64 THIRD FLOOR, WEST CORRIDOR 



familiar sound on the northern New England lakes. Many loons pass the 



winter at sea fifty miles or more from land. (Reproduced from studies at 



Lake Umbagog, New Hampshire.) 



This rocky island thirty miles from shore in the Gulf of St. Lawrence 



affords some protection to the sea birds which still nest in 

 Bird Rock 

 p great numbers on and in its cliffs, although the colony is a 



mere shadow of what it was even fifty years ago. Seven 



species are shown nesting in the group. Namely the razor-billed auk, 



petrel, gannet, puffin, Kittiwake gull, common murre and Brunnich's 



murre. (Reproduced from studies at Bird Rock, Gulf of St. Lawrence.) 



[A description of the Bird Rock Group is given in Guide Leaflet No. 1.] 



[Return to the South Pavilion containing the apes and monkeys.] 



WEST CORRIDOR 



Local Birds 



Returning to the South Pavilion where the monkeys are and passing to 

 the right, we enter the West Corridor containing the collection 

 Seasona Q ^ j oca j D i rc [ s> At the south end of the corridor are several 



of Birds cases in which the birds are changed each month to represent 



the bird life of the parks of the city. This exhibit is particu- 

 larly useful for teachers and to those desiring to identify the birds which 

 they see out of doors. Other exhibits which will appeal to the bird student 

 are those showing types of feet, bill, wings and feathers. Variation of a 

 species, that all important factor of evolution, is here illustrated in the 

 geographical variation in size and color of the song sparrow. [See Guide 

 Leaflet No. 22.] 



The group near the stairway showing the feeding habits of birds, empha- 

 . sizes the remarkable manner in which the bill of the bird is 

 GrouD adapted to secure food. For instance the humming bird 



which feeds to a considerable extent on the nectar of flowers, 

 has a long, slender bill; the birds of prey like the owl or hawk, have short, 

 curved bills for tearing flesh; the seed-eating birds like the parrot, have 

 thick, heavy bills, while the water-feeding birds like the duck, have broad, 

 spoon-shaped bills. 



The collection of Auduboniana, or objects relating to the life and work 



, , . of John J. Audubon, occupies the stairway wall. It com- 



Auduboniana ... . 



prises original sketches and drawings of Audubon and his 



sons and was presented to the Museum by his granddaughters. 



