A THIRD CAPTURE ON THE FLORIDA COAST OF THE WHALE SHARK,

RHINEODON TYPUS

ON June 11, 1919, a telegram was received at the American Museum of Natural History announcing the capture on the preceding day near Miami, Florida, of a 31-foot Rhineodon and asking if the museum wanted it for a specimen. Since it was too late to have the soft parts preserved, a message was sent making an offer for the head, gill rakers, fins, tail, and backbone, but no answer was returned.

This specimen of the whale shark was taken June 10, 1919, in the Bay of Florida near Man-of-War Key about eight miles southeast of Cape Sable. Information concerning its capture has been difficult to get (the latest account reaching me only recently), but the accounts agree that this great shark, which when first sighted looked like a piece of wreckage, was aground in about five feet of water, the center of the body on the shoal but the head and especially the tail fairly free, while the back extended about a foot above water. About a hundred bullets were fired into the shark before it finally succumbed. Holes were then cut in the skin and ropes run through these to hold the body fast when the tide rose. It was then towed to the mouth of the canal at Florida City and there skinned and the jaws taken out. Unfortunately, neither the gill-rakers nor the vertebrae were saved.

To Dr. H. Schlegel, one of the captors, I am indebted for two photographs showing the skinning, and for another in which the fish is seen lying somewhat on one side in the water alongside the wharf. This picture shows the gill slits, the dorsal ridge extending back to the first dorsal fin, the broad back from which the vertical stripes have faded, and most important of all, the lateral keel on the caudal peduncle which is such a marked feature in the description of the original discoverer, Dr. Andrew Smith.

As to size, this specimen of Rhincodon was said to measure 31 feet and some inches long. The body was about eight feet wide, and the mouth about five feet across. The eye is

described as being as large as a base ball, but having a pupil about the size of the eye of a child. It is greatly to be regretted that there was no scientifically trained person at hand to make careful measurements and give an accurate description of this specimen. The above figures are, however, believed to be substantially correct. The weight was estimated to be about nine tons, which is probably an excessive figure.

The skin has been purchased by Mr. Arthur D. Lord, of New York, and presented to the American Museum of Natural History. It is planned to have the skin mounted, or more probably a cast made. This will be the only mounted specimen in any museum in the new world. In the old world there are specimens in the British Museum, the Paris, Madras, Colombo (Ceylon) museums, and one in the hands of a private dealer in curios in Japan. In this country there is a skin in the United States National Museum and a mounted specimen in Miami, Florida.

This is the third capture in Florida waters of Rhineodon typus. The first, a small specimen 18 feet in length, came ashore at Ormond, Florida, in 1902. The second specimen was taken by Captain Charles Thompson, of Miami, and Mr. Charles T. Brooks, of Cleveland, Ohio, toward the close of May, 1912. This fish measured 38 feet long and about 18 feet in circumference, and Mr. Brooks estimated its weight at five tons, while Captain Thompson thought it would weigh three time as much. Captain Thompson had this specimen mounted and placed on exhibition in Miami.

It is significant that two of the three Florida specimens have been taken in localities not more than thirty to forty miles apart, while the third, although it came ashore some distance further north, was evidently carried there by the Gulf Stream. Further it is interesting to note that one specimen was found dead, and that the other two put up fights for liberty by no means in correspondence with their immense size and strength. Mr. L. L. Mowbray, Director of the Miami Aquarium, from certain

information which has come to him from fishermen who ply their trade out in the Gulf of Mexico, thinks that near the center of the Gulf these great fish have a breeding ground, and that they are fairly abundant.

These sharks are most abundant around Ceylon, in the East Indies around Java, north among the Philippines and to the coasts of Japan. Recently a new habitat record in this region has been noted. Mr. J. Dewar Cumming, in his book "Voyage of the Nyanza ... in the Atlantic and Pacific [Oceans]," London, 1892, says that at Hillsborough Island, the largest of the Coffin or Bailey group, in the Bonin Archipelago, he saw a whale shark, which ". . . must have measured 25 to 30 feet in length, and was at least eight feet across the shoulders. The color was of a bluish-gray, dotted with large white spots."

