The idea of a very large cage for herons and egrets, is not new, for there are in existence several other flying cages, somewhat smaller than this. The first was erected in the Rotterdam Zoological Garden by its Director, the late Dr. A. Von Bemmelin, whose experiment proved very successful. Others are at London and in Paris Jardin d’Acclimatation.

The Flying Cage is the summer home of a mixed flock of such large and showy water birds as are most inclined to fly about within it, and afford students and the public an opportunity to study their movements and attitudes. Save for such allowances as must be made for accidents and epidemics, this enclosure will contain the following noteworthy species, along with others of less importance:

The American Flamingo, (Phoenicopterns ruber), is, in appearance, a connecting link between the herons and ducks, resembling the former in the great length of its legs, and the latter in the duck-like bill and webbed feet. When the plumage of this species is perfect, it is of a beautiful scarlet color throughout, excepting the primaries, which are black. In captivity, the color fades somewhat. This bird is found in the Bahama Islands and Cuba, but in Florida, where once it was fairly numerous, it no longer exists. Fortunately, this remarkable bird takes kindly to captivity, and the Zoological Park is never without a good-sized flock. Their strange form, showy colors and droll attitudes render them unusually interesting to visitors.

With the birds of the above species are shown a few specimens of the European Flamingo, (P. roseus), which is almost white. The only parts which show the characteristic scarlet of this genus, are the wing coverts, which are pale red, or pink.

The Scarlet Ibis, (Guara rubra), is for its size the most showy bird in existence, not even excepting the birds of paradise. Excepting the black primaries, every feather on the adult bird in perfect plumage is of a brilliant Chinese vermilion color, visible in nature for a long distance. The immature birds are mottled and patched with white. This species once came as far north as southern Florida, but now it is found only from Cuba southward. They frequent the mud banks at the various mouths of the Orinoco, and not long since were quite abundant on the coast of British Guiana.

The White-Faced Glossy Ibis, (Plegadis guarauna), is not a rare bird in captivity, and it will doubtless be possible to maintain this species perpetually in the Flying Cage and Aquatic-Bird House.

The Wood Ibis, (Tantalus loculator).—The Park obtains its supply of birds of this species from Florida, where they breed, in very greatly reduced numbers, on the headwaters of the St. Johns. This bird is a very satisfactory member of avian society. Although amply large to lord it over the other birds of the cage, he quarrels with none, but peacefully goes his way, feeling with the point of his beak along the sandy bottom of the pool for something edible, or standing in quiet meditation on the bank. Notwithstanding its common name, this bird is not an ibis, but a true stork. In its black and white plumage it is quite a handsome bird. Although not so fond of using its wings in captivity as are herons and egrets, the Wood Ibis is for many reasons a very welcome tenant.

The White Stork, (Ciconia ciconia), is as large as our wood ibis, which it strongly resembles in form and habits. This bird is literally the household bird of Germany, and its place in the family has now become of more importance than its place in nature. Throughout Holland, Germany, and very nearly the whole of eastern and central Europe, the White Stork is so prized and protected by the people that it has attained a state of semi-domestication. Nesting places are prepared for it, usually near or even upon human habitations, and it enjoys an immunity from molestation quite like that of the adjutant in India.

The Great Blue Heron, (Ardea herodias), is frequently called the “blue crane”; but the latter name is a misnomer. It properly belongs to our sandhill crane (Grus canadensis). Just why so large a number of people should be so persistent in this error is a psychological problem; but the fact remains that people will not say “heron.”

This Great Blue Heron is the largest and most noteworthy bird of our northern marshes. Thanks to the fact that it bears no desirable “plumes,” and its flesh is not edible, it has been permitted to live. When not molested, it becomes quite trustful, and when wading along a shore, fishing for minnows, it affords for the field-glass or the camera a very interesting subject. In summer these birds are quite numerous in the marshes along the Shrewsbury River, between Sandy Hook and Long Branch, and they are an unfailing source of interest to excursionists. It is sincerely to be hoped that the evil eye of “Dame Fashion” will not fall upon this bird, and cause its extermination.

