THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2603, 3 February 1904, Page 64

THE NATURALIST.

The Toilets of Animals. E\ery weli-groomcd elephant is inducted into tho civilised habit of taking at least two Turkish baths ©very year (says Science Sif tings). Each of thes© toilets consumes about on© month, and th© undivided efforts of half a dozen men. The Polar beax can only be kept presentable by -vigorous daily baths. The hippopotamu.3 must be scrubbed twice in the week. The lions, the monkeys, even the snakes, require constant grooming. The toilets of wild animals are matters ofte-n of very anxious concern to -their exhibitors, and are performed by experienced men.

No horses are more carefully watched and gioomed than the valuable stock of tho circus or menagerie. Th© society belle can scarcely spend more thought xipon her toilet than th© koc-pars do on the toilet of wild animals. Tho methods of the valets of the show ring arc little known or understood. Every keeper is likely to have his. own methods and secrets in thes© important matteis, which he guards very jealously. Taken together, they form a very interesting study. The tempers of the animals to bo cared for lend to ths work a fascinating element of danger. —Toilet Articles U^ed on Wild Animals.—

Every toilet article to bo found on the tables of fasiiionabl© boudoirs has its counterpart behind the scenes- of the circus or menagerie. The similarity between th© methods oi my lady's maid and tho-e of the wild animal keeper ai© curiously alike. The powder puff usod in tho- animal quarters has grortii to a huijo handful of cotton waste ci a, soft mop. In place of tho deii-oat-e nail file- a great roughened bar of steel, 2ft in length, is found effective. In place of the soft complexion brush on© will find the roughest of sandpaper — great squares of it — which serve- the same purposo. In connection with the=e, the valet de chamhro of tho wild animal quarters carries about a, supply of etout ropes, whips, clubs, and Look* to assist him in carrying en those dalicato attentions.

From the ve-ry naturo of things the rren who prepare th© toilets of wild animals seldom work alone. Th© subject is eithc-r too wild, and squires th© main stre-ng*ch <jt several .men to give it a clean and prcce-nt-abio appearance, or it is so large that tho etirfae© to be covered requires the combined services of a squad of men

During the winter months thes© important circus animals enjoy a long and de-served ro3j The period of inaction is, of course, an unusual opportunity for the keepers, who go systematically about tho toilets, wMeh aro the most elaborate in the year. A contiderable- foico of men is employed in this work. Thej are, as a rule, experienced workmen, besides- being entirely fearless and strong enough to do an unusually hard day's work.

From every point of view the toile-t of tho elephant is by far the most interesting performance- of tho menagerie. The subjest is so huge, the mero m-echanical difficulties of covering so much surface are so great, and the process so complex that it stands alone and foremost in this work. Thf elephant's toilet hae been compared to a Ti.rkish bath, but th© two aiv by no means parallel. It requiros at least four v/ecfoi to complete tho toilot of a single elephant.

— An Expensive Operation. —

The operation is very expensive. The assistance of the elephant's valot de chambre must bo engaged bj tho day or tve-ek, while an experiencod valet — ho is known by another name — must be engaged to superintend the work, usually at a large salary. Then, again, the soap used- in Ai& process must be purchased by the hundredweight, the sandpaper by the gross, and th© oil, an important ingredient, ie used by the barrel. The toilet of a single elephant will not infrequently cost as much as £80.

A thorough cleansing operation equires about six tveeks to complete. Th« hundreds of square fe-e-t of hide must be completely renovated, .smoothed, cleaned, and softened The manicuring of tli3 elephant's "nails" alono is a work of several days. It .nust, of course, be understood that these animals are washed regularly at ehort intervals, but the annual winter toilet, with all it involves, ie a far more serious undertaking. The valets do not, of course, work continuously on the same elephant throughout all theso weeks. It requires intervals of days for tho different baths to take effect and prepare the skin for the next treatment.

In the first place, the elephants are "hosed down" as often as possible, usually half dozen times a year. AYhcn it is practicable the great animals are allowed to bathe themselves by wading into some lake or river, and squirting the water over themselves -with their trunks. The elephants do t.his, by instinct very cleverly, but eucn baths are, of course, net to bo jorapared in effectiveness to the elaborate toilet to be described. Despite all such washings, the hide of an elephant in time becomes roughened, and, if neglected, will even scale off.

— How the Elephant is Kept Clean. —

In jrder to keep the skin soft and clean the entire hide is first carefully jilect. It is necessary to rub the oil well into the fekin, and several days .nust be spent, therefore, on each animal. As a rule, cix or eight men, sometimes more, depending upon the size of tho elephant, arc- set to work on the same animal at once. The oil is applied with swabs of cotton wa.ste, and thoroughly rubbed in. The operation is exceedingly interesting, th© elephant, meanwhile, presenting a veiy animated appoarance.

Soino of the workmen attack the elephant's legs, while others ilinib on ladders to explore the- upper reaches of a huge back. A keeper, meanwhile, stands guard beside tho elephant's trunk, with pronged stick in hand, ready for an mergency. jis a rule the great beast stands very patiently for hours at a time while the gang of work-me-n busy themselves on its- huge body. Any movement of the gieat bulk is likely to cause trouble; the ladders rested against it are easily overturned, whilo the bark of a carefully-oiled pachyderm does not afford the surest footing in the world. After the massage with oil, the elephant is left alone for a couple of weeks, or even more. The next treatment consists of a very vigorous and thorough scrubbing. By this time the hardened layers are ready to come off if properly attacked. The scrubbing is performed with great stiff brushes, many buckets of water, pounds of soap, and an immense amount of downright hard work. If the elephant's hide were to be spread out over a flat surface, it would suffice lo cover the pavement in front of

two ordinary city houses, but th© work of soiuobmg this surface- is far more difficult than that of any pavement.