The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-10-03

are fed more than once day, the time
being 3 80 o'clock. They would prob
ably like to eat oftener, but by our present
system we keep their appetites in good
condition, and as far as possible prevent
disease. Afull-grown lion or tiger eats
from twelve to fifteen pounds a day.
The best Of the MEATS given to the lions,
tigers, leopards, pumas, jaguars, etc,
and the inferior qualities to the wolves,
hyenas, dingos, eagles, etc. From three
to six pounds day are eaten by a Loop
ard, jaguar or puma. The fifteen ami
mails in the lion and tiger house con-
sumo from one hundred to one hundred
and twenty-five pounds a day. The
food given to the hyenas is mainly bone.
They grind the bones to powder and
swallow all of it. The meat given them
is generally the skin and other tough
parts.
"Little or none of the dressed horse
goes to waste. In preparing food for
birds, for instance, we chop the rib
bones and meat all up together. The
ground bone answers the purpose OF
gravel in the birds stomach. Soft bones
ground up are given to the quadrupeds
whenever such food is necessary to put
their stomachs in good condition. In
their wild state many of these animals
howl and howl all night. In captivity
they generally sleep all night, because
their hunger is regularly appeased. In
a state in nature they are sometimes
obliged to 90 ten days without food, and
when they get it they gorge themselves.
IAN Our animals of the cat kind eat
just as a cat does, lying on their breast
and holding the meat between then
paws. The young male lion eats very
slowly, but the female finishes her mea
in about fifteen minutes, of which time
about five minutes are spent on the bone
The lions leave the bones almost as clear
as if the meat had been boiled and peeled
off | do not believe that if one of these
lions got into the streets he would think
of attacking anybody unless struck OF
run against. | think he would be fright
ened. If they were not well cared fol
and fed the case would be different.
THE puma Johnnie in the northern
cage is an expert rat-catcher. If a ia
ventures into that cage he is gone
Johnnie, apparently doing and utter
ly Indifferent to everything around him
will lie waiting until the rat gets beyond
the line of safety, and then he pounce,
upon it with unerring aim. | have seei
him 90 for dozens of rats and never say
him miss one.
"Rats are very numerous under tn,
vulcanite pavement of the carnivor
building. Sometimes half dozen o
more are seen running about the foo
while visitors are in the building. TIL
pavement rests upon a foundation @
broken stones and gravel, which wer
tightly rammed, but the rats have hon
eycombed the place. We tried ferretS
and tried in vain. If ferret were pu
in hole he would push ahead until h
came out at another point, but, near
while, rat that was ahead of him Nigh
have escaped by one of the man
branches of that passage. Traps ca
not do their work fast enough to eXtel
inmate the rats. Weesq Rotuse poison
because the rats would 90 into the hole
and die there.
No animals are watched with NOR
interest during meal-time at the Zoo
than the snakes. Meal-time in the snake
house is nearly all the time. The waite
moccasin, venomOus snake, lies on
rocky formation in his glass tank, wit
his head lowered near the water,
which are swimming frogs and sma
fishes. When he wants lunch tn
moccasin erects his poisonous fangs an
with them strikes his victim. The snak
holds fast to these latter during the fe
minutes required for the poison to Xxi
it, and then the moccasin swallows
whole. This snake, being large on
eats about a dozen medium-sized froG
: or fishes in a week. In its natural sta
the mOccasin catches its prey eith'
while lying on bank or beneath IL
water.
The celia Monsters" among the il
mates of the sna&e-hOuse, and whiC
are not snakes, but ugly-looking lizard
are fed with worms and insects, and a
particularly fond of eggs, which the
eat by tapping with their tongue
These reptiles weigh about one and
half pounds each. They are found
the extreme southwestern part of Il
United States. The natives general
have a great horror of them, and, aft
l killing them, some of the people havil
a superstition about. the dead reptil
returning to life, hang them to tree.
. The common water snake, which
not poisonous, kills and eats its pr
just as the water moccasin does.
S food consists chiefly of frogs, fishes, ct
= Mr. Thompson, who has charge of t
0 snakes, says that water snake caug
e by him in the Schuylkill gave birth
r thirty-fve young, each about eig
inches long, shortly after it had be-
G placed in the Zoo collection. !
$ says that he has dressed many wat
\ snakes, and found their flesh white al
, tender He does not believe their file
n is any more Objectionable as an article
: food than that of an eel, but he does n
It remember any instance of its bel