476 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIKTV Ul'J^LETlN. 



Society through Mr. John 

 C. Heintz, and it rendered 

 most valuable service. 



E. R. S. 



V 



BOW-SNARES FOR CATCHING SMALL BIRDS 



repeatedly, on eaeli oeea.sion he made use of his 

 great strength to shove up the sliding door and 

 escape. Finally it became apparent that this 

 plan could not succeed, and then the Director 

 ordered tliat his original plan be c;irried into 

 effect. 



The head of the crate was accordingly placed 

 against the outside doors, and a barrier of 

 heavy planking extended from one side of it to 

 the steel cage-bars, in front. On the other side of 

 the crate was erected a similar barrier, but sliding 

 on rollers in sucli a fashion that it could be 

 drawn quickly forward by a strong rope, also up 

 to the cage bars. This side was left open, and 

 the "hippo," now thoroughly hungry, was easily 

 enticed half way into the crate. Once there, with 

 a quick pull on the moving partition, he was 

 securely fenced in, with his nose pointing 

 straight at the opening of the crate. Whenever 

 he moved forward, ever so little, a bar of heavy 

 pipe was pushed across behind him. Foot by 

 foot his retreat was thus cut off, until finally 

 he was fairly crowded into the tra)), the door 

 dropped, and securelj' fastened. The time of 

 tiiis final operation was twelve minutes. Mr. 

 Merkel's men then loaded the crate into tlif 

 ambulance, and after a trip to the scales for 

 weighing, "Pete" was unloaded safely in his 

 quarters at the Elephant House, wliere he speed- 

 ily plunged into the warm water of his huge 

 new bathing pool. 



For moving the rhinoceroses and the hipjio. 

 the large horse ambulance of the Bronx Brewers' 

 Association was kindly loaned to the Zoological 



through which 

 water. At the 



ANOTHER BIRD-KILL- 

 ING SCHEME. 



HE accompanying illus- 

 tration is an interesting 

 piece of evidence of the 

 ingenuity and merciless per- 

 sistence of the song-bird de- 

 stroyers who still occasion- 

 .ally operate in the woods 

 and meadows above the Zoo- 

 logical Park. 



O n Sundaj', December 

 (ith, a number of snares were 

 found near a small stream 

 by Special Warden Rose 

 during a trip north of the 

 Park. The miscreants had 

 cut runways in the brush, 

 the birds would walk to the 

 ends of these runs the snares 

 were planted in the ground in such a manner 

 tiiat the birds would be forced to come in con- 

 t.ict with them. 



The snare is bent like a bow by a double cord 

 fastened to one end and passing through a small 

 hole drilled in the opposite end. About six 

 inches from the end of the cord is a running knot, 

 forming a slip noose. Into this loop is inserted 

 a small twig, making, when the trap is set, a 

 horizontal perch about two inches above tlic 

 ground. Naturally, as a bird comes to the end 

 of the run, it jumps on the twig, the frail sup- 

 port falls, and the villainous device springs up, 

 breaking the legs, wings or neck of the helpless 

 victim. 



Mr. Rose found and destroyed eight traps. 

 Later on, he put up a covey of quail near this 

 spot, which showed plainly how thoroughly the 

 hunters knew the game. A few days later he 

 returned to this place and found the twenty-one 

 snares wliich figure in the illustration. 



E. R. S. 



AI>BINOS IX THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



AX unusual number of albinistic mammals, 

 birds and reptiles are at present on exhibi- 

 tion in the Park. Among the most inter- 

 esting of the albinos in the collection are a 

 coyote, woodchuck, Carolina squirrel, rhea, and 

 a diamond-back terrapin. There are also sev- 

 eral specimens in the collection tliat incline to- 



