ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1323 



DATU IN WINTER DRESS 



climbed upon it like a performing animal and a 

 moment later there was a great crash of glass. 

 The elephant had succeeded in reaching the ven- 

 tilator chain, and his experimental tug at this 

 was so vigorous that it shattered the pane. 



A Grotohig Tortoise. — At the San Diego ex- 

 position, very recently, a long-haired dispenser 

 of natural history misinformation frequently as- 

 sured the frequenters of the Isthmus that turtles 

 live to the age of 2,000 years, and he cited a 

 "stuffed and mounted" harp turtle to prove it. 



Despite many allegations that the growth of 

 the gigantic tortoises from the Galapagos Is- 

 lands is exceedingly slow, and that these ani- 

 mals live for hundreds of years, — if they have 

 good luck, — we have had quite contrary expe- 

 riences with them at the Park. A specimen 

 received here ten years ago has increased from 

 a weight of one hundred and forty to over three 

 hundred pounds. Moreover, conditions here, in 

 the varying temperature of New York, would 

 be not nearly so conducive to rapid growth as 

 the uniformly hot climate of the animal's native 

 home. The Galapagos Islands are nearly under 

 the Equator. 



Landsherg's Kinkajou. — There is a very 

 tame kinkajou in the Small Mammal House that 

 follows Keeper Landsberg literally about "like 

 a dog." The kinkajou occupies rather a doubt- 

 ful place in classification, being of alleged re- 

 lationship to the raccoons. In form it is some- 

 what like an otter, but with large and intelli- 

 gent eyes, and a long prehensile tail. In its 

 habits it is chieflj'^ arboreal. If its favorite keep- 

 er is passing through the building, the kinkajou 

 invariably jumps upon the hand-rail to run after 

 him, and if a visitor is unwarily looking into a 

 cage the animal hurdles over his hands, usually 

 to the consternation of the unsuspecting. 



R. L. D. 



Crested Eagle. — The crested eagles of the 

 genus Spizaetus are among the finest of the Ac- 

 cipitrine birds. Most of the species are hand- 

 somely colored, with occipital crests more or 

 less strongly developed. They are uniformly 

 active and aggressive. Sixteen forms are rec- 

 ognized, of which five have been exhibited in 

 the Zoological Park. 



The Crowned Eagle (^S. coronatus), a native 

 of the great forests of South Africa, is one of 

 the most striking. In size it is somewhat small- 

 er than our bald eagle, but stronger and more 

 fierce than the larger bird. It is gray above, 

 and buflfy below, strongly marked with black 

 blotches, which increase as the birds grow old. 

 The crest is well marked. 



Two specimens are now in the Society's col- 

 lection. One was secured from the Zoological 

 Gardens of Antwerp in 1912, and the other 

 was purchased from Lt.-Col. Boj^d Horsbrugh, 

 two years later. The two birds amicably shared 

 a cage for some time. One afternoon, however, 

 they were found tightly locked in fierce combat, 

 and since that encounter they have been confined 

 in separate quarters. 



L. S. C. 



CRESTED EAGLE 



