The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-01-10
The MenRgerie at Dinner-A Curious and
Costly Bill Of Fare.


Costly Bill OfFare.
Here is the bill of fare of the Mena-
gerie Of the Botanical Garden of Paris.
The guests are numerous, varying gen.
orally from eleven to twelve hundred.
Their tastes are naturally different, ac-
cOrding to the divisions and orders 10
which they belong. In the first place
come the ilesheaters, the lions, tigers
and bears. These each consume about
eighteen pounds of meat in twenty-four
hours. The hyena, although a smaller
animal, receives, because of its great
voracity eleven pounds. Only eighteen
pounds are allowed to the panther.
The great eater of the house is the ell
ephant, which consumes one hundred
and slxty-five pounds of bread, carrots,
grass, straw and bran. After such a
repast he may well be thirsty, and from
eight to ten barrels of water are ready
to satisfy his need
The hippopotamus is inferior in
height to the elephant, but not in appe-
tite. His rations are like those of his
neighbor of the proboscis, only the
bran is replaced by a coarser quality,
which is cooked.
The bears would accommodate them
selves to this regimen, but they have
meats less dear.
The menagerie receives all meats that
are condemned for various causes; it
buys also horse flesh, which is very
cheap.
The rhinoceros absorbs daily about
one hundred and ten pounds of nearly
the same nourishment; he has also rice.
The other quadrupeds, such as the gil
rafle and bison, Notwithstanding their
great height, require much smaller
quantity of food, of which barley, hay
and bran form the principal parts. The
deer, antelOpes, sheep and goats receive
hay and grass.
The annual expense of food for the
museum is seven thousand eight hun
dred and twelve dollars, which is about
twenty-five dollars per day.
The bill of fare of the Geological Gar
den Of London differs little from that
of Paris. Fish, however, are used in
greater quantities in the former. They
are designed for the birds and marine
animals that live upon them ina state
of freedom. All the fish bought for
food are carefully examined, as a sea-
dog came near strangling himself one
day with fish which had several hooks
in its mouth.
The sea-dog eats gluttonously; the
otter, Oh the contrary, eats slowly and
chews carefully before swallowing.
The most greedy lovers of fish are the
pelicans. The keeper throws the fish
into pond; then opens a gate and
leaves the passage free to the pelicans,
who rush in and the fish are devoured
in an instant. Dainties are generally
reserved for the monkies. Turnips,
cooked potatoes, apples, oranges and
nuts are given them, and all divided
nto small bits.
The monkeys usually eat together,
which often causes very comical dis
putes, much to the delight of specta-
tors.
The birds of prey are fed with rab-
bits, guinea pigs, eggs, insects and
sometimes small birds. The serpents
have generally but one meal in week.
Their dinner, which they take seven
days to digest, sometimes consists of a
dozen rabbits, twenty young guinea
pigs, and as many birds, rats and mice,
which are given them alive, this being
ssential to the health and preservation
of these terrible reptiles. The venom
GUS serpents are fed solely with rats and
guinea pigs. These poor little creatures
succumb quickly after the reptiles have
bitten them.
The great pachyderrnatous animals,
such as the rhinoceros, hippopotamus,
and the elephant are fed in London as
in Paris. The last receives cabbages
and few crackers, adelicacy that he ac-
cepts with much pleasure. Every
evening new bed of straw is made for
him. In the morning his cell is thor
oughly cleaned and the straw must be
A visitor one day observed
to the keeper "Here is very clean
beast, and very careful of her lodgings;
she would make an excellent house,
keeper"
"Oh no" answered the keeper, "she |
eats her mattress every morning."