ZOO NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1777, 16 June 1913, Page 3

ZOO NOTES.

WATCHFUL MOTHERS. ! .THE PICTURE COMPETITION, (By John Crewes, President of tho Wellington Zoological Society.) The schoolmasters of New Zealand are clearheaded, well-informed, thoughtful, cautious, practical men. I thereforo like to meet it schoolmaster in 'the courso of my studies at the Zoo. A few days ago I happened to see one of tho most popular of Wellington's headmasters standing near the lions' cage. He was watching tho play of the young lions, and tho affectionate care with which their mother was treating her happy younglings. "Isn't it beautiful?" eaid the strong, masterful, studious gentleman, as I approached him. "Notice the strength and fire in that animal; you could never tamo it out of her entirely, yet see how watchful, how patient, how gentle, how affectionate she is; liuman beings might learn much from the conduct of that splendid lioness;' "Aye," I said, "and I could show you another mother in our Zoo who is quite as affectionate and faithful as the lioness is." "Where?" he asked. Then I took him down to a cage wjiere Empress, * littlo Micaque monkey, was tenderly nursing her new-born baby. As wo looked at the mother's watchful and intelligent expression, and at the contentment and sense of confidence evinoed by the baby monkey, held in the arms of a fond and faithful mother, the first words that broke our- silence were: "Isn't it wonderful?"

Lovely Lions.

No animal has been more unfairly misrepresented than the lion has. Too many artists like to paint pictures showing open-mouthed lions, having long canine teeth, as though lions were ever ready to tear other animals to pieces. But lions aro not such savage, destructive, bloodthirsty beasts. The averago lion likes to love, and craves affection. "Lions evidently have a language," said a gentleman who has studied them, to me, a few days ago. "Notice," he said,."how the lioness speaks to lier cubs; she never makes such sounds at aiiy other time, and notice tho cubs, they seem to know what their mother means." Wa]l, one of the uses of a Zoo is to dvaV people out into the open -air, attract their attention, get them to think on interesting subjects outside the ordinary routine of their everyday pursuits, and move them to admire what is good and kind and true in nature. There is always melody in a mother's love. There is music wo may profitably study in the love of lions. This brings me to remark on somo of tho charming pictures produced in' tho first series of competitions promoted by the Wellington Zoological Society under the auspices of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Memorable Zoo Pictures, The pictures produced in the competition above relerred to should be seen by every person in Wellington, And as' the AVellington Zoo has been favourably noticed, and kindly treated, by a constituency extending irom Auckland to Dunedin, all those visiting AVellington should go to tho rooms of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, and see tlie now Zoo pictures—the first collection of pictures trorn our Zoo ever exhibited. The picture of King Dick strikes the eye of the public first. It was, while on exhibition at Newtown, seen and admired by hundreds of men, women, and children. AVhile not showing as much niano as King Dick in the Zoo shows at present, and being faulty at one or two points, in my judgment, from a zoological point of view, the picture has excellencies well worth studying. It is, I believe, a picture of the lion that has tho best lion's head in captivity; and, although the likeness of tho picture to tho lion is not perfect, yet it is wonderfully good. :I havo never seen another picture of a lion's head that has pleased mo as the head in this picture pleases me. Tho picture of tho kangaroos, the picture to which the judges, who were appointed by the committee of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, have awarded tho first prize, is, in my judgment, the best picture in the collection, from an. artist's point of view; and from a zoologist's standpoint it is very interesting. The pouch having a-fine young kangaroo in it,'gives peculiar interest to the picture. I congratulate Miss H. Chapman on having won the first prize ever offered by the AVellington Zoological Society for an oil painting; and the society on having attracted the attention of such an artist as Miss Chapman, and drawn from her'a picture so well worthy of the position and the occasion. Miss Chappie's picture of the ring-tailed lemurs, to which tho second prize has been awarded, is another good picture, and is worthy of the position in which it has been placed. One of the lemurs is very good, in likeness and pose, and the other, though slightly defective, is not without merit. Miss Vera Chapman's picture of five monkeys is attractive; but, from my point of view, iB uneven. Tho background is not good, and there is something not perfect in the shading of one or two of the monkeys' faces, but tho expressions on the faces of some of the monkeys are indicative of-genuine art of a high order in the painter. A lady able to paint the souls of animals, as this'lady can, should produce a great picture fit for any coppany. Miss Chappie's picture of birds has several beautiful points in it. The Mandarin drake is a beautiful bird, and Miss Chappie's picture of the drako in the water is the best picture of a Mandarin drako I have ever seen. One of the gallinules seems to be slightly out of proportion, and the duck on the side of tho pond seems to need a finishing touch or two. However, this is a beautiful little picture, in an unsuitable frame, tho brilliancy of the gold renders it impossible for eyes that have been affected by it to see the true colours of the picture of the. drake. The picture of the flamingo was painted by my daughter, and is therefore outsido the jurisdiction of my criticism. Of the watercolour picture of the camel I can only say that it deserved the prize that has been awarded to it, although there was no competition in its class. And of the sketches, it may be said that among them there aro several that are interesting. Tha picture of tho camel to which the first prize in this class has been awarded is a promising littlo sketch. The sketch of tho parrot that took second prize is not without merit, but there is no more interesting picture in the collection than a sketch by a little girl, who longed to get out of bed and go up to tho park to make a skotch for the competition, but was confined to her bed by illness. Thou, instead of yielding to her pains, or moaning in disappointment, she pleaded for a book to be brought to her, that she might skotch a parrot from a picture, and send a picture to the society's exhibition, though not for competition. The interest that children are taking in the Zoological Society and in my rather crude and simple notes, is one of the strongest of the motives 'moving me to keep on writing. The flattering kindness expressed by numerous adult friendly readers must also be held responsible for my presumption in writing as a Zoo reporter and zoological critic. Conflratulatlon and Sorrow. I heartily congratulate Mr. H. B.- Low, 8.A., B.Sc., on his appointment to tho position of headmaster of tho Blenheim Borough School. Yet I feel genuine and deep sorro,v at tho removal the appointment; must crtusd. A president! '«f a zoological society, while ho is supported by men liko Mr. Low, can conhdently movo forward, smiling serenely at critics who may misrepresent or envy. Mr. Low is Olio of the strongest members of a strong society. To liavo been favoured with his confidence, criticism, and courtesy, during the time I have been president of tho AVellington Zoological Society has been one of the principal honours anil pleasures of my position. I hope that Mr. Low will continue his membership of the society, and that ho may, in course of time, receive the highest honours his profession can confer upon him. An Appeal. I want for tho little girl who likes, to collect moneys to purcliaso lions with; little girls and boys who liko working up bazaars; wealthy friends who can afford io each; and friends who havo more philanthrophy than money, but havo a few odd shillings or ooppers knocking ,about, to lsiail? s«t a mi*, m. snd kuw

