ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



915 



TAHR ON THE TREE (H'AKI) 



the condition of the roof may be, it is negotiated 

 with perfect ease. 



This feat, however, becomes rather common- 

 place in comparison to one performed by the 

 Himalayan tahr on Mountain Sheep Hill. In 

 their corral, directly on the ridge, stands a cedar 

 tree ten inches in diameter. To protect it from 

 the horns of the tahr family, a tree-guard of 

 small slats was placed around it and securely 

 fastened with wires. These sticks arc five feet 

 long, two inches wide, an inch thick and stand 

 close to the tree, offering the most precarious 

 foothold. Passing Mountain Sheep Hill re- 

 cently. I was astonished to observe one of the 

 goats lightly perched on the top of the guard, 

 nimbly shifting her feet from stick to stick. 

 There is but one way for the goat to get to the 

 top of the guard, a straight leap from the 

 ground, and absolute precision in alighting on 

 the ends of the sticks. Mr. Merkel assures me 

 that he has seen the goat with all four feet on 

 the end of one stick. The accompanying picture 

 does not show the goat's method of getting on 

 the guard, but it undeniably proves that it can 

 be done. My personal knowledge of the temper 

 of this particular animal may fairly be regarded 

 as proof that it would be a physical impossi- 

 bility for any one to have posed her in the airy 

 position that the photograph records. 



in the paddock and the coming of good weather 

 of sufficient constancy to insure the safety of the 

 Cassowary. When the great bird finally is 

 added to the group, the pleasure of his gro- 

 tesque companion is unmistakable. Each is 

 allowed the most unexpected freedom with the 

 other's person, and frequently the cassowary 

 may be seen lying upon the ground, the mara- 

 bou perched solemnly upon his back, often with 

 his long wings widespread. Until fall, the two 

 birds are constantly in each other's company, 

 and are separated only when it becomes neces- 

 sary to remove them to warmer winter quarters. 



ZOOLOGICAL PARK NOTES. 



The Agile Goat. — It would be exceedingly 

 difficult and very likely a useless task to attempt 

 to prove with words alone the extraordinary 

 mountaineering feats of the wild sheep and 

 goats. In the language of a hunter, inelegant 

 but expressive, "they can perch where a tele- 

 scope can't look." Visitors to the Park fre- 

 quently see the Rocky Mountain goats airily 

 standing on the ridge of their shelter, or run- 

 ning lightly along the roofs. No matter what 



A Reliable Engineer. — Take a small stream, 

 a generous supply of trees (poplars and birches 

 are best), plenty of peace and quiet, put a fence 

 around it and add a good sized healthy Ameri- 

 can beaver. After you have done all this, come 

 back to your peace at dusk, being perfectly cer- 

 tain that you furnish the quiet, and prepare to 

 see a wonderful display of animal ingenuity. 



Such an opportunity was afforded me once at 

 our Beaver Pond and after several trips — dur- 

 ing which time I failed to bring along enough 

 quiet — the beaver furnished me an exclusive en- 

 tertainment. The Beaver Pond is a stationary 

 body of water and to maintain it in clean condi- 

 tion, a hydraulic ram keeps the water at a 

 suitable height. In order that the water does 

 not overflow the banks, a twelve-inch pipe has 

 been placed under the dam in the bed of the 

 stream. At the end of the pipe, under the dam, 

 an elbow and a thirty-inch perpendicular joint 

 have been attached to serve as an overflow for 

 the pond after the water has attained a certain 

 level. 



But the beaver, not agreeing with these utili- 

 ties, waged a continuous warfare with the men 

 as to the ultimate maintenance of the water sup- 

 ply; and upon my successful visit I learned just 



