The sun., 1883-10-28
QUEER CREATURES IN THE PARK.
Loepnrds and Flying Foxes from Africa and
an Owl from The Mnrrlsnn C.s,Ie.


Superintendent Conklin was making tho
acquaintance yesterday of somo animals that
had lust arrived in Central Park from remote
parts. pair OF hunting lcopar,is from South
Africa are the first OF their kind thnt have been
brought to America They stand about as tall
rs an ordinary fox hound. but are much heavier.
When they have attained their full growth they
will be about half as large agAin as they now
are. Their bodies are rrettly spotted. their
heads are shaped like a cats head. and their
feet are like dogs feet They are so tame
that they could sufely be led about the
sidewalks by a cord In South Africa tho M.
tives hunt the antelope with packs Of these
hunting leopards. or chetahs. The method
used to be to keep the chetahs hooded till the
game was sighted. Then the hoods were re.
moved and the animals were let 70 till they
overlook and held the game. when the mounted
hunters called them Off by Offering them the
anto!opes warm blood to drink. and then hood.
cd them. Nowadays the chetahs nre 30 well
trained that they can be used the same as
hounds are, The pair In Central Park were
bred in captivity Rnd are some IL or IL months
hand side Of the passage which leads to the
Another newcomer is the Beisa antelope. also
from South Africa. and the first of his kind
ookinG creature, with long. { smooth. h. black
horns, and body handsomely marked with
DlArk lneS lie WIS yesterday IN u large box
in the rear building, no stall having boen pro-
viued Tor him.
Next 70 the labby and awkward little bear
in one OK the lower cnges is Il soth bear. That
name was given to this creature before any one
of its kind had ever been seen alive BY a white
man. A iawbone was found in II poor stnte Of
preservation the teeth seemed to have been OF
liulr account. and tho naturalist called 1t a
slo,h hearsjnw alter the toothles- sloth. Later
one OF tho animals was found aliv.. and the
10Th. The slotl bear walks on thc outside Of
lfS "A tnpQi oh hnf.st
When Superintendent Conklin visited the n.y.
ing foxes in the afternoon. down in the base:
hung themselves up Tor the night. The flying
fox is as large as plump gray squirrel His
red i9x. Ills head is like fox's head, and al
most black. The normal position Of the flying
@ @9S when in r1posei is h,ansing Sy one Of MS
legs which are provided each with single
claw. he picks dates from the tree ana sMai.
large wings agninst, his body and wraps the
Ss't Sd sY0S sSn hf 9$ss AK uas s
Ips nE it top; ,cT With 70 foxS head where
dom gocs higher than the tops OF tho trees.
There ars more than fifty ilyinE foxes in the
TO see them yesterday afternoon he found them
hanging in apopleetic array. but they opened
which convinced him that they were not stupe.
fled by rush OF blood to the head, They had
hccn 1teClnk on uateS--a chronological diet
which they never vary except from necessity
and had gone to sleep. Some Of them. appar.
entity. had been too warm and had thrown of
one OF the membranous coverings. which left
OF r-cklessness of falling and neg igence In re-
spect TO appearance. Dsregnrdin2 the warn.
ings both Of physicians who hold that every
body should sleep with the feet toward the
the feet should point toward the pole the
flying fox sleeps with its feet toward the ze-
NTH The Superintendent took one Of them
out Of the eaes and laid II on its back. The
rolled about in its outspr"ad wings like an infant
that had fallen into an open and inverted um.
brella. When flying fox accidentally lights on
i,s bnek II must stay there ill friendly gust Of
to it,, The Superintendent considered 1t q tri-
| umph of mind over matter to have placed
| to be abnormal.
Among the recent additions to the Central
Park collection Of fenthered creatures is a
horned owl that was presented BY Mr.. Edward
those Of the e., heisa antelope; This bird was
Mr. ,Hnrrigan's, castle in the Adirondack. It
has been named Mul!ignn-witha a longu.