ZOO NOTES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2727, 23 March 1916, Page 9

ZOO NOTES

(By John Castle, Secretary of the Wei-

lington Zoological Society.)

. "The Zoo has been greatly improved in the last two years," said a lady a fow days ago. "Of course I read 1 the Notes in The Dominion," she added, "but I did not expect to see such a change for tho bettor in the Zoo in so short a time. Several similar expressions have been heard from visitors lately, and the similarity is remarkable. Well, being the-Sooretary of tiio Wollington Zoological Society, a society which is on fairly good terms with the Wellington City Council and with the Curator of tho Zoo, and which lias in it" several diligent and careful observ-' ors who are able to distinguish an owl from a hippopotamus, and to describe the difference between a sea lion and a sea leopard, I think that I may claim that my personal observations are so supported aiid supplemented with tho reports of other studious observers that tho Notes I publish may generally bo regarded as worthy of credence, and 1 bo preferred, where they differ from tho mystioscities of less privileged scribes. Moses has Arrived, "Have you come up to seo our Moses?" tho Curator asked : . "Moses? Who is Moses, or what is he?" tho visitor cried. "You will seo him up near the yard whore the camel used to he," said tho Curator. Up went the visitor, and 1 saw a young donkey. Two or three boys were climbing up tho fence, six" girls were running as fast as tliey could run, and two men were standing, all to seo a young donkey. Some people imagine that a donkey is a dull, stupid animal; but the dullness of a donkey, generally, U a. result of a faulty education, and is a faithful reflection of tho stupidity of the donkey's owner. The donkey is one ot the most sagacious members ef the animal kingdom, and is 'certainly one of the most precocious. The day-old donkey in the Zoo didn't seem strange. Ho looked knowingly at tho bovs, and when one of them tried to play with him he clapped down his ears, which are or prodigious length, and immediately placed herself ready for defensive or offensive measures; but 'on momentary reflection lie restrained himself, saying, "I am not yet quite steady enough oil my pins to bear the full force of my electric life engines; come up again, tomorrow, and I will show you my heels." But why call him Moses "Do you know why I have named him Moses " the Curator asked. "No," answered the visitor.

"Well," said the Curator, "Moses was called Moses because he was drawn out from the bulrushes, was he?" '■'Yes," said tho visitor

