70 ~ NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



present situation is rapidly becoming intolerable. During the 

 winter tropical birds are housed in the Caribou House, Pelican 

 House, and in the old Reptile House lunch-room ! Under pres- 

 ent conditions it is impossible to permit the bird collections to 

 increase to an appreciable extent. 



Notwithstanding a total lack of proper aviary facilities for 

 perching birds, Mr. Beebe and his assistants in the bird depart- 

 ment collected during the breeding season the nestlings of about 

 fifteen species of wild birds, and reared them by hand quite suc- 

 cessfully. The amount of labor and close attention requisite in 

 such a task may be estimated by the fact that the majority of 

 these young birds required to be fed by hand every hour. The 

 most interesting broods were crows, owls, woodpeckers, robins, 

 blackbirds, orioles, kingfishers, starlings, tanagers, and blue- 

 jays. All these broods were placed on exhibition as soon as it 

 was safe to do so, and they attracted a great amount of attention, 

 particularly from children. The kingfishers alone defied all at- 

 tempts to bring them to maturity. 



Mr. Beebe's studies and persistent investigations of the dis- 

 eases of birds, and their treatment, have yielded many valuable 

 results. Out of a list of twenty-seven organic diseases which 

 have caused deaths among the birds, all but seven have at last 

 yielded to treatment. Among these seven are tuberculosis, ad- 

 vanced gangrene, a peculiar foot disease, and a stomachic 

 trouble. The two last mentioned will doubtless soon be added 

 to the list of cures. Detailed study has been given to this sub- 

 ject, and the results show that the deaths during recent months 

 have been mainly due to such four-footed pests as cats, weasels, 

 and rats, and to accidents. 



Although as yet no new bird-houses have been constructed, 

 by constant effort to meet the conditions demanded in crowded 

 cages and the kindly dispositions of the birds themselves, many 

 species have been successfully caged together. In this way 

 room has been found for the 229 gifts and 270 purchases, which, 

 with 79 specimens collected by members of the department, com- 

 prise the 499 additions to the collection during the past year. 



Among the most important of these additions may be men- 

 tioned the following: 



Gifts. — 2 jungle fowl, 2 black-winged peacocks, i guan, i crest- 

 ed curassow, and i crowned pigeon, from Homer Davenport ; 22 



