDT, M.F.A., Staff Ar- chitect
PREPARATION AND INSTALLATION
JAMES L. CLARK, D.Sc., Director of Prepa- ration and Installation
GEORGE E. PETERSON, Senior Staff Associate
GEORGE H. CHILDS, Ph.D., Staff Associate
JAMES PERRY WILSON, B.A., B.Ar., Staff As- sociate
ILLUSTRATORS CORPS
THOMAS W. VOTER, Supervisor
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS RUTH TYLER, M.A., Editor
MAN AND NATURE PUBLICATIONS
Supervisor of Museum's Popular Publications
NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE
EDWARD MOFFAT WEYER, JrR., Ph.D., Editor
ROBERT EDGAR WILLIAMSON, Production Man- ager
CHARLES J. 0’CONNOR, B.S., Manager of Cir- culation and Advertising
THE JUNIOR NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE
DOROTHY LEE EDWARDS, Editor
MARION B. CARR, Associate Editor
CHARLES J. 0’CONNOR, B.S., Manager of Cir- culation and Advertising
MUSEUM BOOK SHOP EMILIE C. BINNIKER, Manager
PRINT SHOP EDWARD A. BURNS, Supervisor
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
EDWIN C. MEYENBERG, Bursar
ROBERT J. SEIBERT, Chief Accountant
ADRIAN L. WARD, Personnel Officer
WILLIAM F. MussiG, Purchasing Agent
CHARLES J. 0’conNnoR, B.S., Membership Sec- retary
DANA P. KELLY, M.A., Resident Director of Public Relations*
HANS CHRISTIAN ADAMSON, Special Consult- ant, Public Relations
DORATHEA M. SIEGLE, Executive Assistant, Museum Contributors Program
ADDIE H. SUMMERSON, Assistant Executive Secretary
ELLA RB. RANSOM, Executive Assistant to the President
BUILDING OPERATION
REX P. JOHNSON, C.E., General Superintend- ent
WILSON L. TODD, Plant Engineer
LOUIS W. KINZER, Custodian
HENRY H. RAMSHAW, Mechanical Superin-
tendent BLANCHE PRESTON, B.A. in Ed., Manager of Food Services
ADVISORY COMMITTEES COUNCIL OF THE SCIENTIFIC STAFF
GEORGE GAYLORD SIMPSON, Ph.D., Sc.D., Dean ROBERT C. MURPHY, Sc.D., Assistant Dean LESTER R. ARONSON, Ph.D., Secretary
THE CHAIRMEN OF CURATORIAL DEPARTMENTS
EXHIBITION
DIRECTOR ALBERT E. PARR, Chairman
F. TRUBEE DAVISON HAROLD E. ANTHONY WILLIAM H. LATHAM — CHARLES RUSSELL \W. DOUGLAS BURDEN __H.. L. SHAPIRO WAYNE M. FAUNCE ERNST MAYR
DEAN OF THE COUNCIL
BUDGET VICE-DIRECTOR WAYNE M. FAUNCE, Chairman Ff. TRUBEE DAVISON E. ROLAND HARRIMAN WILLIAM H. LATHAM ALBERT E. PARR DEAN OF THE COUNCIL *Representing Reuel Estill & Co., Inc.
[178]
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ern
2 ae
CENTRAL ASIATIC PUBLICATIONS
ROY CHAPMAN ANDREWS, Chairman CHARLES P. BERKEY FREDERICK K. MORRIS LESLIE E. SPOCK
EMERITI
ROY CHAPMAN ANDREWS, Sc.D., Honorary Director
BARNUM BROWN, Sc.D., Curator Emeritus of Fossil Reptiles
Ss. H. CHUBB, Associate Curator Emeritus, Comparative Anatomy
CLYDE FISHER, Ph.D., LL.D., Honorary Cu- rator, Department of Astronomy and the Hayden Planetarium
WILLIAM kK. GREGORY, Ph.D., Sc.D., Curator Emeritus of Fishes and of Comparative Anatomy
E. W. GuDGER, Ph.D., Honorary Associate in Fishes and Librarian of Dean Memorial Library
ROY WALDO MINER, Ph.D., Sc.D., Curator Emeritus of Invertebrates
CHARLES C. MOOK, Ph.D., Associate Curator Emeritus of Fossil Reptiles
NELS C. NELSON, M.L., Curator Emeritus of Prehistoric Archaeology
WILLARD G. VAN NAME, Ph.D., Associate Cu- rator Emeritus of Recent Invertebrates
£179]
LVatural Ffistory M 2enzine and Muscum Membership
GEMS, minerals, natural wonders, pets, primitive art, nature photography, and amateur science all lie within the scope of NATURAL HISTORY Magazine. In it, eminent scientists and writers portray scientific progress in the layman’s language.
A Museum Member receives Natural History Magazine each month except July and August. Associate Members $4 annually. Annual Members $10 annually (This also includes tickets to Members’ Lecture Series and Children of Members Adven- ture Stories).
JUNIOR NATURAL HISTORY is a popular magazine published especially for children between eight and fourteen. Subscription $1.25 a year for twelve editions, or fifteen cents a copy.
[ 180 ]
“High Spots”
DNS EX BITTON HALLS
Alaska Brown Bear
Largest bear in the world—New Hall of North American Mam- mals, rst floor.
Pearl Divers of Tongareva
Life sized undersea coral garden —Hall of Ocean Life, 1st floor.
The Big Tree
Diameter 16 feet, 1341 years old—Forestry Hall, rst floor.
Guadalcanal — Solomon Islands
Bird Group
Whitney Memorial Hall, 2nd floor.
African Elephant Herd
Akeley African Hall, 2nd floor and balcony.
Libyan Desert animals
Akeley African Hall, 2nd floor and balcony.
The “Copper Man” Mummy and shrunken heads South American Indian Hall, 2nd floor Giant Panda from China North Asiatic Hall, 2nd floor.
Australian Bird Group Birds of the World Hall, 2nd
floor
Dragon Lizards of Komodo World’s largest living lizards— Reptile Hall, 3rd floor.
Umbrella Ants Insect Hall, 3rd floor.
Tyrannosaurus Rex King of the dinosaurs—Dino- saur Halls, 4th floor.
Dinosaur Eggs 60 million years old
From the Gobi Desert—Mon- golian Vertebrates Hall, 4th floor.
Philippine Tree House South Sea Native Halls, 4th
floor.
[The drawings shown on the covers represent exhibits to be seen in the museum halls. Have
you been able to locate and identify them?]
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