H U S B A N D R Y 191

F R O D I ; C l - S M E N . 1 I O N F . D I N T H E 7.EXT Bird of prey meat: prepared by Hills Division, Riviana Foods. Topeka. Kansas 66601, USA. Caradee 180 D Super: pulverized plant source o f carotenes, prepared by Nutritional Research As- sociation, South Whitley, Indiana, USA. hyena: a laying mash, manufactured by Seed & Feed Co., Torrance, (hlifornia. USA. Purina dog chow: pellets of mixed feed, manufac- tuied by Ralston Purina Co.. St Louis, Missouri 63199. USA. Roxanthin: synthetic canthaxanthin, inanufac- tured as a red pigment for certain birds by Hoff- man-12 Roche. Rasle. Switzerland.

R E F E R E N ( : E S I . FOX. I). I. ( 1 953): Animal hiochromes and sfsucturnl colours. Cambridge University Press. [Revised edi- tion, University o f California Press, 197.51. 2. FOX. D 1. (1962): Metabolic fractionation. stor- age and display of carotenoid pigments bv flaniin- ~ O S . Cmnp. Biochnn. Physiol. 6: 1-40. 3. FOX. D. L. (In press). Carotenoid fractions in the pigmentation of flamingos. Roc. hi. Flamingo Symfi. Slimbridge, 10-12 July 1973. 4. FOX. D I.. & HOPKINS. T. s. (1966): Comparative metabolic fractionation of carotenoids in three

flamingo species. Comp. Biochetn. Physiol. 17: 841-856. 5 . FOX. D I . & MCREI'H, J . w (1970): Some dic.r;rry carotenoids and bltx)d-carotenoid levels i n flamingos. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 34: 707-7 13. 6. FOX. I). I... McBEI'H. J. W & MACKINNEY. (;. (1970): Some dietary carotenoids and blond-carotenoid levels in flarniiigos. 11. gamma-carotene and a-carotene consumed by the American flamingo. Comp. Riochem. Physiol. 36: 253-262. 7. FOX. D. L.. SMITH, V E. & WOLFSON, A. A. (1067): Carotenoid selectivity in blood and feathrrs of I.esser (African), Chilean, and Greater (European) flamingos. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 23: 225-232.

Metabolism o f fl-carotene in the American flamingo. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 29: 122% I2:W. 9. ( ; (X)DWIN.T. W. (1954): Carotenoids: fhrir rotnpara- five biochemistry. New York: Chern. Publ. Co. Inc. 10. GRINEK. I. A (1968): Greens i la hydroponics. Zootu~z 41: 4-7. 1 1 . (:RISWOI.D. J . A . (1957): < h e r i n g t o Hamingos. Am5 Firsf Zoo 9(3): 4-5. 12. S T R A I N , H . H. (1938): Leaf xanthophylls. PuhLs. Cam. Inst. Wash. No. 490.

8. FOX. I) I... WOLFSON. A. A. & McHFTH. J W (196I)):

Manuscript submitted 19 April 1974

A jacket for holding large birds' MARY E V A N S & J A N E T KEAR The Wildfowl Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucester GL2 7BT, Great Britain

Numbers of Bewick's swans Cypus col- umbianus bewickii arc now being caught for ringing by the Wildfowl Trust at Slimbridge, England ( I ) . An adjustable plastic jacket was designed for restrain- ing them while they passed through vari- ous handling processes (see Plate 20). It is a modification of a device of Fredrick- son (2) for holding Carolina wood ducks Aix s p m a during weighing. Fredrick- son's device was made of a strip of plas- tic-coated nylon wrapped around the bird and fastened by the self-adhering fabric Velcro. Although this design was tried on the Bewick's swans, it was found to be insufficiently fitted, and it tended to slip. A more complex jacket was there-

fore designed, using Fredrickson's centre strip for containing the wings but, in addition, employing narrower strips at both ends. When fastened diagonally, the strips allowed the shoulders and the legs to be held more securely (Fig. 1).

M A ' I ' E K I A1.S

T h e material found to be most satisfac- tory was polyvinyl chloride-coated Tre- vira quality T D 740.

