The Reed Bird, Rice Bird, or Bobolink (. Dolichonyx 
oryzivorus ), is well known to epicures. They migrate in vast 
numbers from south to north at the approach of summer and 
back again towards autumn, at which time they become very 
fat on the ripened seed of the reeds which grow on marsh 
lands along the rivers near the coast, and are shot in great 
numbers as a table delicacy. 
The Common Crow ( Corvus americanus ) and the Raven 
(C. carnivorus ) are the leading American members of the 
family Corvidce. The latter is now rarely found east of the 
Mississippi river, but is common in great numbers through¬ 
out the West. Others of the family are the European 
Magpie (Pica pica), Jackdaw (Corvus monedula), and 
Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) found in Europe; 
the White-backed Piping Crow (Gymnorhina leuconota) 
and the Butcher Crow (Barita destructor ), both of Aus¬ 
tralia, the Blue Jay (Cyanurus cristatus), of North America, 
the American Magpie (Pica pica hudsonica ), closely resem¬ 
bling his European brother, the Chough (Pyrrhocorax gracu- 
tus), of Europe, the Pileated Jay (Cyanocorax pileata ), a 
strikingly beautiful bird from southern Brazil, the Peruvian 
Jay (Xanthoura ynca) , the Yucatan Jay (X. yucatanica) of 
Central America, the Blue-bearded Jay (C. cyanopogon), and 
other species, commonly found in the collection. 
The order Picarice is represented by the woodpeckers, king¬ 
fishers, cuckoos, toucans, hornbills, and trogons. 
At the present time the Society is fortunate enough to 
- exhibit a pair of Concave-casqued Hornbills (Dichoceros 
bicornis ), and a single specimen of the Rhinoceros Hornbill 
(Buceros rhinoceros ), both natives of the Indo-Malayan 
region. These huge and grotesque birds are not often so 
well represented in collections. 
The Giant Kingfisher or Laughing Jackass (Dacelo gi- 
gas) is the largest of the kingfishers, and inhabits Australia. 
It differs somewhat in habits from most of the immediate 
group to which it belongs, living in the woods, frequently far 
from water; its diet is also more mixed than is customary 
with its kind, as it eats not only fish, but small quadrupeds, 
birds, and reptiles. 
