WELLINGTON ZOO

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2445, 26 April 1915, Page 7

WELLINGTON ZOO

RECENT ADDITIONS LIONS AND THEIR WAYS THE AQUARIUM. [By John Crowes, Member of th© .Wellington Zoological Socioty.] The president of tho Wellington Zoological Society works quiotly; but ho is a good worker. A few days ago I saw him in company with Councillor Frost, the chairman of tho Reserves Committee, of the Wellington City Council. When they consult and advise and cooporate results are expected. They have beon consulting lately; and Secretary Castle has - been writing. If the nations will continuo the war, our troops ships must not come back empty. The London Zoo has received a valuable cJumpanzee as a result of the war. Our Zoo has received a tooth-billed pigeon, two fruit-pigeons, a rail, and a diamond dove. The tooth-billed pigeon is a great prize; the fruit pigeons are rather tantalizing, one of them builds, and builds, and sits on her nests: but does not lay an egg; the rail is like an embodiment of electricity, but, like lightning, he seegjs to prefer hiding to shining; so that he is seen, only at intervals, and then only for a twinkling; the little dove pipes the most musical, but the most mournful, note heard in the Zoo. If in response to the appeal of Messrs. Frost, 1) athers and ■ Castle, two Governments move into the light, and muoh more unlikely things than that have happened, then we shall look for results attractive enough to break record numbers of visitors that will praise the Zoo. Ladies and Lions. Recently I went to see a lady direct the performances of a lion and a lioness on the stage of a theatre. The lady spoke to her charge and they did what she told them to. Other ladies clapped their hands, but I could not see that any of them thought that there was anything to wonder at in lions obeying, a lady. But when, at the sound of my voice. King Dick, the senior lion in the Wellington Zoo, falls to his knees, and rolls over on his back, and, using his forelegs and his mouth, gathers up his hind-legs, and expresses homage and delight, just as the chiefs of a tribe of Africans did when they received Dr. Livingstone, the great explorer and missionary, ladies wonder with puzzled amazement. Are you his keeper? one lady asked. Do you feed him? was a question put by another. ' Some ladies seem to feel that tho height of wonderment has been reached when they see a lion that will not bow to a lady almost worship a male member of the genus ■ homo. But the scepticism of ladies amuses. One lady, having seen the lion go down once, tried the effect of an appeal by herself ; but, noticing that Dick gave no heed to it, she imagined that perhaps his apparent obedience to me was 'a more coincidence, and she could not be satisfied until she had asked me to speak again to him and he had responded a seoond time. Another lady leoently was standing near King Dick's domicile, when a gentleman noar her said, "Mr. Crewes, the lion knows you." I then clapped my hands and down went Dick and'prepared for a good romp. "Oh, yes," said the gentleman, who takes a great interest in the Zoo and frequently visits it, "the other day I watched him when you were some distance away and were talking to some person, _ the lion caught • the sound of your voice, and his attention was towards you immediately. But the lady could hardly believe her own eyes, or the testimony of'the gentlefnan, whose word would have great fre'Rht anywhere in the world. She asked me to clap my hands again, and was not thoroughly _ convinced until Dick had said, as plainly as a lion couid speak, that he knew who it was that was playing with him, and that I was an old friend of his. Eight years have passed over us since I patted Dlok on tlra back, and we ' became friendly. Lions are favoured with .so. (off pats that they easily remember, and never forget, the few kindly attentions they receive from friendly nan-is. Most people think that lions are savage, blood-thirsty animals, always wantto kill human beings and eat tliGDi; but if tli© lions are fed with a moderate quantity of the flesh of horses that have finished their life-work and been freed from pain, they would rather ' i.T. nl n, cn, and love them, than eat them. Of ooiirse, when 'philosophic moralists go up to a lion, pull their faces to a great length, and say "A menagerie is a place of misery, a very gloomy home of cruelty," tho lion yawns a yawn of utter languidness and says, les, my melancholy friend, it is when you are hero." But when King Dick, our round-faced healthy lion, sees a man out of whom the weight of ago and a world's cares have not crushed the love, of a little healthy fun, the noblest inmate of the Zoo jumps and gallops and gambols with a joy too big tor words. Lions are good judges of men, and cannot endure sombre-looking people that have no humour in them Ail Supporting the Zoo.

Just now we are reminded of the Roman Emperor who saw the representatives of his people pass before him. i irst, the veterans, stately, and steady, ra f^ er slow, marched saying. it. ® been brave." Nest came men in tne prime or manhood, saj'ing "TV© are . Last came the children. sa ?' m S We will be brave." "Then,' J said the Emperor, "Rome is safe." Lately home came Mr. Stidolph, and sent an American newspaper tellmg me of what was done over in au American park. •Mr. fetidolph is one of Now Zealand's veterans, saying "We have remembered ~ Lately Mr. Arnold sent a very kiwi letter from Egypt. Mr. Arnold is now in tho heyefey of his life, and trom the fighting line lie turns back his memory, and, for himself and his comrades, heartily says:. "We do remember the Zoo." A little while ago two companies of children worked up bazaars, and sent the proceeds 'f them to the treasurer of the Wellington Zoological Society, and thereby said, "Wo lull never lorget tho Zoo." Surely then at last wo may most assuredly say "Tho too is safe." A Cood Record. I calculate that 16,000 peoplo visited our Zoo in the first eight days of April, xletween five and six thousand paid for admission. On the Sunday more than two thousand adults .wero admitted tree. On the eight days many more ,V i ?, n , " lan adults were admitted, and all children up to the age of 15 passed rrnn 0 i i^ e1 , 1 ' wero more than mJU adults there were more than 8400 children. The total, probably, considerably exceeded 10,000. ' Cood Wishes for tho Curator. tt. is gratifying t.o note thai when members of our Expeditionary Forces aie far away from New Zealand, they ? for 6 6t J'" s devotion and courtesy of Mr. Langridge, tho Curator of the ZOo. All who are proud of the Zoo niiwf. Hp proud of I lie curator, lor If is devotion to his work has greatly contributed to the excellent' condition of the Zoo, and his courtesy to visitors has merited tho popularity he enjoys., I was pleased therefore to notice that in the letter sent from to tne the i!£iinlssfc .Wtfhfls to _

curator, or director, and to the Zoo Committee/ with all good wishes for their future success." Paradise Fish. The Government of the' Dominion has recently added another to the attractions of the aquarium. The paradise fish are young and small) at present, but they are fall of promise. When full-grown, paradise fish are, we are told, "brilliant with colours only comparable to those of the beautiful tropical butterflies." These fish make nests, in which the females lay eggs, from which families are born, whose domestic changes are eye-openers to all the curious students that like to study the home-life of fishes. Wonderful are .the works of Macropoc'/s viridi-auratus, and increasingly attractive are the wonders the Government is adding to the Zoo. Now I wish it to be distinctly understood that I want to see the Zoo beautified, and would like to see it adorned with rosos; but the flowers must not encroach on sites that are needed for houses, yards, lawns, ponds, and cages, for animals; nor must the passages in front pf and between these be narrow. The aquarium has already become so popular that the passage in front, of. the tanks is not more than half wide enough,' and the popularity is steadily increasing. ' .