ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1IOMINICA-THE HOME OF I III-. I M I'F.lt I \ I. I'AKROT 



an exception to the rule was made. This goat 

 has traveled over 500 miles in trial trips of fast 

 United States flying machines, and, from ac- 

 counts, appeared to heartily enjoy such expe- 

 riences. 



A SECOND IMPERIAL PARROT. 

 By William Beebe 



FIVE years ago the Zoological Society add- 

 ed a live Imperial Parrot to its collec- 

 tion of birds, and of the details of this val- 

 uable accession I have already written.* Since 

 then, this extremely beautiful and rare bird has 

 remained unique, until last summer when we 

 were able to secure a second specimen, a male 

 in full plumage, and bring it safely to the Zoo- 

 logical Park. To this the way was paved by 

 correspondence with the Hon. A. M. Mahaffy, 

 Administrator of Dominica. On my way south 

 to the Research Station in British Guiana, I 

 visited Government House, and through the in- 

 terest and kindness of Mr. Mahaffy was able 

 to arrange for a pair of birds to be ready when 

 I passed north again. In this interval the fe- 



*Zool. Soc. Bull. XVI. No. 51, May, 1912, p. 868. 



male escaped so that I was able to obtain only 

 a single bird. It was exceedingly tame, at once 

 adapted itself to life on shipboard, and is now 

 in good health and on exhibition in the Park. 



I was interested to learn from Mr. Mahaffy 

 that the bird laws on the island were being en- 

 forced rigorously, and that the Imperial Parn.t. 

 while still restricted to a small area in the cen- 

 tral range of mountains, was holding its own. 

 On a recent trip which he had made around the 

 island he had seen and heard a number of these 

 birds, and was convinced, for the present at 

 least, that their perpetuation is assured. 



Dominica is a worthy island to be the last 

 earthly home of such a splendid parrot. No 

 other of the West Indies quite impresses one 

 with such tropical luxurience as Dominica. The 

 view from the steamer passing close to shore is 

 magnificent — a constant succession of tumbled 

 mountains and ravines, completely covered with 

 the densest, most lush growth of vegetation, 

 come swirling down the valleys from the high 

 peaks, showing as dense, streaming, pale-blue 

 mist or as oblique lines of rain, yield humidity, 

 to which, suspended or precipitated, the luxuri- 

 ance of the tropical plant life is due. 



