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J. Delacour—American Aviculture



rocks, are small and rough, and not open to the public. The general

effect, outside, is very pleasing. The gardens are beautifully kept,

and I was surprised to see lovely lawns in most of the pens. There is

no attempt at keeping a general collection, only groups of animals

and birds, according to geographical distribution, with some very rare

specimens. The only old-fashioned building in the Zoo is a bird house,

like those one sees everywhere in America ; but the collection includes

no rarities.


The new Brookfield Zoo at Chicago is one of the sights of America,

although it is not quite finished yet, and will still be greatly improved

during the next few years. The same enthusiastic promoters, whose

skill and generosity are already responsible for the great Field Museum

of Natural History and the marvellous Shedd Aquarium, have started it.

The grounds are very extensive and the means of developing them

adequate. No doubt within a few years it will be the largest

establishment of its kind in the world. Most of the accommodation

is of the modem “ fenceless ” style, but there are also quite a number

of luxurious houses for the smaller mammals and birds.


The Brookfield Zoo is very ably managed by Mr. E. H. Bean,

assisted by his son for the mammals (of which there is already a beauti¬

ful collection). As the curator of birds, the Chicago Zoological Society

has had the luck to obtain the services of Mr. Karl Plath, whose name

is already familiar to our readers. Mr. Plath has been for many years

a private amateur and has successfully kept many of the rarest and

most difficult birds ; his pictures have also been much admired. His

knowledge and experience have seldom been surpassed. At the new

Chicago Zoo, Mr. Plath has a great opportunity for collecting and study¬

ing birds in a big way, and he takes every opportunity of making the

collection one of the finest. He has at his disposal a large Small Bird

House, a Parrot House, another one for larger species, extremely

decorative and practical, and many pens and aviaries ; other accom¬

modation will soon be added. Just to mention a few birds,

I will say that there are several Birds of Paradise,

including one Sickle-bill, a large selection of rare insectivorous

and frugivorous birds from all parts of the world, a very good series

of Western and Middle-Western American birds, including the most



