J. B. Housden— Visit to New York Zoological Park 133


of Adelaide I saw this Parrot in very considerable numbers, and there¬

fore judged that the epidemic of 1888 coidd not have as completely

exterminated the species there as was the case further south.


The above notes by my friend Mr. Ashby, an experienced field

ornithologist, are very interesting to me, because I recollect that about

the year 1889 I purchased several Redrumps, all of which were suffering

more or less from the complaint known as “French moult - ’. The

birds were flightless and to a great extent devoid of feathers. Most of

them died, but if I remember rightly a few recovered. One put it

down in those days to some fault in treatment either on the voyage

or after, but it now transpires that this was a disease which attacked

the wild birds, and there is little doubt that they were captured in this

condition.


This is evidently one of those strange methods adopted by Nature

to avoid over population in any particular species. Here we have a bird

that for some unaccountable reason had become excessively numerous

in a certain district; probably so numerous that the food supply was

insufficient. This strange malady suddenly appears and almost wipes

them out, although one is glad to know that the species has to a great

extent recovered again.


D. Seth-Smith.



MY FIRST VISIT TO NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL

PARK, BRONX PARK (WINTER SEASON)


By J. B. Housden


We landed in New York after being delayed one day in a fog off

the Banks of Newfoundland. Our first day in U.S.A. (30th March) my

son and I spent at the Zoological Park.


The Zoological Park is the geographical centre of that portion of

greater New York known as Bronx County. From east to west it is

halfway between the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, and from

north to south it is mid-way between the mouth of the Harlem River

and Mount Vernon. (From the City Hall the distance is 11 miles.)

There are plenty of means of access, and the charge for the whole

distance is a nickel (2 \d.) ; we rode 15 miles for that amount.



