76 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



DEPARTMENT OF BIRDS. 



Lee S. Crandall, Curator; William Beebe, Honorary Curator; 

 Samuel Stacey, Head Keeper. 



Our hopeful expectations for the rehabilitation of the live 

 bird and animal trade during 1920 not having been realized, 

 unusual efforts for the upkeep of the bird collections were neces- 

 sary. Arrivals through the regular dealers' channels were very 

 few and the specimens acquired by this means were almost 

 negligible. The only dealer's shipment of any importance during 

 the entire year was one received from India in May. This 

 included many fine Asiatic species not exhibited in the Zoological 

 Park since pre-war days. 



The situation being rather critcal, and the English bird 

 market fairly active, the Curator of Birds sailed for Europe in 

 June, 1920, for the double purpose of securing what material 

 might be available and inspecting the recuperating Zoological 

 Gardens of England and the continent. Large African consign- 

 ments, as well as some others, were then arriving in England, 

 and about 500 specimens of mammals, birds and reptiles were 

 secured. Through the friendly cooperation of the Zoological 

 Gardens of London, they were safely transported to New York. 

 The general market on the continent was found even more dor- 

 mant than our own, but visits to the Gardens of Belgium and 

 Holland showed the results of determined efforts to return to 

 normal. A detailed account of the trip appeared in the January 

 Bulletin. 



In September, a large shipment arrived from Africa, in 

 charge of Mr. A. K. Haagner, Director of the Zoological Gardens 

 of Pretoria. Several fine species new to our collection were 

 received, including a white-bellied stork (Abdimia abdimi), a 

 white-headed sea eagle (Halisetus vocifer) and a white-headed 

 vulture (Lophogyps occipitalis), and many others. 



Early in November, Mr. Ellis S. Joseph arrived with a 

 splendid consignment of Australasian birds. Thirty-five species 

 new to our collection were acquired, besides many others. Most 

 important were the kaka (Nestor meridiotiaUs) , kea (N. nota- 

 bilis), turquoisine parrakeet (Neophema pulchella), six-plumed 

 bird of paradise (Parotia sefilata), the lovely and extremely rare 

 Prince Rudolph's blue bird of paradise (Paradisornis rudolfi) 

 and the magnificent rifle bird (Craspedophora magnifica). 



