OU 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



CANADA C.AXDi;!; lOI.I.OWlNCi A CMkl^OI'Sl.S liOOSE 



(lid not display the niajfiiaiiiinity of the de- 

 posed gander, but drove liiin to the far end of 

 the enelosure. As we did not consider the dis- 

 turbing our ))air of Cereopsis desirable, the 

 Canada was returned, with a clipped wing, to 

 Lake Agassiz, when the Cereopsis soon reunited. 



Male Egyptian geese are well known as 

 tyrants, and will surely prove the rogues of any 

 collection in which they are included. Their 

 s|)lenic tempers often turn them against their 

 weaker conijjanions, and catastrophes are of fre- 

 quent occurrence. It caused us no regret, there- 

 fore, when our old Egyptian escaped from the 

 l)en in which he and his mate are always con- 

 fined during the breeding season, and met with 

 an accident which com]ielled bis removal from 

 the Wild Fowl Pond and allowed us to liberate 

 his less quarrelsome mate. It had never occurred 

 to us that the tyranny of the male Egyptian 

 might be domestic as well as general, but the 

 alacrity with which the female formed an alli- 

 ance with a brant goose seemed to indicate no 

 sorrow at the loss of her former spouse. 



It is true, of course, that birds mated in this 

 manner rarely lay eggs. AVe were greatly dis- 

 ap))ointed, therefore, when the Bewick and 

 Trum)ieter swans, which ha\e been close com- 

 |)anions for years, destroyed the nest of the 

 bean and gray-lag goose, where the latter was 

 closelj' incubating her five eggs. Some most 

 interesting hybrids might have resulted from 

 this cross. 



It is well known that wild-fowl at liberty 

 sometimes mate for life, and rarely separate 

 until death claims one of the couple. That cross- 

 mating and captivity do not affect the trait is 

 well shown by an European brant and a lesser 

 snow goose, which have been inseparable for 

 about four years. There are several unattached 



birds of these species and of each sex in the 

 same enclosure, but the stability of the union 

 has never been threatened. 



!Manv of these queer friendships are purely 

 platonic and often are formed between birds of 

 widely separated groups. When it was decided 

 to attempt to acclimatize the rhcas during the 

 past winter, a male guinea-fowl which had 

 shared their corral during the summer months, 

 was allowed to remain with them. A perch was 

 placed across one corner of the indoor shelter 

 for Iiis convenience, and on it he passed the 

 nights of fall and early winter. As the tempera- 

 ture dropped lower, however, the bird was no 

 longer to be seen in his accustomed place, and 

 his absence caused an investigation to be made. 

 A thorough search failed to reveal his presence, 

 and it was not until a sleepy rhea was disturbed 

 that the missing bird was found, warmly 

 ensconced beneath her protecting wing ! The 

 guinea-fowl availed himself of the rhea's hospi- 

 tality until the warm days of spring rendered 

 this shelter unnecessary. He then turned upon 

 his benefactor with a ferocity which she lacked 

 the courage to oppose and pursued her relent- 

 lessly about the enclosure. It was a truly ludi- 

 crous sight to see the diminutive bird driving his 

 lumbering victim about the paddock, but the 

 matter became so serious as to cause the tyrant's 

 removal. 



One of the most remarkable of these associa- 

 tions is that of the Ceram cassowary and the 

 great marabou stork. Each spring, with the 

 return of warm weather, the cassowary is given 

 his liberty in the Crane Paddock. This is also 

 the summer home of the Javan and Indian adju- 

 tants and the marabou. The latter tolerates the 

 conqianv of his allies during the few weeks that 

 elapse between the date at which they are placed 



