LIONESS AND TWINS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1710, 29 March 1913, Page 7

LIONESS AND TWINS.

A SIGHT TO REMEMBER, FINEST ACT IN THE CARNIVAL, ARTISTS AT THE 200. A YOUNG TIGER ORDERED. '(By J. Crewes, president of the Wellington Zoological: Society.) _ ..•.■When' I'.'begtin, writing random jottings . about the Zoo, neither the gentleman, who encouraged ine to write on, nor myself, expected. that* all olasses of readers, young and old, rich and poor, learned and un- ' learned, primary soliool girls and boys, and University graduates, ministers laymen, would read my simple ' 'Zoo "Notes".as they Iwvo been read. But tho leception that has been ,accorded to them is highly gratifying, and the effects they are producing is encouraging. No sooner had nly last lot appeared than a boy wrote ;a bi>autii'ul letter that a proul uncle soon Allowed to me because of tlio Appreciative reference to' niy nctes contained in it; and, just tis:soon,'tho Eccretary of. our Zoological Society showed me • a letter 'froAi-' AuokJand, >hich proposed aft important scheme i for; a league of aoftloglcal Societies to link together all the cities.of NoZealand. ; . It will bo seen : tH't the Wellington, Zoological Society is riot'a littlo local concern, but that it is a growing society, attracting. the attention . of thoilghtful men, women,'and children in several.parte;of 'New Zealand, and I inay add that ib .will soon be seen that it is extending aii influence that is becoming : ti pifcr for sood far l>eyond the limits of : the' Dominion. To the littlo girls and boys, just able to toddle, that came up smiling and put their contributions into my box the other to all the other girls and boys who are interested in the ZoO.'and to/all tho juvenile readers that watch for my notes, I give assurance, thatI afh pjeaisd whenever I see or hear them or hear about them, ami .that I hope that they will grow, npflovirijf the animals in the Zoo, and working to improve tho Zoo, end increase . the .happiness of all its'inirates, ■ Mary, tho Cubs, and .tho Carnival. .

■ Much hAS been-.-written about the car- . nival. that is proceeding •, in .'Wellington .just now,.but. perhaps tins-' most• -interest-, ing event,that has taken placo in it has not yet. been journalistically dealt with. I refer to the demonstration (fiven by Mary, the lioness,' and her troupe' of cubs, ill . Nuvtown Park last' Sunday afternoon. Athletic sports,'military;displays, ..sham : fights, niaypole dances,' Scotch hops, Irish : jigs, English horupiiies, Highland flings, fancy-dress parades, Marathon races, Aunt .Solly, Punch, and Judy,,gymnastic'6xerc:'ses,, /aubjm.vtic telephones, hcekey, 1 football, x botvls. >;, "and .-' ;cmbulanee. .demoUstrotioas .'. are , . right enough in., their,.;<, ; .reverb.!. pletes, . , but- , perhaps for-xarity-of occurrence, breadth, of interest, and intensity of .fascination, combined, none of the items mentioned coUlil compare With- the ,'demonstration . spontaneously given by the lions. Hundreds of people had assembled .' in front of the cage, which for want of jftVtnoro suitable name T. call the "Ben of Lions." King Dick, being -hungry,; forgot his dignity',: pawed the asphalt floor, -and . acted very unceremoniously .until he got Ilia tation,with which he soon hurriedly moved into,, obscurity. ;When Mary's ration 1 urai. , jilaeed' on thoiStage, she didn't rush like a ravenous beast, she waited; and kept a >iowd ol eager.men, and women, watching for nuartef'of hn'rhftur. Then; 'when .she had cohvineed everybody that she was not a that oii: the .occasion of & great"eai'irtv[il en- a'- Suate afternoon would sacrifice etiquette and appetite, she quietly looked out, and seeiael that her dinner had been provided .resolved-to fetch it. . No. sooner had she . resolved thiift.-.'in ii-.manner .of■ft! queefl,: she deliberately strode .across tho fctage, :took"the beef, and.carried it to her, larder.. ... v.- - - .i . • Soon, out she came . followed . by/little 'Mary. .. She -.may: ivery well be named littlo .Princess 'May, so. like her mother is She, 1 or:'as the curfttoi? seems to prefer Maud, and Maud is a Btfyal ■ ii&itio, we will substitute Mautl for ,May. I think Mr.. Lfingridgo : is, on behalf of little . Mary, jealous of the attention I have given • to "Little Itiehard."' "Little Richard" 1 , is ■ a noble little fellow,'' Says Mr. Langridge, "but isn't 'that', little; female a, beauty ?" . Well, the- little princess sat in,the doorway of their ('oliiirile, and looked out into the' eyes of tlie'-fasdinated crowd'of human faces, fo-im? that-;she' was out before her brother,- every person thought that! she was .little; Dick himself. Then . little ..Richard, strong ahd Stately, \Canie i forward, anil instantly I heard somo per- . son say, "Why, .little Mary , must have fltwn Wonderfully, she is quite.ns bi? as - mr brother." - I looked up , and found Sef.retafy Castle at my side, then, turning .to the lions, we sftw that: No. 2 was little Richard, larger than his eister, and : spotty as; a leopard.; There is no mistak;ing which is which, when the two;ate seen / together. . . - ... iThe Humorous Little Twins.