"Aye," tho Curator continued, "and when I went up to see the donkeys I suspected from the movements of tho mother that sho had a young one somewhere, but it was not' with her. Then I searched and found the baby in a clump of-gorse. Ho evidently was born on a bare piece of ground l or tableland, but, starting liis roving and exploring tendencies before he was stsong enough to walk, he rolled down a slope into the gorse. Of course I had to pull him out, and henco it seemed to me that a very suitable name for him was Moses." t-eonine Fun. Lions like play. "King Dick" is majestic in appearance, and at times the imperiousness of his self-will seems even savage; but often ho relaxes tho restraint of his natural dignity, flings to forgetf illness all suggestions of ferocity, 'and with delightful abandon shows himself ready to enjoy a romp with any of his few favourites, leonine or human. Queen Mary, his illustrious consort, although she seems to have aged considerably within the last year, brightens up at timss and plays. Maud, the young lioness, having .to keep three big babies on good behaviour; has her temper sorely tried and her resources of humour exhaustively taxed at times, but she is a model mother, and plays with, rather than punishes, her wayward offspring. While they are playing with each other, the proud _ mother watches them,! crouches, sights them, moves stealthily towards them, then springs, leaps into the air, and pretends to pounce upon them. Bui fliey in return show up 1 and say: "Wo knew that you were bluffing; but what do you -think of this?" and one catches her by the throat, while another fastens on to her side, and the third takes hold of her tail, whoro they pull and bite until she growls a protest, and they sensibly desist. One day two of the young lions together seized a bono, a rib of some kind. They couldn't oat it, and as thero was not much flesh on it, picking was not a payablo proposition. But tho little utilitarians couldn't afford to waste it, so they used it for a tug-of-war. Ono took one end of the rib.iuto his mouth, tho other took a side grip, but they crouched, head fronting head, and lay back with all their might. Then there was a strong pull, and a long pull, a fair trial of weight and strength, whilo people looked on and laughed, until inch by inch the straggler that had the rib end on in his mouth was drawn on to the other took a side grip, and they a fairer tug-of-war, nor a'more genuine contest. The little follow that lost disputed, every inch of ground, until lie was bodily pulled away by the superior, weight, or skill, or perhaps good fortune, of his opponent. "Have you trained that lion with an electric stick?" cried an astonished onlooker, as "King Dick," the lion, when lie saw the' ex-president of our society lift his walking-stick, kneeled down, rolled over, and lay as ono dead' or fharmed to change by the wand of a ■magician. Tho gentleman that put that question knows a great deal about lions, and he imagined that our ex-presidont used an electric rod to play tricks on tho lions in the .Zoo. I am assured, however, that no electricity is used. Kindness, mutual confidence, tho 'strange power to read each other, and the natural longing that, most animals have to be honoured witli tho attention of human beings that they havo confidence to approach and play with, must bo accepted as the explanation of the control which without presents or punishment of any kind Mr. Crowes has I acquired over several of the animals in ' the Zoo, and some of the results of tho control are marvellous, and to some persons who have not closely studied wild animals would seem almost miraculous. Dldunoulus and the Pouters. Since I last wrote a great exhibit of pouter pigeons has been placed in the Zoo. I heartily congratulate Mr. Langridge on the success of his efforts to get these.' liver since tho fantails and tho homers were introduced there has been a cry.for pouters. Now the cry has mot a splendid response. J am told that even one that was the champion of the South Island is conspicuous ifi this galaxy of proud and portly grandees, or grandioses, which gloriously display their self-imnortanee in the pen that serves as a kind of supplement to the pheasants.

Didunculus the strigirostris, toothbilled pigeon, that was sent from Samoa .to Wellington soon after our Expeditionary Force landed there, is in a pen next to which, for several days, the pouters were temporarily located. The pouters, from tho time of their arrival, were happy in their now lodgings, and indulged in posing, cooing, and courting. Whether the amorous demonstrations of his neighbours revived tender memories in Didunculus, and moved him instinctively to call for a loi'or lie was torn from in the long ago, and may never see or hear again, or whether, admiring the haughty inflations of his aristocratic relations, he trips to <ihow that he, by a method superior to that of tho pouter, can assume an npnaarancxs less ostentatious, but equally

proud, and more respectably dignified, I cannot toll. It.has, however, been noticed that over since ' the pouters began to blow and coo in his hearing, Diduiiculus has been musically distending his amplo breast, and so doing it as to produco a deep round full, not unmusical, though rather mournful and distressingly monotonous sound. The I'antails, tho pouters, 'and Diduiiculus, how showing up in good condition, represent throe good clas»es for show purposes, as they aro very interesting even to the youngest children, and delightfully puzzling even to our pundits. Tho Dutch Rabbits. There wero several varieties of rabbits ill tho Zoo. (some have long hair, some short, some are white, some yellow, some' blask, somo brown, some grey, but thoro wero no variegated beautiful black and white ones, such as boys ill England delight in, ami their fathers used to be'proud to show. The. common wild grey rabbit has become a pest in some" parts of Now Zealand; hut, as pets, rabbits have held tho hearts of boys for ages, and are likely to hold on. Of course, men unci women when they go to see the rabbits, ostensibly go to take children up to see them; but it is suspected that many an old man goes up to renew his youth by being reminded of tho feelings ho had when ]io was the proud owner" of the most beautiful snowwhite French albinos in his native village, or when he was falcon by his father to see tho magnificent lop-eared prodigies at the Crystal Palace. Lately Mr. Langridge has added somo very pretty black-and-white bunnies to our colleotion. Visitors may find them in a pen with tho rough-coated guinea pigs. Why the new arrivals aro called Dutch I cannot tell. I am told that they are, or are bred from stock, imported from France. Frogs and Other Fry. There has been great lamentation over the loss of fish caused by the temporary failure in Wellington's water supply a fow weeks ago, but as no blamo was duo to any person on account of tho loss, and the Government and tho City Council, with Councillor Frost, Mr. Ayson, and Mr. Longridge, aro all interested in the aquarium, we may expect that soon tho charms of this very interesting part of the Zoo will excel.in interest its attractions before tho accident. Some-- very fino young rainbow trout, and with them some English brown trout,'have already arrived. Representatives of other species of beautiful fish may bo expected to arrive soon.