The Great White Heron, (Ardea americana), is taller than the great blue heron, and it is the largest of all the white herons and egrets. Like the whooping crane, it is now a bird of such exceeding rarity that the procuring of a specimen may be counted a stroke of good fortune. In eight years the Zoological Park has secured only three specimens, all of which came from southern Florida.

The Little Blue Heron, (Florida caerulea).—The immature birds of this species are snowy white, and so closely resemble snowy herons of the same age, that only one well acquainted with both can distinguish between them. They are, however, separately recognized by the fact that the snowy heron has black legs, and a black bill, whereas the legs and bill of the Little Blue Heron are pale yellow. This species is still common in some parts of its Florida home, and occasionally a specimen strays as far north as Staten Island.

The Louisiana Heron, (Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis), once very numerous in Florida, is still found there, but in greatly reduced numbers. It ranges from Central America and the West Indies northward to the Gulf States, and occasionally to Long Island. The general coloring is dark blue, but a prominent distinguishing character is the chestnut brown on the sides of the neck.

The Black-Crowned Night Heron, (Nycticorax nycticorax naevius), is one of the commonest herons about New York City and occasionally nests in the Park itself. It breeds in large colonies, and feeds chiefly at night. Its note is a hoarse quok, very much like the bark of a dog.

The Snowy Heron, or Snowy Egret, (Egretta candidissima), when fully adult, is the most beautiful white bird in all the avian world. Its form is the embodiment of symmetry and grace, its plumage is immaculate, and the filmy “plumes” on its head and back are like spun glass. Its black legs and bill merely serve to intensify the whiteness of its feathers. The vanity of woman has been the curse of the Snowy Egret. Its plumes are finest during the breeding season, and it was then that the hunters sought them, slaughtering the old birds in the rookeries by thousands (when they were abundant), and leaving the nestlings to die of starvation. If all women could know the price in blood and suffering which is paid for the accursed “aigrettes” of fashion, surely but few could find any pleasure in wearing them. It is strange that civilized woman—the tender-hearted, the philanthropic, and the ever-compassionate—should prove to be the evil genius of the world’s most beautiful birds.

In the United States the Snowy Egret now exists only by accident, and the “plume hunters” are pursuing this and the following species in Central and South America, to their most remote haunts, sometimes even at the risk of their lives. Fashion has decreed that the egrets must go.

The American Egret, (Herodias egretta).—Much to the misfortune of this species, it possesses about fifty “aigrette” plumes which droop in graceful curves from the middle of its back far beyond the tail and wing tips. For these beautiful feathers this bird has been pursued by plume hunters almost to the point of total extermination in the United States.

The White Pelican, (Pelecanus erythrorhynchus), is one of the largest birds of North America and by reason of its size, its pure white plumage, its enormously long amber-colored bill and gular pouch, it is one of the most showy birds in the aviary. As consumers of fish they stand pre-eminent among birds, and their only rivals in the Park are the sea-lions. The specimens exhibited were collected for the Society in southern Texas.

The Brown Pelican, (Pelecanus occidentalis), when adult, is a handsome and showy bird, and one which not only is easily reconciled to life in a comfortable aviary, but positively enjoys it. The specimens in our collection were collected for the Society on Pelican Island, Florida, and their interesting home life at that place may be studied from the series of photographs on exhibition in the Aquatic Bird House. When their daily allowance of fish appears they crowd around their keeper, and with wide-open pouches earnestly solicit contributions.

THE AQUATIC BIRD HOUSE, No. 5.

This building is the result of an attempt to solve an old problem in a new way—the care of large migratory water birds in the most uneven winter climate on earth. In comparison with the care in winter of flamingoes, large herons, egrets, ibises, and the like, the housing of perching birds, birds of prey and the parrots, presents few difficulties. But the wealth of fine water birds in North America alone, and the interest attaching to them, seem to justify the labor and expense that have been involved in this building and its appointments. Practically all of the birds to be seen in this building in winter are mentioned elsewhere in this volume.

