ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 
69 
of the bald pate is ornamented by a tuft of 
whitish down, which gives rise to the appropri¬ 
ate British Guiana name of “negro cop.” 
North America’s only stork is the wood ibis, 
incorrectly named because of its resemblance to 
birds of the ibis group. It has been recorded 
as far north as Vermont, is still found in some 
numbers in portions of Florida, and extends 
southward as far as Argentina. It is white in 
general coloration, with the flights and tail 
black. The head and neck are bare, also black, 
and deeply corrugated in old birds. It thrives in 
captivity and specimens are always to be seen 
in the great Flying Cage in the Zoological Park. 
THE TAMING OF ZEBRAS IN YE 
OLDEN TIME 
T HE chief book observer of the Zoological 
Society recently found in a record of ob¬ 
servation, made in 1774 and 1775, a very 
interesting description of the Zoological Garden 
in Lisbon at that time and a spirited description 
of the efforts that had been made therein to 
break zebras and train them to harness. The 
book is entitled “The Journal of A Lady of 
Quality,” and it is a recent publication of the 
Yale University Press. Primarily it is a narra¬ 
tive journal of travels and observations in the 
Carolinas in 1774 and 1775. Referring to zebra 
training in the zoological garden its reference 
is as follows : 
“I had scarcely time for the next sight. It is 
just behind them, and indeed makes part of 
the same building. It is no less than thirteen 
zebras, but as you have often seen the Queen’s 
ass, I need not describe them, for they are 
exactly the same. They have been endeavoring 
to break them to draw in the King’s carriage, 
which would look very pretty, but though several 
grooms have been maimed and some even killed 
in the attempt, they are as untamed as ever, 
and though many of them have been colted in 
the stables, and began as early as possible, it 
has had no effect. They are infinitely stronger 
as well as taller than the common breed of 
asses, and I should think mules bred from 
them would both be useful and much handsomer 
than those they at present have.” 
There is a note attached, dated 1795, reading: 
“There are only three zebras remaining; they 
were bred in this country and some attempts 
were made to break them in. The late Don 
Jaze de Menezes, son of the Marquis of Mari- 
alva (the friend of William Beckford) actually 
drove them in an open carriage, till they broke 
two or three carriages for him, and some of 
them had killed themselves struggling.” 
FEMALE MALAY SAMBAR DEER 
The photograph was made to show the curious 
protuberance on the skull above the eye: very 
similar to the antler growth of a young buck. 
She has lived over twenty years in the Park and 
still is a well preserved animal. 
Credits for the illustrations of William Beebe’s 
“Monograph of the Pheasants." reproduced in the March 
Bulletin, were inadvertently omitted. They are as follows r 
p. 32 Lady Amherst Pheasant painting, by Charles 
R. Knight. 
p. 34 Malay Bronze-tailed Peacock Pheasant paint¬ 
ing, by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. 
p. 35 Photograph of courtship display of the Pea¬ 
cock Pheasant, by David Seth-Smith, Esq. 
p. 36 Photograph of haunt of the Green Peafowl, by- 
William Beebe. 
p. 37 Photograph of home of the Malay Ocellated 
Pheasant, by William Beebe, 
p. 38. Green Peafowl painting, by George E. Lodge. 
ITEMS OF INTEREST 
By Raymond L. Ditmars 
Park Labels .—From a casual examination of' 
the labels in the Zoological Park it is probable 
that few of our visitors realize the work and 
care that is necessary in keeping this branch of 
the Society’s educational work at a uniformly 
high standard. We classify this work under the 
head of a distinct department. Our sheet metal 
labels, some very heavy, others of zinc, are cut 
in a variety of sizes in our own shops, where the 
metal holders are also prepared. Our carpenter 
.shops turn out the wooden panels for the largest 
