The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-03-02
alanitowof pilot.
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1882.
CURIOsITIEs OF THE ZOO. +"
ANECDOTES ABOUT THE CREATURES IN THE
LONDON GARDENS. QUEER TRAITS OF
CT BEAST, BIRDS AND REPTILES.


Correspondence N. Y. Evening Post:
Out of dozen curious stories that could
be told alb ut the nimble denizens of the
monkey house, let me select two, both
about apes that have now gone to the
happy peanut ground of the monkeys.
A chimpanzee named ''Joe," who came
to the garden some years ago, used to be
kept in a separate compartment of the
big cage. Every morning his keeper u.s.
ed to let Joe out on an airing, and the
little fellow was the terror of his mates,
leaping like flash around the cage, pull
ing their tails and abusing his liberty in
the most shameful fashion. By and by
came the hour when the visitors began
TO arrive and when Joe had to be shut up
again in his cage. He refused to come
to his keeper, Mr.. Sutton, who might as
well have tried to cage the lightning as
to catch by ordinary means the nimble
rascal leaping over the outside of the big
monkey cage. No Establishments Of
dainties would allure crafty Joe, who,
sitting high OH the upper bars, would
make the most horrible grimaces at his
pursuer. But Joe, though of male gen.
der, had two feminine failings
and fear; and these were used TO foil his
cunning. Near one end of the monkey
house was large, dark hold out of which
came gas pipe. Having first set open
the door of Joe's compartment. Mr.. SUIT
ton would approach the dark hole, peer
ing in as if he saw a ghost. Joe would
instantly stop his contortions, descend
from the cage, follow behind Mr.. Sutton,
aud, like him, look earnestly into the
hole. Then, with sudden motion, as if
the apparition was emerging, Mr.. Sutton
would retreat, making every motion of
fear. Instantly Joe's courage and wits
would forsake him. Chattering with
fright he would fly to his cage for refuge.
The door was shut and he was captive
anew. The most singular feature of all
was that Joe never seemed to learn the
trick. 1t was repeated day after day
for many months with unvarying success.
One of the bygone heroines of the mon
key house, "Miss Jenny" died some
months ago. She came from India and
had peculiar part of the hair upon her
head marking her as of new species
which gave the men of science a good
deal of trouble to classify and name.
Among Jenny's designations was one
which Mr.. Darwin ought never to have
overlooked as Simian phototype of a
later human vice. Other monkeys at the
garden have gone through the motions of
smoking, but Miss Jenny was the first
one that ever smoked pipe full of real
tobacco She did it, too, with JUNCTION
and enjoyment, and once she snatched a
half-smoked cigar from the mouth of a
stranger and cody finished it. Some
times she would take bottle of ale. and
holding it with her hind foot in a posi-
ton infinitely comic, drink down long
draughts in the intervals between her
puffs.
The experience of the keepers at the
5000" shows that there is good deal of
fallacy in the common belief that the
good will of animals is won by feeding
them. Some years ago new keeper was
put in charge of one of the buildings
containing large animals. The man was
a sober and steady fellow, watchful of his
duties, and giving careful attention to
the feed and cleanliness of the brutes.
But he utterly failed to conciliate them,
and their aversion and anger when he en-
tered their cages became the talk and
wonder of the other keepers. Mr.. Bart
lett looked into the matter, as it is car
dinal point in the treatment Of the brutes
that they should be kept good tempered
aud contented. The superintendent at
last found out the secret. The keeper
never talked to the animals. and as he
could not learn to utter the expressive
sounds that animals love to hear, even
though they do not understand the words,
the man had at last to be dismissed Mr..
Bartlett never feeds the creatures, ex-
cept now and then with bit of biscuit
or some other trifie. But he has the gift
of kindly talk, and in consequence they
many of them know him, and come to
his call as quickly as to the voice of the
keepers. But no care of training pre-
vents the animals from getting now and
then into wicked moods.
A female hippopotamus, few years
ago, after bringing forth three young
eters, became so savage that it was fear
I'd she would tear her guiding into splin-
tiers. No keeper dared to enter her
house, and the food and water supplied
her through hole broken in the roof she
refused to touch for days. The great
African elephan "Jumbo," eleven feet
high and weighing some 10000 pounds
and probably the largest beast of his
species in the world, is tractable and
pleasant when outside of the house and
carrying his load of children along the
broad walk of the gardens; but once in
his enclosure he is wicked and danger
Gus. BY the way, hear that Barnum
and his associates have been negotiating
for the big elephant, and that the zoo
lncrinnl cociatu hara frna tho ,,rioo OF