Soon Mary, dignified, as a, queen and pf6ud as ftlly hitman mother, talked with .tier beautiful twius, so that every person cfttlld : &ee iheni, 'in. the exercise '-al'ii. Esfclly they were>fi sight .worth .walking a long way to see. Then Jl&ry gave a dcaifthstration: of quiet strength with ten- • derness ineffable. ,ftß slid took one of 1 the pubs to her mouth and carried,it into,its lalf. : : Having gently'laid that .one ■■■to . rest,, she canto out and took the other. But, before, she had grasped the second, little No. 1, seeming to enjoy , the humour or tho situation,, was-out-again. Anything tuoro interesting than' tho noble bearing and dignified .:■ confidence, with i which' the lioness moved, ; ; the tender caresses she lavished, on the humorous,, little i twins, and the quiet ..firmness wi f h which she controlled : her . strong and. t somewhat self-assertive .but obedient littlo cubs, or . tho perfect calmness, ,■■ exquisite'. humour, and bright and : placid curiosity, with which the cubs sat and looked into tho fac£S of, the scores of attentive human observers, by whom they,. were eagerly watched, I have seldom seen.- Mary's exhibition of ■. her. beautiful twins and her . faultless' demonstration of a. 'lionesa levin#,.-managing,; and carrying loyal, but" funny, little cubs, Was not-on the;.programme, nor, was it' afransed for by kconers or committees, but I. think 1 it was aEoUt the mosit;perfect act iii.the carnival.- '-Bid you ever BSd' the like Of it?" exclaimed an intercsted'spectator, as he revalued breath ih his astonishment... "My life, how much better Itwould be for. human beings if mothers would onlv'treht their little ones like_ that." he sniuj arid I walked away feelina that Mary >hful, unwittingly, improved ft .great occasion, and probably done more good' by the .impression she Jiftcl mad** tfhan but few* preachers coiild. have produced upon the members of their congregations.

■ Now for the Artists! We are toltl that oilo picture' is ren<ly exhibition.. We havelgood reason to < "bftli-evo that anoth&r is in a forward state of preparation. Several ,Skotchers have recently been busy in the Zoo. Entries are wmtflg. In slowly; but ria this !g <iur first competition, and we want to mjiko ■it •• a.'.good OflC, • tvo hft.ve extended the tiMe for the competition to tho end of May. Wo ivftHt, howoVM, nil entries to b6 sent to Mr. John Castle, chemist, Uid- . dtfoftt . Street, immediately.' • We have the nioney ready for the prizes. The New Zealand Academy of Fltio Arts will pfovido tho judges. We want more competitors.

The Young tiger. . , Lately Iff. Langridge . fold me tilnt lie ■ knew of a friend who ivas going to Singapore, where he would'be able to buy a young tiger, nt a price' mehtioned, Mr. Castle, the Secretary of bur society, having full Confidence in the ptoplbof Wellington, 'ftt Slice ahtlidrised Mr.Lnngridge to get the tiger) and now the friends of the society: are asked to. put discount coupons or cash into the box which, duly ornamented with an oil painting representihga tiger, Milgs in front of the weighing machine fronting- the doorway of Mr. • Castle's, shftp in Riddiferd Street, Newfc6tfn. It wijl be 1 noticed then that the / nftifnals the Zoological Society presents to the Zoo are animals such .as any king jvould bo Dleased to receive, and tho King

of England would bo proud to exhibit in a Zoo, and that the society works safely on scientific lines to fulfil a definite purpose. ■ The Lioness Fund. The promptness with which Councillor Frost, the chairman of tlio Deserves Committee)'Of the City Council, with the approval of his fellow-councillors, clinched the arrangements for tho purchase of the lioness, must be highly commended; and the success of the worthy chairman's appeal to tho public ,is highly gratifying. In. fact, the responso of tho public to evory : appeal thnt has been mado to improve tlio Zoo amply proves that what I said when I first spoke to the council on Zoo matters, viz., that it properly .directed, the peoplo would cheerfully provide the money for i the purchase of -all tho animals required to form a good Zoo, was Well founded. The' Zoological Society did not collect any money for the lioness fund, knowing that other workers would have no difficulty in getting tho money wanted, but as several friends passed in some donations to Mr. Castle, our treasurer, and some other persons wanted to contribute through me, I, to avoid confusion, took back uiy list, entered the following items on it," and paid the total into the City Council office :-Friend, per J: Castle. 2s. (kl.; J. Gallic, per J. Castle, 10s.; J. Jloxham, Is.; Leslie Parton, per .T. Castle, 35.; J. Castle, 55.; G. A. Stone, 2s. 6d.; two working girls, ss. (kl.; John Crewes, 10s.'Gel.; J. W. Copithorne, 24. 6d.;"W. Richards, 2s. fld.s J. Telford, 55.; collected by Mr. Fruhling: Vf. F. Hornig, 2s. 6ct.} Oliver lVist, 2s. 6d.; H. J. 8., 25.; Mrs. G. Peck, 25.; sums of Is. and under, 7s. 7d.s total, i! 3 6s. "d.