46



The late 0. E. Cresswell—Parrots



and Health Resorts. In the same valuable lot were received eight

Wekas, or flightless Rails.


In so far as birds go, one of the greatest attractions of this park is

its Wild-fowl lake (Fig. 1), where we find associated some forty species

of anserine birds, as Swans, various kinds of Geese, Brant, Teals,

Sheldrakes, Ducks, and Pochards ; at any season of the year the sight

is surely a very unusual one. Every year some of these birds breed

along the margin of the lake and rear their young. During summer

afternoons one of the great attractions of the place is to be on hand

when this assemblage of wild-fowl are fed. It is certainly an interesting

thing to see so many species together in one flock.


The members of the bird department of this “ Zoo ” have every

reason to be proud of the record they have earned for the means adopted

for displaying this collection to the visiting public ; for the attractive

arrangement of the habitations of the various species; and for the care

bestowed upon them. What is needed, in so far as my information

carries me, is better salaries for all those connected with the institution,

a far more generous appropriation from Congress each year for the

upkeep of the entire concern, and, finally, complete prosectorial and

photographic departments, where birds and their structure could be

s tudied as they should be studied.



PARROTS


By the late 0. E. Cresswell

(Kindly communicated by Miss Frances Cresswell.)


The three points to which I would call attention as regards Parrots

are : (a) their wonderful power of imitating the human voice, the

voices of animals and birds, and domestic sounds; (b) their fascinating

tameability and affection ; ( c ) the glorious beauty and variety of their

forms and plumage.


(a) Of their Imitative Powers .—This power, as we all know, is

possessed by very few tribes of birds. The Raven, the Crow, the

Jackdaw, the Jay, and Magpie, among British birds, occasionally

possess and exercise it, and I must confess that I have known a quaint



