Abstract
George A. Smith, D. V.M., received his first bird, a canary, for his seventh birthday fifty years back. Since then, he has bred birds, indiscriminately at first, then continually kept and concentrated on parrots. His interest is trying to acquire knowledge about them, why they are so different from other birds.
A preliminary study (1973) of behavior and anatomy let him offer a provisional suggestion as to their relationship to each other. Forshaw, in the third (1989) edition of Parrots of the World, belatedly has accepted most of this arrangement.
Dr. Smith has written two books (on cockatiels and lovebirds and related parrots) and for several years was a regular contributor to The Avicultural Society Magazine, The Parrot Society Magazine, and to the cage-bird press generally.
Although Dr. Smith makes a living as a full-time veterinary practitioner, he has given talks and presented papers to various ornithological and avicultural societies throughout the world on the subject of parrots. Speaking on subjects as diverse as the probable nature of certain extinct parrots; on disease; husbandry; palm cockatoos; Indian ringnecks; and the uniqueness of the parrot egg.
Dr. Smith's studies of the hatching and incubation process are continuing - some of this has been published. His main interest now is accumulating information with which to complete a series of books on parrots, starting after retirement - in three year's time. Before then, the goal is to publish a book on the macaws with illustrations provided by Jenevora Searight. •
D. Grenville Roles has been involved in zoological/avicultural fields for over 25 years. He has worked in a number of different institutions from Australia, to California, to the United Kingdom, but the most important and informative was the 7-1/2 years spent at the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust (Channel Islands, U.K.) as Deputy Curator of Birds. This unique facility, guided by the inspiration and foresight of Gerald Durrell, its Honorary Director, is staffed by extraordinary gifted and dedicated people who have influenced and inspired almost two generations of zoo personnel internationally.
Roles presently serves as Curator of the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, Utah, a facility that houses the fifth largest publicly-owned collection in the Americas and is one of the oldest publicly-owned bird collections in the world, having been established in May 1938.
The Tracy Aviary covers some 16- 1 /2 acres and accommodates almost 900 birds of 208 species. It is firmly committed to conservation through education and captive breeding, with over 67% of the birds being captive bred.
While at Jersey, Roles won the "Gerald Durrell Award for Meritorious Achievement" for four consecutive years for the first captive breedings of the Thick-billed Euphonia and Mexican Green Jay; the first United Kingdom breedings of the Grey, Schallows, and Red-crested Touracos; and for notable successes in breeding Rothschild's Mynahs.
He has had published Rare Pheasants of the World in 1976, which he also illustrated; and contributed a chapter on updated methods of management to the second edition of Jean Delacour's Pheasants of the World, published in 1977. He has also contributed numerous articles to the Avicultural/Game Bird Press in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Roles will be addressing the subject of Good Ground Dwellers for Cage and Aviary, including a collection of slides of a wide variety of ground-dwelling birds, from finches through ducks, quail, pheasants, pigeons, sand grouse, bustards, etc., to ratites with commentary upon their typical maintenance needs and propagation requirements. The theme will be make good use of that space, and will emphasize the great diversity of suitable compatible species that can be kept together. •
Bob Elgas is recognized as naturalist, aviculturist and artist. He is an acknowledged expert on the world's wild geese. His interest in birds has taken him to all 49 of the continental United States, most of the Canadian providences, and numerous foreign countries. He has made many arctic expeditions under sponsorship of such conservation agencies as World Wildlife Fund, The International Council for Bird Preservation, The Smithsonian Ins ti tu tion, The Department of the Interior and others. He was credited with the discovery of the first known breeding Greater snow geese on the North American continent when, in 1962, he found a breeding colony of these birds on Southampton Island in the Eastern Canadian arctic.
In 1964, he discovered the previously unknown breeding ground of Gambel's white-fronted goose in the Yukon Territory of western arctic Canada. On that expedition, he captured, banded and released some 50 of these birds which allowed tracking of migrational routes and the establishment of wintering areas. He returned a number of live birds to Montana for evaluation by ornithological specialists, and for utilization in a captive breeding program. For nearly 30 years, he has been involved with study and research of the California race of White-fronted geese known as Tule geese. Working in conjunction with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in California, he was successful in capturing the first live representatives of these rare birds ever taken for evaluation. As a result of his efforts, the existence of these rare birds was officially recognized. In a publication released by the American Museum of Natural History, authored by Dr. Jean Delacour of the American Museum, and Dr. S. Dillon Ripley of the Smithsonian Institution, the birds were officially described and named. In recognition of the work Elgas had done in validating the existence of these birds, they were named Anser albifrons elgasi in his honor. In 1979, he discovered the previously unknown breeding ground of the Tule goose on the north shore of Cook Inlet in the Redoubt Bay area of southwestern Alaska.
Elgas is active in many ornithological and avicultural areas and, for many years, served as president of the International Wild Waterfowl Association.
As an aviculturist, Elgas has spent much of his life in close association with birds. At his ranch near Big Timber, Montana, he maintains an extensive flock of wild birds. Included within the collection have been most of the world's wild geese, various species of swans and cranes, and other assorted varieties of birds. He also maintains a breeding facility for macaws, with at least eight different species of these magnificent _birds being represented. Two species of geese were bred under his supervision for the first time anywhere in the world. He was one of the first persons in the world to breed whistling swans (now known as Tundra swans). He was a pioneer in collecting waterfow 1 under permit for avicultural endeavors. He was the first to collect and return such varieties as Atlantic and Pacific Brant, Whistling swans, Spectacled eider ducks, Old squaw ducks, Gambel's white-fronted goose, and Tule geese. Within his collection at his facility are more than 40 Tule white-fronted geese, the only sizeable collection of these rare geese in captivity anywhere in the world.
As an artist, he paints primarily in oil. His paintings are in collections and galleries throughout the United States, and are in private collections in North America, Europe and Asia. As an artist, he is best known for his portrayal of birds, especially waterfowl and psittacines. He has participated in many art shows, including such exhibits as the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland, and the National Wildlife Art Show in Kansas City, where he was honored by being awarded best of show for his portrayal of Canvasback ducks. He has been featured in many one-man shows, and many of his paintings have been made into limited edition prints. •