Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-01-31
LOOKING AT THE ANNALS.
THE SMITHSONIAN 200" AND TIE
CROWDS THAT VISIT IT.
The Strange Fascination of tho Jaguar-As
Owl from the District Jafl-Keeper
dep's Fight with a Vigorous Gear Cub.
The 'Coous and PUrcuPiDcs.

Ow. from the District Jail-Keeper
den's Fight with Vigorous Bear Cub.
The 'Coons and PUrcupines.
That living things possess an interest for
the public which inaGiInate things do not ia
nowhere better illustrated than at the little
zoo lust in the rear of the Smithsonian insti-
tuition. There seems in some way to be SYM
patty existing between the human being and
the animals il the cages, sympathy which
is not felt for the speechless cuiiosities that
fill the museums, and doubtless as many people
visit the little zoo in q day as stroll through
the big museums close by. From Q O'Clock,
the opening hour. until 3 the crowd surges
through the building, stopping before the cage
in which a colony of squirrels pra2nce looking
with wonder and astonishment on the large
jaguar as he takes up his unceosing tramp
around his large cage, and paying their re-
spects to the many other strange creatures.
Many prominent people from ell over the
county are represented by gifts at the gar
den, q I'd the little white painted signs tackled
to the cages bear some great names. -Four
golden eagles in G cage outside the building
are from Tate Springs Tenn. The glorious
bird Of freedom, which Americans are SO
proud of, does not appear to the best advan-
tage in a cage. and ne sits all day on his perch
as if brooding over bis wrongs and Matching
schemes for vengeance on his captors. There
is suppressed fury in his eye and now and
then he grows restless. There is q great fiut-
tering of wings, piercing Shrek and des-
perate attempt to make some impression on
the iron bars VITA his beak. But the trans
port of rage does not last a great while, and
soon he resumes his perch and the air OF res
ignation which so i'll becomes him.
The raccoons attract great deal of atten-
ton, especially from visitors from the north,
who have heard and read so much about the
pleasures Of coon hunting, and they stand be-
fore the cages and wonder where all the fun
of the thing comes in, for from the prosaic
light of cage the coon is certainly not very
gamey There are a number of varieties and
they are all su fat that the eye of the colored
citizen from the country glstens as he looks
and his lips come together convulsively as he
thinks of by-gone feasts and in memory eats
them over again. The 'ccons have grown very
tame and nothing pleases them better than to
have some one scratch their heads with PEN
Gil There they lie supinely, astraddle of
limb. and sleep for hours now and then open
ing their eyes to blink laZily at the stranger.
In O cage near by Is pair of porcupines, and
as Star reporter passed along he heard
colored man remark:
Use hearn tell ob desc hyar modern koons,
but don't b'teeve dat dem tings is fit to eat,
you hyar me. De dogs I'D fine it mighty hard
wuk gittin' way wild dem warInints, sure"
The old colored man was right, as many
dog who has 4ried it knows TO his sorrow. The
quilIs rise tlreateninyly, and bad luck to the
dog who gets a mouthful of them
AN OWL FROM THE JAIL.
One of the most interesting specimens on
exhibition is a monkey faced owl, born AID
bred at the district jail. Truly he is a genuine
jail bird. He first saw the light of night in
the caves of the big old building, but was ar
rested for disturbing the quiet of the
establishment, and now ekes out miserable
existence ia cage. Els face is almost an
exact counterpart Of a Monkeys; so much
so. IN fact, that were the rest of his body
covered it would be difficult to distinguish
the difference. The bird has cage all to
himself, and is the only one Of the kind Oh
exhibition. He sits all day quiet and I'M
blinking, but at night, so the reporter was
informed, he has a high old time, and makes
the building resound with his piercing shrieks.
The collection of birds is not very ex-
tensiye one, and Is made up for the most port
of native birds. Outside domestic fowls are
in abundance, and in the various cages inside
are some gorgeous piumaged birds of the
south, Including parrots, paroQuets and
nlacaws. There is q very fine macaw. The
collection OF carrier and other pigeons is fine
Keeper Weeden let a gentleman from Phila-
delphia have one OF the birds for breeding
purposes the other day, and one evening last
week he heard a tiutSering of wings outside,
and going to see the cause he found that his
bird had escaped and returned home again.
The collection of buffaloes at the zoo has in
creased to a half dozen magnificent speci-
mems Of the great American animal which is
fast becoming extinct. The first Of the herd
was given To the museum by Col. E. G.
Blackford Of New York city, who has from
the first taken great interest in the forma-
ton of the gardens. The others are recent
additions. The herd presents u fine appear
ance and artists are frequently making
studies of them.
Buffalo Bill is represented by a splendid
specimen Of the American elk, which has a
stall in the large Enclosure south of the main
building In an adjoining cage is a mild eyed
mule deer from Colorado. The only remind
er OF the vicious mule about this little animal
is its immense ears, over which it has not
much control
One OF the few cages marked s'dangerousn
Is that occupied by jaguar from Texas. 1t
rs strange what strong fascination this ami
NAL has for the average crowd Some of the
visitors who crowd about the cages marked
dangerous are exceedingly reckless and are
constantly putting themselves in danger of
having hand or arm torn off. So far thu
garden hiss been singularly free from serious
lnlshaps One can easily lem over the ran
running along in front of the cages. and
many foolish people put their fingers be
tween the bars Some day pair of cruel
jaws VIII snap together and some one Will 90
through life minus a couple of fingers.
AT the bears cage there is always large
crowd, for the half do8eu varieties are
among the most popular exhibits. They are
ali III the same cage, which has back ward.
and are as playful as kittens, sometimes rcll- |
ing and tumbling over each other in their
play; but this is not always the case, as |
Keeper Weeden can tell. They get in bad
humor now and then, and those who are nc |
quainsed with their antics give them wide |
berth. The entire party were in Just this |
ECmor the other day when Keeper Weeclen |
went into the cage 10 give them their break |
fast. De generally carries slender club |
with him and playfully taps them on the |
nose Just TO l-e them know that ne has it with |
HIM. He tapped once too often this particu- |
Lar morning. and one of the bears rebeljed. |
tie was cub, young and hot blooded, and |
c,dnt know any better He was not used To |
being tapped on tie nose, which is a tender |
spcS with young bears. and he protested by |