HEARTY ANIMAL APPETITES

Evening Star, Issue 21078, 15 April 1932, Page 11

HEARTY ANIMAL APPETITES

GLUTTON SEAL THAT STBAYEB I suppose that most of us who cart afford it cat too much. The man of, sedentary pursuits needs about twothirds the quantity of food required by, one engaged in heavy manual labour, hut since a greater range of appetising dishes.come within his reach, his table efforts often sclipse those of the man oi humbler calling t, writes E. G. : Eoulenger, director of the London Zoological Society's aquarium). Mortality statistics cast a lurid light upon the abuse of appetites. Far more rich people die of digestive ailments than do the poor, though uuder-nutri-tion also bears in its train a ghastly gallery of diseases. With all his powers to see the light, man docs not invariably follow it, and it is questionable if his instincts in the matter of food show a great advance _on those of the majority of lower animals. To a certaei extent animals do seem to know when to stop—but not invariably. An amazing instance is frequently seen at a famous butterfly farm not far from London. Here vast quantities of caterpillars are raised, their food plants being closed in large muslin sheets termed “ sleeves.’ - ' Small birds particularly robins, frequently break into these “ sleeves ” to feed—« not wisely, but too well. As a result the sleeve breaker is found lying prone and so inflated that it is unable to hop, far less fly, from the scene of its ergy, FISH STORE RIFLED. A similar instance of gluttony happened at the Zoo not long ago. The glutton in this instance was a sea lion mat forced an enlry into the fish storo and feasted until he collapsed. He was obliged to fast several days afterwards before ho regained his powers of locomotion . • ' A seal kept some time ago at the Plymouth Aquarium escaped from his quarters and ;visited each tank in turn. Having eaten all the occupants, he was unable to get back, and so gave himself away to his keepers. Animals are anything but moderate in their notions of “ enough,” bub there is an excuse for them. The creature in the wild is seldom sure of anything like regular food Frequently long enforced fasts arc involved, and tl.: diner,- not knowing where his next meal is to come from, feeds to repletion when chance offers. At the Zoo, of course, all this is altered. Food is adequate and regular, and whenever a fast is enforced it is only for the creature’s well-being. The quantities of food required by different creatures vary enormously. Whereas a lion can live and live well on about 71b of horseflesh a day and ha the better for one day fast per week, a full-grown sea lion’s minimum quantity per diem is 301 b of fish, and the big elephant seal is not overtaxed by three times this amount. The com. mon mole, the hungriest of mammals, can eat twice its weight in earthworms. Fish have an en rmous capacity, and their notions of enough have never yet been, clearly ascertained A common fish from the abyss—Chiasmodoiv—has a highly distensible stomach, and has been known to engulf another fish four: times its own bulk.