ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



679 



CEREOPSIS GEESE IN THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



BREEDING OF THE CEREOPSIS GOOSE. 

 By Lee S. Crandall. 



WHEN a bird or animal is known to be on 

 the verge of extinction in the wild state, 

 it is well to know that it will reproduce 

 its kind successfull}' in captivity. It is particu- 

 larly gratifying when this interesting event 

 takes place in one's own country. 



The Cereopsis or Cajje Barren Goose, {Cere- 

 opsis novae-hoUandiae), formerly was found in 

 great numbers in the southern parts of Australia 

 and among the neighboring islands. The early 

 settlers were greatly pleased with tlie finely- 

 flavored geese, which were so abundant and so 

 easily killed. It has ever been 

 the custom among pioneers in 

 a new land to take freely of 

 the natural resources ; the bar- 

 ren geese were slaughtered by 

 thousands. To-day, the rem- 

 nants of the great flocks, wild 

 as the winds, are confined to 

 a few grassy, uninhabited is- 

 lands. Their onlv protection 

 lies in their stone-colored 

 plumage; as they feed among 

 the lichen-covered rocks, it is 

 difficult to detect the birds be- 

 fore they take flight. 



Like most of the geese — 

 this species has no close rela- 

 t i V e s — the cereopsis takes 

 readily to captivity. It is one 

 thing, however, to persuade a 

 bird to live, and quite an- 

 other to get it to breed. There 



have been a number of pairs of 

 cereopsis geese in America ; but 

 as far as known, no successful 

 attempt has been made at repro- 

 duction, in this country, prior to 

 the series of events recorded in 

 this article. 



On August (i, 1909, the So- 

 ciety's first pair of these birds 

 arrived at tlie Park, the gift of a 

 bird lover. Placed in the spa- 

 cious Wild Fowl Pond, they 

 lived peacefully through the win- 

 ter, avoiding the otlier inmates, 

 ne\er entering the water, and 

 feeding on the grain provided 

 only when snow covered the 

 withered grass. Early in Feb- 

 ruary, the devoted pair showed 

 marked propensities for wandering; they es- 

 caped from the paddock during the niglits in all 

 sorts of mysterious manners, and their clandes- 

 tine wanderings were sure to land them in some 

 remote corner of the Park. In an attempt to 

 satisfy the apparent longings of the birds for 

 new surroundings, they were removed to the 

 Crane Paddock, where they settled down in ob- 

 vious comfort. 



Several sporadic attempts at nesting occurred 

 but it was not until tlie middle of Mav that a 

 small round depression in the ground was final- 

 ly surrounded with twigs and leaves, built up 

 and moulded into a beautiful nest. On May 23. 

 tlie first white egg appeared, slightly smaller 



In both pic 



CEREOPSIS GEESE IN THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 

 :s the male bird is shown retreating last, leaving the 

 protection of the female while he stands guard. 



