Popular Official Guide to the New York Zoological Park as Far as Completed (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 Excerpt: ..."wh66-6-6, wh66-6," is one of the most weird and striking cries of the bird world. Another peculiarity, common to all owls, but more noticeable in this less nocturnal species, is the absolutely noiseless flight. The soft, downy feathers of the owl permit it to wing its way through the air with as little noise as a falling leaf. The Screech Owl, (Megascops asio) This little horned owl is our commonest species, and frequents the neighborhood of dwellings and orchards. Being nocturnal it is more common than is generally supposed, and its curious cry is the cause most frequently leading to its discovery. Its two phases of plumage, red and gray, occur independently of sex, age, or season. Its food consists of mice and insects. The Florida Burrowing Owl, (Speotyto cunicularia floridana).--The habits of the Florida Burrowing Owl differ somewhat from those of its Western congener. There being no prairie-dogs in Florida, these birds make all their excavations for themselves. These are about six feet in depth, and at the end the round, white eggs are laid, usually six in number. The anomalous habits of these birds and their curious little gnome-like faces make them interesting inmates of a zoological garden. THE WILD TURKEYS' ENCLOSURE, NO. 62. At the northern end of Squirrel Eidge, where the Alligator Walk intersects the Rodents' Walk, an ideal quarter of an acre, of oak and hickory trees, underbrush, and bare rock, has been dedicated to the king of game birds. The Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo), is a bird of magnificent size and presence, and the splendid metallic lustre of his plumage--a mixture of burnished bronze, copper, lapis lazuli, and fire opal iridescence--backed up by a great bulk of savory flesh, all combine to make this the finest game bird...