In size the Cassowaries are all of them smaller than the emeus. In captivity they are the best of all the large cursorial birds, and live longer than either ostriches, rheas or emeus. They are essentially birds of the thick forests rather than open plains, and can not bear the glaring light and heat of midsummer that is the delight of an ostrich. In captivity they are very apt to be quarrelsome toward each other.
Miscellaneous Birds in the Ostrich House.—At present these are so numerous and so important it is necessary to mention a few of them, even though the labels may be supposed to speak for them. They fall into several groups, chiefly birds of prey and cranes.
One of the most remarkable creatures in the entire collection is the Secretary Bird, (Serpentarius serpentarius). It is well known as a snake killer, its attacks being made with the feet alone, and never with the beak. Its long legs are remarkably powerful, and capable of dealing a crushing blow, always aimed at the head of the victim. Although it does not resemble the hawks and eagles in general appearance, it is in reality one of this group, and might well be described as a “hawk on stilts.” The snakes, frogs, small animals and birds which form its diet are generally swallowed entire. The long cockades of black feathers falling backwards at each side of the head are said to have suggested the name Secretary Bird, from a fancied resemblance to a quill stuck behind the ear of a clerk.
The Brush Turkey, or Telegalla, (Catheturus lathami), is a bird of the dark tropical forests of New Guinea and Australia. For many years it has been regarded as a zoological wonder, because of the remarkable manner in which it nests and produces its young. Instead of building a small, hollow nest, and hatching its eggs by the heat of its own body, it pursues the plan of the crocodile! Choosing an open spot in the forest it builds a huge mound, and as the structure rises, it lays its eggs in the heart of it. Turning its tail to the mound-site, this absurd little bird—no larger than a barnyard hen—scratches about right and left, gathers a big footful of small dead sticks, grass and dirt, and fiercely flings it backward upon the pile. A Brush Turkey in good working order can fling a bunch of jungle debris fully ten feet. Usually the finished mound is about three feet high by ten feet in diameter on the ground, and contains two or three cart-loads of sticks, leaves and grass. The eggs are deposited in a circle, well separated from each other, and each newly hatched bird must scratch out or die. Of course, the eggs are incubated by the heat of the sun and the fermentation of the mass. When hatched, the young chicks are able to fly.
LITTLE BROWN CRANE.
DEMOISELLE CRANE.
THE CRANES.
At present the Cranes of the Zoological Park are divided between the Ostrich House and the Aquatic Bird House, and their environs. In summer there are exhibits of these birds in the outdoor yards adjacent to each of those buildings. Recently, a number of species have been acclimatized in the Crane Paddock, and are to be seen there winter and summer.