Rhineodon is, however, found most frequently around the Seychelles Islands in the western Indian Ocean, about midway betwixt the equator and the northern end of Madagascar. In 1914-15, an expedition was planned for the Seychelles to study Rhineodon, but had to be postponed on account of the great war. With the coming of peace, plans were again made, but in the face of the enormous rise in the cost of transportation, of living expenses and all commodities, another postponement has been necessary. In the meantime a correspondent at Mahé, Seychelles Islands, writes that Rhincodon is more plentiful there than ever.

For fuller information (in fact everything known) about this great fish, references may be made to papers by the writer previously published elsewhere.1

E. W. GUDGER

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY,

NEW YORK CITY

1"Natural History of the Whale Shark, Rhineodon typus Smith.," Zoologica, Scientific Publications New York Zoological Society, 1915, Vol. 1, pp. 349-389, 12 figs. "Rhincodon typus, the

Whale Shark: Further Notes on its Habits and Distribution," SCIENCE, 1918, N. S., Vol. 48, pp.

622-27.

SCIENTIFIC EVENTS

THE SPAWNING GROUNDS OF THE EEL

THE Bureau of Fisheries reports that Dr. Johannes Schmidt, a distinguished Danish scientist, has recently completed an exploring voyage across the Atlantic in the steamer Dana, of the Danish Commission for Marine Investigation. Dr. Schmidt, who is director of the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen, for about 15 years has been devoting special attention to the fresh-water eels of Europe and America, and is the leading authority on these interesting fishes, which are relatively much more important in western and southern Europe than in eastern America. Dr. Schmidt has made important contributions to the sea life of the eels, and during the recent cruise from Gibralter to Bermuda and the West Indies collected large numbers of larval eels, with a view to determining the spawning grounds of the European and American eels, which represent distinct but closely related species. Dr. Schmidt says:

I think I am now able, after so many years' work, to chart out the spawning places of the European eel. The great center seems to be about 27° N. and 60° W. [southwest of Bermuda], a most surprising result, in my opinion. The American eel seems to have its spawning places in a zone west and south of the European, but overlapping. The larvæ of both species appear to pass their first youth together, but when they have reached a length of about 3 centimeters the one species turns to the right, the other to the left.

The assistance of the Bureau of Fisheries is invoked by Dr. Schmidt in obtaining further specimens of larval eels taken from waters off the American coast south of Cape Hatteras in sumer and autumn; most of the collections heretofore made in that region have been in winter when few eels are spawning.

AGRICULTURAL WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NANKING

THE latest annual report of the college of agriculture and forestry of the University of Nanking, China, as abstracted in the Experi

ment Station Record, reports the progress made at this institution in the development and extension of its agricultural work. One of the events was the organization, late in 1918, of an agricultural experiment station. This action followed a recommendation by Professor C. W. Woodworth of the California University and Station, who was then temporarily serving at the college as special investigator and lecturer on entomology. Subsequently, several tracts of land, aggregating about 21 acres, were purchased at a cost of $9,000. About 5 acres have already been planted to mulberries for sericultural work, and the remainder is under general cultivation. The college also has the use of about 36 acres of vacant university land, though the small size and scattered nature of the various holdings constitute a serious handicap to experimental work. It is estimated that eventually at least 160 acres of adjacent land will be needed for the college farm and station.

