Contents of an Ostrich’s stomach
FW Bond (died 5 May 1942)
Collection of National Media Museum
Frederick Willam Bond was photographer at the Zoological Society of London. Amongst more conventional photographs of the inhabitants of London Zoo, he also photographed objects retrieved from an ostrich’s stomach after its death. Details of what it swallowed are written on the back of the print.
Somehow, during its lifetime, the poor bird managed to ingest a lace handkerchief, a buttoned glove, a length of rope, a plain handkerchief (probably a man’s), assorted copper coins, metal tacks, staples and hooks, and a four-inch nail - a step too far, and the cause of death.
photos from 1890
Wilson A. Bentley first became fascinated with snow during his childhood on a Vermont farm, and he experimented for years with ways to view individual snowflakes in order to study their crystalline structure. He eventually attached a camera to his microscope, and in 1885 he successfully photographed the flakes. This photomicrograph and more than five thousand others supported the belief that no two snowflakes are alike, leading scientists to study his work and publish it in numerous scientific articles and magazines. In 1903 Bentley sent prints of his snowflakes to the Smithsonian, hoping they might be of interest to Secretary Samuel P. Langley
—-“The laboratory, featured in the July 4, 1903, Scientific American Supplement, was founded on the belief of naturalist Louis Agassiz: “nature and not books should be studied.” The institution officially opened in 1888 on the New England coast. The site was chosen for the purity of its seawater and its proximity to the Gulf Stream, whose currents brought in a variety of plants and animals to be studied from the ocean. There were also several freshwater ponds in the area where specimens could be easily attained.
In its 16-year existence since this article had been published, the laboratory claimed some important discoveries in the field of marine biology. “One of the most notable was that of Prof. Loeb, when he found that by treating the unfertilized eggs of sea urchins with certain solutions of salt, they could be developed into normal larvae. His success in this experiment really created a new era in biology.” Other notable experiments had to do with cell lineage, physiological morphology, and insect grafting.
The article notes that students energetically searched the shores and waters for specimens using small seines, dip nets, and shovels, and that the women students “do not hesitate to search the beaches and rocks for their prey with the men.” However, from the photo it looks like propriety still required the ladies to wade in the water while wearing ankle-length skirts.”
