ZOOLOGICAL SOCIi:r\ BULLETIN 



243 



tier, whooper, mute, Bewick, black, and black-ncckcd 

 swans, all of which arc now living on the ponds of the 

 Zoological Park. 



Dm'es and Pigeons. — The dove and pigeon collection is 

 rapidly increasing in numbers and nesting has begun in 

 several instances. There are Senegal and Chinese turtle 

 doves, green-winged, ground, mauge, plumed, and white- 

 winged doves, as well as many others. Bleeding-heart, 

 band-tailed, and white-crowned pigeons are also on exhibi- 

 tion. The latter, with the Bahama ground doves and a 

 cageful of honey creepers and grass(|uits, show us some of 

 the more abundant birds of the Bahama Islands, .\lthough 

 these islands are so near our Florida coast, yet their native 

 birds seldom fly across the sixty miles of inler\'ening water. 

 Yellow-headed blackbirds, from the Western States, make 

 a brilliant spot of color in one of the side cages. I'uU of 

 life they are and worthy of comparison with our red-wings. 



European Birds. — Three large wall-cages have been 

 thrown into one, making a flying-cage on a miniature scale, 

 and here have been gathered a collection of the commoner 

 birds of Kurope. Bullfinches, chafllnches, robin redbreasts, 

 blackbirds, thrushes, skylarks, nightingales, ro.sy finches, 

 green- and goldfinches and black larks live here together 

 contentedly; while ne.xt to them in two more living-cages 

 measuring five by fifteen feet, are the familiar birds of our 

 own country — robins, thrushes, flickers, brown thrashers, 

 catbirds, mockingbirds, Baltimore and orchard orioles, tan- 

 agers, grosbeaks, Te.xas cardinals, cowbirds, and others, 

 a representative group of fine healthy birds. It is most 

 interesting to listen to the warble of our robins and mock- 

 ingbirds and then to hear the strains of the nightingales and 

 skvlarks. c. w. b. 



Aquariuvi 



Attendance. — The attendance at the Aquarium during the 

 first seven months of 1905 amounted to 971,911, an in. 

 crease of 41,259 over the corresponding months of 1904. 



Excliavges. — During the spring and summer two collec- 



tions of fishes from the (Jreat Lakes were received from the 

 Detroit .\quarium in exchange for local salt-water fi.shes. 

 The species received were : Muskallunge, pike-perch, pike, 

 sunfish (two species), burbot, channel catfish, and mud- 

 puppy. 



Bermuda Fislifs. — The collection of tropical fishes has 

 received the usual summer addition from Bermuda, and 

 then,' is now a fine series of these brilliantly colored fishes 

 in the .\quarium. .Xnnual additions to this collection have 

 always been necessary as some of the delicate species do not 

 sur\ive through the winter. AVhen the new salt-water sys- 

 tem for the .\quarium, still under construction, becomes 

 ready for use, the k)ss of tropical fishes in winter can be 

 avoided. 



Bint k-s polled Trout. — The .\quarium has just received, 

 through the United Stales Fisheries Bureau, 50,000 eggs 

 of the black-spotted trout (Salmo mykis Icwisi) from the 

 Wllowstone region. These eggs are now hatching rapidly 

 and the fish will be ready for distribution some time in the 

 fall. This is the first season that the Aquarium hatchery 

 has been operated in midsummer, as the species handled 

 heretofore have been such as depr)sited spawn in the winter 

 and spring months. The black-spotted trout inhabiting 

 the very cold waters of the Rocky Mountain region is a 

 late spawner. The young fish now beginning to hatch are 

 rapidly filling all the hatching troughs. 



Large Aqualic Animals. — Among the larger aquatic ani- 

 mals recently received at the .'\quarium may be men- 

 tioned the harp seal (Phoca groenland ica) , four harbor seals 

 from Maine, and a 313-pound green turtle. A dolphin was 

 received on .\ugust 4th, but lived only four days, having 

 been injured in capturing. It was taken in a pound-net at 

 Long Branch and shipped to Fulton Market, where, un- 

 fortunately, it lay for many hours without attention. The 

 specimen was seven feet long and proved a wonderful 

 attraction as it went swinging about the large central pool, 

 rising at intervals to blow in true whale and porpoise fashion 

 The large sturgeons secured over a year ago have been re- 

 moved to the central pool, where they are doing well. 



Fish Hatchery. — The Aquarium fish hatchery has been 

 in constant operation since the first of the year; over two 

 million food-fishes having already been hatched and turned 

 over to the New York Fish Commission for distribution in 

 State waters. The species hatched were brook trout, lake 

 trout, rainbow trout, steelhead trout, landlocked salmon, 

 white fish, pike perch, and yellow perch. .'\s usual the 

 eggs were generously furnished from Government fish 

 hatcheries in dilTerent parts of the countn-. Several hundred 

 white fish fry were retained at the .Aquarium for further 

 experiments in rearing, as this is one of our most difficult 

 food-fishes to raise in captivity. The young fish arc now 

 being fed very successfully on the larva; of the mosquito. 

 Phis food is obtained in abundance by the .Aquarium col- 

 lector from various stagnant ponds and pools in the vicinity 

 of Gravesend Bay, being taken with a gauze dip net. It 

 may now be announced to fish culturists that mosquito 

 larva; is a very .satisfactory food for white fish during the 

 summer months. Early in the season, immediately after 

 the absorption of the yolk sac, they feed on herring roc. 



