THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 48

THE NATURALIST.

Operation on a Khinoceros.

The superintendent of the Zoological Gardens has to be a man of many parts. Most people expect him to be at least a naturalist and a good judge of every beast, from a " hippo " to a guinea-pig ; but he is not generally credited with being something of a surgeon as well.' Early on a recent morning, however; before the gates were opened to the ordinary visitor, a few privileged ar"tists, and the rhinoceros familiarly known as " Begum, the hairy-eared," were given 'proofs which quite convinced them oh the i -subject — especially poor Begum. The operation was not a very serious affair. The ! lovrer of the two horns which characterise | I the hairy-eared division of the rhinoceros 1 iiimily had worked its way in this case right | back *to the upper horn, and threatened j ; -iither to break off itself or destroy the other, i Mr Clarence Bartlett, therefore decided to saw the troublesome part away — a simple matter compared with some of the opera- \ tions which the superintendent is occasion- | ally called upon to perform — clipping the claws of a tiger for instance, or extracting a tooth from a hippopotamus. But it was a ticklish affair all the same, and needed the whole of the available staff of the gardens to bring it about. Perhaps Begum remembered a similar operation — 10 or 12 years ago — when the' same horn had to be cut through for exactly the same reason. Anyhow, she lashed herself into a 'perfect fury while the preliminaries were being arranged, and al- ; most roared -the roof '"off. ■• ■ | " Couldn't you give her chloroform or [ something? " suggested one of the bystani ders. i ' "Chloroform!" was the reply. "It would I take all the chloroform in London to do any j good here." j ■ It was only strategy which overcame Be- | gum at last. For nearly 10 minutes she kept the keepers and their rope at bay, plunging and struggling in her -own unwieldy way, i and swearing horribly all the time. ~Her next-door neighbour, the great Indian rhi- ; "noceros, went wild with alarm at the noise \ and disturbance, and kept hurling itself into I "the corners of its den with its whole weight ' "and might, until the corners were red with blood. Begum, meantime, after much hesitating suspicion, had been beguiled into step- j ping over the innocent-looking rope which i had been stretched over the ground in front j of her, and before her hind legs could follow j the front the end of the rope had been j thrown over her body, the noose made tight, ! and the first process of binding her com- I pleted. " Good old Begum," said one of the keepers tenderly as he ventured just within her reach. " Good old Begum " only | snorted, threw round her head, and the man '• went sprawling for his pains. It was Begum's last chance, however. Eighteen men hauled her tip to the bars of her den ; others went inside to' take her legs prisoners with their ropes, while another rope gripped her round the, head, with the object of bringing the offending horn within reach of Mr Bartlett, who, with two evil-looking saws — specially ground and prepared for the occasion — was patiently waiting his opportunity. There was another scene when the saws began their work, and it was only after many attempts and much commotion on the patient's part that Mr Bartlett got even halfway through. Begum by that time had plainly had more fchan enough of- it, and, re- | newing her desperate struggles, almost broke S away. " She's got a wonderful second wind," j said* another of the perspiring keepers, after j she had been pinioned down again. "You I never know when she's done for." But Begum after that was nearly exhausted, and Mr. Thomson, the head keeper,' continuing j the operation inside the cage, plied* the two | saws in turn — both now considerably bent — until the cause of" all the mischief fell with • a thump on the floor. The piece was carried away by Mr Bartlett in triumph. "I'm going to put it with the lump that came off before," he said laughingly — while Begum herself settled down to a feast of dry biscuits.

Natural Deato tn the Animal World. Replying in the St. James's Gazette to the question, " What is the common form of natural death among animals?" Mr <J. J. Cornish, the Avell-known naturalist, gives the ghastly answer, "Death by starvation." The inquiries of veterinary science, he continues, show that in the case of some ruminant animals this is the logical end of physical changes in the inoulh and teeth. For the carnivora loss of strength means loss of power to_ obtain food, which is sought first in the form of feebler or unusual prey, and in the end cannot be procured In Devonshire, whence T write, I have seen birds; in the rare event of very hard winter following them westward, dying in scores almost before our eyes — too weak to eat the food offered them. There are cases in which decay or collapse is so sudden as to preclude the lingering attacks of hunger. But the subject is a painful and perplexing problem. -■ How a Hedgehog Fights a Snake. — - " Several years ago I was an interested spectator at a combat between a hedgehog and 'a huge black snake," said W. D. Ingraharn, of Memphis. "I came upon the scene just as the hedgehog began Ihe attack on the snake, which was lying stretched out on the road asleep. The hog advanced cautiously upon the reptile and seized its tail in its mouth, giving it a sharp bite. Then he quickly withdrew a ' few feet, and rolling himself into a compact spiny ball awaited developments. The snake, upon being thus •rudely awakened, turned in fury upon its -antagonist, striking the hog again and again jvith its* fengs._ TJtjJe wily liedgeJiQ^ securely

entrenched within its spiny armour, remained perfectly motionless all the while, allowing the snake to keep up the attack. At every stroke the jaws of the snake would become filled with the spines, until at last, exhausted and bleeding from the dozens of wounds caused by the needle-like spines of the hog, the snake gave ud the battle. This was evidently what the hedgehog was waiting for, as he immediately proceeded to roll over the snake again and again until he had completely disembowelled his victim. — St. Louis Globe-Democrat.