ANIMALS AT PLAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7023, 11 January 1910, Page 2

ANIMALS AT PLAY

HOW THE JOYOUS -APES AMUSE THEMSELVES. AT THE ZOO. FROM OUR SPECIAL COEK£SI>ONDEST. LONDON, November 2G. For -those who may not know the. fascination of spending hours a* the Zoo, Messrs Mc'-thneu have provided llio next host thing, and that is a "Book of the Zoo," by Kvie Parker, three hundred closely writ'.en pages v.-oM illustrated, of anecdotes and information about animals, bird?, reptiles and fishes. Stories about monkeys always seem •id interested readers, and those contained in 51V Parker's book aro particularly entertaining. One toils of Nigger, a. black Hainan gibbon and his grey companion, Jennie, of whom ho is very fond, "but she is rather older and mare sedate than iie i-\ a-d ho loads her a lifo which only a ;>bbon could stand. She must not bo allowed to sit sti.il when ho wants to move—tluiA is his chief idea, and if she trios to find a. corner to sit in and to muse on subjects befitting gibbons, ho simply drives . her wild with interruptions. He tries to attract her attention and to make her chaso him round tho cage: sometimes ho hits her or pulls her far, ono favourite trick in to swing near her .inst out of her reach, or ju-rfc net, touching her ar. ho swings to ins highest point. At. last her patience* is exhausted and sho makes a grab or a slap at him, and then he is off mvin.gi.ng round the cage. ■ Then vou may see Vhat is surely tho most joyous motions in the world—for .gibbons swing for sheer love of swinging. DELIA'S NURSERY.

A burning question has arisen as to tho future of Delia—a baby orangoutang now in tho nursea-y at tho Zoo. This apartment is on tho ground floor of the monkey house and a privileged person is allowed to go down there and call on Nollie—a baby chimpanzee —and Julia, and perhaps give them their lunch. If tho visitor knocks at tho door Delia coons it, then the two monkeys sit side" bv side cm. a. bench and solemnly and politely take grapes, bananas and apples from you and eat them. For Nellie's future theTe is no fear expressed—she will be put in with the other young chimpanzees . and will make (rood friends. But Delia will grow into a huge creature, enormously strong, with great hands and arm?, and a _ murderous heart, and it has been said will "a.sk questions and forget to wait' for the ansvrcr" and "will suddenly lay hold of her keeper's -wrist and look at him. ' KEPT THE COMFORTER.' An amusing episode occurred last summer when a nursemaid wandered, too near Delia, who was then at large out of doors. . Tho nursemaid wheeled a' baby, and tho baby sucked what is known in, nurseries' as a comforter. Delia saw it, and desired comfort; took tho comforter and sucked it herself. The nursemaid, a discriminating girl, would not, take it back and Delia kept lt- SANDY AND HIS STRAW. Sandy, is an orang-outang with queer notions of his own as to how- he should be treated—he is an elderly bachelor with all, the morose' eccentricities of ,a human, and if, for instance, roused in the morning earlier than .usual, ho is furious and his whole day is spoiled. "He ha 3 taught himself a new way of drinking. VVithiu reach of his cage inside the screen, is a narrow tank of water. "From his bed he chooses a long straw with a good ear to it, holds the straw by the stalk and waves the ear into the water, brings the ear back soaked and sucks it much as natural poople eat asparagus. It is tho uneanniest motion." There is a fin o tribute to a, lion and widowed lioneK3. "Pat is'the centre lion rat the Zoo, and he was bred in Dublin. He is not so fino an animal as tho Clifton lion.. Hannibal, but he is a great enough beast to fulfil most of the ideals. His lioness is Ales, but they are a, childless pair; for some reason or other lion cubs do not often arrive - at the Zoo. Lions have their own nobilities, and one of them is that they are faithful as they aro fanciful in their choieo of a mate. "One of the great lionesses in the gardens, Nancy, has determined on perpetual widowhood. She lost her mate, Duke, years ago, and she will not look at another; they have tried to ulease her with Hon after lion, by putting them in cages next -each other and raising the door of tho grating between, so thft they can get used to tho idea of. living together. But it is no use; she wants to be alone."