Up among their Japanese newts, or palamandridae, some little frogs and tadpoles are on exhibition. 'Among natural marvels frogs have received much attention, and they aro always interesting. Now that wo have in lino the tuatara, tho long-necked tortoise, tho frog, tho newt, the eel, the carp, and tlie°'perch, the man who cannot see much •to study, admire, and wonder at, even in that lino of our Zoo, may safely conclude that in him neglect is atrophying some of his most important faculties. Thoro are several species of frog that, in their green and gold, aro very beautiful. One of theso now figures among the adornments of our Zoo. The Camels are Cominy. Having heard that some-frogs were wanted for tho Zoo, Mr. Haigh, of Greytown,. started out on a wild animal chaso, and, having had somo good si»rt, ho later sent down a very interesting collection of frogs in several stages of development. During the last few days this collection has been one of the most potent attractions m tlio Zoo. Boys have been calling, and little girls screaming in their eagerness to bring all and sundry to see the wonderful little froggies—first the tadpole with the long wide tail;. then the littlo legs appearing; then the little frog, tail and all emerging from the water; then tailless froggy sitting on a rock. Children aro fascinated by the, frogs, and even men and women linger to look long and intently "at tho little changelings. Bub human beings are not the only observers that have given more than momentary attention to the metamorphical amphibians. Tho Japanese newts, or salamanders, which had been hibernating, or hiding nnder stones, came out to seo what was disturbing the surrounding waters. One of tho newts ventured into the midst of a company of several curious froglings. Whether' tho newt intended to cat tlio frogs, or what was about to happen, no one seemed to know, w : hen a happy thought struck one of tho frogliugs, and he, instead of waiting to he accommodated as an insidopassonge'r, leaped on to the back of the salamander, and caused a consternation. A prim little jockey, in green and gold,* about tho sizo of a dwarf French bean, riding on a'dark salamander, threo or four inches long, whoso breast was aflame with crimson, wa3 a sight that has not often been seen. Salamander, frightened, started homeward. Froggy, pleased, sat erect. Thero was sceu.u fit model for a clever cartoonist, or a suitablo subject for ft comic poet. Salamander couldn't dislodge the miniature joSkey, for he sat as to the manlier born; then there was .nothing for it but an instinctive run for home. Salamander stumbled from his rocky footing; this threw froggy into the water, and salamander, in too great a hurry to stay to see what damage he had done, immediately sought cover and seon was safe beneath the impregnable protection of a stone. Funny things happen in a Zoo; but many of thorn aro seen only by careful observers who carry their eyes and patience with them. Tho Lure of the "Notes." In the afternoon of tho day on which my last lot of notes were published in The Dominion, the curator of tho Zoo, and a gentleman evidently intensely interested in birds, wero seen standing outside tho small birds' aviary, watching the dainty whydahs, the familiar honeyoaters, the tri-coloured spice finches, and the busy Amadava, as they darted, flitted, flew, and glinted in the sunshine between the sylvan shades and shelters of the shrubbery., "That is what the Notes do," said tho curator when the visitor had left. "That_ gentleman learned that some spine-billed honeyeaters had arrived, and he immediately hurried up to my house and asked mo to show him where tho very interesting new arrivals were. Ho is greatly interested in birds."