ZOOLOGICAL SOriETY BULLETIN' 



5*. 



CnV OF SAX JOSK 



ttrioiis lilinlit. the trees were removed, and the 

 l.iiid turned intt) ]),istiires. Tliese jiastures are 

 exceedingly rough, and the land dotted over 

 with small patches of bush and bits of jungle. 

 .As it is not p;issible for fence posts of dead 

 wood to withstand for long the constant damp- 

 ness, small poles are set in the ground about 

 two feet a|)art. and the wire attached to them.. 

 The ]>osts at once send out shoots and soon 

 j^row into trees of respectable size, forming 

 l>ermanent supports. Thus every field is sur- 

 rounded by .an often dense hedge, which offers 

 .1 retreat for many birds. 



After walking a mile or so. either north or 

 south, one enters the primitive jungle. Tiie 

 trees here are of great size and the under- 

 growth very dense, so that in many places it is 

 quite impossible to progress without free use of 



i'- 



the machete. Bird life in the jungle is fairly 

 .abundant, and it is not difficult for the skin 

 collector to secure many spetimens. Except in 

 one or two instances, however, it was quite im- 

 possible to use our trapping outfit to advantage, 

 and it was only in the more o])cn portions that 

 we could work with any degree of success. 



We arrived just .-it the end of the so-called 

 dry se;ison. .ilthough there is almost daily rain- 

 tall (Ui tlu- lower slopes at all seasons. The 

 nesting time had just commenced, and the bird-. 

 were widely .scattered. No fruit was rii)e, so 

 that the concentration of frugivorous birds on 

 which we had depended, was entirely lacking. 

 However, b}' dint of much strenuou.s exertion, 

 we were able to secure a very representative 

 series of sjiecimens. 



niiHIAl llA 

 .m tin- hiiUl 



IKll 1,1. L\ .^.W .Ul.->1. 



One of the most interesting .-md cert.iinly 

 the most showy of the birds, is the Montezuma 

 Giant Cacique {Gi/m)i<)siiiiops montezuma). 

 This bird, which is of the Oriole family, is near- 

 ly two feet in length. It is chocolate brown, the 

 head beino; darker, with the tail bright yellow. 

 The beak is very long and ])ointed, black with 

 a red tip. There are bare, bluish ])atches on 

 the face, .lud a gular swelling of a pinkish hue. 

 at each side. 'I'hese birds live in colonies in 

 the higlu-st trees, building pendulous nests 

 (iftrn four feet in length. 



The Trogons form a grouii of birds with re|i- 

 resentatives in both hemispheres, but which. 

 with the (lossible exception of Cuban species. 

 ■ire practically never seen in collections. M'e 

 were very fortunate, therefore, to be able to 

 (•.i|)ture .and safely transi)ort. a specimen of the 

 Gartered Trogon (Tror/(>)i raliiiatiix). This 

 species has the upper parts and chest brilliant, 



