The Portland daily press., 1890-10-09
THE YOUNG HIPPoPoTAMus.
An UngainIy Little Beast that Is tho
Wonder of New York.
New York SUM-

At five minutes after 1 o'clock Saturday
last Superintendent Conklin and Midwife
Tim Donohue were in the carnivOra house,
in Central Park, anxiously watching the
cage where Miss Murphy, the hippopotamus,
has been kept for three weeks awaiting her
accouchement. There was very little light,
and the two watchers were careful not to
disturb Miss Murphy.
All went well, and the tenth hippCpota-
mus ever born in captivity was presently
moving about the cage in an uncertain sort
of way, and stopped for breath every minute.
Its mother lay perfectly quiet, paying no at
tention to it. 1t numbered about the cage,
falling over its mothers head once. Then
it stopped altogether and looked about The
world, as 1t appeared to this baby, was GER
tainly not inviting, and the baby lay down
and became perfectly still. An hour passed,
an hour and half, and then Miss Murphy
lifted herself to her feet. The infant also
stood up, and mother and child faced each
tie other.
This was an anxious moment for Superin-
tendent Conklin. In almost every similar
case the female has trampled her offspring to
death, seeming to hate the very sight of 1t.
Miss Murphy is not a particularly mild man.
nered hippopotamus and she looked dubious
ly at the thin feet of the infant hippopota.
mus before her. Then she lay down, still
keeping her eye on the infant. She seemed
well satisfied with it and indicated by letting
it alone that she didn't care if it did live.
Superintendent Conklln and Midwife
Donohue were delighted by this display of
negative maternal affection. They began
to have hopes.
During the next few hours the infant be-
came livelier and livelier. It walked about,
and even began to play horse with Miss
Murphy in very undigniied way. But Miss
Murphy simply watched her child with one
eye and made no motions. At o'clock the
infant, after diligent and very awkward
search, finally began to refresh itself in the
way which nature provided. Superintendent
Conklin went away satisfied. Since the
infant had vitality enough to do this, and
since Miss Murphy had maternal affection
enough not to mind 1t, the new conner stood
an excellent chance for life.
No one but Keeper Hugh Downey, to
whom Miss Murphy is accustomed, was al
lowed to go into the carnivora house yester-
day. Mr.. Downey made frequent reports to
the superintendent. and all his reports were
favorable. Miss Murphy later in the day
paid some attention to the child. The at
tentions were very rough. but the good spirit
back OF them was evident. The great dan
ger seems to be that she will turn around
and fall over the child. or will step on it and
crush 1t. at o'clock The child again re-
freshed itself. Mr.. Conklin now declares
that only an accident will prevent the infant
from living.
No one has been near the cage, not even
hc6p6T DOWu6Y. lie mas taken all MS OD-
servatiOn afar off. 1t is absolutely necessary
that the mother should not be startled. The
other carnivOra are in the outside cages all
day, and all night they make very little
nOise but even the familiar growls Of the
lions and tigers as they paced their outside
cages made Miss Murphy shiver as she lay
in a corner of her cage, or set her to trem-
bling in every fold of her thick side as she
stood watching her child.
Downey says she never takes her eye off IL
~ han haaq 10 M has IUr haa
that the new conner pleases its mothers
aesthetic sense. 1t looks exactly like its pa
and ma. 1t has that same wide open count
enance, with a remarkable display of interior
when its mouth is extended. 1t looks as
though it would weigh about seventy-hve
pounds, and 1t is about three feet long. Great
care will be taken to keep draughts from
the cage, so that the infant may avoid the
cold and congestion of the lungs which over
took Miss Murphy's last years present to
her husband
1t will be several days before anyone will
be allowed near the cage, and until then the
sex of the infant will not be known. Superin-
!. endent Conklln will not admit Caliph to the
presence of his heir for a long time. The pa
ternal instinct is every weak in the hippop0-
tamuS tribe, and also the paternal body is
twice as large as Miss Murphy and ten times
as awkward.
The birth of an heir clothed Caliph with
new interest to the crowds that thronged
Central Park all yesterday afternoon. The
old gentleman lay in heap in the sun at the
far end OF his enclosure. lie was sound
asleep, and at a little distance, with his
wrinkled hide and his short legs projecting
from beneath his brown body, he looked not
unlike great mud turtle. He has long since
become accustomed to the absence of his
wife, and has ceased those inquiring howls
which so disturbed the repose Of the birds
and beasts two weeks ago. 1t is hoped that
the child will not inherit the paternal snore,
which is like the soughing of a heavy wind
in thick forest.