THE NATURALIST. Bird Protection in London.

Otago Witness, Issue 2568, 3 June 1903, Page 64

THE NATURALIST.

Bird Protection in London.

" Narrow-minded '' 1 nimals. CRE^TCRES NO OXE CAN " BUEtK IX."

A zebra-wolf from Australia, the first of its kind to be captured alne, has recently b-on brought o\er to London by Mr Hagenbeck, the celebrated wild animal collector. Tins creature gains its name from tho zebra-l&e stripes on its body, and is said to be one of the shyest and also one of the most untamable of animals. It moves abroad only at night, and is hardly ever seen by man, even by those who live in the country ficquented by it. Australia and Tasmania possess several creatures which have never been tamed, notably the dasyuros The most savage ot the lot is the Tasmanian devil, a creaturo about the size of the badger, and the pest of the Tasmanian shepherds. The devil has a huge head, quite ouc of proportion to its body, aaid immense canine teeth. Its fur is coarse, and of a brownish-black colour. Even when caught young it seems impossible to tamo this creature.

Larger and equally savage is the Tasmanian tiger. Thia is not a tiger et all, but a wolf-like marsupial, its proper name being the dog-headed thylacine. It is another sheep-killer, and is at present being rapidly exterminated, a considerable reward being paid for each one killed. A esngle thylacine will kill 20 sheep in a night, and a station owner usually pays a guinea for a dead thylacine, while Government gives the same amount.

The Tasmaman tiger, if caught young, appear^ to become quite lame, but as soon as it ia full grown its native savagery returns, and if it once tastes raw meat or blood it becomes utterly unmanageable and very dangerous. Europe hae hardly a single wild animal whicl\ has not been domesticated. The least tamable is probably the polecat, still found in many out-of-the-way corners of these islands. The polecat has frequently been domesticated and crossed with the ferret. But it is hardly ever a safe animal to handle, and its bite is extraordinarily severe for so email a creature. Oioes'ing the Atlantic, the New World has several animals which are impossible as pets. Canada's wolverene has been 6aid to be the craftiest, fiercest, strongest, greediest, most suspicious 1 , and most mischievous beast of its size in the world. It po^-csses other names, such as the "carcajou" and the "glutton." The animal is about 3ft in length, very stockily built, with short legs, has a black muzzle, terrible teeth, and strong, curbed clavie Though it does not appear to, it is a <near relation of our polecat. Tiappers hate the wolverene, which has a habit of visiting their traps in the early morning and devouring any catch they may contain. It is said to be lost labour to attempt to tame a wolverene, for the creature seems to be without the slightest ser.so of gratitude for favours received. The peccary is a kind of small, wild pig, which lives in droves in Ooloiado and in Mexico. Its flesh is delicious, and more than cnee attempts have been made to clomesticate it. But all have been unavailing. In 1&78 a farmer named Villctte succeeded 111 trapping a whole herd near Saltello in Northern Mexico. He penned them and fed them well. But they refused to eat, and a number died.

The rest were co untamably savage that the mere sight of a human being or dog net thpm charging with furious squeals in their dpection. E\enlually Yillette was forced to kill the lemainder and abandon the exptMimont. Xow most of the < a.t tu'up, including tho lion, tiger, trnd leopard, have been tamed. Wild bca.-t tamers say, however, that while, the lion can be rendered r.d harmless as a doc- by propci handling, 0. tig<--r is never quite safp. K» this a« it may, there is oiip eat winch i« absolutely untawblp Tin* :* tho rarp black prntl'er of South America. It i- a fiull> n and dan^oror.-. snural 111 capti\ity, and t hit- 1- the more curiou-, broume i<- neai r<-lfMi\e, the puma rr mountain l.en, is cap die of thorough domestication.

Blind Animal-*.

Piofc-,01- Milh, of M'liill Ui'iiPi-t-'i}, Mo'itical, hat an aitic'o in the Fopnlai Suciice .Monthly, in winch he fift.« forth tin 1 . ip<-nlt- ff In? obi-eriation,<- on llio lichai lour of Mi id animali-.

Iho pigeon doc not t-crm to Mifn r vfry miih frtin losing the nijht of one «yi\ except, jvi liaps, v. lien tne competition of life i^ more than u-uilly keen. Tli-*3 la, no doubt, b caiic-e it 1 - vi-iou it. not binccul.u, if one may u-o the < \]'r<n=ioii. "Wl-cn <nu Mile (i the field of viMon v, cut oft' oomp'eUly ilie bird very soon lca'i'f. to adapt it-elf to its new condition by movi«neiit'j of tlie head, which it can accomplish with more- facility than tan the liiaiun'al*. Its ie.il n.i Mm eniencc i~- only f> H m thp ••tingglo with noimul comiadr,. fci it- corn, or if Jt be co i'! nin-cd zi- to diguf m conflict with itb rnal-

So with tho rat. 110 clop- not senm to bo miuh troubl'-d aft«T tin.- first day or so. Tlip cmly diffcicmc notiLOsblo l- that on cwp'onng new ground he exhibit.? special (•ciution, stretching out ln» neck, elbvating hi« fore parts, sniffing in an unus-unl way, and «o on. Ho ib a!r-o much moie timid than before, retreating to his hiding place at the smallest sign of an enemy.

Cmc very unexpected ieault of total Igj-s of Mght in tho white rat i' its eudden change of disposition. Hats that weie perfeotly tame suddenly betiayed not merely irritation, which would have Ivcn veiy natural, but exhibited maiked firocity. What is more curious .till, although in-

fanticide is rare in the case of these creatures, in nearly every case under the notice of Professor Mills blind white rats devoured thei*- offepnng. It is remarkable th".t neither rabbits nor rats ever made the mistake of walking off a place some height above the ground.

Under a new Order-in-Council which has just been issued by the Home Secretary, special provision is made for the better protection of wild birds and their esgs in the neighbourhood of London. Hitherto certain exceptions were made as regards the birds protected, but under the new arrangement the protection accorded the different species of wild birdf met within the district will bo continuously enforced all through the season. For a period of five years from the d?>te of the Order the taking or destruction of the cgp>s of specifieel wild birtli? is prohibited, and it is stipulated that airy person infringing tho regulations will be liab'o to a penalty not exceeding £1 for evory egg or bird taken or destroyed. Over a doz<n additions havo been made to tho species previously protected under the Wilel Birds Protection Act of 1880.