Science: Fish, Flesh, Fowl

Bandicoots, Fruit Pigeons, Tasmanian Devils

While archaeologists and paleontologists are uncovering extinct monsters and ancient races, a corresponding outbreak of interest in the natural history of existing animals is in progress. Numerous expeditions are daily finding rare or previously unknown species. Many of these expeditions are supported by the American Museum of Natural History.

The Faunthorpe Indian expedition has sent to the Museum fine specimens of the Indian rhinosceros and bison. A collection of more than 1,100 specimens of Australian mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians has arrived in charge of Harry Craven, and will be mounted in a special Australian hall. It contains skins and skeletons of climbing kangaroos, flying phalangers, bandicoots, two very rare musk kangaroos, wombats, Tasmanian devils, spotted dasyures and other exotic beasts. The Whitney South Sea Expedition, under Rollo H. Beck, has found specimens of a number of birds either unknown or long thought extinct, including Peale’s petrel, the fruit pigeon of Rapa, red-tailed tropic bird, shearwater and others. Every island group in Polynesia has its own species of warbler, with amazing variability.

Henry W. Fowler, of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, has brought back from the South Sea Islands more than 10,000 vividly colored specimens of fish, ten of which are of hitherto unknown species.

John Zimmer, of the Field Museum, Chicago, brought home from the Amazon Valley a rare nocturnal bird called by the natives ” alma perdida,” or lost soul, owing to its unearthly shriek. It is mottled gray and resembles the whippoorwill.

The most powerful wireless station in the world was set up at Kootwyk, Netherlands, to transmit messages 7,500 miles to the Dutch East Indies.

Dr. Thomas M. Thompson, professor of psychology at Colgate University, gave to the neurological department of the University of Chicago the brain of his four-year-old son, who was accidentally drowned. The child had an intelligence quotient by the Stanford-Binet tests of between 160 and 165, which would place him at least in the “near-genius” class.