14 



NEWS BULLETIN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



AN OCEAN WAIF. 



The European Turtle Dove which flew aboard the Steamship 

 Phoenicia, 750 miles from land. 



FEATHERED OCEAN WAIFS. 



The routes which birds follow in migrat- 

 ing north and south, sometimes extend over 

 considerable stretches of water, as across the 

 Caribbean Sea, but the only birds which vol- 

 untarily brave the dangers of the open ocean, 

 are those which, from ability to swim, or great 

 power of flight, can trust themselves far away 

 from land. Not infrequently a storm will 

 drive birds away from the land and carry 

 them over immense distances, and this ac- 

 counts for the occasional appearance of land 

 birds near vessels far out at sea. Overcome 

 with fatigue, they perch for hours in the rig- 

 ging before taking flight in the direction of 

 the nearest land, or desperate from hunger, fly 

 fearlessly down to the deck, where food and 

 water are never refused them. 



Small events like these are welcome breaks 

 in the monotony of a long ocean-vovage, but 

 are soon forgotten at the end of the trip. 



Two of these ocean waifs have recently 

 been presented to the New York Zoological 

 Park, and are on exhibition in the Bird House. 

 One is a young European Heron (Ardea 

 cincrea), the gift of Captain G. E. Warner, 



of the steamship Glencartney. The bird flew 

 on board his vessel when about 205 miles 

 southwest of Cape Cormorin, the southern ex- 

 tremity of India, but did not appear tired out, 

 although it had probably not rested since leav- 

 ing the land. A storm must have driven it 

 seaward, as there is no migration route near 

 this locality. The heron's wing was clipped, 

 and it proceeded to make itself entirely at 

 home. Showing a very fierce and aggressive 

 disposition, it was confined most of the time 

 in the potato-bin, which it defended so vigor- 

 ously against the inroads of the cook, that the 

 latter received several wounds from the bird's 

 beak while attempting to secure the daily ration 

 of potatoes. The bird fell overboard once or 

 twice, but easily kept afloat until picked up 

 by a boat's crew. An abundance of fish-scraps 

 kept it in good health, and after its long voy- 

 age it arrived at the Park in first-class condi- 

 tion. 



The second bird is a European Turtle Dove 

 (Turtur turtur), which was captured not less 

 than 750 miles from the nearest land — Ireland. 

 On May 27th it flew on board the Steamship 

 Phoenicia, of the Hamburg- American Line, 

 and was cared for and presented to the Park 

 by Captain Paul Froehlich. It was in an ex- 

 hausted condition when caught, but quickly 

 recovered, and at present is in beautiful plum- 

 age, showing no signs of the buffeting of the 

 storm which it must have undergone. 



The Turtle Dove migrates northward to 

 the British Islands about the 1st of May, hut 

 as this bird was captured on May 17th, it was 

 not migrating, but, caught by a gust of wind, 

 was probably blown away from the land. The 

 force of the storm would then drive it mile 

 after mile, allowing it no chance of controlling 

 the direction of its flight, but, from the very 

 velocity, making it easy for the bird to main- 

 tain its equilibrium. 



Hundreds of birds must perish when left 

 by storms far out at sea, and the infinitely 

 small chance of a vessel or other resting-place 

 being in sight, makes a bird which has passed 

 through such an experience and survived, an 

 interesting addition to a collection. 



C. If. B. 



