﻿THE 
  AMSTERDAM 
  ZOOLOGICAL 
  GARDENS. 
  221 
  

  

  many 
  other 
  birds 
  besides 
  Parrots. 
  The 
  Laughing 
  Jackass 
  

   (Daeelo 
  gigas), 
  a 
  Kingfisher 
  which 
  does 
  not 
  fish, 
  uttered 
  his 
  

   cheery 
  notes. 
  The 
  Crowned 
  Pigeon 
  (Goura 
  coronata) 
  of 
  New 
  

   Guinea 
  squatted 
  on 
  its 
  straw 
  like 
  a 
  barnyard 
  fowl, 
  or 
  rather 
  like 
  

   a 
  Turkey, 
  which 
  it 
  rivalled 
  in 
  size. 
  The 
  beautiful 
  Nutmeg 
  

   Pigeon 
  (Myristicivora 
  bicolor), 
  the 
  whiteness 
  of 
  its 
  snowy 
  plumage 
  

   softened 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  by 
  the 
  faintest 
  tinge 
  of 
  yellow, 
  and 
  replaced 
  

   on 
  wings 
  and 
  tail 
  by 
  a 
  bold 
  contrast 
  of 
  black, 
  sat 
  contentedly 
  on 
  

   its 
  perch. 
  The 
  exquisite 
  Caereba 
  (Certhiola 
  cyanea), 
  or 
  Sugar 
  

   Bird, 
  recalled, 
  in 
  its 
  tiny 
  azure 
  body 
  and 
  curved 
  beak, 
  its 
  near 
  

   relations, 
  the 
  Sun-birds 
  of 
  Africa. 
  Glossy 
  Starlings 
  (Lampro- 
  

   tornis 
  and 
  haw/procolius) 
  figured 
  in 
  the 
  series, 
  their 
  lovely 
  plumage 
  

   scintillating 
  with 
  varying 
  nuances 
  of 
  purple 
  and 
  violet, 
  well 
  set 
  

   off 
  by 
  their 
  golden 
  eyes; 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  was 
  a 
  partial 
  albino, 
  

   sporting 
  several 
  white 
  feathers 
  on 
  its 
  breast. 
  In 
  an 
  adjoining 
  

   room 
  a 
  young 
  male 
  Lesser 
  Bird 
  of 
  Paradise 
  (Paradisea 
  minor) 
  

   sat 
  sunning 
  itself, 
  with 
  head 
  turned 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  and 
  expanded 
  

   drooping 
  wings, 
  as 
  if 
  to 
  present 
  as 
  large 
  a 
  surface 
  as 
  possible 
  to 
  

   the 
  solar 
  rays. 
  Being 
  only 
  about 
  three 
  years 
  old, 
  it 
  lacked 
  the 
  

   gorgeous 
  flank-plumes 
  of 
  the 
  adult, 
  though 
  the 
  wire-like 
  shafts 
  

   springing 
  from 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  tail 
  were 
  just 
  bursting 
  their 
  

   sheaths, 
  and 
  the 
  characteristic 
  straw-yellow 
  feathers 
  were 
  re- 
  

   cognizable 
  on 
  the 
  head. 
  This 
  bad-tempered 
  bird 
  kept 
  up 
  a 
  

   continual 
  screaming 
  if 
  anyone 
  approached 
  its 
  cage, 
  thus 
  dis- 
  

   playing 
  the 
  cloven 
  tongue 
  and 
  the 
  bristly 
  projections 
  which 
  

   studded 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  its 
  mouth. 
  Mantell's 
  Apteryx 
  (Apteryx 
  

   mantelli), 
  the 
  wingless 
  bird 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  showed 
  itself 
  as 
  

   apathetic 
  as 
  the 
  Paradisea 
  was 
  vigorous 
  ; 
  for, 
  when 
  turned 
  out 
  

   of 
  bed, 
  it 
  stood 
  stupidly 
  still 
  (pseudo-mammalian 
  in 
  its 
  coat 
  of 
  

   hair-like 
  feathers), 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  ran 
  heavily 
  forwards 
  

   to 
  plunge 
  into 
  its 
  straw. 
  

  

  The 
  Pieptile 
  collection 
  included 
  Alligators 
  (Alligator 
  lucius) 
  — 
  

   one 
  very 
  savage 
  specimen 
  — 
  Monitor 
  (Varanus 
  sp.) 
  and 
  Heloderm 
  

   Lizards 
  (Heloderma 
  suspectum), 
  Pythons 
  (Python 
  sp.), 
  and 
  Boa- 
  

   Constrictors 
  (Boa 
  sp.]. 
  One 
  cage 
  contained 
  twenty-six 
  baby 
  

   snakes 
  (Anacondas 
  — 
  Eunectes 
  murinus), 
  a 
  bulge 
  in 
  the 
  anatomy 
  

   of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  promising 
  infants 
  indicating 
  the 
  grave 
  of 
  an 
  un- 
  

   fortunate 
  Mouse. 
  In 
  the 
  tank 
  opposite 
  the 
  snakes 
  was 
  a 
  Green 
  

   Turtle 
  (Chelone 
  viridis) 
  - 
  so 
  difficult 
  to 
  keep 
  in 
  captivity— 
  and 
  a 
  

  

  