164S 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



for a softer purpose than holding prey in proc- 

 ess of rending. 



Turning his back to the chosen spot, the 

 brush turkey begins bo scratch. And then it is 

 obvious that this is indeed his forte. Huge foot- 

 fulls of leaves and twigs from the jungle floor 

 fly toward the common center as though borne 

 on the wings of an infant whirlwind. .Material 

 frequently is brought from considerable dis- 

 tances and often the ground for many feet about 

 is scraped quite clean. Small streams are no 

 obstacle, for the brush turkey dredge- as well 

 as he gleans. 



In an incredibly short time, a heap of very 

 respectable proportions has been formed, per- 

 haps as high as six feet and ten or twelve in 

 diameter. The core is composed of humus and 

 leaves in an advanced stage of decomposition. 

 The outer layer of coarser material forms a pro- 

 tective jacket for what is destined to become 

 the incubation chamber. After the mound has 

 stood for a period sufficient to insure the begin- 

 ning of fermentation, the cover is scraped awaj 

 and a hole is dug in the center of the central 

 mass. Here the female deposits her egg. point 

 down, and the mound is again closed. It is 

 commonly stated that the work of building the 

 mound and preparing it for the reception of the 

 eggs is performed by the male alone. Further 

 observations seem necessary to confirm this 

 belief. 



A period of several days appears to inti rvene 

 between the laying of each egg and its success- 

 or, so that a mound operating at full capacity 

 contains eggs in all stages of incubation. Each 

 pile is usually the property of a single pair of 

 birds, but huge structures, measuring many fe< t 

 in diameter, have been found. These large af- 

 fairs are said to be used in common by several 

 pairs of brush turkeys — somewhat after the 

 fashion of the municipal plants which we are 

 sometimes told will be the final outcome of mod- 

 ern human tendencies ! 



While the mound contains eggs, it is watched 

 over with great solicitude by the parents, which 

 are quick to repair any damage. The heat gen- 

 erated by the decaying vegetation gives the in- 

 terior of the mound a temperature of about it J 

 Fahrenheit. From 100° to 103° are required 

 for the incubation of the eggs of the common 

 fowl, but less heat seems to be needed for those 

 of the brush turkey. After a period of six 

 weeks, the first chick emerges. Buried beneath 

 a heap of sodden rubbish, his case seems hope- 

 less. But youthful as he is, the spirit of the 

 upward trend lias marked him for its own. From 

 his parents he has inherited sturdy feet and the 

 will to use them. He promptly scratches his 



way to the surface and begins to preen his 

 feathers in the pleasant sunshine. For feathers 

 he has. and wings as well. 



Disdainful of parental discipline, as might be 

 expected, he scuttles off into the underbrush, to 

 search for the insects which will form his first 

 meal. But the parents are not offended, for to 

 them he is a perfect stranger. When night ap- 

 proaches, this infant prodigy flies witli his pre- 

 cocious wings to a convenient perch, and spends 

 the night in happy indifference to his lonely 

 state. 



And now what shall we say of our own "up- 

 ward trends" and "advanced movements r" For 

 this dingy bird of Australia has developed the 

 problem of parental duties to a state which even 

 our ultra-thinkers have hardly dared approach. 



In the summer of 1917, two brush turkeys ar- 

 rived at the Zoological Park. In the belief that 

 they were a pair, the birds were placed in a 

 large run at the Ostrich House. It soon became 

 apparent, however, that both were males. It 

 is not the nature of the brush turkey that two 

 males should occupy the same enclosure, how- 

 ever large. This point was brought so strongly 

 to the attention of the weaker bird that it took 

 leave, climbing the eight-foot fence and launch- 

 ing itself in lop-sided flight from the topmost 

 strand. A thorough search failed to reveal its 

 whereabouts and we had given up hope of find- 

 ing it. when a strange accumulation of leaves 

 and sticks was reported near the Jungle Walk. 

 Investigation showed the ground nearby to have 

 been cleaned in a workmanlike manner. Mysti- 

 fied at first, and suspecting an over-industrious 

 child, we found that our lost brush turkey was 

 obeying the commands of instinct. He must 

 build a mound, although its purpose could not 

 be fulfilled. 



After a winter passed in the Pheasant Aviary 

 the bird was liberated this spring and promptly 

 returned to his haunts in the Beaver Valley. 



ITEMS OF INTEREST 

 By Raymond L. Ditmars 



Our Tame Wombat. — One of the most inter- 

 esting animals in the Park occupies an unpre- 

 tentious cage in the Small-Mammal House, and 

 many visitors examine it without realizing its 

 unique character. It is a full grown wombat, 

 from Australia, a remarkable pouched animal, 

 or marsupial, that attains a weight of about sev- 

 entv pounds and in appearance is a nondescript. 

 In form it suggests both an overgrown bear cub 

 and a gigantic woodehuck. Our specimen is 

 unique in the history of captive wombats. It 

 was born in the Park, and is so tame that it 

 follows Keeper Lansberg like a dog. This an- 



