464 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



■nmHBmm 



FAN PALM [Livistonia sinensis). 

 Presented by the estate of William Ziegler, through W. S. Champ. 



Sale of Deer. — On September 1st, the Zoo- 

 logical Park issued a circular enumerating the 

 deer of various species that were then over- 

 crowding the ranges, and were offered for sale. 

 With but one exception, all the animals offered 

 were born here, and all were well worthy to rep- 

 resent the Park. Of the 21 species of deer in 

 the Park collection, thirteen have bred. The 

 circular is fully illustrated, and contains much 

 information of interest. It will be sent on ap- 

 plication to anyone who is interested in the 

 breeding of deer. About one-half of the deer 

 offered have already been sold. 



Samb'ar Deer. — As one of the results of Di- 

 rector Hornaday s efforts to bring about the 

 acclimatization of the Indian sambar deer, (Cer- 

 vus unicolor), in the South, Dr. Ray V. Pierce, 

 of Buffalo, purchased of the Society a male and 

 three adult females, which have been shipped 

 to St. Vincent Island, in the Gulf of Mexico, 

 near Appalachicola, Florida, and set free. The 

 entire island is owned by Dr. Pierce, and it is 



believed that the sambar will do well there. Of 

 course the experiment will be watched with keen 

 interest. The sambar is a great producer of 

 venison, a prolific breeder, and being of san- 

 guine temperament, it seems well adapted to 

 some of the southern forests. 



Black Leopard. — Our black leopard is dead. 

 It was given out by the usual secret dissemina- 

 tor of false information, that the animal per- 

 ished under distressing circumstances, in deadly 

 combat with her male cage-mate. The pub- 

 lished accounts of the battle were interesting, 

 and even thrilling, but not so illuminating as the 

 autopsy.. The very sudden and quiet death of 

 the black leopard was a puzzle to the keepers 

 until Dr. Blair's autopsy revealed a long, sau- 

 sage-like piece of fresh meat in the animal's 

 wind-pipe, which completely filled the air pas- 

 sage, and caused quick suffocation. Her cage- 

 mate was entirely innocent. No "fight" oc- 

 curred, and no "truthful ever" reported any- 

 thing- of the kind. 



