ZOO NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3051, 12 April 1917, Page 6

ZOO NOTES

(By John Castle, Secretary of the Wellington Zoological' Society.)

A \verv large number of visitors assembled at the Zoo on Easter Sunday. Among them was one of the best known of the citizens of Wellington, a gentleman who has long resided in the city, and was,i when he was younger than he is to-day, a member-, of the City Council. On Sunday he was greatly surprised when he saw the crowd that gathered to see the lions fed. "I neyer saw such a number of people in the gardens before," he said. "The Zoo has become a great attraction." The Young Lions. As an attraction to persons of all ages, healthy young lions are unrivalled'in our Zoo. The four cubs that are there now are full of life and fun. The'}' do not trouble about the restrictions of confinement; they are well fed' and kindly treated, and they look perfectly happy. -On Easter Monday afternoon hundreds of people stood on the terrace opposite the playground of the leonine juveniles, watched their antics, and heartily enjoyed their performances. Sometimes the little fellows raced and romped and tumbled over each other in a .strangely involved and ever-changing! heap of happine**: At another time, one would seisre his mother's tail and hang on/"immensely enjoying his parent's futile attempts to cast him off. But perhaps the most amusing part of the unrehearsed original performance was an attempt made by one of''the youngsters to carry his ' sister in his mouth, as his mother, a few days ago, used to carry him. He was not strong enough to lift her bodily, but she lay stretched out upon her back, and lie, holding .her by the skin of her. throat, tugged her along upon the ground. In animal families, as in human, heredity tells, and the sweetness of grandmother Mary's matchless temper tells, though only to" it modified degree, in all her offspring. I am inclined to think,-therefore, that I Maud's four comical cubs afford as much amusement to the girls arid boys that visit Wellington Zoo as any lions have ever given to their patrons: Aye,, and although adults*do not admit that men and women are only children of larger growth, I have often heard a strong, full undertone of laughter from hearts that certainly were riot quite juvenile, when cirls and boys have been laughing in a higher key. and T myself have been strondy enioying the frolics of the comical ; little lions.

Osman arid Oscar. Osman and Oscar are two famous dogs. Osman was the leader of the dog teamsju Scott's last great Antarctic expedition, and Oscar played a very important part in Shackleton's latest great Antarctic venture. Each dog has been tried to the utmost limit of strength and life, and each one proved faithful unto a point as near to death as it was possible to get and not die. Osman has been in the Zoo for some months, and Oscar has, I am told, been promised to the Wellington Corporation for the Zoo. Osman is showing signs of age, and results of the hardships of former days are telling upon him, but Mr. Langridge tells me that the dog is closely watohed, regularly exercised, and properly fed with an ample supply of the best food that can be obtained for him. Recently a veterinary surgeon was consulted, when the grand old hero seemed rathor shaky, and since then a marked improvement in Osman's condition has; I think, been noticeable. The golden tree-frog is a beautiful little animal, and the metamorphis of the frog is always interesting to students.' I therefore was not surprised to learn that up at the Zoo.recently a little boy was standing outside a tank and calling repeatedly: "Mr. Froggy, where are you?" Some time ago a gentleman told me that he saw a boy holding in his hand a little Japanese newt that had evidently been, taken from tho tank in which the frogs had boon. I think that it should not be possiblo for boys to put their hands into tho aquarium tanks. . Creat Expectations. 1 always call a spade a spade, "a monkey" a monkey, aud. "u dog" a clog. But I do not hold myself responsible for what is written by my contemporaries. Tho readers of my Notes may therefore believe that an emu was offered to me for the Zoo: that an Abyssinian monkey that was under fire at Armentieres, and more than once almost lost his life in tho Battle of tHo Somino, has been offered to me, and may be expected to arrive in tho Zoo if I succeed in my attempt to find him; and that ever since the dog Oscar was exhibited in "Wellington I havo been in communication with Mr. Joyce, in the hope of obtaining "Oscar." The Monkey and the Mirror. Monkeys have wonderful versatility, and in their entertainment there is more variety than there is in the lions' show. Monkeys give an acrobatic feat, and seem to exhaust- the variety of their intellectuality. But afterwards

one of them picks up a sparrow, plucks off its feathers, curiously opens it, takes out tho mechanism of it, die--sects it, examines each musclo, twitches out each nerve, looks at each, presses it, smells at it, tastes it, and lays all tho pieces by. His professional appearance, and his wonderful anatomical research eclipse the glory of his acrobatic grimaces and performances. Later another takes a mirror, looks into it, and unwittingly gives an amazing "demonstration of the expression of simian emotions. Last Sunday afternoon a young bonnet monkey in tho Zoo had a small round mirror which gloriously puzzled him, and his expression drew a largo and thronging, though very orderly, congregation to see him. He looked into tho mirror and saw himself; but, human like, although ho knows several other faces that are not perfect, he could not recognise Mb own charming features. Ho could soo a monkey, and wonder where it was. But when he stretched back his hand to tho point at which by_ all the laws of optics and mathematics of which he had any knowledge, the reality reflecting the shadow that was seen Bhould ,be, there was only space. Then he turned so that he could see another monkey in the mirror. This one he could find, and touch, but monkey No. 1 was a puzzle that the studious operator could not solve. He turned the glass, and twisted himself, and stretched his hand,' and looked before and behind, 'and scratched the organ of causality in his intelligent looking little forehead, and seemed to think, and reflect, and puzzle, but he could not find himself. Boys laughed, girls laughed, women laughed, men laughed, and l the monkey seemed to enjoy the fun.' We humans laughed at a monkey that could, see where other monkeys were, and what scars they had; but could not recognise himself. I came away asking, What man has ever found himself? And what man would recognise himself' if ho did find him and did see himself as others see him P The Mandarin Ducks.

"Oil! mother, do come and look! Did .you ever see ducks like these?" exclaimed a boy whose heart when he saw the mandarins became ■ like the Waimangu ■ geyser in eruption. ■' And I do not wonder at it. The eleven mandarin drakes, displaying their autumnal charms in competition for the affections of three quiet but observant and intensely interested ducks, give an exhibition of splendours that excite whole-souled admiration. The display of the drakes in their new plumage, arid'new quarters, in the Wellington Zoo, on the afternoon of Easter Sunday, was simply superb.. • The drakes have come through their moult; and more 'glorious- emblems of resurrection wore not numerous on that memorable afternoon.' In fact, visitors that have seen the Zoo this Easter have seen a splendid array of beautiful colours — the macaws are aorgeous; the golden are radiant; the_ castellum pheasant is unrivalled; the silver pheasants are elegant ;■ the Canadian wood duck is beautiful; the mandarin drakes are glorious. Every person that cannot see much to admire in the Zoo just now should immediately consult a doctor. , Help to Promote the Zoo. . That the Wellington Zoo is one of the best institutions in New Zealand is now generally admitted. That I want to improve it is well known to all the readers of my notes. The Zoo is not'the only institution that.l. want to help to improve. To help to effect the improvements I.desirej I offer myself as a candidate for election to the City Council, and I now respectfully ask'all the citizens of Wellington that have votes to kindly remember me'on election day, and put me up with Councillor Frost, the Zoo's principal patron, very near to "the top of the poll."