130 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



the pursuit of which more knowledge of birds is obtained than 

 would be gained in passing a series of single cages of inactive 

 birds without picture-labels. Groups of children have been 

 noticed again and again spending a half hour around the cage, 

 and declaring to each other they would not leave the building 

 until every bird represented on the labels had been found. The 

 ingenious way which many species have of concealing themselves, 

 by crowding close to the tree-trunks or sleeping beside a fallen 

 log, often taxes a child's powers of observation not a little. Like 

 " Alice's " living chess-men, this is an animated, life-sized puzzle, 

 and the enjoyment to be found in solving it is not confined to 

 children. 



Seasonal moults or sexual dififerences in color often cause a cer- 

 tain bird to appear somewhat unlike the typical specimen repre- 

 sented on the picture-label, and this leads to many appeals to the 

 Assistant Curator and keepers for additional information ; and 

 woe to the attendants if a certain species is removed from the 

 cage unless the label is taken down at the same time. It is won- 

 derful how quickly some person, who may look as indifferent as 

 if he hardly knew a crow from a cassowary, will ask for the miss- 

 ing bird. Even with this elaborate labeling, occasionally there 

 are people who will stand directly under the twenty or thirty 

 paintings, point to a glossy ibis, and ask, "Is that an ibex?" 

 But the majority of the visitors, young and old, enjoy identifying 

 the various birds for themselves. 



The objection that the necessity of placing so many kinds of 

 food in the cage must result in certain birds getting food not in- 

 tended for them, is more apparent than real. This, and the fear 

 that the timid species will not obtain their share, is proven to 

 have no serious foundation. As a rule, birds are very sensible 

 beings, and, when suitable food is obtainable, do not touch that 

 foreign to their legitimate diet. As to the second consideration,, 

 the birds confined in the large cage have so adjusted their inter- 

 relations, that there is perfect reciprocity as regards feeding, bath- 

 ing, and the other privileges, even between the most vicious egrets 

 and the most defenceless ducks. The deaths which have resulted 

 from fights between different species will be spoken of in detail 

 farther on. 



It is true that in a large indoor cage, such as that which forms 

 the subject of these notes, breeding is almost an impossibility, but 



