ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



689 



ately inipro\cd and 

 properly-eaten food. 



fat U])on its now 



Teclinically speakinj;-. the use of the word 

 dentistry for an operation upon the mandibles of 

 a bird might seem a misnomer; and yet, as the 

 mandibles j^roperly take the place of teeth, it 

 may justly be termed dentistry — especially 

 when it concerns the mandibles of a Harpj- 

 eagle, the largest and fiercest of the rapacious 

 birds. The Harpy is rare, and like all rarities, 

 costly. When Doctor Blair learned that the 

 Harp3' could open his mandibles only with dif- 

 ficulty, he was worried. With the thought of 

 tetanus in his mind, he ordered the capture cf the 

 bird. An examination showed that at some time, 

 possibly in his wild state, the upper mandible 

 had been bruised, causing it to turn from the 

 normal growing line and press so firmly against 

 the lower as to nearly make the jaws immovable. 

 The inner surface was carefully cut away and 

 filed smooth. As the mandibles have now 

 reached their normal size, it will require but a 

 few treatments to effect a complete cure. 



E. R. S. 



THE BONGO. 



THE National Collection of Heads and Horns 

 has recently been enriched by a pair of 

 Bongo horns, grft of James L. Clark — the 

 hunting companion of Mr. Radcliffe Dugmore. 

 According to the records of Rowland Ward, 

 these horns are fifth in lengtli and first in cir- 

 cumference. 



"The Bongo," said Mr. Clark, "is not a rare 

 animal, but is exceedingly diflicult to shoot, by 

 reason of its great shyness. The natives refuse 

 to guide a white man on the trail of the ante- 

 lope, because, as they say, he wears too many 

 clothes to run quietly, and has not suflicient lung 

 power to run fast. The Bongo frequents the 

 thick bush and bamboos in the foothills of the 

 country around Escarpment — a station on the 

 Uganda R. R., about fifty miles from Nairobi — 

 and Eldoma Ravine, between Nairobi and the 

 terminus of the railroad in Uganda, usually at 

 an elevation of 5,000 to 8,000 feet. It is ex- 

 tremely sensitive to wounds, however slight, 

 presumably on account of its liigli-strung, nerv- 

 ous temperament, and if followed, is frequently 

 found dead from a trivial hurt. With but few 

 exceptions, most of the specimens are brouglit 

 in by the natives, wlio get them in pitfalls dug 

 for other game. The Bongo comes out of liid- 

 ing at night, and probably if one climbed into 

 a tree and waited, thev might obtain a sliot. 



The natives are keenlv aware of the worth of 

 specimens, and put a high valuation on Bongo 

 heads. In Nairobi a head, by no means as 

 large as the one presented to the Society, had a 

 market value of $150.00." 



So strict are the British hunting laws, Mr. 

 Clark experienced great ditliculty in sliipjjing the 

 s|)ecimens he obtained. One came through on 

 liis hunting license, but the otiier two were 

 ])assed only upon a promise to deliver them to 

 the American Museum, — a promise that the 

 Government Game Ranger verified by writing to 

 the Museum, stating that the lieads were con- 

 signed to it. E. R. S. 



AFRICAN BONGO SKULL. 



