Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-19
Saturday Raven. ]

! L0oioglcal Garden as the shades OF evening are
| gathering over Regents Park naturally thinks
that with the closing OF the gates the show is
over, and animals and keepers alike retire to
rest. As matter OF fact, the gardens then pre-
sem q new scene OF activity, aud fresh res pom
Sib1tles are Imposed upon the attendants.
Some OF the larger beasts OF prey, such as the
lions ana tigers, have accommodated them
selves TO altered circumstances and, having
been Oh day duty In the public service, turn In
al night; elephants, who are always sensible
persons. recognize that the night was N ade for
repo3e; hippOpotami, who have been sleeping
nearly All the day, gladly avail themselves OF
tne STIFFNESS and gloom, and take yet another
| forty winks; and even the monkey house Is In
| comparative quiet But there are large num-
Der OF birds, animals and reptiles VINO, having
kept themselves In rigid seclusion during the
gay, issue forth In accordance with peremptory
habit az night, and demand food and attention.
THESE animals, OF the greatest interest TO the
| BIOLOGIST, are but little known to the general
public, for the obvious reason that the Gardens
! cannot De thrown open at night, as the iu-
mates, human and otherwise, must neither be
| deprived OF their rest nor disturbed in their
aVocations. The salutary rule having been re-
| Taxed for u.s. we made our way as IL was grow
| Ing dark TO the Office OF the superintendent OF
Gardens, Mr.. Bartlett. The principal object Of
heen Sd eft ofe abn oS pv o1y %o naa
and from whom an attendant was unsucceSS.
| fully endeavoring to elicit his address, This Is
| day visitors especially being often vague as TO
| the number and nature or the imp dimsntn
| which they bring with them. The gigantic aud
Vicious spider from the West Indies, which
| feeds on cock-roacheS, was also housed there
| out OF the cold while Oh the branch or tree
/ liked up In the room adjoining, sat what was
| apparently tame, fluffy miniature bear. eat
| Ing dry leaves This was the so-called climb
| ing bear (Koalal OF Australia, which is really
| maTsuptaL Hundreds have been brought to tails
| country; but hitherto the animal has never
| lived In captivity: and although boy IS kept
10 pet II. and eucalyptus, OF blue gum, leaves are
brought from Kew aid from MarSeilles to feedlt,
/ the future of the present specimen is a source
OF great anxiety TO The authorities; IT, indeed, IL
| has not already succumbed 10 the climate.
| The Inmates OF the gardens require as might
| be expected, constant attention, and night
| brings but little relief to the keepers. MANY
| OF those which are nocturnal In their habits
/ can only be fed and attended to by night, while
| others must on no account be approached after
| dark. Even the docile elephant, the sleepy,
| stupid-looking hippOpOJamls ana the solemn
| rnlnocerOs becone raging beasts IL disturbed
| by the presence OF light. The elephant house
| has furnished Mr.. Bartlett with several patients
| On which 10 exercise his surgical skill. 0ae OF
| the Indian elephants some time since had the
| which had got Caught in moose OF rope,
I and the largest African specimen, whose
| huge proportions are well Known to the
| frequenter5 OF the gardens. met with an acct
| dent By which its tusks were broken Off; the
! stumps subsequently grew into the cheeks
| causing It excruclauBg pain, aud necessltatIng
| teIdent undertook TO perform the delicate ope-
| ration and relieve the poor beast. Having pre-.
| pared gigantic hook-shaped lancet, he ban.
| daged the creatures eyes and proceeded TO his
| task IL was an anxious moment for there
was absolutely nothing to prevent the AMI
| NAL killing his medical attendants upon
| sense and good nature OF creature weighing
! many tons and suffering from facial Assesses
and neuralgia argues TO say the least or 1t. the
| possession OF considerable nerve. But Mr.
| Bartlett did not hesitate, and climbing up
| within reach OF his patient he lanced the
| swollen cheek. His courage was rewarded, for
hl hsDl fnf
| !ngs We're for his good, and submitted quietly.
| The next morning when they came to operate
| upon the other side. the elephant turned his
| cheek without being hidden, and endured the
! second inciSion without a groan. Another OF
| Mr.. Rartett's exploits, the extraction OF hip
! popetamuS tooth, has been already related by
/ the late Mr.. Frank auckland in his admirable
! "Curiosittes Of Natural History" The Gardens
have indeed high reputation for the perform
ance OF animal dentistry.
