ZOOr.OGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



35 



wlieii ail atU'inpt is made to drive her, she 

 resolutely faces the source of the trouble, low- 

 ers her head, and stands still. Ilcr cry is a 

 very ox-like, deep-bass bawl, and externally 

 there is not one feature about her which sug- 

 gests a relatiiinshi]) to the genus Oz'is. 



W. T. IT. 



Ml:XU AN lAIURU. 



RARE BIRDS 1\ THE ZOOLOGICAL 

 PARK. 



BY C. WI'.I.IAM BIFRE. 



THE word rare as a])i)licd to birds has a 

 very elastic significance. A naturalist 

 understands by this term, any species of which 

 comparatively few individuals exist, or one 

 which has wandered beyond the usual territory 

 which it inhabits. In Zoological Park jihrase- 

 nlogy it might be ajiplicd to a bird whose 

 habitat is difficult of access, or which is espe- 

 cially hard to provide with proper food or to 

 keep alive in captivity; while to the public, any 



bird is "■ rare " which is odd-looking and from 

 some distant part of the world. 



There are several birds in the Zoological 

 Park collections which merit the title from all 

 three points of view. 



One claims first place on the list, for lie 

 makes himself so i)rominent in his large range 

 in J'.ird \'alley that no one can overlook him. 

 lie is the American Jabiru, a species of stork, 

 ami a very unusual birtl in collections. This 

 is probably the most comical looking bird in 

 (he Park, even going ahead of the wood ibis, 

 which until the Jabiru's arrival, held undis- 

 |)uted sway as the greatest idiot of the collec- 

 tion. An immense, u])turned bill protrudes 

 from a head bare of feathers, liut with a tuft 

 nf hair-like down on top, which, standing uj)- 

 right, gives the bird a continually sur])rise<l 

 expression. 



His long neck is naked, i)artly black and 

 i)artly flesh-colored. His body feathers are a 

 tlirty white, although giving jiromise of be- 

 coming immaculate at some future time, and 

 he walks, or rather totters, on a pair of verv 

 long legs, the management of which is a great 

 iierplexity to him. He is at his best — or worst 

 — at meal times, when he seizes whole fisli, 

 a foot in length, gulps them entire, smacks his 

 bill and squeals with delight. He has a wav 

 t)f shaking them down his throat by jerking 

 his head and beak sideways, but it looks ex- 

 actly like a person who is saying, " Mv, that 

 w as good ! " Jabiru is playful, but as grace- 

 ful in his play as a seal on dry land. A fa- 

 vorite mode of resting is on his entire foot, 

 heel and all, and when seated on a little ele- 

 vation in this position, one sees him silhouetted 

 .''gainst the sun, with the light shining through 

 the loose, crimson skin of his neck, the sight 

 is likely to remain in the mind of the observer 

 fur a long time. The bird has the power of 

 distending this skin, which then becomes a 

 brilliant scarlet, and this gives the neck an 

 immense diameter, and the bird a most bizarre 

 appearance. It is from this habit that the bird 

 q;ets its name, the Indian word Vahirti. mean- 

 ing " blown out with wind." It inhabits 

 South and Central .America and even comes 

 across the Texan border, so it is rightfully in- 

 cluded among the birds of the C^nited States. 

 ^^ery little seems to be known of its habits 

 except that it nests in high trees and lays 

 " blue-green " egrgs. 



The crested Curassow is a large, striking 

 bird with a ver\' beautiful recurved crest. 

 The feathers forming this arc crisp and shin- 

 ing black, and look like dyed shavings as 

 much as anything. The rest of the bird is 

 black with the exception of the under parts 

 which are white, and a bright yellow fleshy 



