1270 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BII.I.KTIX 



liKhKDINi; liiUDS IN TlIK FI.V1N(; V .\V,V. 

 White and Hlack-lieM.led Iliises are soi-n on tla-ir nests. 



and seldom become reconciled to close confine- 

 ment. On tile other hand, they soon become 

 tame and confiding when they have room to fly 

 about, and will keep in perfect condition for 

 many years. In fact, with certain exceptions, 

 all birds tiirive in confinement in direct pro- 

 portion to the amount of room tiiey are allowed. 



That there are exceptions to this rule comes 

 as a surprise to many. There is no doubt, how- 

 ever, that there are many birds whicii, from 

 one cause or another, do much better in small, 

 individual cages. Here they can be provided 

 with special food and care, whicli they are able 

 to enjoy without disturbance by greedy or quar- 

 relsome cage-mates, and thev also are more eas- 

 ily protected from dangerous draughts. A few 

 are quarrelsome as well as delicate, and cannot 

 be associated with other birds. 



In 1911, a series of ten cages, -12 x 28 x 20 

 inches, and 25 x 32 x 20 inches, was erected at 

 the sides of the passage from the Parrot Hall 

 to the Glass Court. Their complete success 

 was so evident that early in 1913, sixteen more 

 were added. At present, these cages house 

 thirty-one birds of twenty-seven species, all in 

 the most perfect condition, and many of them 

 have been there since the erection of the first 

 cages. All are of uncommon interest, and many 

 are very rare. They include eight species of 

 parrots and parrakeets, two of lories, a hoopoe, 

 Burchell coucal, Cuban green woodpeckers, 

 African roller, barbets, red-starts, flycatchers, 

 kinglets, honey-eaters and others. All of these 

 birds are physically delicate and temperament- 

 ally shy. A few, it must be confessed, are quar- 

 relsome as well, and previous experience has 

 shown the impracticability of keeping them with 

 other birds. Thus these individual cages 

 enable us to exhibit many species which could 



not be kept otherwise, and form in themselves 

 one of the most attractive exhibits of the Large 

 Bird-House. 



L. S. C. 



BREEDING RESULTS IX THE BIRD 

 DEPARTMENT. 1 !)!.-,. 



ALTHOL (jH weather conditions during the 

 si)riiig and sunnner just past were uncom- 

 monly adverse, breeding .utivities .imong 

 our birds have been equally uruisual. A special 

 effort was made this year to increase the num- 

 ber of young birds annually reared, and much 

 credit is due the various keepers whose interest 

 has made possible our success. 



Most important, of course, at least from the 

 ))0))ular point of view, are the young penguin 

 and emu, mentioned elsewhere in this number 

 of the Bulletin. But what may prove to be 

 of even greater interest, are the really remark- 

 able attempts at reproduction, by the birds in 

 the Elying Cage. Unfortunately, most of these 

 efforts were abortive, but the mere fact of their 

 nesting leads us to lio|)e that .inotlier season 

 may bring more satisfactory results. It is a 

 pleasure even to be able to record that t\M) pairs 

 of snowy egrets built, laid and incubated, in 

 comi>any with a colony of white and Mack- 

 headed ibises and roseate sjioonbilis. Two white 

 ibises were successfully reared, and a young 

 spoonbill — no doubt the first in caijtivity — was 

 hatched. A terrific rain storm, however, which 

 found the birds at a critical time, wrecked most 

 of tlie nests, and so demoralized the colony 

 that breeding was ])romptly siispeiuled for tile 

 season. 



