ZOO NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2428, 6 April 1915, Page 6

ZOO NOTES.

SACRED ANIMALS FROM INDIA RESPLENDENT PLUMAGE. [By John Crewes, member of the Council of the Wellington Zoological Society.] ,"I notice that very great improvements have been made in the Zoo since I was here two or three years ago," said a gentleman to me recently when we met in our zoological park. Several other friends have uttered similar exclamations when we have met there within the last few months. This is very gratifying and encouraging, for the exclamations are genuine expressions of pleasure and gratitude and truth that enable the Government of the Dominion and the Wellington City Council to continue with confidence their efforts to establish and improve an institution that attracts the attention, gratifies the curiosity, contributes to the amusement, and ministers to the education of the people. ■ ',' The Zebu Cattle. The City Council and the Wellington Zoological Society agreed to try to. obtain some flamingoes for the Zoo. but circumstances militated against that project, and the two bodies have procured instead a pair of Zebu cattle. The bull is a beautiful animal. He has the high withers surmounted by 'a • fatty hump, the peculiar .slope from the haunoh to the, tail, _ and tne pendulous dewlap, characteristic of _ the Zebu family.' He is really a stylish and showy animal. The heifer is in rather lower condition. Her hump is smaller, her dewlap is.lbbs conspicuous, and her ears and horns are' less symmetrical than those of the male seem to be. The Zebu has for ages been olassed high as a-domestic animal. It is now domesticated in India. China, Madar gascar, Upper Egypt, Abyssinia, and Ethiopia. Its flesh is good for food, the milk yielded , by the cow is nutritious, and as oxen the Zebu work well, some of them being slow movers carrying heavy burdens long distances; others are excellent both for saddle and draught, "galloping as well as a good horse." But what is the meaning 'of the word Zebu ? On this doctors among naturalists as well as others among lexicographers, disagree; we must therefore let loose our own' philological instincts. I then submit that' the word n closelj related to an Oriental word for a kind of sacrifice, and that Zebu means sacred. In some parts of the' world—some-parts of India especially— the . Zebu is regarded as an animal eligible for dedication to the gods. In Benares, for instance, there is a temple known as the temple of gold. liiis temple is sacred to the god Siva. .The rcof, the dome, the corner cupolas, and the artistic tower of the building are all covered with beaten gold. Of human beings, only Hindus are, allowed to enter this holy building, but it is generally crowded with priests and' pilgrims, and dedicated Zebu, bulls and cows.* In the streets, also, and' in fields, the sacred animals wander as they will. If hungry, or desiring luxury, they push their heads into fruit-stores, or force themselves into vegetable gardens. The white Zebu is highly prized.' Wealthy men present them; with religious rites they , are dedicated; devout persons delight in pampering them'; even poor people feed them ; and when they die they are-honoured with ceremonial burial. Zebu cows are not worked by Hindus, and thnre are in India millions of people that would not kill a Zebu cow or eat her flesh. It is remarkable that while the British Government has had great difficulty in stopping horrible oruelties that the Hindus reli-giously-practised on human ' beings, there has not been in India any need for a society for ; the prevention of cruelty to other-animals.

The Season of Beauty and Brilliance. When the leaves begin to fall, and the most beautiful of tho gloria* of the ilower-gardens fade, the zoological garden glows with superb - splendour, and shines with ineffable brilliance. Now the two leopards have splendid coats, and the peacock, the mandarin drakes, the golden pheasants,-- the Amherstpheasant, the the king parrots, the pennant pavrakeets, ,the; Blue Mountain or rainbow lorikeets, the whydahs, the" orango bishop weaver,' the Madagascar . weaver, and several other birds worthy of mention aro in resplendent plumage. We never before had such a show of mandarin drakes, and golden pheasants, and whydahs, as we have this year; and this is the time in which to see tho greatest number, of brilliant beauties," some of which are just perfecting .their adornments,, while some have almost reached the point at which they will for a while doff their variegated gaieties. The beauty of our man-' darin drakes this year is exhausting tbe superlatives of some very wordy visitors. What Is a Hinny? A few days ago a gentleman wanted' to see the animal that we are told is a hinny, in our Zoo. That gentleman asked to see "tho animal that is bred tbe opposite of a mule." When I told Mr. Langridge of this .he took the curious ■visitor over to see an animal that has a large head, and a'drooping mane, .attached to the neck of a beast'that in ■some respects closely resembles'a donkey. We know that a mule is so unlike a horse, and so unlike'a. donkey, that, for somo purposes, the breeding of mules is profitable; but we are told that in most cases a" hinny eo closely re-st-mbles a donkey that the animal is not lforth breeding for other than scientific purposes, or for tbe gratification of curiosity. Consequently we-do not often 6ee a'hinny; and can hardly recognise one when we do see it. Now we are told that there is a hinny in our Zoo; and so many respectable' people that know more about it than I do tell us that it is a hinny, that every person that likes to study the pedigrees of animals should hurry up to son our latest equina! curiosity.

Tasmanlan Devils, * Some person has been trying to tempt my good friend Mr. Castle to .help to get some Tasmanian devils for our Zoo. For some people the very name seems to have a strange fascination. We are told that when the late Mark Twain was. in India he advertised to find a suitable man servant, and that later, finding among the applicants for the situation a man named. Satan, he engaged him on the strength of his name. But I hope that Mr. Castle, who is a strong man, will not allow ev.en the example of Mark Twain to influence the worthy secretary of the Wellington Zoological Sooiety to'deal in devils. They are a bad lot, and the Tasmanian species is not much better than the others.Where Friend Meets Friend, ■ Many porsons think that in church is the place where we ought to be during the afternoon of Good Friday. I have nothing to say against that. But some go to church in the morning only, and others in- the evening. For these there is no bettor place than the grounds of the Zoo in which to spend the afternoon. This year a groat assembly gathered there, a record for an afternoon when there has been a charge for admission. And the behaviour of the people was almost good enough for heaven. Just after I entered I met a friend whom I used to know in Christchnrch a quarter of a century ago, and had seen but little of since. We enjoyed a pleasant reminiscent'- chat. A

little later I met a young minister that 1 used to meet frequently in Wellington two or three years ago. Then' we were happy husbands; now we are uodstwA, lYiAju&ta fiiiautt-ktofciiaa.

objects in the Zoo, afterwards we comforted each other with a heart to heart talk. Later I m.qt a friend who said, "I remember when wo first met. You came and preached a sermon on the occasion of the reopening of a church, the renovation of whioh was the last job I worked at in England." He was a builder and' contractor then, between thirty and forty years since. Years after that I saw him in Cbristohuroh, when our wives were strong, _ healthy women. Then I said to my wife, "We shall never see our old friend again in this world; he is dying." Now our wives are in their graves, and the friend that seemed marked for death some years ago has bo improved that when he spoke to me on Good- Friday I could not recognise him. All over the Zoo grounds friends were meeting friends, admiring the wonderß they could see and talking about old times and present day circumstances. Every person: seemed pleased. All that I heard praised the Zoo, and the meetings were the happiest, on such a large scale, that I have seen for a very long time. On Sunday there was another very large gathering, ■ a-nd similar happy experiences were evident. Easter Monday, and a Mistake. On Easter Monday there wa6 another great gathering of visitors at the Zoo, and general contentment and enjoyment were evident there the day. I would, however, correct one, little error that seemed to be held by several admirers of the Zebu cattle. Hindus do not worship saored cattle, but do dedicate them to gods that are worshipped.