NATURE NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2994, 3 February 1917, Page 14

NATURE NOTES

BEAUTIFY THE CITY

FRESH ATTRACTIONS AT THE ZOO

(By John Castle, Secretary of the AY el-

iiugton Zoological Bociety.;

In Wellington and its suburbs there are many beautiful things, yet Wellingtons is a. comparatively poor city. At one end of it there is a Botanical Garden in which, are some lino tree ferns, some interesting trees, some valuables-limbs, and thanks to Mr. Glen and his staff of intelligent assistants, a perennial . procession of beautiful everchanging flowers; but although witkiu the last few years the garden nas been handsmely improved its show of rosea, . rhododendrons, azales, pelnrgoniuins geraniums-, orchid, end New Zealand iloar lrepreesntatevis shrldu uon Zealand floral representatives and curiosities, loaves room for numerous desirabilities; and its entrance, or the massive dilapidated doors of it are, I should think, the ngliets seen at the front of a paradise since the Garden of Eden was closed. However, although the Wellington City Council moves with tho slow and stolid ponderosity of an elephant; when it is moved by the Reserves Committee, under whose management the Botanical Gardens progresses, it does move in the direction of its trunk, and not as when it is moved by the Municipal Museum Committee it seems to move generally in the direction of its caudal appendage. At the southern end of the City there is a Zoological Garden, in which beautiful animals vie with beautiful flowers for the attention of lovers of beauty. Aye, and there are several other natural beauties that during tho recent holiday ed much attention, Mr. Brewer must be; congratulated on the rich show of antirrhinums that he caused to Bpring up suddenly in the triangular patch in the south-western corner of Newtown Park; that generous hydrangea that has stood in front of the tramways office at Newtown, eloquently .preaching and illustrating what could be done to beautify Wellington if men who bave money wouw umy convert it into beauty as a living .liyurangea converts everything it touches, must . be 'highly commended; those superb hedges 01 ruses at Brooklyn, covering themseives . witli. glory and amazing studious observers with hints at boundless possibilities, must be \y.urmly praised; tnose splendid frogs that butae in the pellucid waters ol Central ifiati, and sing themselves hoarse nil day long in extolling the merits of Councillor Prost, must be noticed; that flowery slope in front of the Governor's residence must be eulogised; some lovely little gardens in Koy Street must bo mentioned; some charming little front gardens near the Newtown Public Library must not be forgotten. All the beauty spots that I have mentioned havo gladdened the- hearts of visitors that nave seen them, and have amply demonstrated the • possibilities 01 AVelhngton's situation and soil and sunshine. Aye, and I could write about a hundred other beauty spots, for there is a good flower garden near St. ; Mark's Church, and tnew are a few worthy, gardons and grottos at Thomdon. But'yet I am forced to admit that when the best that can bo said for pur city has been said, our hearts are with tho fact that commercialism crowds beauty out of tho hearts of our merchants, and their habits so becloud the brains and benumb the hearts of a large proportion or disproportion of. our citizens that our city, , which, reflects the beauty . that is in' its citizens, has a great deal too' much of the drab and dull, in it. There should bo fifty times as many trees, a hundred fames as maxy shrubs, and a thousand times .is many choice flowers to niako Wellington as beautiful as it ought to be. The Juveniles in the Zoo. The juveniles in tho Zoo have recently attracted much attention, Pour sturdy wolves, two rollicky thar, and three fancy-ducks have shown themselves. Tho thar are in splendid condition; the wolves to me seem to be allowed to lie too long in semi-darkness. 1 am not * doctor, but I heard from a doctor who visited the Zoo when one lot of pung wolves or of young jackals was there that to young animals eoemed" I riefcoty. nnon I mentioned this to Mr, Crowes, ho told me that lie thought that tho members of the' first litter of wolves born in. tho Zoo Were healthy and strong, that at least one healthy ono was sent away, and that a young female was reared and became bigger and stronger than hor mother; but ho holds the belief that the animals that the doctor referred to wore of a later litter, and were a feeblo and decrepit lot. Let tlie wolves have plenty of fresh air,'allow people that wjlnt to seo them! to see them, and as soon as they aro strong enough give theni 1 daily exercise, ho says, and he'thinks tjiat wolves as strong 'and healthy as the thar ought, to be reared in Wellington Zoo. He-suggests that the young wolves have not sufficient fresh air at.night,' and not .sufficient exercise in the daytims, and this opinion seems to bo confirmed when wo notice how regulariy the adult, wolves take running exercise every" day. Young George. Tho first young Hon that was born in our Zoo was, by a public vote arranged for by the City Council, appropriately named Georgo. Unfortunatelv that Geoige died. Now there is another young lion in tho Zoo, and although no opportunity has been given to the . public to select a name for him, he has, I believe, by common consent been honoured with the name tliat 'his) predecessor w ; as unable fully and worthily to adorn. It is gratifying to be able to note then that the second young George is much more handsome than tho first ono was, and that the name of Councillor Frost, to whom the credit of having provided for us a show of lions not excelled by any in the world is due, is to lie borne by n lion that promises to become equal if , not superior in beauty to any other 1 lion in captivity. The young stalwart has already been much admired,- and if spared to crown his growing symmetry with the majesty of-a worthy mane, he should bo a paTagon. Ho has much of tlie rich quality and refined beauty such as distinguishes King Dick, his grandfather, and is supplementing this with fruch mßAßiveness as gives grandeur to Briton, young George's handsome father. The three lions now in the Zoo are worthy of close observation, careful comparison, and growing admiration. Anything New? Is there anything new in tho Zoo? I asked. "Oh, yes," said our ex-president; "when I was there just now I couldn't see Maud, the young lioness,, until I called her by name, but soon afterwards she came out inner chamber, end, while I was talking to her, a beautiful little baby toddled out into the light. I hear that Maud is tho proud mother of four healthy young cubs, which aro expected to be soon ready to make fun for the public. 'Aye," 'said Mr. Crewes, "and I noticed in other parts of the Zoo a pair, of green parakeets, and several very pretty pigeons of three or more species not previously represented there." I have personally heard, also, from Councillor Frost that .lie recently brought a-pair of grey squirrels fromChristchurch, and I have had tho pleasure of passing on to th» curator of tho Zoo a crested canary nresented by "a friend of the Zoo"; a fine .sul-phur-crested talking cockatoo, presented by Mr. Mnroh, Herald Street, nnd a well-favoured hedgehog presented by Miss Phillips. Kiddiford Street, the last three ' donors having, tendered their gifts to the city per the Wellington Zoological Society. Of course, in other departments of the Zoo some deaths have token place, the most notable of which was that of Dennis, the wild boar that for years was a conspicuous though not very lovely exhibit.