American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-08-14
Feeding the Animals ut Central Park.

NEAR the hour of two D. m. on any day
except Sunday the visitor at Central Park
Geological Gardens may witness the feed
| ing of the animals SUNDAYS are except
| ed because, says Mike the keeper, ~Sun-
day is a fasting day with the critters.''
The carnivores need this periodic interval
for their health. Meat-eating creatures
naturally gorge themselves, if possible
and then lie down to rest, whereas good
digestion waits on appetite, and heaItI, on
both So. says Mike, we help them to an
! observance of their normal condition once
| a week Empty stomaehs for Sunday
The feeding time brings a vision of
pandemonium; no conception of it is pos
sible until it is witnessed. Brute nature
as well as human nature slrinks from
responsibility, even in the matter of eat
ing and drinking. Anxious and expectant
as the brutes are, they all seem to depend
ON the old Asiatic lion to announce the
coming of forage. They get FESTIVE in
their way, but it is quite plain that they
look to linn for a definite impulse. The
king of beasts at this interesting period
couches with much dignity and looks
steadily through the big window toward
the arsenal door. All eyes are fixed on
him. At the first sign from him all
is uproar, tumultuous plunging and
roaring; the heavy and quick strides
of the lions and tigers jar their
cages fearfully; the leopards leap and
plunge over and under each other, andex-
ecute most wonderful vaulting. Each
creature has its characteristic movement.
Meantime the air is rent by unearthly yells,
among them none more strange than the
voice of the hyenas, which canter, in a
most ludicrous style, up and down the
cage and laugh Historically. The laugh
that is the only word to express it@yet
the sound is like the continuous squeaking
of an upright steam-saw, slightly inter
rupted at intervals as ii some hard knot
arrested its progress. All this time the lit
tie elephants have been pumping and stir
ring the air, and looking as if they were
trying on the last new waltz. Of the
larger animals, the bears are the most de-
liberate and demure; they do NOT partici-
pate in the general excitement, which is
mostly confined to the strictly carniyerous
animals
The pumas are somewhat deliberate in
their actions, but they compensate by an
occasional yell that breaks through all
all other sounds and fairly chills the blood
An enlarged caterwaul, pitched on a de-
moniac key. The magnificent aguar-the
South American tiger-is also dignified in
his bearing. Cons ciOus of great power,
he takes his share of food as his right and
eats deliberately, as becomes his rank.
All is quiet now save the low snarl of
selfish brute or the crushing sounds of
mastication. Some hungry jaws are grind
ing the very bones. Not every day can
one see serpents feed but we were fortu-
nate at being present on one of the notable
occasions on which Mr.. Conklin 2anounced
that he had litter of newborn rabbits to
(" feed out" The snakes, responsive to the
late cheerful advance in temperature, had
petitioned for sustenance. In Il large glass
cage, situated on the grass border near the
sea-lions, are several rattlesnakes, Florida
serpents and black snakes from our North
ern pastures. The genial warmth of the
sun, heightened by the glass cover, had
stimulated serpentine life into quite hope
full activity. Mike produces the desired
provender, and the reptiles acknowledge
his kindness. There is a very pcrceptible
awakening, and Immediately ON the en-
trance of the rabbits the black heads
seen lifted above the rank growth of clover
that lines the cage. A marked difference
is noticed between the snakes. The rattle
snakes are inert lying at length, and pas
sively seizing their prey as it approaches
them.
The black-snakes, on the contrary, are
all attention; their heads are raised as if
listening to the tread of the prey. At
sight of it they stretch forward with open
mouth and strike. To take their prey
headforemost-whicht they invariably do
they execute some maneuvers, being ready
to coil round the victim if need be. His
coiling is characteristic of the black-snake,
as we had an opportunity to witness on
this occasion. One of the black-snakes
had swallowed rabbit, and peered about
for more; his eye fell upon the halfswal-