The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-06-06
AnHour n Geological Garden.

The bison Is rapidly becoming an ex-
tinct animal. 1t will not be- many years
before it will be unknown outside of the
circus menagerie and the 1900" Arthur
Il. Brown, superintendent Of the Phila-
delphia garden, declares 1t to be fact
that "where 10 years ago buffalo existed
in thousands not one Is now TO be found.
In Nebraska u few years ago." he adds,
"the traveller found II impossible to get
out of sight of buffalo, so GENEROUSLY
did they exist To-day there are none
In the state. II has not been a great
while ago since Nebraska man came
ell tho way 10 our garden to buy one,
supplied him from our herd. The same
thing may be said of Kansas, which IL
years ago was covered with bison. l is
question of n very short time whom
the American buffalo will be as extinct
rs the German aurOch or wild OK,
which years ago ranged over Central
Europe as freely aud IA numerously rs
did the bison In America. To-day the
auIocn is not 10 DO found outside OLA
geological garden, fhe trouble Is due
TO lsxity OF our game laws, or rather
10 the indifference of the government In
not providing the means for enforcing
by the thousands in territories where
laws exist for their protection. II the
present condition of things continues, in
25 years large game will be as scarce
west OF the Missouri river as IL Is In the
state of Pennsylvania
The buffalo hourishes in the east, as
does tho elk, Other western game,
however, does not thrive on this side OF
the Missouri, For example, the prong
horned antelope, the mule deer, the
mountain sheep and the white-tailod
deer will not demesticate. Upon being
brought east they speedily weaken and
die. Various theories are assigned for
this phenomenon. Superintendent
Browns IN doubtless the most correct.
He believes that the fault lies I'm dc.
fective nutrition and atmospheric con-
ditlons combined. The need OF certain
mineral salts, 10 DO found only on the
plains, he also thinks, has its efioot. just
why the buffalo and elk can be kept In
the East where other Western animals
cannot exist IL unaccountable, unless IL
il because they once ranged to the At.
lantic coast, whereas the less hardy an.
finals never ventured east of the Missls
sippi river. OF the nine buffalo here all
we're bred In their present quarters,
Not far from the herd OF bison are
three remarkable animals, One Is an
infant hippopotamus, the second IN q
rhinoceros, and the third an elephant
Each OF this gigantic trio possesses in.
teresting characteristic. Gel Madhi,'
the hippopRtamus, was captured on the
Upper Nile In the heart OF the False
| Prophets country. II would cure dys
peptic 10 soe him eat. He swallows al
| one gulp n two-bushel pail Of mixed
oats, cracked corn and bran slightly
dampenod. Although but two years old
the beast weighs nearly 1000 pounds
He will eventually weigh three tons
Gel Madhi" Is q playful brute. He oc-
casionally exhibits a fond desire 10 chow
up his keeper. Owing, however, to the
olumsiness OF the huge creature the mar
has fortunately always boon able 10 90
cape unhurt.
The second figure In the trio is"Pete,
the rhinocoros, the largest in captivity,
He weighs over 1900 pOundHi NOR,
than most elephants. Pete In vicious
brute. He II Huhlect ~ paroxysmal In.
sanity, and when laDoring under II,
influence no one dare approach him
not even his keeper, toward whom he
usually exhibits the londeet affection
Adjoining "Peten is"DOm PcdrO,n the
most dangerous elephant in captivity
He IL regarded ~ untamable. Two