MORE ASIATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 36, 12 February 1929, Page 8

MORE ASIATICS.

BUT NOT PROHIBITED.

FUR, FEATHER AND FIGHTING FIN.

RECRUITS FOR THE ZOO

People who enjoy seeing animals caged behind bars in zoos and other places of restraint seldom realise what an awful toll of animal life is entailed in keeping up the supply of " attractions." One is reminded of this by the arrival of another iarge consignment of a miscel-

laneous description on board the Waiotapu, which has just arrived at Auckland from the East. The vessel resembled a small zoo when she left Singapore, having on board one female anoa, four pheasants, six pairs of roller doves, eight mandarin ducks, 4 Rhesus monkeys, six pair? of white-headed mynas, four fancy pigeons,-six pairs of parakeets, 100 goldfish, and 50 fighting tish. At Calcutta she took on two spotted deer and two black buck. -

Some of these unwilling passengers were for the Wellington zoo, gome for Lyttelton, some for Hastings, some for the Auckland zoo, and a lew for a private person in Auckland. Although the animals were well cared for on board there was the inevitable list of deaths. Only ten of the goldfish lasted the voyage, but 30 of the fighting tish came through all right. Ultimately landed at Auckland were thirty fighting fish, ten goldiish, one pair of crestless firebacks, all for the zoo, and six pairs of roller doves, one white headed myna, and two pairs of mandarin ducks for a private breeder.

Deer Dives Overboard. The anoa, which only lasted as far as Lyttelton, was a handsome little thing. Anoa is the native name for a email wild ox of Celebes, allied to the buffalo, but having long straight horns. It was also at Lyttelton that one of the spotted deer, booked to Wellington, jumped overboard and struck out for land and liberty. The brave little fellow got across the harbour, but was again in captivity after half an hour's exciting liberty, during which lie was chased by all and sundry. No doubt the poor thing longed for the freedom of it? Indian home, being quite unaware that it was intended for the high destiny of helping to instil into little Wellingtonians the love of animals.

The mandarin duck, a beautiful Asiatic member of the family, is regarded by the Chinese as the emblem of conjugal affection. The niyna, or niynah as it is sometime.- 1 spelled, is common enough further south in the North Island of New Zealand, having been introduced many years ago. ]t has been called the Asiatic starling, owing to the similarity between the habits of the two birds. The common niynah is mostly brown, with a white splash about the wings, and the ones on the Waiotapu are peculiar in having the head completely white, instead of merely having white lobes.

Of the fish contingent, the most interesting to a country where the totalisator has such a large following is the fighting fish, which really lives (or dies) up to his name. Hi? zoological name is Betta pugnax. which shows that his peculiarity was inherited. Reared by the Siamese for spectacular fish fights, he takes the place of the cock iigjiting, prize fights, and whatnot of other lands.

John Chinaman is a notorious gambler, and over in the Straits Settlement, where he abounds, he uses the lighting fish as an excuse for an exciting bit of a gamble, just as in some other countries people use the racehorse. It is said tha» a combat between a couple of these fish is as "willing" as a fight between game cocks. So pugnacious is Betta that when he travels he has to be kept apart, and on the Waiotapu each l>,hter voyaged in his own one-pound jam jar. When it is desired to "stage a fight" one Betta is simply emptied into the tank of his opponent, and then ensues a deadly combat. John Chinaman and the Siamese must not be condemned too hastily for their primitive instincts. Only last year a knight and several other important persons were fined for taking part in a cock fight not far from Norwich.

Some of the birds on the Waiotapu when ?he left Singapore were particularly handsome, especially six pairs of parakeets (all of which died), a pair of fire-backs (a brilliant member of the pheasant family, and some pigeons. The goldfish are of the Japanese kind, with the protruding eyes that always suggest the morning after an exceedingly hilarious dinner party.