1030 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



OH I'll AN WHITE-TAILED FAWN 



she had been suckled by her mother, and had 

 gained sufficient strength to stagger around 

 upon her own feet. Probably the mother was 

 frightened and temporarily deserted her 

 charge, and before she could return, the fawn 

 had been found by the motor party that 

 presented it to the Park. 



The Wily Adjutant. — The adjutant is a 

 solemn bird, with a most funereal air. He 

 envelops himself in an atmosphere of sublime 

 indifference and sanctimonious innocence, and 

 so artfully is the pose assumed, that all the 

 virtues — except beauty — are accorded him. 

 He is a caricature of our own wood ibis, 

 which is the last word in all that is grotesque. 

 His tastes are not epicurean for "all is fish 

 that cometh to net;" and if his companions 

 step over the dead line which lies just without 

 the range of his ever ready beak, they speedily 

 learn that his temper is as uncertain as that 

 of a gouty patient. 



Feeding time, perforce, is a solitary meal, 

 for if several approach the feed-pan together, 

 the affair resolves itself into a scene of domestic 

 turmoil. 



The food is scattered and by hasty gobbling 

 each gets a portion, and beats a hasty retreat 

 to digest it under peaceful conditions. Fletch- 

 erizing is beyond the desire or even the com- 

 prehension of the adjutant. 



Occasionally a sparrow or squirrel ventures 

 to nibble around the pan under the surveil- 

 lance of its solitary guardian. If they are 

 agile, no harm befalls them, but should they 

 venture within striking distance, they are lost. 



Passing the Crane Paddock, I observed an 

 adjutant, with his head drawn down between 



his wings, silently digesting one of those hasty 

 meals, while a dozen chattering sparrows 

 hovered around the pan. A gray squirrel in 

 an oak nearby, gathering courage from the 

 temerity of the feathered robbers, whisked 

 briskly down the trunk of the oak, and with 

 true sciuroidean caution, jumped intermit- 

 tently toward the pan. 



The stolid adjutant affected an entire 

 indifference to this proceeding and the squirrel 

 gained confidence with every jump. "Why 

 this is a stump; it can't hurt me," he seemed 

 to be saying, and with one hasty leap he was 

 in the pan and the enemy's country. 



Abandoning himself to the business at 

 hand he lost all thought of possible danger. 

 The statuesque adjutant deigned then to fix 

 his gaze on the busy scavengers. Very slowly 

 and as silently as the softest zephyr, he un- 

 limbered his awkward neck and head. So 

 rapid was the movement that followed, that 

 I was not aware of its object until the squirrel 

 was thrown into the air as a terrier would 

 throw a rat. The furry body had scarcely 

 reached the ground before the merciless beak 

 had once more struck another savage blow, 

 breaking the little animal's spine and killing 

 him instantly. The adjutant then leisurely 

 gave the body a toss, caught it in his capa- 

 cious maw, and settled down for further 

 cogitation. 



Hunting Jack-rabbits. — Are there any four 

 footed creatures in the world that for a short 

 distances can equal the speed of the jack- 

 rabbit of our western prairies? If Jack might 

 be induced to make a straightaway race with 

 the best greyhound that could be produced, 

 and do his level best, it would be safe to 

 wager your money on the rabbit. When 

 urged on by the terror of being caught, he 

 appears to be a moving gray streak. Hunting 

 jack-rabbits with horses and hounds is a 

 favorite sport with the officers at Fort Sill, 

 Oklahoma, for garrison life in the southwest 

 is not productive of much excitement. 



The grayhounds scatter over the prairie 

 until a rabbit is started from a clump of grass, 

 and then the chase begins. The hounds 

 gradually drop into single file, led by one 

 particularly fast, and settle down for a stern 

 chase, and sometimes a long chase. 



For a short distance the quarry leaves the 

 yelping pack hopelessly behind. But as his 

 fright increases and his lung power grows 

 perceptibly less, he is obliged to resort to 

 other tactics, and it is right there that he is 

 undone. 



