The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-12

! ored garments on, they move lazily 60 the
| other side of the pond. On Saturday and
| Sunday it was different
! Every time we approached the pond
there was a breaking of the surface of
the water in half dozen places. The
fish were all lying right at the top Of the
water. ] won't say that they had their
| mouths out gasping for breath, but IL
they didn't I'd like to know what they
kept at the surface for2"
Many of the wild animals in the Central
Park menagerie suffer greatly during
very hot weather The monkeys and
their tribes are exceptions. The hotter it
is the better they thrive, and Secretary
Burns says this is the only time of the
year when the mortality among them falls
10 normal percentage.
At first thought, one would imagine
that the animals which would feel the
heat most would be those from the colder
climates, the polar bear, Esquimaux dogs
and the grizzly bear, but this is not the
case. These animals are, however, among
the sufferers.
The dogs follow the plans OF our do
nestle dogs. They keep quiet and nestle
close 10 the damp, cool earth Nothing
particular is done TO relieve them. but
the bears have big water tank in which
they can cool themselves The tank Is
dSSp buOuBn lOE bUGm 10 cover .blGtn-
selves with water clear TO the neck
They get into the bath and snuggle
down and play in the water like a child.
The animal from hot countries arc also
great sufferers in hot weather This is
particularly true of the carnivora Visi-
tors are often disappointed at seeing so
little life among the lions, tigers, pumas,
and leopards. In this weather these ami
mails spend a great part Of their time
lying at full length in their outer cages,
as still as II they were dead, except for
the heaving of their TANKS
Stir them up, and they look at you with
weary air. They answer perhaps with
a growl or two, and in a moment they
stretch out again and refuse to interest
themselves in anything except their
bodily comfort
The explanation Of their feeling the
heat so much lies perhaps in the fact
that in their native baunts their habit is
to lie low in damp and shady places
through the daytime, and to leave their
refuge for prey only when the COMPARE
tive GOODNESS of the night has fallen.
The hippopotami have their constant
bath. AS the visitors 10 the park know
they keep In the water nearly all day
One of the most interesting sights in the
park IS 10 watch them at the mid-after-
noon feeding time. About O'Clock the
Jnree OF lnem get luncneOn OF Dread.
The attendant takes a sack OF loaves 10
the side of the water tank The animals
rear their great heads straight out of the
water and open their big mouths.
Into each mouth in turn the attendant
drops a loaf Of bread. Their tusks and
the sprawling teeth in the front Of their
mouths have no use in mastication. The
teeth seem 70 have no purpose except
perhaps 10 grasp and tear up the her cage
that grows at the bottom of their feeding
waters, aud the tusks serve for weapons
The loaf Of bread falls clear back out
Of sight In hippopotamus's mouth, and
there is great munching until IL is swal-
lowed. Then the head is thrust up for
another. II loaf drops into the water
the head pursues IL rapidly-for no other
part of the animal appears-and IL Is curl
Gus to see the mouth open and finally en-
gulf IL. Morning and night they are fed
with hay.
This is carried into their mouths by
their lips which are as mobile as thoseof
horse. The water IN their tank is
changed at their night feeding time, and
the animals plunge back into ii 10 keep
cool.
Grease and water are two materials
used 10 ALLEVIATE the evils OF the hot
weather for the other hairless animals
The big female elephant was shining YES
terday in fresh coat Of neatsfoOt oil
that had just been rubbed into her yards
OF SKIN. In this respect the elephant and