THE OWL CAGES.—After the completion of the Eagle and Vulture Aviary, the ten large cages on the exterior of the Aquatic-Bird House, which have been occupied temporarily by the birds of prey, will be used for the owl collection.

The Giant Eagle Owl, (Bubo bubo), is a true giant among the owls. It is found throughout continental Europe, keeping mostly to the deep forests, and feeding on grouse, rabbits, etc. It is unusually long-lived in captivity, and breeds freely.

The Milky Eagle Owl, (Bubo lacteus), has the same general characters as its congener, but its feathers are of a beautiful, soft gray. It is very rare in collections.

The Great Horned Owl, (Bubo virginianus).—These nocturnal birds of prey inhabit heavily wooded regions, feeding on mice, and poultry when it is obtainable. The bright yellow iris, the conspicuous feather horns, and the apparently pivoted neck are curious features of these birds. Their reputation for wisdom is founded only on their external appearance, for in reality they are rather dull birds.

The Snowy Owl, (Nyctea nyctea), of the Arctic regions, migrating in winter to the northern United States, sometimes remains for several seasons in succession so far north that no specimens are obtainable. During 1899, 1900, and the first half of 1901, not one specimen could be procured, but in the late autumn of 1901 a southward migration began. On June 1, 1911, the Park exhibited six fine specimens, one of which was almost pure white. During the three hottest months of summer, these birds would suffer considerably, so during this period they are confined in a cool, dark cellar, thus keeping in perfect health and comfort throughout the year.

The Screech Owl, (Otus asio).—This little horned owl is our commonest species, and frequents the neighborhood of dwellings and orchards. Being nocturnal it is more common than is generally supposed, and its curious cry, which is not a screech, but a musical, quavering series of notes, is the cause most frequently leading to its discovery. Its two phases of plumage, red and gray, occur independently of sex, age or season. Its food consists of mice and insects.

The Barred Owl, (Syrnium varium).—This owl is more diurnal than its nearest relatives, and often hunts its prey in bright moonshine. Its deep, penetrating call, “woo-o-o, whoo-o-o,” is one of the most weird and striking cries of the bird world. Another peculiarity, common to all owls, but more noticeable in this less nocturnal species, is the absolutely noiseless flight. The soft, downy feathers of the owl permit it to wing its way through the air with as little noise as a falling leaf.

THE EAGLE AND VULTURE AVIARY, No. 11.

The Eagle and Vulture Aviary stands in an open glade, but well surrounded by forest trees, in Bird Valley, between the Aquatic Bird House and the new Zebra House. It is a commodious and pleasant installation, well adapted to exhibit the Society’s collection of rapacious birds. Its length over all is 210 feet. It has seven very large flight cages and six smaller ones. The largest cages are 24 feet wide, 33 feet deep and 31 feet high. In the rear of the great wire structure will stand a very comfortable brick building to serve as a winter shelter for the tropical birds of the collection; but it will not be open to the public.

Now that our eagles and vultures are to be brought together, visitors will find that the collection is a large one, and contains many fine species.

The Condor, (Sarcorhamphus gryphus), of the Andes, is the largest of the birds of prey, having a wing-spread of over nine feet. It feeds entirely on carrion, rarely attacking living animals. In the male, the head is adorned with a large fleshy comb, much like that of a barn-yard cock. The Society at present possesses several specimens of this great bird.

The King Vulture, (Gypagus papa), is as its proud name implies, the one member of the Vulture Family which really is clad in royal robes, and color-decked to match. Its range extends from Mexico and Central America to Trinidad and Brazil. The visitor should not fail to see this gorgeously caparisoned body of white, cream-yellow and black, and head of orange, purple and crimson.