T h e self-adhering fabric Velcro can he purchased from retailers, although any width over 1.6 cm is reserved for indus- trial use and is obtained directly from the manufacturers. The strips are glued to the plastic with Sellobond clear adhesive,

'An earlier version o f this article first appeared in the October 1972 /. W i l d . M p t . 36 (4): 1265-1 267. I t is reproduced here with the permission of the Wildlife Society.

i 92

Velcro

H U S B A N D R Y

Velcro on reverse side

+------ 9a Fig. 1. Design of jacket showing position of Velcro fixing strips (measurements in cm).

i n thc. positions indicated in Fig. 1 , and sen n with nylon thread for added s t 1-en gt h.

v t ' i . t i o r ) \ . A T U K ~ . S I ' I . 1-5

1 1 1 the fitted jacket, the feet are stretched back \o that the bird cannot walk when laid d o w n but are not stretched so rigidly that 11ic bird is unablc. to flex its limbs (Fig. 2 ) . This method is o f considerable he lp in pre\critirrg musc-ular cramp such as rnighr o( :c i i r - i f the feet were tied togetlier-. The legs are free f o r rixiging, arid i t is only necessary to push the plastic back ;in inch or two in order to sex the

Fig. 2.

A

Stages in fitting the restraining

bird rloacally. Apart from the length o f the wing, which is measured immediate- ly prior to the bird's release, all other- measurements - bill, skull, neck, and tar- sal lengths - can be made without having t o adjust the jacket. Sinall samples of blood can be taken from the leg vein, and X rays are unaffected in quality by the intervening layers of plastic. The bird can be weighed by suspending the jacket from a balance by means of a triangular piece of wire. The base of this triangle is slipped beneath the two diagonal strips and then rehooked. The bird can also be carried by means of the diagonals.

B jacket on the bird.

C

H U S H A S I) R V 193

D I S C I: ss I 0 ri ‘lhe jackets are very successful. To date 537 wild swans have been contained in them for up to two hours each with no ill effects. Captive swans of all species are now regularly transported between branches of the Wildfowl Trust in Great Britain, on journeys of up to five hours. The jackets have even been used to transport flamingos, though here the legs do need to be folded up, and if thc bird is wrapped for more than 2-3 hours, cramp may develop. The flamingo also possesses very tender skin, and its legs should be wrapped first in some soft material before going into the plastic jacket or sores may be produced. The plastic material of the jackets seems virtually indestructable. It does not rip, even at the slits, and therefore needs no binding. The jackets are fairly light-

weight (360 g), washable, quick to dry, easy to put on, and, i f thc wrapping is done firmly enough, are highly functiori- al. They are sufficiently adjustable in size to fit a range of birds weighing between 3.3 and 7.8 kg. The approximate cost for each jacket is f0-40 ($1).

P R O D U C T S M E N T l 0 N K . I ) IS T E X T Polyvinyl chloride-coated Trevira quality TD 740: supplied by Carrington Industrials l.td., 1’0 Box 23, Fold Mill, Bradley Fold, Bolton. (;B. Velcro: manufactured by Selrrtus Ltd. Hiddirlph. Stoke-on-Trent. Sr8 7RH, Staffs.. GR.

R E F E R E S C E S 1 . LVANS. M A R Y (1971): The wild swans 1970-71 Wildfowl 22: 140-143. 2. FREDKICKSOXI. II (1970): A nylon txtlc for hold- ing birds. Bird-bnnding41: 242-243.

Manuscript submitted 25 March 1974

Notes on the maintenance of the Mexican vampire bat

at the Houston Zoo Desmodus rotundu murinus

C . K I C H A R D Q U I C K Curator of Mammals, Houston Zoological Gardens, Houston, Texas 77001, USA

Since 1957, the Houston Zoo has main- tained a small number of Mexican vam- pire bats Desmodus rotundus murinus, which we collected at various times in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, south of Ciudad Victoria. Because their sonar capabilities are less efficient than those of insectivorous bass, vampires a re easi I y caught in fine mist nets suspended across flyways in caves occupied by the bats.

Housed in a small portable concrete cave in the nocturnal wing of the Small Mammal Building since 1962, our vampires are seen by the public through a display window measuring 1-25 x 1 a 7 5 m, which is partly covered by a cut-out corresponding to the

cave front. The cave itself measures 1 x 0.85 x 0.65 m and was built on a platform with wheels which rests on a table behind the window. The cave can be positioned against the window for public viewing or rolled back for clean- ing purposes. As a precaution against escape, the cave is equipped with a slid- ing glass front to retain the bats when it is moved away from the display window. This glass front can be cleaned safely by rolling the display to one side, maintain- ing contact with the display window, and sliding the glass out horizontally for access to its inner surface. To isolate it from the rear service area and to further prevent the bats escaping, the cave is