Much of the principal work so far under way has dealt with sericulture. About $5,000 has been provided for this by the International Committee for the Improvement of Sericulture in China. The chief undertaking of the committee is to produce certified silk worm eggs by the Pasteur process and distribute them to farmers, studies at the college indicating an average incidence of disease of 66 per cent. for uncertified stock. This work was temporarily interrupted by fire, which destroyed the entire product for the year. The college is also grafting 100,000 mulberry trees for sale at cost in 1921 and 150,000 for 1922, and is carrying on experiments in the production of mulberry cuttings and studies in pruning, fertilization, culture, etc. Tests are being made on the utilization of the autumn crop of mulberry leaves, as well as breeding and selection work with silk worms. A three-month course in sericulture has been instituted, and extension work through lectures and demonstrations is contemplated. Cotton experiments have already shown that certain foreign varieties can be successfully grown in China, though careful tests are necessary to determine the adaptability of

varieties to diverse conditions. A cooperative test was organized in 1918 in eight provinces with pure seed of the standard test sets of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The cotton improvement work is being supported by two Chinese cotton mill owners' associations and the Shanghai Anti-Adulteration Association.

Improvement of native corn by pedigree selection has been carried on for four years, and seed distribution to farmers is to be begun this spring. There has also been selection work with about 75 strains of lowland rice, 100 native and foreign strains of wheat, and about 100 varieties of fruits.

There is much interest in forestry, and about 7 acres of land are devoted to forest nurseries. A colonization project on Purple Mountain has largely developed into a reforestation demonstration.

The student enrollment has numbered about 100, of whom 42 were regular students in agriculture, 30 in forestry, and 26 in the short course of sericulture. The demand for trained graduates has exceeded the supply, notably for assistants for agricultural missionary work. There has been a marked increase in interest on the part of missionary organizations and also by a number of influential government officials.

ALL-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON VENEREAL DISEASES

AN All-American Conference on Venereal Diseases will be held in Washington, D. C., December 6 to 11, 1920. It is under the auspices of four organizations

The U. S. Interdepartmental Social Hygiene Board, represented by its executive secretary, Dr. Thos. H. Storey.

The U. S. Public Health Service, represented by Assistant Surgeon General C. C. Pierce. The American Red Cross, represented by its president, Dr. Livingston Farrand, and The American Social Hygiene Ass'n., represented by general director, Dr. Wm. F. Snow.

The conference will deal with both administrative and research problems, and will consider the attack on venereal diseases from four different aspects:

(1) Medical Measures,

(2) Enforcement of repression and protection laws,

(3) Sex Education and

(4) Provision of Recreational facilities.

Dr. William H. Welch, of Johns Hopkins University, is president of the conference.

An attempt will be made to work out a feasible three-year program for each of the countries of the western hemisphere. Preliminary organization is in charge of Paul Popenoe. Headquarters of the conference are at 411 Eighteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.

DYE DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

THE Dye Division of the A. C. S., which had its inception first as a Dye Symposium then as a Dye Section, is now a duly organized part of the American Chemical Society. The division is undertaking to carry on regular and systematic work for the benefit of the dye industry of America in general; and the users of dyes, manufacturers of dyes, and dye chemists in particular, laying, of course, its especial emphasis upon the chemistry of dyes and dyeing.

It is the duty and the privilege of every chemist in America, who is interested in the chemistry, manufacture, or use of dyes, to enroll himself as a member of the American Chemical Society and its Dye Division, to attend and participate in the semi-annual meetings. The advantage will be mutual, both to the members and to the industry.

To enroll yourself in the division, write to the secretary, and also inform him if you have ready for presentation any paper on the manufacture or application of dyes and intermediates. Enclose the sum of $1.00 as dues for 1920. The dues are for the expenses of the division, consisting mainly of postage and stationary. It is planned as soon as funds permit, to compile and distribute a directory of dye chemists who are registered in the Dye Division of the A. C. S.

The next meeting of the Dye Division will be at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society, to be held in Chicago September

7 to 10, 1920. At that time it is expected that a number of dye concerns will come forward with papers of intensive scientific interest.

There has been some considerable feeling in the past that the concerns should keep all their research work secret, and that none of it could be revealed at such meetings without detriment. However, since every research laboratory turns out a large amount of work which is of very great scientific interest to the trade in general but may have no specific bearing on any process in particular, we may expect that a large number of papers will be presented of such a nature as to demand the attention of every dye laboratory.