Black Vulture, (Catharista urubu).—These ill-favored but very useful birds are quite abundant, and even semi-domesticated, in some of our southern cities. This is due to the protection accorded them, because of their valuable services as scavengers. They are said to devour every particle of exposed organic refuse, and in a warm climate these services are of more value than we in the north can realize.

The Yellow-Headed Vulture, (Cathartes urobitinga), of northern South America, is a much handsomer bird than its two preceding relatives. It has much the same feeding habits, but is very rare and delicate in captivity.

The California Condor, (Gymnogyps californianus).—This is one of the rarest, and to all Americans the most interesting, bird of prey in the Park. The species is confined to a very small area in the rugged mountains of southern and lower California, and beyond all doubt, the skin-collecting ornithologists will exterminate it within the next twenty years, or less.

The Griffon Vulture, (Gyps pulvus), and the Kolbe Vulture, (G. kolbi), are Old World birds and although more closely related to the eagles than to the vultures of the New World, resemble the latter in general habits.

Differing strongly from its congeners in general appearance, is the Eared Vulture, (Otogyps auricularis). This rare bird is a native of North Africa, where it feeds on such carrion as it is able to find. Its bare, wrinkled head and neck and great bill give it a decidedly gruesome appearance.

The Red-Tailed Hawk, (Buteo borealis).—The “Hen Hawk,” or “Chicken Hawk,” is one of our commonest birds of prey. It hardly merits its common name, as its favorite food is mice and other small mammals. This is the hawk seen, in the fall of the year, going south in flocks, sometimes of one hundred or more.

One of the most splendid members of the collection is the Harpy Eagle, (Thrasaetus harpyia), of South America. The remarkably large legs and claws indicate the great strength which enables the bird to prey upon sloths, monkeys, and other fairly large animals.

The Lammergeyer or Bearded Vulture, (Gypaetus barbatus), is now probably extinct in Europe, but is still found in parts of Asia. It feeds largely on lambs.

A nearly cosmopolitan bird is the Golden Eagle, (Aquila chrysaetos). It is equally at home in the highlands of Scotland and the mountains of North America, nesting on the highest cliffs.

The Bateleur Eagle, of Africa, (Helotarsus ecaudatus), has narrowly missed the distinction of being the most beautiful of all birds of prey. Its plumage is charmingly colored but it is out of proportion. Its tail is so absurdly short that its wings quite conceal it, and make it appear as if altogether tailless.

Bald Eagle, (Haliaëtus leucocephalus).—The appearance of the adult Bald Eagle, our National emblem, with its conspicuous white head and tail, is familiar to all; but the immature birds, as shown by several of the specimens, lack the white in their plumage. These birds are found usually near water, and their food is chiefly fish. These they sometimes catch for themselves, but if ospreys are found in the vicinity, they are watched by the eagles, and often robbed of their hard-earned prey.

Perhaps the fiercest among all the hawks is the White Gyrfalcon, (Falco islandus). A native of the far north, it descends to a more equable clime only when forced to do so by scarcity of food. It is so swift of wing that it is able to capture a duck in full flight.

Sea snakes form the rather unusual food of the White-Breasted Sea Eagle, (Haliaëtus leucogaster), of the East Indies, while the strikingly-colored Vulturine Sea Eagle, (Gypohierax angolensis), a native of Africa, feeds on fish, crabs, and the fruit of the oil palm.

THE WILD TURKEY ENCLOSURE, No. 33.

At the northern end of Squirrel Ridge, where the Alligator Walk intersects the Rodent Walk, an ideal quarter of an acre, of oak and hickory trees, underbrush, and bare rock, has been dedicated to the king of game birds.

The Wild Turkey, (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), is a bird of magnificent size and presence, and the splendid metallic luster of his plumage—a mixture of burnished bronze copper, lapis lazuli, and fire opal iridescence—backed up by a great bulk of savory flesh, all combine to make this the finest game bird on earth. It was once fairly abundant throughout the eastern United States, and still is found in Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, Virginia and other southern states as far west as Texas. Three other species of Meleagris are now recognized—one in Florida, one in southern Texas and northeastern Mexico, and the fourth in Mexico, extending to western Texas and Arizona.