Certain Indian cOnjurer5 who some time since
appeared In London brought over number OF
cobras with them. It is instructive to those
who investigate the subject or the snake
cnarmers OF India, and cOnSOling to the visitors
TO the Aquarium, TO know that the Unnatop.
hjdtd In question had their poison fangs ex-
tracted at The geological Gardens shortly after
their arrival. CobraS, however are "kttIle cat
tie TO FASH and one of the keepers who incau-
tiously took out specimen paid for his rash
ness with his life. The authorities at the gar
dens, practical as they are, know OF no sure
cure for snake bites; In cases where the SUIT
ierer does recover, 1t is by no means certain
that he has been thoroughly poisoned, for a
person may be wounded by q snake which has
recently lost or expended the contents OF us
poison fang before the creature has had the
time TO secEete more. and Will not OF course be
exposed TO nything like the risk. One of the
keepers in the Dublin gardens being intoxi-
Gated, and having IN that condition irrtated
tAe boa-conStTictOr, was bitten by the animal
| and 6ied 10 three days OF blood poisoning and
Shock TO the nervous system. IL Is moot point
with those best acquainted with serp1nts
Wne; htr even those most generally sup posed
TO be harmless have not some power or secret
ing poison. Certainly the same glands exist 10
both the veEomous and harmless species, ana
| the moral would seem TO be that snakes, ike
| ''InIunS, Is poison wherever found
But Ill a little compartment Of the Ostrich
| House resided the principal object OF our visit,
| tnat quatntest and most uncanuy OF birds, the
ApteryX, or Or, Xvi, kiwi which was long thought
| by natufaiists TO be my tnical creature. 1t
| never comes out at all but at night, AID even
then, On this occasion, he had perceived our D.
proach. and taken up his usual place OF con-
cealment among the straw. II Is a round little
| nondescript with long curved beak no tail,
| the mertSt rudtmeItS OF wings, which are not
visible through the plumage, and large power
full feet, with which It kicks in very formid.
| able manner, while 1t can. by striking them On
| the ground, make tremendous noise quite dis
pr0portoDate 10 It's size. 1t lives chiefly on
worms, and having It's noStrils set at the very
UP or the Deak, can pry them out liz its nOctur-
nal Tambles without the aid Of eyes. having
discovered the whereabouts OF a worm, ii Is
said to entice them to the surface by stamping
on the ground; we cannot VOuch iof this as
fact, and must confess that, II we were a
werm, we should be anything but alured by
such burglariouS CHATTER overhead. The most
curious circumstance perhaps about the Ap-
teryx is Its egg, which Is nearly as large as the
parent bird, and is one-foufth OF its weight
Several have been laid in the gardens OF the
Society OF the present specimen, thus setting at
rest ali doubt upon the subj ct. 1t is native
OF New Zealand, where it is now becoming
very rare, and is closely allied to the Moa or
Dlnor1S. which is now extinct, but which, IL
we are TO believe native accounts, existed with.
In the last hundred years. The skeleton Of the
iast-naned extraordinary bird is by this time
familiar TO the freQuenter OF museums OF com
parattve anatomy, and from its gigantic pro.
portions recalls the tabled ROC of the Arabian
Nights.
As there are no indigenous mammals In New
| zealand, and man, being an OmnivOrouS ami
HAL is constrained occasionally to vary his diet
OF grain, Vegeta bles and fish the disappearance
or these large fowl may easily be accounted for;
| but the prevalence amongst the Maori race OF
| taste Tor "long pig" as they euphemlstfcally
| term man when used for edible purposes, would
| seem TO argue that the supply OF Moas must
| nave failed some long time ago. The introduc-
/ ton or domestic animals On the island has done
/ much TO Improve the moral tone OF the natives
ana makes IL at length possible for missionary
| 10 contemplate the possession OF healthy en-
| 0OnpOjnt with composure.
| Amongst the other nocturnal creatures to
| when We were introduced were an Aard wolf
which is really sort OF hyena the great ant.