ZOO NOTES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2267, 29 September 1914, Page 9

ZOO NOTES

OPENING OF THE AQUARIUM TO-DAY'S CEREMONY • WOLVES AND THEIR WAYS [By John Creires, President of the Wcl-' lington Zoological Society.] To-dav should be regarded as a redletter day in the history of the Wellington Zoo. If ever men got to see things in due proportion, wise men will regard this day as a ral-iettcr day in the history of the Dominion. For this' is tho day of the opening of the aquarium, which, on behalf of the people of 'New Zealand, tho Government of Now Zealand has presented to the Corporation of the City of 'Wellington. Is the present a great one or a small one? By tho answer that a man gives to this. question we may judge the degree oi civilisation ami education, and, perhaps, religion, to which the said man has attained. To the coarse-grained, i'.iiintelle«tual man, , the man who measures tilings by inches or judges them by troy, or by avoirdupois weight, the present may seem small; but to the man whose eye has been trained to discenu beauty, and whefse -ijiteittec-b by the power of genius or by careful education has been moved'to delight in tho study of Nature's fascinating mysteries, the new aquarium will be a'i object of immeasurable interest now, and. a promise of almost infinite blessing for the future. The aquarium is not largo at present, t more species of fish and other interesting "exhibits 'may be expected to enrich it eoon; but already it is sufficiently interesting to engage the attention aiid enrich the minds of all whose minds are equal to the occasion. As in the world of birds, fanciers havo wrought wonders, so in the world of fish fanciers have produced exquisitely '• beautiful varieties. The Japauese. fantaii goldfish in our aquarium, in tho delicate texture of their tails and fins, supply hints of \vhat human genius directing . natural forces can .produce. While gardeners have been cultivating roses and carnations, and bin] fanciers have been pror, (hieing beautiful varieties of canaries," lish fanciers have produced some radiant marvels in their aquariums, and visitors to our Zoo will see at least one illustration of these artificial wonders. Then lovers of utility will be interested in tho brown trout and the quiiinat salmon. Lovers of natural beauty will see much to admire in tho American brook trout, and in iuair rivals, the Canadian rainbow trout. Then curious people will bo attracted to'the silurus. By the.kind assistance of Mr.. Perry, the librarian of the Neivtown branch of tho Wellington Public Library, I have been enabled to see much to appreciate highly in the new aquarium, and I am that if I had tan times' the opportunities for rest and recreation that the world allows me, I could profitably spend them studying the exhibits that are already in the aquarium that will be opened this afternoon.

Wiiat's What in the Acuarium? Seeing that' no labels were on the tanks when I last saw them, I jotted the following note, which may indicate n-liat visitors to the aquarium may expect to see. lam not an authority on lish, but tlie following catalogue may be accopted as fairly reliable until labels appear. Beginning with the tanjt nearest' t'ho lions' den, we notice in— Tank I.—Japanese fantail gold .fish (Carassius auratus, vav. oViformis). Tank 2.—American brook trout fry. '■ Tank 3.—Golden carp or gold fish (Carassius auratus).. Tank .4.—Rainbow trout fry. Tank s.— Perch'. . . .■ . Tank 6.—American ; brook trout. Tank 7.—Gold and silver carp. Tank B.—B-ainbow trout.' Tank 9.—Purple and gold carp. Tank 10.—Qmnnat salmon fry. Tank 11.—Bronze or common carp. Tank 12.—Perch. ' Tank 13.—Golden carp. Tank 14.—8i-own trout. _ . Tank 15.—Silurus or catfish (Pimelodus mamlatus). . Tank 16.—Not sure.about these. May be mountain trout or kokopu.

Brilliant Fierceness. : When first I saw the wolves that are in tho Wellington Zoo, the male seemed sullen and savage, but sombre and uninteresting. When next I saw them he was restless, ill-conditioned, miserable, just a ■ suitable subject for the kind of reporter that likes to describe funerals and tho breaking of a horse's neck in a steeplechase; and the unhappines.s of wild animals in new cages under abiior-. mal conditions. Later I saw the wolves again. Then their eyes were mild, their coats were sleek, their temper seemed sweet, their movements were gentle. The civilised wolves seemed docile as collie dogs, just such pets as one would like to lead one on each side of him to bs admired by every person in Cuba Street or Manners Street, whore admirers of canine beauty twn to look at dof of exceptional merit. Then the beautiful dog wolf seemed almost too gentle aud highly civilised to be interesting as a wolf in a Zoo. A little later I was walking with Mr. Langridge. "Watch tho wolf When he catches sight of me," said the curator, and he raised his voice. Listlessness vanished with the swiftness of lightning, and the wolf was at attention and was apparently as playful as a domestic pup. Now, said the curator, "notice, he is as jealous as possible of me; see himwJien he thinks that I am going to notice or bo noticed by the female." Mr. Laneridce turned' towards the end of the den where the female was quietly wotting her daily exercise. In an instant the whole being of the male was changed, and I saw such brilliancy or concentrated fierceness as I never before had seen. Until then an Indian wolf had seemed, even in bis moments ot snarl, a rather unforraidable and pretentious thing. But in a moment all was changed, every nerve and nruscle ,aiicl nbre°aiid hair seemed surcharged with fierceness. . To see tho acme of ferocity one must see an Indian wolf suddenly surcharged with jealousy.