Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. 159


BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.


By The Curator.


The most important arrivals for the past month consist of

a fine King Penguin, a Jabiru Stork and a Black-necked Swan,

presented by the Director of the Buenos Ayres Zoological Gar¬

dens. It is some years since the King Penguin was represented

in the Gardens. The last were kept in a small enclosure with a

pond near the old Sea Dions’ pool, which has long since been

demolished to make room for the Elands’ Paddock. The present

specimen will be kept with the Black-footed Penguins, and have

the run of the Sea Lions’ enclosure, providing it agrees with the

present occupants.


A small collection, consisting of eleven Night Herons, two

Rufous Pigeons and a pair of Montezuma Quails have been re¬

ceived from the Washington Gardens. It is hoped to establish a

nesting colony of Night Herons in the Great Aviary, but at

present most of the new arrivals are in the brown plumage of the

first year, and they will not breed until two years old. Never¬

theless, we have a few adult birds which, we hope, may breed

•this spring.


A very rare and pretty finch from Southern South America

has just been received. This is Aldunati’s Finch (Phrygihis

■aldunatii), the prevailing colour being greenish yellow, the head

and wings grey. In general appearance it is not unlike a

Greenfinch with a grey head.


The Waterfowl enclosures on the site of the Western

Paddock have been completed and stocked. The footpath which

ipasses the Western Aviary has been carried straight through the

paddock, leaving a space of some sixty-five feet deep on the right,

and a large triangular space on the left. The space 011 the right

of the new footpath has been divided into eleven paddocks for

geese. Each paddock is separated from the next by a hedge,

protected 011 either side by wire-netting, so that the geese can¬

not see their neighbours. Where breeding pairs of geese are

separated by wire-netting only, they spend most of their time

in running backwards and forwards in their endeavour to fight

with one another. The idea of division hedges originated with

Mr. Blaauw, and, when visiting him in 1909, I was so impressed