THE LARGE BIRD-HOUSE, No. 7.

On the northwest quarter of Baird Court stands the largest and the most generously equipped home for perching birds now in existence. This is not an unnecessary boast, but merely a brief statement of a fact which the visitor has a right to know. It was designed on our long-established principle that every captive wild creature is entitled to life, exercise and happiness. Our principle of very large cages, with many birds in each cage, is just the reverse of the views that have prevailed in the older zoological gardens, even down to the present day. To an important extent, the cage equipment of this building represents a new departure. There are many zoologists with experience longer than ours who believe that small birds thrive better and live longer when installed in small cages, with only one or two birds in each.

The Large Bird-House, specially designed for Passerine birds, was developed on the strength of experiments previously made in the Aquatic-Bird House, and in community cages outside. After three years’ experience with the new building, and a careful tabulation of diseases and death rates within it, we are able to state that this installation is a complete and gratifying success.

The Large Bird-House is an L-shaped building, with an all-glass house in its angle. The main hall extends east and west, and it is 60 feet long by 50 feet wide. This great room contains the foreign song-birds, many tropical doves and pigeons, and such tropical varieties and oddities as the great crowned pigeons, tinamous, toucans, giant king-fishers and hornbills. In the great central flying cage there is perhaps the most remarkable omnium-gatherum of small tropical birds—swimmers, waders, upland game birds and perchers—ever brought together in one cage. The bottom of the L is the Parrots’ Hall, 65×30 feet. It contains the parrots, macaws, cockatoos, and a few other species.

In the angle of the main building stands a structure almost wholly composed of metal and glass, which is known as the Glass Court. It was designed especially for North American song-birds. The visitor should not overlook the fact that there are cages filled with birds all along both the eastern and western sides of the Large Bird House.

Nearly all the cages of both the exterior and interior of the Main and Parrots’ Halls, are accessible from the back by passage-ways; a convenience that greatly facilitates the work of the keepers in caring for their various charges.

The capacity of this installation as a whole may be judged from the following memorandum of cages:

Regarding the state of health and spirits of the birds in this building, the visitor must be left to judge for himself. It is only fair to state, however, that the death rate here and indeed amongst the birds of the Park generally, is very low.

In view of the great number of avian species inhabiting the Large Bird-House, it is a practical impossibility to give more than a general outline of the groups and leading features of the collection.

As the visitor enters at the south door, nearest the Lion House, he is greeted by a discordant chorus of ear-piercing shrieks and squawks, joyous but very raucous, and at times too persistent. Loudest are the voices of the gorgeously-plumaged Blue-and-Yellow Macaw, (Ara ararauna); the Red-and-Blue Macaw, (Ara macao), and the Great Green Macaw. Around their cages there is no such thing as stagnation or somnolence. The soft-hued Rosella Parakeets, the flock of mostly-green Cuban Parrots, the Leadbeater Cockatoos and the White Cockatoos all join in their voices, to the limit of their respective abilities, but against macaws which can be heard a mile, their best efforts seem tame. The members of the Order Psittaciformes (as above) have been beautifully colored by Nature, and their harsh voices seem strangely out of harmony with their plumage.

The indoor cages along the western side of the Large Bird-House (both halls included), contain an extensive series of tropical Pigeons and Doves, which are well worth some attention.

The most startling exhibit in this group is the Bleeding Heart Pigeon (Phlogoenas luzonica), from the Philippines, whose creamy-white breast seems to have been recently stabbed with a stiletto. It is no wonder that now and then a sympathetic visitor seeks the curator, or a keeper, and reports that a bird has been injured, and is bleeding from a wound in its breast.

