THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM 



The cranes and curlews, ducks and geese and their re- 

 lated families are next seen, followed by the pelicans, cor- 

 morants, bitterns, herons, storks and ibises, and in a floor 

 case is a group of king penguins from Kerguelen Island in 

 the Indian Ocean. There are seventeen living species of 

 these birds, of which the emperor penguin is the largest. 

 They are incapable of flight, awkward on land but at home 

 in the water. 



On the north wall at this point, a deer skeleton finds a 

 place, for lack of convenient space elsewhere, following 

 which the birds of prey and those of the pheasant and 

 pigeon families occupy the floor cases. Here the curious 

 nesting habits of the greater hornbill of India are indicated. 



To the right of this case are the woodpeckers, kingfishers 

 and parrots, a portion of a tree trunk inset with acorns by 

 the California woodpecker, and the curious wing coloration 

 of the African plantain-eater, which washes out with rain, 

 being especially interesting items. 



The floor case opposite this exhibit contains the peacock, 

 a native of India, and the Argus and other pheasants. 



The perching birds (Order Passeres) are exhibited in 

 cases to the west and south. This, by far the largest order 

 of existing birds, contains several thousand species, ranging 

 from the small and modest wren to the gorgeous birds of 

 paradise. The lyre-bird of New South Wales, the rare 

 Peruvian cock-of-the-rock and many brilliant and interest- 

 ing specimens from India, China, South America and else- 

 where provide material for a comprehensive purview of the 



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