238 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



AFRICAN la.KI'H \X'|- ■roXdo,' 

 Showing the small rounded cars and the downward curve of the tusks. 



It was with great surprise, and also pleasure, 

 that last June we learned by cable that a small 

 male elephant, from the French Congo territory. 

 West Africa, had arrived for us in Mr. Hagenbeck's 

 great live - animal establishment at Hamburg. 

 Without delay it was shipped to New York, and 

 reached the Zoological Park in e.xcellent condition. 

 This animal, which has been christened "Congo,'' 

 stands forty-three inches in shoulder height and 

 weighs precisely 600 pounds. Its tusks are about 

 four inches long, and at present show an odd ten- 

 dency to curve down rather than up. As nearly 

 as we can estimate, "Congo" is between two and 

 three years old, and therefore, in comparison with 

 the gigantic East African species, is small for his 

 age. But this species is said to be, when adult 

 much smaller than those of East and South Africa. 



In the year igoc. Professor Matschie of the Berlin 

 Museum of Natural History, finished a special stud\' 

 of the African elephants, and published his con- 

 clusions. He recognized four species as follows: 



Elephas cyclolis, Matschie. Cameroons, West 

 Africa. 



Elephas oxyotis, Matschie. The Soudan. 



Elephas knochenhaiieri, Matschie. German 

 East Africa. 



Elephas capensis, Cuvier. South Africa. 



The specimen now exhibited in our Antelope 

 House, next to the Indian elephant, no doubt repre- 

 sents the species at the head of the list, Elephas 

 cvdotis. w. T. H. 



Sea-horses. — Sea-horses having for some reason become 

 difficult to procure in New York Bay, have recently been 

 collected with seines, in the bays back of Atlantic City. 

 There are now about a dozen specimens in the building. 



The Bird Collectio7is. — During the last few months there 

 has been a remarkable increase of numbers and species in 

 the collection of birds. A rough calculation sho-.vs about 

 eleven hundred individuals as compared with 643 at the 

 beginning of the year. Many of these new birds are ex- 

 tremely interesting in appearance and in their ordinary 

 habits of life, and to these characteristics are daily being 

 added the courtships and the nest-building of a considerable 

 number. 



