The Washington herald., 1911-11-05

bone man" of the National Museum ir
Washington, and devoted most of his time
to putting together the skeletons of a
great variety of animals. The govern
ment's magnificent collection of skele-
tons of dinosaurs and other ancient
creatures was mounted and put in shape
for exhibition under his personal direc-
ton.
To speak OF Lucas knowledge of fos.
sill monsters is merely to mention one
OF many branches OF his learning. He
has made a special study of the anatomy
OF birds-particularly ian odd point with
regard to their weapons. When first II
was realized that the great aux was
actually extinct, he was sent to Funk
Island [formerly occupied by this feath-
cred species in vast numbers), of the
Newfoundland coast, to collect bones.
He brought back several barrels full
which to-day practically constitute the
only existing osseous relics of the de-
parted fowl. Thanks to his work. the
National Museum Is in a position to
supply great aux skeletons, complete
to scientific establishments at a price
quite moderate, considering that it has
a monopoly Of the output.
One OF the newest ideas Of DR.. Hugh
NJ. Smith is to introduce the sturgeon
VI hiC NdSpldn 0Sd INTO our lakes dlC
rivers. The government OF Roumania
has offered TO give US as many live and
hatchable eggs as may be wanted, or
If preferred. quantity Of baby sturgeon
1t is a chance we'll worth accepting,
hasmuch as the Caspian sturgeon is a
very superior variety. and its roe is
valued at 50 a pound. for caviare.
DR.. Smith is the Deputy Commissioner
of Fisheries. He has charge Of all the
scientific work done by our government
in connection with fishes and other aqua
tic animals, including the lobster. In his
line he is undoubtedly the foremost ex-
pert living. His acquaintance not only
with fishes, but with the commercial
fisheries. is profound, may years of his
service having been devoted to a study
OF the actual methods OF capture en-
ployed. Thus he has come to be regarded
as an authority on such matters in Eu-
rope as well as in the United States,
and at international fish conferences,
such as the one held not long ago at
The Hague, he is relied upon to furnish
most Of the practical information.
The most noteworthy studies in regard
to the antiquity Of man upon the earth
have been made by Prof. william H
Holmes, a very remarkable man, mas
much as he is distinguished as a geolo-
gist, as an anthropologist, and as a
painter. He Is president of the National
Academy Of Fine Arts.
Prof. Holmes has dug far and wide
and very deep for the remains Of ancient
man. Exceedingly ancient, too, he seems
to be, in the Judgment OF the science OF
to-day. There is no question OF the fact
that he lived at the beginning of the
Glacial Period which was at least 6eO,
900 years ago, and there is good evidence
apparently to show that he was on the
earth a long while before Hathaway
back in the Pliocene, that Is to say. But
Just where and when he ceased to be a
monkey and became merely monkey
like, as he is to-day, nobody can state
with exactness.
The first scientific man to learn how
to make fire by rubbing two sticks to-
gether was DR.. Walter Hough, who is
curator Of ethnology in the National
Museum. Not only can he do this, but
he is able to accomplish the feat in five
Or six different ways. Nobody taught
him; he just learned the trick by expert
menting with the methods used for the
purpose by savages In various parts Of
the world.
Every boy has been fascinated by what
he has read in story books about the