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Mr. D. Seth-Smith,



amongst rank vegetation, heather, etc., sometimes amongst cairns of

stones, or even in a hollow in an old stone wall.


Mergansers are great eaters. Eleven good-sized salmon-parr

have been taken from one bird. Small eels and coarse fish of all

kinds, as well as shrimps and little crabs swell the list of their

varied menu.


They will live well in captivity, provided they have fish or

flesh, but they can subsist, when accustomed to it, very largely on

greaves, melox, etc., but of course the larger the piece of water

stocked with natural food, the better.



NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL

GARDENS.


By D. Seth-Smith, E.Z.S.


Our Editor has appealed to me to send him some notes

for the September Magazine, and so, on a wet day on my holiday

far from London I am writing a few notes, though as I have not

my note-hook with me, it is possible I may have omitted some

points of interest, and as I left a week ago these notes may not

be quite up to date.


Amongst the most interesting of recent arrivals may be

mentioned a specimen of the Great Courlan (Aramis giganteus ) a

bird that may be described as something between a Crane and a

Rail, with a superficial resemblance to, and about the same size as,

an Ibis, but with a less curved bill. It is brown, with each feather

centred with white, giving it a very speckled appearance. It walks

with an upright carriage and a peculiar jerky motion of the body.

A. giganteus or %>ictus occurs in reedy swamps in Central America

and the Southern States of North America as well as some of the

West Indian Islands. To the south of its range occurs the closely

allied form, which is probably merely a local race known as the

Scolopaceous Courlan. These two are the only representatives of

this genus and form a distinct Family of birds.


This is the only example ever received of Aramus giganteus,



