250 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



Two remarkable traits which would never be 

 suspected in this goose-like bird are a magnificent 

 power of flight and a complicated song. We are 

 told by Hudson, that being a heavy bird, it rises 

 laboriously like a swan and with a loud beating of 

 wings. "Nevertheless, it loves soaring, and will 

 rise in an immense spiral until it wholly disappears 

 from sight in the zenith, even in the brightest 

 weather; and considering its great bulk and dark 

 color, the height it ultimately attains must be very 

 great. On sunny, windless days, especially in winter 

 and spring, they often spend hours at a time in these 

 sublime aerial exercises, slowly floating round and 

 round in vast circles and singing at intervals. How 

 so heavy and comparatively short-winged a bird 

 can sustain itself for such long periods in the thin 

 upper air to which it rises has not yet been ex- 

 plained." Its large feet and legs have a pecuhar 

 swollen appearance, which is due to a subdermal 

 layer of air-cells continued over all the surface of the 

 body. Possibly these somewhat aid the remarkable 

 power of flight. 



No less strange is the loud voice from which the 



bird takes its expressive name. "When dis- 

 turbed, or when the nest is approached, both birds 

 utter at intervals a loud alarm-cry, resembling in 

 sound the anger-cry of the peacock, but twice as 

 loud. At other times its voice is exercised in a 

 kind of singing performance, in which male and 

 female join, and which produces the effect of har- 

 mony. The male begins, the female takes up her 

 part, and then with marvellous strength and spirit 

 they pour forth a torrent of strangely contrasted 

 sounds — some bassoon-like in their depth and 

 volume, some like drum-beats, -and others long, 

 clear, and ringing. It is the loudest animal sound 

 of the pampas, and its jubilant martial character 

 strongly affects the mind in that silent, melancholy 

 wilderness. 



" The screamers sing the year round, at all hours, 

 both on the ground and when soaring; when in 

 pairs the two birds invariably sing together, and 

 when in flocks they sing in concert. At night they 

 are heard about nine o'clock in the evening, and 

 again just before dawn. It is not unusual, however, 

 to hear them singing at other hours." c. w. b. 



Ketcnt airribalB 



Mammals. — Gi/ts and Purchases. — i African Round- 

 eared Elephant ; 2 Macaque Monkeys; i Marmoset; i 

 Gray Squirrel; i European Squirrel; i Flying Squirrel; 

 7 Angora Guinea-pigs; i South American Tapir; i Persian 

 Wild Ass; 3 Black Apes; 3 Bonnet Monkeys; S Pig-tailed 

 Monkeys; 2 Civet Cats; 2 Azara's Wild Dogs; 2 Black- 

 footed Ferrets; i Bridled Ferret; 2 Minks; i Canada Lynx; 

 I Crab-eating Raccoon; 4 Skunks; i Sun Bear; i Bintu- 

 rong; 2 Guanacos; i South American Swamp Deer; pair 

 of Eld's Deer, or Thameng; 13 Sea Lions; i Malabar 

 Squirrel; 2 Capybaras; S Kangaroo Rats; 4 Hutias; i 

 Golden Agouti; i Viscacha; 4 Egyptian Jerboas; 3 Canada 

 Porcupines; 3 Eight-banded Armadillos ; 4 Nine-banded 

 Armadillos; i Great Ant-eater; i Prehensile-tailed Ant- 

 eater; 2 Vulpine Phalangers; 3 Wallabys; 2 Echidnas. 



Reptiles. — Cijts and Purchases. — 45 Painted Turtles; 8 

 Muhlenberg's Turtles; 2 Wood Turtles; 17 Musk Turtles; 



1 Spotted Turtle; 4 Snapping Turtles; S Bo.x Turtles; 2 

 Pine Snakes; 6 Water Snakes; i Black Snake; 6 Garter 

 Snakes; 100 Spotted Turtles; i Tree Boa; i Sicilian Tor- 

 toise; I Albino Wood Turtle; 2 Alligators; i large Alligator 

 Skull; 2 Horned Toads; i Swift (with two tails); 7 Iguaans; 



2 Florida Chameleons; i Green Snake; i Texas Hog- 

 nosed Snake; i Pacific Rattlesnake; i Western Diamond- 

 backed Rattlesnake; i Boyle's King Snake; 3 Timber 

 Rattlesnakes; i Spotted Salamander; i Opake Salamander; 

 Collection of Newts; i Gila Desert Tortoise; 34 Horned 

 "Toads"; i Chucka walla; i Gila Monster; 8 Collared Liz- 

 ards; 6 South American Iguanas; i Rough-eyed Caiman; 

 15 Banded Rattlesnakes; i Desert Rattlesnake; i Common 



Boa; I Bahama Boa; 12 Fox Snakes; 25 Banded Water 

 Snakes; 9 Pilot Water Snakes; 8 Red-bellied Water Snakes; 

 3 Hog- nosed Snakes; i Blue Racer; 3 Sirens; 4 Mud 

 Puppies; 4 Axalotls. 



Mammals. — Births. — i Green Monkey; i Black Lemur; 

 2 Mongoose Lemurs; 4 Lions; i Tiger; 15 Timber Wolves; 

 5 Mearns' Coyotes; 5 Prairie Coyotes; 8 Black Coyotes; 

 5 Buffaloes; i Elk; 2 Fallow Deer; 2 Barasinga Deer; 2 

 A.xis Deer; i Nylghai; 2 Sika Deer; i Malay Sambar Deer; 

 I Altai Wapiti; i Grant's Zebra; 5 Franklin's Spermo- 

 philes; 6 Coypu Rats; 40 Prairie Dogs; i Russian Bear; 

 I Raccoon. 



Replies. — Births. — About 400 Garter Snakes; about 40 

 Banded or Timber Rattlesnakes; 5 broods of Water Snakes. 



The returning "Ziegler Relief Expedition" has pre- 

 sented to the Park three Polar Bears, two Esquimau Dogs, 

 an Arctic Fox and eight Ivory Sea-GuUs. The Gulls are 

 rare, and have never been exhibited in this country. The 

 collection left London via steamship Mitnietonka, arriving 

 at New York, September 12th, and were ([uartered in the 

 Zoological Park. 



As the present issue of the Bulletin goes to press the 

 new Pheasants' Aviary nears completion, and will shortly 

 be opened to the public view. 



A great number of new birds have already been pur- 

 chased, including Himalayan Monoul, Manchurian 

 Eared, Peacock Pheasant, Vulturine Guinea-Fowl, Soem- 

 merings Pheasants, Elliot Pheasant, Siamese Firebacks, 

 Lineated Pheasant, Anderson Kaleege, Melanotus Kaleege, 

 Satyra Tragopan, and a number of other rare varieties, 

 comprising twenty-two species. 