The Flying Cage in the center of the Main Hall contains a pool of running water, some small trees, an imitation rock, and the floor is covered with a comfortable layer of sand. Hopping or flying about, and perching on the trees, is a really remarkable medley of birds. There are the Wood Duck and Mandarin Duck, Black Skimmers, Common and Sooty Terns, several species of Teal, Curlews, Gallinules, Coots, Lapwings, Snipe, Ruffs, Quail, Francolins, Senegal, Turtle, Wonga-wonga and other Pigeons and Doves, Skylarks, Robins, Orioles, Cardinals, Woodpeckers, Java, Fox, Tree, and other Sparrows and Weavers.

The south side of the Main Hall is devoted to miscellaneous rare birds from the tropics, regardless of the Orders to which they belong. The largest are the Great Crowned Pigeons,—Victoria and Common,—the oddest are the Concave-Casqued Hornbills and the Toucans (eight species). The Rufous Tinamou, of South America, is a species which, through lack of use for its wings, is rapidly losing the power of flight. The Giant Kingfisher is the “Laughing Jackass” of Australia, and its cry is strangely like the mirthless horse-laugh of a man who has few smiles and seldom uses one. The Himalayan Jay-Thrush is so confirmed a murderer of birds smaller than himself, it is necessary to quarter that species with other birds abundantly able to defend themselves against its attacks.

On the northern side of the Main Hall there will be found a very interesting group of Cuban birds, another of birds of the Bahamas, a fair-sized collection of Finches, Weavers, Canaries, Trogons, and other small species of foreign lands. Here also is the rare and beautifully-plumed Greater Bird of Paradise, (Paradisea apoda).

The visitor is reminded that for all cages that contain more than one species, the picture labels quickly furnish a key for identification of each.

In the Glass Court and around it, the Curator of Birds, Mr. C. William Beebe, has scored a gratifying success in the installation of the Order Passeres. The birds are arranged by Families, and all of the twenty-one families of eastern North American perching birds are represented. These Families are as follows: Flycatchers, Swallows, Wrens, Mockingbirds and Catbirds, Thrushes, Kinglets, Vireos, Waxwings, Shrikes, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Warblers, Pipits, Horned Larks, Sparrows, Honey Creepers, Tanagers, Blackbirds and Orioles, English Starling, Crows and Jays. It is only those who have attempted to form and install such a collection who can appreciate the effort which that collection has cost, or the difficulties involved in the maintenance of so large a number of insect-eating birds. The birds in this section of the Bird-House are especially interesting to the teachers of pupils of the public schools of this city.

The large circular flying cage, at the outer corner of the Glass Court, is filled with Robins, Bluebirds, Thrushes and Woodpeckers which winter there very comfortably, because they are fed and watered, and sheltered from the worst storms.

Along the western wall of the Large Bird-House, outside, fourteen large cages are filled with members of the Crow and Blackbird Families (Corvidae and Icteridae), such as the Ravens, Crows, Jays, Magpies, Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, Cowbirds and Grackles, beside which appear our old friends the Yellow-Shafted Flicker and Red-Headed Woodpecker.

The following is a systematic enumeration of the Orders of birds represented in the Zoological Park on April 1, 1913:

WILD-FOWL POND,
Heretofore Called the Aquatic Mammals’ Pond.

As the birds on this pond have been transferred from the Duck Aviary, the interest of this exhibit is of special character, and greatly enjoyed by hosts of visitors. This is the nursery of the ducks and geese, where, in the tangle of long grass, briars and underbrush along the east side of the pond, the nests are built in early spring, the eggs are laid and patiently incubated. Finally the broods of ducklings are led to the water, to feed to repletion, throughout the summer, on the worms, bugs and insects so dear to the appetite of these amusing little fellows.

Cope Lake is the especial province of the nesting pairs of Canada geese, and sometimes as many as eight golden-colored goslings are hatched in one nest on the small island.

