268



Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens.



present specimen was received from the West Coast of the South

Island where a few remain.


Dr. Philip Bahr, a member of the Society, has spent some

months recently in the Fiji and Tonga Islands from which he

has brought a few very interesting birds. He has presented the

Zoological Society with a specimen of the Tabuan Parrakeet

(Pyrrhulopsis tabuensis ) and a Taviuni Parrakeet (P. taviuensis'),

the latter being new to the collection.


Besides these he has sent us three specimens of the rare

Fijian Parrot Finch, Erythrura pealei, which has never before

been imported. It is like the Parrot-fincli of New Caledonia

except that the throat is blue instead of red.


Several very nice birds have been received in the King’s

Collection of which the following are the most noteworthy :—

Four of the Grey-necked Crowned Crane ( Balearica regulorum )

a species now seldom imported ; two young Black-necked

Crowned Cranes (Z?. pavonina ), two Stanley Cranes, four Secretary

Birds, two Eastern White Pelicans ( Pelccanus roseus), three Cape

Gannets {Sula capensis ), one Martial Hawk Eagle, three Jackal

Buzzards, four Spotted Eagle-Owls, one Grey Eagle-Owl, one

Ground Hornbill, one Yellow-billed Duck, two Red-billed Ducks,

one Scarce Duck ( Anas sparsd), probably the first ever imported,

and four Black-footed Penguins.


Mr. Frost, who has been collecting in India, has just

returned with a wonderful collection of birds, of which perhaps

the rarest are a pair of Hooded Cranes ( Grus monachus') of which

species one example only, obtained in 1S76, has been previously

represented in the Gardens. It inhabits Eastern Siberia, China

and Japan. It is little larger than the Demoiselle Crane, gvey,

with a white neck and the forehead black and red, the latter

colour being produced by the red skin showing through the

black bristles.


With these came a pair of the Eastern race of the Common

Crane which was once thought to be distinct and named Grus

lilfordi; also a number of rare small birds which I must leave

until next month.


The most interesting event in the way of breeding results

is the hatching of a young Cariama in the Eastern aviary. We