up our tiger fund, by sending along donations, large or small, to Mr. J. Castle, chemist, Riddiford Street, AVellington. Rallus Hypotaenidia Philipponsis. My notes aro read by all classes. An eminent scientist a i'ow days ago wrote:— "I was delighted to read your article a month ago. in The Dominion." Another gentleman told mo that bccauso I had told him that Zoo notes might be expected ho got out of bed and ran downstrairs while tho morning .was yet dark that ho might read my lucubrations before break-fast-time. A young lady in a tramcar, a few evenings ago, suddenly lowered her voice as she caught the signal that "tho gentleman who writes the Zoo notes in Tun Dominion was nearer than sho had | imagined." To meet tho needs of all classes of readers, 1 have then, to write all sorts of notes. Some of my friends liko long names and scientific terms. AVell, I have given at the head of this paragraph the name of a bird that was presented by a gentleman through my society to the Zoo. Frank Tate, M.A., 1.5.0., lias directed attention." to the difficulty of using Australian bird-names in poetry. English poets—or American—can find names of birds to fit into love lyrics, but Tate tells us that "Oriel", in the "Argus," sonio timo ago showed how hard it is to writo of love's young dream in Australian verse. This is how; he illustrated his suggestion, using the name of our latest addition to 6how what he meant:— "Sweetheart, we watched the evening sky grow pale, And drowsy sweetness stole away our senses, While ran. adown the swamp the Pectoral • ail . " . . The shy Hypotaenidia Philippinenfiis." In Memoriam. The beautiful lioness in the Wellington Zoo was once owned by Carl Hagenbcck. and was trained in his great emporium at Stellingen, near Hamburg. Hagenbcck was a great, strong, loveablo man., He was deservedly loved by lions and tigers as well as by men and women who knew him personally or by repute. Lions that once learned to love him never forgot liim, but when years afterwards ho met them in zoos, fur away from the Park in which he first petted them, they unmistakably showed that they cherished a warm affection for the first man that taught them that nvan was not suoh a dangerous monster of cruelty as they had imagined. 1 never had the pleasure of meeting Hagenbcck, but through his book on men and beasts I got so close to him that when ho died I felt tho sorrow of a tremendous loss. I was, therefore, pleased when Curator Langridgo showed me a card he had i-eoeived from Frau Hagonbeck to see that my old friend was loved deeply by those who best know him. The following is a translation of tho simple but sublime document, which I publish in honour of the memory of the great man who taught, by his patient efforts and great suocess, more of the power of kindness to 6ubduo and train wild animals than as far as I know any other man has even shown:— "To-day death relieved, after long and bravely-borne suffering, my dear unforgettable husband, our good-hearted father, father-in-law, and grandfather, brother-in-law, and uncle, Ilcrr Carl Hagenbeck, Royal Prussian Commercial Adviser, in his 69th year. He will always, in his Irappy trust of help of God, and his own struggle. b& a shining exnmplo to us. His imago will undyingly live in our hearts. Stellingen, 14th April, 1913. "In deep mourning in the name of all tfc relatives. "FRAU AMANDA HAGENBECK."