Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-28

rice and apples. Occasionally, as treat,
he gets carrot. 1t is great fun watching
the monkeys dine. They are terrible glut-
tons, and shy in their gluttony. The strong
eat first, and the weak sit back and grim
mace and chatter in sharp anguish.
LITTLE MONKEYS MUST WAIT.
When the larger apes are surfeited they
snatch up some tidblt-an apple or a brown
crust-and hold it behind their backs with
benevolent expression that would have
brought tears of envy to the eyes OF Mr..
Pecksniff. After a while they invariably
forget all around the morsel and drop 1t.
The shivering little monkeys, who have
prudently remained in the background
until the big fellows have made clean
sweep OF the best portions, rush to the front
and fight for the discarded fragment biting,
scratching and strangling one another, and
shrieking out monkey oaths In high Key.
AS gastronomic show, however, that OF
the pelicans is the most unique and anus
ing. As soon as the keeper appears these
long-billed, grotesque birds get into line
like squad of soldiers. Fish is their food,
and nothing else, three pounds per pelican.
The keeper, pausing in front OF plrd NO. 1,
throws him q two-ioot fish. With cape
that almost divides him in two, the pelican
catches the fish dextrously and attempts to
swallow it whole. He succeeds if he hasn't
seized it tail first, in which case he has to
disgorge it and try again. Pelican No.
has now opened himself greedlly and fish
is fred at him. 1t is in his crop by the
time No. 3 has attracted the attention OF the
keeper; and so on down the line, to the
paroxysms of delight of the children. The
seals and sea lions share an Enclosure with
the pelicans and also live on fish. They
have hard times getting their own when
their long billed chums are ravenous, but
the seals are full of fight and respond TO
every yawp of the pelican with menaclng
bark.
THE SNAKES GORGE THEMSELVES.
The alllgators are horse-eaters. Their
portion is ten pounds day, from about May
to October. During the winter they eat
nothing, lying much of the time in coma
tose state. The snakes dine once fort
night. The boa and the python gorge them
selves with pigeon or a rabbit apiece.
The rabbits and the pigeons are bred In the
park for the purpose, as are also the toads
and white rats which are given to the smaller
snakes
The burly hippopotamus has two meals
day; in the morning pail OF crushed oats
and two pals of bran mixed together; and
in the afternoon ten loaves of bread. The
baby hippopotamus, now several weeks old.
is still sucking but occasionally he picks
up bit of bread and slows itaway. Mr.. and
Mrs. Hippopotamus take their bread in
very undignifed fashion. 1t is thrown to
them by the keepers, and they catch 1t in
their cavernous mouths without blinking.
The rhinocerous has the same menu. Pap
won't do for the eagles. They want stouter
stuff, and horsefesh fills tine bill. The vul-
lures are in the same category. At o'clock
daily several pounds OF horse flesh are
thrown into the big cage, and the birds par
take of it at their pleasure. Sometimes the
bsld-headed eagle is so deeply immersed In
the retrospect of hundred years that the
film over his old eyes shuts out the vulture,
voraciously helping himself, and when the
great American bird hops down to fill his
crop the buzzard is walking of with
double portioa.
A FACT AS TO TEMPERATURE.
The chief concern ofSuperintendent of CoDk-
lin is to adjust the temperature in winter to
the circulation Of his wards In the monkey
houses, for instance, the thermometer must
stand between 65o and 700. Antelopes and
other indoor animals, such as the elephants,
lions ana tigers, whose origin is semi-tropi-
cal, must have a temperature of at least 600.
The camels, buffalos, Bsrbary wild sheep
and deer need no more protection in the
wooden huts in the open air. The deer, in
fact, are friskiest when the earth Is mantled
with snow, and they prefer it to lie in to
their bedding of hay.
OF the sicknesses that affiict the denizens
of the menagerie, congestion of the lungs is
the only one that excites grave spprehen-
sion. Crowley and Kitty, the famous CHM
panzees, whose intelligence was almost hu-
mau, succumbed to it, and SO did the baby
hippotamus born during 1889. He lived
but four days, and an autopsy showed that
his right lung was congested. Recently the
rhinoceros began to fail and his ailment
was diagnosed as q severe cold. A quart Of
whiskey and Jamaica ginger was admins
tered to him two or three times day and he
pulled through. Last year ioness, two
pumas llama, emu and sea eagle were
taken down with pneumonia and passed
over to the majority. The usual post-mor-
tenn was held, and they were then stuffed
and mounted for the Museum of Natural
History. Among other losses were some
birds in the aviary that were eaten by rats,
and an elk who died of old age. He was
killed and cut up by the butcher, and the
stomachs of the cat family were surprised
with g treat of venison.
oUINISE FOR THE LIONS.
IF the lions and tigers catch cold dose Of
powdered quinine is given to them in their
food. They sometimes suffer from dyspep-
sia, and a meal OF liver set before them is
readily devoured and acts as cathartic.
They seldom need treatment, however for
any trouble except ingrowing nails. In a
savage state they keep their nails pared
down by clawing the trunks of trees. In
captivity the nails grow long and sometimes
penetrate the flesh of their paws. 1t then
becomes necessary to relieve the pain by re-
moving its cause. A looped rope is thrown
down on the floor of the cage, the animals
paws are caught in it and be is dragged to
the bars in such position that the wound
can be operated upon. Pincers and clip
with pair of sharp shears do the work, and
the brute is released sound and cured.
There is absolutely no danger in this
treatment In tact, the keepers never
enter the cages if it can be avoided. It
sometimes became necessary for Jake Cook,
who had charge of Crowley, to interview
that pleasing ape at close quarters and Wig
orously demonstrate with him, as when he
seized a newspaper or a cap from visitor
and proceeded to stuff it in his mouth for an
edible, but the keeper was not overanxious
to apply physical suasion.
TERRENCE TALBY.