ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1157 



to the Aru Islands, Dutch New Guinea, to se- 

 cure specimens of tlie Greater Bird of Paradise, 

 with the result that forty-four birds, all im- 

 mature, were liberated in their new West Indian 

 home in September, 1909. Later on, three others 

 all supposed females, were added. 



In the Avicultural Magazine for November 

 1913, !Mr. Collingwood Ingram gives an account 

 of a visit made to Little Tobago on January 2. 

 1913, by himself and his father, the originator 

 of the idea. They found the island to be more 

 than a mile in length, its whole surface corru- 

 gated by a series of tiny hills, with their inter- 

 vening valleys and entirely covered with dense 

 vegetation. The only fresh water available is 

 that supplied by a small spring, unfit for human 

 use. The birds were never seen near it and are 

 believed to secure from the heavy dew what- 

 ever moisture is necessary. 



Clearings have been cut in various places 

 on the island, and papaws and plantains 

 planted. Here the birds of the island congre- 

 gated and the visitors were delighted to be able 

 to estimate the number of Birds of Paradise as 

 at least thirty. None had as yet reached the 

 age at which the side plumes are assumed, but 

 the birds seem to have bred, as the warden 

 placed on the island reported seeing several 

 young birds accompanied by their mothers. 



The fact that this number of birds remains 

 on the island after the elapse of more than 

 three years is most encouraging. It was the 

 general belief that most, if not all, of those 

 birds which survived the journey and were able 

 to establish themselves on the island, would 

 migrate as soon as possible to the larger islands 

 not far awaj-. This, however, has proved not 

 to be the case, and tlicre is every reason to 

 believe that the birds will increase and this re- 

 markable experiment ]irove a decided success. 



L. S. C. 



A RARE GIRAFFE. 



BY a strange assortment of circumstances 

 by no means quite easy to understand-, 

 the African country, which is by far the 

 best equipped with giraffes, has contributed no 

 living specimens (so far as we are aware) to 

 the zoological gardens and parks of the world. 

 British East Africa possesses in her own right 

 three well-marked giraffe species: the reticu- 

 lated (Giraffa reticiilatus) . the L^ganda ((!. 

 rofhschildi) and the Blotched or Masai giraffe 

 (G. tippelsJcirchi). 



Up to this date only one reticulated giraffe 

 has come to America alive, — to a traveling 



show; and to the misfortune of the animal-lov- 

 ing public it died in a short time. We cannot 

 learn that the L^ganda giraffe ever has been 

 seen alive in America ; and until ver}' recently 

 the same was true of the blotched giraffe. 



Si>; months ago the agents of Carl Hagen- 

 beck captured in German East Africa three fine 

 specimens of the blotched giraffe, two of which 

 were reserved for us, and were immediatelv 

 |)urchased. Unfortunately, two specimens of 

 the trio either died or were accidentallv killed 

 in transit, and on recei|)t of the meagre news 

 of their death we abandoned hope of ever see- 

 ing the third specimen safely landed in America. 



But our fears were not realized. After two 

 long and fearfully tiresome journeys by water, 

 the surviving specimen reached Baltimore last 

 June, and finally landed in the Zoological Park, 

 cramped, stiff and misshajien. It was not until 

 eight weeks had elapsed, with constant groom- 

 ing, that the new giraffe was in sufficiently good 

 shape to photograph. 



The Blotched or Masai Giraffe is a giraffe 

 of striking apjiearance. The typical skin orna- 

 ment of a Nubian or a Cape Giraffe consists 

 of a large irregular fawn-colored blotch sur- 

 rounded by white. In the Blotched Giraffe this 

 ornament takes the form of a rosette, which is 

 small, and cut with deep indentations until it 

 becomes almost star-shaped. These starry 

 markings are small, but on the body and 

 legs they are very numerous, and impart to the 

 animal a richness of color and a bizarrety of 

 ajjpearance that is very striking. On the neck 

 the rosettes are larger, but not so star-like, and 

 in some individuals they then become mere 

 elliptical patches of color. 



The specimen of Giraffa tippehkirchi now 

 shown in the Antelope House is a female, about 

 eight feet three inches in height, and it was 

 born early in 1913. Being now in good health 

 and feeding well, we have reason to hope that 

 it will live here at least ten or fifteen years. 

 The largest giraffe of this sjiecies shot by Col. 

 Theodore Roosevelt for the L'nited States 

 National Museum was seventeen feet two inches 

 in height. It was taken at Ulu. British East 

 Africa, near the LIganda railwav. 



Our specimen was captured in a huge pri- 

 vate preserve held by Carl Hagenbeck in Ger- 

 man East Africa, as a concession from the 

 German Ciovernment, specially set aside for 

 the benefit of the zoological gardens of the 

 world. In that preserve the agents of Carl 

 Hagenbeck may ca])ture alive as many wild 

 animals as thev can, but shooting is forbidden. 



W. T. H. 



