Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-12-02
The Animals In Central Park.
nrrars11o AgD volorrrrl nclprsfs.


Sun OF that city with tie following interest
ing statement Of the facts about the still
captive animals
In his last report 90 the park commission
ers, Mr.. Couklin saystha the Central Park
Mouagcrie contains about nine hundred crea-
tures, about equally divided between mann.
mails and birds. The animals are obtained
for exhibition by purchase. by gift, bv breed
ing, and by loans. Whenever Mr.. Barnum
or Mr.. Van Amburgh goes out Of the city
for season he places his most valuable
specimens in the Park Museum, where tkey
are sure to- receive good care The more
prominent donors are the American foreign
consuls and The officers Of the army and
navy. OF late years il has been found posi-
blo to breed lions camels. tigers, hyenas, and
bears, a. well as deer and other American
animals, though the greatest care is required
to protect the young
The lions. nine IN number, are fed about
eight pounds of raw beef apiece every after
noon except Sunday. On Sunday they eat
nothing. The tigers, wild cats, hyenas, and
the little iaclal. the only ono in America are
an fed in the same way but they get smaller
quantities. The tapirs, grizzly and black
bears, pairies dogs and some Of the bears
are kept on bread and milk. The sheep eat
mnips during the winter, and pasture dur
ing the summer. The oamels, zebras, ante
lopes, yaks llamas and buffalo are pastured
tin late in October. and then housed and fed
on hay and grain. The tall slender giraffes
are light eaters quart of grain and a hand
full OF hay per day keeps them in excellent
condition. The eagles, hawks and ravens
get raw meat, and in many varieties Of peli-
cans. the cranes, storks and ducks get fish.
The cassowary, celebrated by the rhymester,
is % large. strong bird Of ostrchlike build,
covered with long black feathers as fine as
hair. Ilr has a bold stride, and good mus
cular development. maintained on bread and
water. The swans have grain during the
summer. and cabhages when they are housed
for the winter. The doves, pheasants and
chickens are fed grain ard bread, and the
small birds get canary, hemp and rape seed,
and red peppers at intervals. The special
pets are the elephants, the little sun bear
and the monkeys. Hay and vegetables are
an the management allow the elephants, but
children never weary of feeding them bits of
apple and cake.
The little m bear, Jenny" is provided
with a dish of bread and milk every day, and
depends upon visitors for delicacies. She is
a favorite. and nine out of ten of the visitors
give her something. She knows her friends,
and if they pass her by without notice she
utters an affecting cry. The monkeys num-
berabout fifty, aud are of many species. They
have a room 70 themselves, and it is always
crowded. Their bill of fare is the most elab-
orate OF any in the menagerie. They have
bread every morning, crackers and apples
during the day, carrots twice a week, and
onions once a month. Corn and peanuts are
scattered in the straw on the bottom Of their
cages, which they can obtain only by active
search.
The reptiles are by far the lightest feeders
of all. The aligators eat only about three
months in the twelve, and during that time
the largest one consumes less than thirty
pounds of meat, Once in two weeks the rat
tlesuakes. recently captured from the Black
Hills by General Custer, awake and swallow
one or two sparrows apiece. and about once
q month the boa constructor uncoils himself
and stranges and bolts down a rabbit or
| pair OF pigeons.
The supplies required for such an exten-
sive collection of creatures are OF course
I large. About twenty tons of hay over and
above that raised on the park are used dur
/ ing the year. Over sixty thousand pounds
of meat. seven thousand pounds of fish,
twenty-five thousand pounds Of bread, seven
/ hundred bushels of corn, and seventy-five
bushels of oats are also consumed yearly
] / nH ~uetl lfilNlIt iNu huiltla VI
| day during the winter, and the monkeys eat
/ about barrel of carrots and two barrels of
apples a week the year round also bushel
Of onions once a month. Half a barrel Of
potatoes and twenty eggs are boiled with
the bread for the birds every week, and red
peppers are fed 10 them once a month. The
small birds eat fifteen bushels of small seed,
and the squirrels fifteen barrels OF hickory
nuts n year. Twelve bushels of peanuts a
year are required by the monkeys, and a
large number of cabbages by the swans.
Crackers are bought 10y the barrel. The
amount of straw used is very large, but no
estimate is made of it, as the expense is
about balanced by the sale of the refuse of
the stables. Everything is bought by con-
tract, the lowest bidder furnishing what is
required Six hundred dollars pays for the
extra hay that is used, 81 ,05S for the corn
aud oats 50 IA for the meat $40 for the
bread Sjll for the fish. 1924 for the milk,
$40 for the swans cabbages 5000 for mis-
ccllaneous food, including apples, crackers,
nuts, seed, eggs, peppers, eot. $50 for the
carrots. potatoes, onions, and such turnips as
are used 10y other animals than the sheep.
The sheep, by the sale OF their wool, are self
supporting, and their expenses, therefore,
are not given.
For the care Of the animals four men are
required to keep the cages clean and the
food supplied Twice q week the cages are
thoroughly washed aud the animals cleaned.
The temperature Of the rooms is carefully
regulated by steam pipes, running from the
same boiler which heats the large building
Athaf-past two every afternoon the carniv-
ora are fed, They are all confined in cages
in one room. and as the hour approaches for
their dinner, they show clearly that their APP
pciites mark the time well. At two o'clock
They lie almost sluggish ON the floor of their
prisons; at aquarter past they are up on their
feet pacing their narrow bounds hastily; at
twenty-five minutes past they are almost
wild and lash themselves against the bars Of
their cages One lion only of them all is
calm. and he is the one whose place conf
mand5 view to the outhouse where the
men are preparing the meat. lie watches
eagerly, and when, exactly at half past two,
he sees the men, heavily laden, approach the
building, he gives a signal cry, and the room
straightway is filled with the roar Of lions
and the shrieks of tigers and hyenas. A
large chunk of beef is thrown to each one,
and quiet reigus again. Sometimes there
are terrible FIGHTS between the inmates Of II
cage. The old lion, Parker" thirty years
of age. has to cat slowly, and he is cursed
+ with an active spouse, who speedily finishes
her allowance and then harnesses her lord for
, share of his. It requires all the efforts of
/ the keepers to restrain the couple from a
/ disgraccful family quarrel.