EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1913. 27 



New Zealand, and several species of penguins. The kea, or sheep- 

 eating parrots of New Zealand, and the lyre birds of Australia are 

 represented in two groups; and installed in a case by themselves are 

 the smaller passerine birds of Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. 

 Next follows the neotropical or Central and South American fauna, 

 with a large assemblage of parrots, including the gorgeous macaws, 

 and of toucans, with their huge vari-colored bills. Other typical 

 forms are the quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala, with its 

 graceful, resplendent tail; the curassow and ocellated turkey, among 

 game birds ; the humming birds, of which there is a rich assortment ; 

 the black-necked swan and other water and shore birds, the curious 

 hoactzin, the condor, the rhea or South American ostrich, the tinamou, 

 and the penguin. 



The last of the avian faunas, the nearctic or North American, is 

 allotted a much larger area than any of the others, aggregating 4,225 

 square feet, to permit of a fuller representation of the birds belong- 

 ing to this country, and, therefore, of most dii'ect interest to our own 

 people, and especially to students and amateurs, the plan being to 

 show as many of the species as possible, and to illustrate marked 

 differences when such occur in the appearance of the male, female, 

 and yoimg of the same species. An enumeration of the species 

 exhibited would be out of place here, but included among the rarer 

 forms and more striking features are the great auk and Labrador 

 duck, both of which are extinct; and the following mounted in groups, 

 namely, the passenger pigeon, of which only a single living specimen, 

 preserved in the Cincinnati Zoological Garden, is known; the Caro- 

 lina parrakeet which is nearing extinction, two hawks fighting over 

 a ruffed grouse, the American flamingoes and their nests, Mexican 

 ja^anas among water lilies, the butcher birds and their ''larder," 

 the prairie chicken and sage hen, and the ruffed or dusky grouse. 



Reptiles, hatrachians and fishes. — These groups occupy jointly a 

 space in the large hall at the outer end of the west wing in the second 

 story, measuring about 85 feet long by 46 feet 6 inches wide. The 

 fishes are installed in large wall cases on two sides of the hall and in a 

 few table cases, while the reptiles and batrachians are at present 

 wholly provided for in table cases. The most interesting part of 

 the exhibition of reptiles and batrachians is in the form of casts 

 made from fresh specimens and painted in excellent imitation of the 

 natural colors. The species so represented are mainly North Ameri- 

 can, with a few exotic ones, such as are occasionally brought here 

 alive and kept in captivity. Among tropical forms are the big 

 pythons and boas, the common cobra and the king cobra, the latter 

 two being considered the most deadly of all snakes. The exliibit 

 of foreign species is being rounded out by means of alcoholic speci- 

 mens, which are in course of preparation for the purpose. The 



