68 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



have a sufficient nucleus from which we may safely expect soon 

 to regain our former numbers and at the same time spare a 

 considerable collection of duplicates for European institutions 

 more needy than ourselves. 



During the past year, only sixteen species new to the col- 

 lection were added, as compared with sixty-five during 1914, the 

 first year of the war. Of these, the most important is a fine 

 male argus pheasant (Argnsianus argus), which we purchased 

 on October 2. Very few living argus pheasants have reached 

 this country and of the number none have long survived. Our 

 bird, however, seems uncommonly vigorous and healthy, and 

 is in excellent plumage. 



Other noteworthy arrivals were a fully adult male regent 

 bird (Sericulus chrysocephalus) , in plumage of black and orange 

 velvet; a green-backed trumpeter (Psophia viridis) , a rare and 

 especially interesting bird, allied to the cranes, and a double- 

 banded puff -bird {Bucco hicinctus) , an obscure relative of the 

 wood-peckers, probably never before exhibited alive. 



On August 31, we received a tiny chick of the galeated 

 curassow (Pauxi pauocl) , no larger than a quail. Fortunately, 

 we had at the time a silky hen acting as a foster-mother to a 

 young banded curassow of about the same age, and she readily 

 accepted the newcomer. This bird has now become full-grown 

 and the curious plum-like protruberance at the base of the beak 

 has nearly reached its full size. 



Among the birds bred in the Park during the year, the most 

 unusual is a banded curassow (Crax sclateri). Very few curas- 

 sows have been bred in captivity and in the United States this 

 has been accomplished only in the case of the globose. After sev- 

 eral fruitless attempts, we at last succeeded in rearing one young 

 bird, apparently the first record for the species. 



Three fine young upland geese (Chloephaga magellanica) , 

 attest the value of silky hens as foster-mothers. The parent 

 geese hatched two goslings in 1917, but soon lost them. Last year 

 we placed their eggs under a tiny silky, which finally hatched 

 and triumphantly reared three vigorous youngsters. The spe- 

 cies has not previously been bred in this country. 



The laughing gulls in the Flying Cage, after many vicissi- 

 tudes, reared two young birds and a single white ibis survived, 

 the first in several years to do so. A good number of wood and 



