New-York tribune., 1886-05-02
PRAIRIE DOG> ~ CENTRIL PARK.
Az ENTIRE COLONY FOUND DEAD-ARRiyAL OF A
NV TROOP

Az ENTIRE COLONY FOUND DEAD-ARRiVAL OF
NV TROOP
For several weeks the authorities at tho
m .ns.crie in Central Park have beeo waiting paten'
fo~ the appearance o. the cO,oay o. prairie do,i nat
xa. placed in che PARK last fall. The l,,le animals
hibernate during the coh wcath' Ike sDne .peci, -
pears. They last several dars before Christ.
mas the weather htving contHuet wlr.n aal p' sint
ap 10 that periOl. After the first 90 bltss wa-cr
old Dlrgh-r. the Oldest an b ;reit of tIr lot.
Who united the oces OF governor. mayor ald ar.min
u he corpprtol lo,k'l olt from me een.rs m'iIt
of the colony hpiias the sroInl rci wl;h
retired At once. Nothing mpr' seen of any II
them There we're thirteen dogs II the co.Dly. AMI
superintendent Conkn hal been prom sci q d IN
more spring friend In the Vest IA n III ton
the yonng prr, dos- are born IN the -prng tni
Mr. Conk cX pec;ci there wOIt litter Of ad,hei OK
more puppies AID 10 the attractions oi tae collection.
The place for them carefully tod on nc sie II
The hill in tho Arsenal. enclosure thlr'y
feet long ant fifteen feet villa / eXcly.t"t - the
depth of fifteen f-et and ii lei wtn soft etrth; tao
SIDES and bottom Of the pit with the exception u q
single for dr w're bu Il up with concrete
TO prevent rhe from hurrOwlng ont OF tier home.
The DOS made fully dozen burrows IN dihcsent 9arts
of the enclosure the central Longest OF them beng
occupied by OIL dog whp seems to govern the eoony
After their burrows htI been nIishrd &c tner sat,-
faction the 10 IS busted Themselves carrying IN guam
tes of hay ana grass that Mr.. Conkn directed To 10
given to them There no end ID their capacity Tor
storing this way Moro than ton Of hiy was thrown
INTO the enco,ur, during week and every spear Ok
itdlsapp Jared In the mlnner after catin, what
they wished ami other foot given them aliy
hey carefully gathered the remainder aud disappeared
with burrows That they did not feed on this
store. but kept 1t in reserve for "A rainy day"
was evident from the they al
WAYS ON hand AT tho hour when the keeper
gave them their mels AMI they never lei u rescrys
a small portion TO take INFO their store The holes al
appeared communicate with one another, as the dog,
would portion of the enclosure AMI emerge
from different burrows the other side. The hay that
they into h II burrows vel for tue douOe pir-
pose OF fee IN ud Inning the ws their subterrancan
homes, na.in- them sol, tnl warn.
Early m Aprll when spring Weather came IN
and paasanr. Mr. CpnS.In instructed the keepers
maintain a c,refll outlook for the nrst Appearance Of
he dogs Bu day alter day pissed without any hiic-
ton Of b,Z TO tnnS tntt they nll Oyrr-
.epl theins AMI mt titt III sun nat
It's way tar toward sumner the entr inces 20
the burrow- and wash 4 ou OF snap ~ tas
iro, %. ihe Wint"r There WAS no possibility
Of their ESCAPING from In" ncDsn" on me surface aSt
protected by mae wire fence ,rclei tt the top II
manner tntt would puhhe monkeys INDUSTRY TO sa'.e
Fearu tmtt the colony nat been ovetcpns N .nels
sleep by rtal attack ot nti'ri. or matt nat tomd
si" u" w t m 80, M -, t.ip ,ir tonkp ave i,S'rIc.
ons tE" problem investigated several lfb'T-
,,.rk an i'm q spr tnr the ~ tn npu-.ppeir.
ancc tle colo y explained The holes rln DOWN
~, n, .a,.rl wcnf 10 ,hn H., tom of the pit a.
~ tar 10 tnc woud permit lhen they wonld
take upward turn and several iert rom
the bottom y wider space was cleared. AMI this was
packed WITH the has aud OOd. In the centre OF the nest
that w.. taI prepared tie dpgs ni CARED up anI COMO
to slerp Inr, just they hat settled them
eiyc, IN December fOr T'ninier Of the winter Lt
re OF the food hal The far old doS occupied
a larger mes, in tue the PIT win TWO or three
of I'm. wives occupying adjoining nests But the entire
colony dead. They hat apparently never awakened
after they had closed their eyes IN December
The OF the death was at hfst Inexplicapc ana
,he worKen core .cd that the dos mast stl be sleep
iug: bur their bodies were stin and cold. sacYtng no
sgs Of lie They had evidently been dead for several
weeks. Mr. Coz Kiln held post mOrtein examination on
the bodies shed ths conclusion anI niritet
that the colony peTsneI either rom drowning or
suocatIOn. Further uyestgation supported tia. theory
I'm February the heavy rams had washed gully d'wn
the hillside. and "A portion OF the water found
;s the aud poured down into the bur
The drain AZ the bottom bad not been prep nrrf
with a heavy discharge OF water. When
the passed away the BURROWS we're probably h.t
flied and in the cold weather that set IN subsequently,
1t /, thought that the water must have frozen IN them
During alsc bottom VIII be pldcei III tno
enclosure by which the surpus wafer may he carried on
and repetition OF the disaster prevented. Inc new
colony of DOGS arrived early IN the week. TIe pit was
filed with earth aud the new cOloni>s placed In the rb'
closure. They younger and smaller than the nrst
colony will become fully as large by next "inter
The laie themselves quite 1T nome ana DeSah
AT once burrow nors. They have busy pr"par
ing their homes their arrival and do not seem 10
have been disturbed in the reccsses OF the eifth Oy no
shades OF their unfortunate predecessors