Please plan to attend this meeting and inform the secretary of the title of any paper pertaining to the dye industry that you will have ready for presentation. R. NORRIS SHREVE, Secretary

43 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY

THE FEDERATED AMERICAN ENGINEERING SOCIETIES

THE following invitation is being sent to engineering and allied technical organizations, asking them to become charter members of The Federated American Engineering Societies.

The joint conference committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, acting as the ad interim committee in accordance with the authorization of the organizing conference held in Washington, D. C., June 3-4, 1920, extends to your organization a cordial invitation to become a charter member of The Federated American Engineering Societies, and to appoint delegates to the first meeting of the American Engineering Council, of which due notice will be given, to be held in the fall of this year.

There has been previously sent to you an abstract of the minutes of the organizing conference, at which there were in attendance 140 delegates, representing 71 engineering and allied technical organizations. It was the unanimous opinion of

the Conference that there should be created an organization "to further the public welfare wherever technical knowledge and engineering experience are involved and to consider and act upon matters of common concern in the engineering and allied technical professions" and that this organization should consist of societies or affiliations, and not of individual members.

On the basis of these fundamentals, the attached constitution and by-laws were unanimously adopted by the conference. These contain full information concerning The Federated American Engineering Societies, the American Engineering Council, its executive board, and of the various officers and committees. The basis of representation therein stated for the American Engineering Council is one representative for from 100 to 1,000 members and an additional representative for each 1,000 members or major fraction thereof.

At the gathering in Washington, which was the greatest event in the history of the engineering and allied technical organizations in this country, steps were taken which created "The Federated American Engineering Societies," which will have a far reaching influence on the future of these professions. The fact that this action was taken without a dissenting vote indicates that the psychological moment had arrived and that there was a unanimous desire on the part of the representatives of these professions for the organization formed.

The joint conference committee, the ad interim committee would ask each organization invited to take favorable action in the matter of membership in the organization at the earliest possible moment and to advise the committee promptly of the names of the delegates who will attend the first meeting of the American Engineering Council in November of this year.

The joint conference committee is confident that with the universally acknowledged need for such an organization, there will be a prompt affirmative response to this invitation.

SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS

SIR NORMAN LOCKYER, director of Solar Physics Observatory, London, and editor of Nature from its establishment over fifty years ago, died on August 16 at the age of eightyfour years.

On the occasion of the meeting of the British Association at Cardiff this week the University of Wales proposed to confer the honor

ary degree of D.Sc. on Dr. H. F. Osborn, president of the American Museum of Natural History, or, if he is unable to attend, Professor C. A. Kofoid, University of California; Professor G. Gilson, University of Louvain, or, if he can not attend, Dr. C. H. Ostenfeld, University of Copenhagen; Don Gullermo Joaquin de Osma, Madrid; and Professor Yves-Guyot, Paris.

DR. IRVING FISHER, professor of political economy at Yale University, has been elected president of the Eugenics Research Association.

PROFESSOR FREDERIC S. LEE, of Columbia University, and Professor Graham Lusk, of Cornell Medical College, were recently elected members of the board of the Institut Marey of Paris.

DR. G. C. SIMPSON, F.R.S., meteorologist to the government of India, has been appointed director of the British Meteorological Office as successor to Sir Napier Shaw, who retires on reaching the age-limit.

DR. HENDRIK J. VAN DER BIJL, who has for the past seven years been in charge of researches in thermionics and in vacuum tube operation at the Research Laboratory of the Western Electric Company, Inc., sailed on August 4 for Pretoria, South Africa, where he has been appointed scientific and technical adviser to the Department of Mines and Industries of the Union of South Africa.

N. H. BOWEN has resigned his professorship in Queens University, Kingston, Canada, and has rejoined the staff of the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

THE board of scientific directors of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research announces the appointment of Edric Brooks Smith, B.S., as business manager, and Frederick Stanley Howe, A.B., as assistant business

manager.

H. W. VAUGHAN, professor of animal husbandry in the University of Minnesota, has resigned to become one of the editors of the Duroc Digest.