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ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



Mammals 



W. T. HORNADAY. 



Birds 

 William Beebe. 

 Lek S. Crandall. 



BtpattmtutB : 



Aquarium, 



C. H. TOWNSEND. 



Reptiles 

 Raymond L. Ditmars. 



Published bi-monthly at the OfBce of the Society, 

 111 Broadway, New York City. 



Yearly by Mail, $1.00. 



MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS. 



Copyright, 1917, by the New York Zoological Society. 



Each author is responsible for the scientific accuracy 



and the proof reading of his contribution. 



Elwin R. Sanborn, 



Editor and Official Photographer 



Vol. XX, No. 5 



SEPTEMBER, 1917 



the diameter- of the tail is so greatly reduced 

 by the absorption of fatt3=^ nourishment that the 

 appendage is of the normal size of other small 

 species of rat kangaroos that lack the charac- 

 teristic described. Four species of the genus 

 Boettongia are known, and all are remarkable 

 in another use of the tail, which is employed 

 for seizing and carrying grasses with which the 

 animal makes its nest. A hollow is scooped in 

 the ground, and the entrance being thus on a 

 level with the surrounding herbage, is closed 

 up with grass which the rat kangaroo drags af- 

 ter it. This skillfully designed lair is extremely 

 difficult to detect. 



Another particularly interesting species is the 

 short-tailed wallaby, {Macropus hrachyariis). 

 Here is another of the smaller species, in which 

 the tail is not used as a prop or support in 

 assuming a sitting posture. Moreover, the ap- 

 pendage is so short it appears as if half of it 

 had been lost. This species has, proportion- 

 ately, the shortest tail of all of the kangaroo 

 species, and may be immediately recognized by 

 this unique development. 



Other of the new kangaroos are interesting 

 from their large size and rarity in collections. 

 Among them is a huge example of the black 

 wallaroo, {Macropus robustus) . that stands ful- 

 ly five feet high, and is very savage. There 

 are two specimens of the exceptionally rare 

 ring-tailed wallaby, (Macropus ruficollis), and 

 an example of the tree kangaroo, (Dendrolagus 

 bennettianus) . No more incongruous type of 

 animal than a kangaroo in a tree, can be imag- 

 ined, but this animal has become adapted to an 

 arboreal life by acquiring elongated digits, 

 which grasp like a hand. Curiously enough, its 

 tail has not become prehensile, and while it is 

 a sure climber, and ascends lofty trees, its prog- 

 ress is slow and not at all graceful. 



The elaboration of our kangaroo collection 

 results in a splendid series of these animals oc- 

 cupying the long row of cages on the easterly 

 side of the Small-Deer House. This collection 

 is especially interesting just now, as five mem- 

 bers of the collection are carrying young in the 

 pouch, thus illustrating the characteristic meth- 

 od of caring for the progeny among the marsu- 

 pials. Within a short time they will be seen 

 leaving the pouch, and again entering the re- 

 ceptacle as they become tired. 



Two species in the new collection that appear 

 to have arrived alive in the United States for 

 the first time, are the curious rabbit-eared ban- 

 dicoot and the opossum mouse. The former, 

 known technically as Perogale lagotis, is of the 

 size and form of a rabbit as regards body and 

 limbs, but possesses an extremely long and 

 pointed snout, minute eyes and a long, tufted 

 tail. It is insectivorous. The opossum mouse 

 (Phascologale calura), is one of the smallest 

 known pouched animals, similar in form and 

 size to a field mouse. It is nocturnal and the 

 food largely consists of insects. The latter spe- 

 cies is exhibited in the Reptile House, together 

 with the delicate flying phalangers, which re- 

 quire special care and even temperature. 



Among miscellaneous mammals brought by 

 Mr. Joseph is the Australian water rat, (Hy- 

 dromys chry sag aster), a fish-eating species, and 

 several of the smaller carnivora of South Africa. 



The cages in the Reptile House also contain 

 specimens of the Australian collection. Here 

 were added a number of species of turtles, liz- 

 ards and snakes. Among the latter are several 

 of the more deadly types, with which Australia 

 is so plentifully provided. These are the pur- 

 ple death adder, the brown snake and the band}^ 

 bandy snake. The venomous serpents of Aus- 

 tralia are close allies of the cobras, and the 

 greater number of them flatten the neck in co- 

 bra fashion, although they do not rear upward 

 or assume such spectacular positions in threat- 

 ening an enemy as do their formidable allies of 

 Asia and Africa. 



ZOOLOGICAL PARK NOTES. 



Parh Military Work. — Company A of the 

 Zoological Park Guards continues drilling and 

 improving in military discipline and precision. 

 The company is incorporated in the battalion 

 of the Home Defense League attached to the 

 68th Precinct of the Police Department. The 

 growth and increasing efficiency of the League 

 has been particularly gratifying, and the vari- 