The Mallard Duck, (Anas boschas), is one of our finest swimming birds, the joy of the sportsman who finds it in its haunts, the delight of the epicure who finds it on the bill of fare. Sluggish indeed must be the blood which does not beat faster at the sight of a flock of wild Mallards, free in Nature, and ready to leap into the air and away at the slightest alarm. After the pintail and the wood duck, this is one of the handsomest ducks of North America, and also one of the finest for the table. Its range covers practically the whole of the western continent down to Panama, and even extends to the Azores, north Africa, and northern India. The drakes are readily recognized by the splendid irridescent green of the head.

The Green-Winged Teal, (Nettion carolinensis), and Blue-Winged Teal, (Querquedula discors), are very delicate birds, and therefore rather difficult to maintain in captivity. A flock of each will be found in the Flying Cage.

The Pintail Duck, (Dafila acuta), is specially commended to the notice of visitors because of its great beauty, both in color and form. Its colors form an exquisite harmony of soft brown and gray tones which fairly rival the more gaudy color-pattern of the wood duck. The species is yet found occasionally along the Atlantic Coast, but like all other edible birds, its numbers are rapidly diminishing. A large flock of these birds will be found on the Wild-Fowl Pond.

The Gadwall, (Chaulelasmas strepera), is a handsome gray bird, well known to gunners along the Mississippi Valley, but rarely seen along the Atlantic coast. Its chief breeding grounds are in the great marshes of central Canada.

The Baldpate, (Mareca americana), one of the finest of water-fowl, is now so scarce that it is difficult to obtain specimens for exhibition. These birds are poor divers, but gain a good livelihood by feeding on floating sea lettuce, disturbed from the bottom by the better equipped canvas-backs and redheads.

The bill of the Shoveller, (Spatula clypeata), has become so specialized for mud-sifting that it has actually assumed the shape of a shovel, and is out of all proportion to the size of the bird’s body. The sides of the bill are equipped with bony plates, through which the mud is strained, the particles of food being caught and swallowed.

The Canvas-Back (Aythya vallisneria), and the Red-Head, (A. americana), two prime favorites with the sportsman and epicure, are exhibited on the Wild Fowl Pond. Of the latter, a good-sized flock is shown. Canvas-Backs, however, are difficult to capture unhurt, and still more difficult to keep alive in captivity, and for these reasons the number exhibited always is very small.

The Lesser Scaup, (Marila affinis), is one of the sea ducks, and, like its congeners, a very expert diver. It feeds chiefly on mollusks, which it finds in the mud, often at considerable depths under water.

The Paradise Sheldrake, (Casarca variegata), of Australia, is a striking bird, occupying a position mid-way between the ducks and geese. It is interesting to note that the female is much more attractive than the male, the head and neck being pure white, in contrast with the more sombre body. This species is very quarrelsome in captivity.

The Ruddy Sheldrake, (Casarca casarca), is a bird of wide distribution, being found from the Mediterranean countries to Japan, and also in northeast Africa. Both sexes are of a uniform light chestnut, the male being distinguished by a black ring around the neck. The nest is always well sheltered, often being placed in a hollow log.

The Common or Tadorna Sheldrake, (Tadorna tadorna), is a remarkably colored bird, but unfortunately difficult to keep alive in this climate. It nests in holes in the ground, preferably in disused rabbit burrows.

The Mandarin Duck, (Aix galericulata), is the Chinese counterpart of our beautiful Wood or Summer Duck, (Aix sponsa). Of all living ducks, the males of these two species are the most gorgeously colored and plumed, and they are also of elegant form. Although both species are much sought after, the number of available specimens continues to be limited to a comparatively small number.

THE PHEASANT AND PIGEON AVIARY, No. 40.
Entire Collection is the Gift of Mr. Jacob H. Schiff.

The Pheasant Aviary is a building like a corridor 240 feet long with a cross pavilion at each end. The main structure is divided into 22 shelters connecting with a like number of wire enclosed outside runways, each of which is 8 feet wide, 24 feet long and 8 feet high. The two end pavilions furnish 32 smaller shelters and runways, making a total of 48 compartments. The shelters are divided into two stories, the upper series being designed for pigeons, doves and perching birds of various kinds. Each bird in this aviary can at every moment of his life choose according to his needs from the following series of accommodations that are available to him: An open, sunlit yard, a storm shelter with an open front, or a closed room with one small door and a large window.

