| OCR Text |
Show 174 ON THE EXPEDITION UP THE RIO PILCOMAYO. [Mar. 1, In the plumage of the lores our birds are not quite so different as would appear from Taczanowski's description above referred to; probably these differences vary according to age or sex. Both our birds have the lores delicately feathered, but the bristle-feathers of H. branickii are lighter than those of H. pelagicus. H. pelagicus and H. branickii are the largest of all the Eagles. Both our birds live, together with many other Eagles and birds of prey, in a large cage of our Eagle-house. When at rest they are generally to be seen sitting close together; their cry is in correspondence with their giant size, much louder and more penetrating than that of all the other Eagles. March 1, 1892. Dr. A. Giinther, F.R.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. The Secretary read the following report on the additions to the Society's Menagerie during the month of February 1892 :- The total number of registered additions to the Society's Menagerie during the month of February was 84, of which 37 were by presentation, 7 by birth, 30 by purchase, 4 were received in exchange, and 6 on deposit. The total number of departures during the same period, hy death and removals, was 75. Amongst these special attention is called to the following:- 1. T w o Short-winged Tyrants (Machetornis rixosa), purchased Feb. 15. These are the first examples of this bird that have reached us. 2. A female Beatrix Antelope (Oryx beatrix) from Arabia, presented by Lt.-Col. Talbot, Feb. 18. The pair of this Antelope presented by Col. Ross in 1890 being still alive, the receipt of another female makes a very acceptable addition to our series. Mr. J. Graham Kerr gave a short account of the late Captain John Page's expedition up the Rio Pilcomayo, which he had accompanied as Naturalist upon the recommendation of the Council of this Society. Leaving England in the summer of 1889, Mr. Kerr spent some months studying the Zoology of the Pampas. In January of 1890 he left Buenos Aires in the steamship 'Bolivia,' which had been specially constructed for the expedition, and after several weeks spent on the Parana, and a short preliminary trip up the Bermejo River, entered the Pilcomayo in March of 1890. Rapid progress was made for the first few days-the river being, although intensely tortuous, comparatively broad and unobstructed. The banks were here covered with thick and almost impenetrable forests, chiefly of small scrubby trees, and characterized by a great paucity of animal life. The most conspicuous mammals were :-the Caraya Monkey (Mycetes caraya), troops of which were to be seen in the trees by the river-side ; the Mirikina (Nyctipithecus trivirgatus), of which some half a dozen specimens were killed ; the Tapir ( Tapirus americanus), the tracks of which were to be seen in all directions |
