124 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens.


BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.


By The Curator.


The arrivals at the Gardens since my last notes were

written for the December number have not been numerous or

of great importance, and very few birds that are new to the

collection have been received. Perhaps the most beautiful is a

Rainbow Bunting * (Cyanospiza leclancheri), a lovely species from

Mexico, with sky-blue back and canary yellow underside. Those

who have visited the bird shows during the last two years will

be familiar with it, because a specimen belonging to Mrs.

Tinniswood Miller, probably the first ever brought to England,

has been shown several times.


The series of Hornbills has been enriched by a fine speci¬

men of the Indian Concave-casqued form (Dichoceros bicomis),

one of the largest of the group. It has been placed for the

winter in the Small Bird House where it can be seen to much

better advantage than in the Eastern Aviary, where the Horn-

bills are generally kept, but where the temperature is too low

at this time of year for new arrivals.


By exchange with the New York Zoological Society, we

received three species that are new to the Gardens, namely, a

pair of Cuban Banded Woodpeckers (Nesoceleus fernandince), a

single example of the Cuban Green Woodpecker (Xiphidiopicus

percussus ), and a pair of Black-throated Crested Quails (. Eupsy-

chortyx nigrogularis') from Central America.


From South Africa we have received six examples of a

species of Zosterops, which is new to the Society’s list, namely,

Z. viretis, the Cape Green White-eye ; as well as a single example

of the South African Red-winged Starling (Amydrus morio ) also

new, and a Cape Robin-Chat (Cossypha caffra). The last is a

singularly beautiful bird, olive-brown above with rufous tail and

throat, black cheeks and conspicuous white eye-stripe. It is

the second example the Society has possessed, the first having

been presented by Major Horsbrugh some few years ago.


Another recent arrival is a young Cassowary, but it is

impossible at present to determine the species, as we do not



c.f. Avicultural Magazine, Second Series, Vol. VII., p. 220.