This beautiful and generous installation, 240 feet long, with 48 runways, accommodates the true Pheasants of the world, the largest group of birds of the Pheasant Family (Phasianidae), which in turn is one of the grand divisions of the sportsman’s own Order Gallinae, or upland gamebirds. Of the whole Order Gallinae,—which includes the Grouse, Ptarmigan, Partridges, Pheasants, Turkeys, Guinea-Fowls, Jungle Fowl, Quails, Brush-Turkeys, Curassows and Guans—the group of the Pheasants can justly claim the distinction of possessing the most beautiful birds. Indeed, I think there is not to be found in the whole avian world a group of game birds all the members of which, taken species by species, are so gorgeously apparelled as these.

In this brief notice of what is really one of the finest pheasant collections in the world, it is not possible to do more than direct the visitors’ attention to its chief items of interest. It must be stated well in advance, however, that these are birds of very shy and retiring habit, which owe their existence as species to the success with which they retreat from danger, and conceal themselves from man and beast. These birds must not be forced to spend all the daylight hours in their runways; for some of them could not long survive such exposure and excitement. To preserve their lives, and keep them in health, they must have the privilege of retiring into their shelters whenever they desire. But they roam in and out, and by the exercise of a little effort in returning to them, the interested visitor will find no great difficulty in seeing all the species.

There are few species of pheasants whose members are sufficiently peace-loving that many individuals can be kept together without deadly combats. Of most species save the golden, silver and ring-neck, the cocks are so quarrelsome that even two can not be kept together; and this fact constitutes a handicap upon those whose duty it is to maintain the full strength of the exhibition. If a rare and quarrelsome male pheasant dies unexpectedly, it is not always possible to fill the vacancy on short notice.

Out of the half-dozen species which claim first place in an enumeration based on beauty and luxuriance of plumage—the Amherst, Reeve, golden, silver, impeyan, Argus or Soemmerring—it is difficult to choose. Each has its share of strong points, and it seems as if there is no “finest of all.” Let us take them as they come to mind, for by reason of the changes so often necessary in the runways, it is inexpedient to attempt an end-to-end enumeration.

The Golden Pheasant, (Chrysolophus pictus), is a universal favorite; and it well deserves its wide popularity. Although small, it is as beautiful as the most entrancing sunset ever seen. It is very alert and chic, it is so good tempered that we can have the rare pleasure of seeing a whole flock in one runway, and it is a good breeder. To crown all these fine qualities, it is so hardy, and so competent a “rustler” in seeking food that under fair conditions it is easily transplanted from its native home in western and southern China. It has been introduced and acclimatized with gratifying success in Oregon, Washington, southern British Columbia near the Pacific coast, and elsewhere. In the shooting season, the shops of the taxidermists of Vancouver and Portland are filled with these gorgeous creatures, which appreciative sportsmen have found “too beautiful to eat.” One might as well try to describe a sunset as to pen a mental picture of the wonderful combination of golden yellow, orange, lapis-lazuli blue and deep crimson that appear in the plumage of this gorgeous bird.

The Amherst Pheasant, (Chrysolophus amherstiae), is the nearest relative to the golden species, and also a strong candidate for first honors on the score of beauty. As far as you can see the cock bird, you can recognize it by its marvellous cape of pure white feathers marked with semicircles of black and steel-blue, which reaches from its eyes far back upon the shoulders. It is also easily recognized by its enormously long tail, the middle feathers of which are conspicuously marked by a regular series of diagonal bars of black laid on a light ground color. This bird is of small size, and fortunately for the public, it breeds in confinement with sufficient readiness that a good supply for exhibition purposes is thereby maintained.