886 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



THE EAGLE AND VULTURE AVIARY 

 Photographed from the roof of Ihe Zebra 



THE BIRDS OF PREY AND THEIR AVIARY 



Part IL 

 By C. William Beebe and Lee S. Crandall 



THE Eagle and Vulture Aviary is situated 

 just north of the new Zebra House and 

 forms the sixth and southernmost link in 

 the chain of bird exhibits which extends through- 

 out the length of Bird Vallej', the others being 

 Cope Lake, the Duck Aviary, Flying Cage, 

 Crane Paddock and Aquatic Bird House. The 

 permanent home of the raptorial birds is a true 

 outdoor aviary consisting of thirteen large fly- 

 ing cages, ranging from those twelve feet square 

 by fifteen liigh, intended for the smaller hawks, 

 to the great center flight cage, twenty-four feet 

 square and rising to a height of thirty-two feet. 

 Each cage has a domed concrete shelter in the 

 rear. The twelve j'ears of experience gained in 

 housing these birds in the outside cages of the 

 Aquatic House, and also in the Ostrich House, 

 has furnished an abundance of suggestions for 

 the details of construction. 



Already it is evident that the new installation 

 will be satisfactory in ever}' respect. Aside from 

 actual adaptability to the requirements of the 

 birds of this group, an aviary such as this must 

 be made pleasing to the eye of the visitor; and 

 in constructing a long row' of wire cages this is 

 always a difficult matter. It was a happy 



thought of Director Hornaday to bend the entire 

 front into a sweeping segment of a circle. Thus, 

 while from the great height of the flights the 

 extent of the exhibit as a whole is clearly evi- 

 dent, no long, hard, straight lines appear, and 

 as the visitor moves along, cage after cage is 

 revealed around the gently curving front in a 

 way which precludes all appearance of monotony. 



Another factor, purposely introduced to break 

 up the monotony of a straight running front, is 

 the irregularity of the cages both in height and in 

 size. The photograph makes this clearer than can 

 any description — the largest cages, terminal and 

 central, being separated by two intervening 

 groups of smaller size. 



The framework of the new aviary consists of 

 two-inch metal pipe, with the innovation of 

 being split, each half bolted on separately, so 

 that the concealed attachments of the wiring 

 can in time of need be exposed with but little 

 trouble. The wire itself is all of electric weld, 

 the mesh of the partitions being one by four 

 inches to avoid any possibility of injury from 

 birds fighting in adjoining cages. The flights in- 

 tended for small hawks have wire mesh one inch 

 by twelve, while the mesh of the seven great eagle 



