Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-02-08
CURIOSITlES OF THE 400"

could be told about the nimble denizens
of the monkey-house, let me select two,
both about apes that have now gone to
to the happy peanut ground OF the mon
KEYS. A chimpanzee named "JOe, J"
who came to the gardens some years ago,
used to be kept IN separate cOmpart-
ment of the big cage. Every morning
his keeper used to let Joe out on an air.
ing, and the little fellow was the terror
of his mates. leaping like q fash around
the cage, pulling their tails md abusing
his liberty in the most shameful fashion.
BY and by came the hour when the Wis
itors began to arrive and when Joe had
to be shut up again IN shis cage. He
refused to come to his keeper, Mr..
Sutton, who might as well have tried to
cage the lightning as to catch by ordi-
nary means the nimble rascal leaping
over the outside of the big monkey cage.
No Establishments of dainties would al
lure crafty Joe, who, sitting high on the
upper bars, would make the most horri-
BILE grimaces at his pursuer. But Joe,
though of male gender, had two feminine
failings-curiosity and fear; and these
were used to foil his cunning. Near one
end of the monkey house was q large,
dark hole out of which came gas pipe.
Having first set open the door of JOe's
compartment. Mr.. Sutton would ap-
proach the dark hole, peering in as ifhe
saw a ghost. Joe would instantly stop
his contortjons, descend from the cage,
follow behind Mr.. Sutton, and, 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. Instant
" 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. Oneof the by
gone heroines of the monkey 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 anew species which gave the men
of science a good deal of trouble to class
ify and name. Among Jenny's dissipa-
tions was one which Mr.. Darwin ought
never to have overlook as a Simian pho
totype of 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 a pipe full of real tobacco. She
did it, too, with JUNCTION and enjoyment,
and once she snatched half-smOked
cigar from the mouth of stranger and
cody finished it. Some times she
would take bottle of ale, and holding
it with her hind foot in position infin-
itely 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
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 conciiate them,
and their aversion and anger when he en-
tered their cages became the talk and
wonder af the other keepers. Mr.. Bart
lett looked into the matter, as it is
cardinal point In the treatment of the
brutes that they should be kept good
tempered and contented. The superin-
tendent at last found out the secret. The
keeper never talked to the animals, and
as he could not learn to utter the express
si7e sounds that animals love to here, even
though they do not understand the
words, the man hadat last to be dismiss
ed. Mr.. Bartlett never feeds the crea-
lures, except now and then with bit of
biscuit or some other trihe. But he has
the gift of kindly talk, and in conse-
Quence 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 prevents the animals from get
ting now and then into wicked moods.
A female hippopotamus, few years
ago, after bringing forth three young
sters, became sc savage that it was fear
ed she would tear her building into
splinters. No keeper dared to enter her
house, and the food and water supplied
her through a hole broken in the roof
she refused to touch for days. The
great African elephant 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
for the big elephant, and that the ZOO
logical society have fixed the price at
$4,000 The keeper of the elephant
house who has had charge of Jumbo
since he was a baby elephant, predicts
that he will make things lively for his
new possessors if he is taken from the
gardens.
The cost of the creatures in the s'Zoo :"
varies IN each species almost as much as
the price of horses, being fixed by the
size, health and perfection of each speci-
men. The hippopotamus heads the list,
good specimen, full grown, being worth
from $4,000 to $4,000; well shaped
elephant, full grown, can be bought for
1900; rhinoceros for about So, 900; a
large python for 81 900; tiger or lion
for $500 or $500; bear from $3.50 to $500;
zebra for 81 800, and good specimen
Of q oiraf fp for q hnnt the same sum Tho