The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-06

The whole animal kingdom at the Zoo II
now in a state of mind about the approach
ing cold weather, and the consequent ques-
Ion of going into winter quarters This
interesting question, which is more than
skin deep to the members of our quadruped
foreign colony, received a sudden impulse
one night last week. when a blast OF
Boreas swept down and caught the lioness
in q thin summer robe de mutt. The
emente, however, was not confined to this
royal mother OF 1.-TWO twins" for the
sensation was as general as 1t was pro-
found.
People in the neighborhood, that is, those
who live about a mile off, say that the
uproar of Indignation could have been heard
even by the inmates of the deaf and dumb
asylum. All day they had been basking
in temperature of rs degrees Fahren-
heit, but in the evening the mercury
slumped down to 90. This temperature
made the hair of the tropical animals lit
orally stand up on their backs, and as TO
the tropical birds, their feathers were In
9Ich keller that they looked like what the
old women OF Prince George County call
friZzled chickens.
SNAKES TIED IN MOT.
One OF the lasting effects of this sudden
freeze out is that the boa constructor tied
himself and all the little snakes in his
vicinity into sailors knot, ana they are
still trying to undo him and them into their
normal shapes. That wonderful bird,
known as the bare-eyed cockatoo. Lay on
his back for three hours in a state OF friSid
and rigid coma The poor mother kangaroo
stuffed her little baby so deep into her
front pocket that he hasn't been seen since,
and it is believed that he VIII not be in
evidence again until they turn on the hot
waterin the basement.
IL is not often that the animals are
caught this way, but the Indignation
meeting did not last long. Mr.. W. H. BlacRs
burn, the headkeepcr, had one of the as
sjstants build fire in the basement and
the chorus dwin6ied away TO a calp,
except when now and then could be heard
the fiendIsh and maniacal laughter OF
the polar bears, who enjoyed the Joke ON
the fiery blooded denizens OF the carntyora
house.
Mr.. Blackburn said yesterday that it VIII
probably be a month before the temperature
will be raised to the standard of from IS to
20 degrees which contents the animals that
cannot stand the cold weather. The wauning
up of the quarters is, however, already De-
gun, and the closed houses are provided
with artificial heat every night. 1t Is too
soon yet he said, to start the boiler going.
NOT PLEASANT TEMPERATURE.
People who 70 to the Zoo on . really cold
day in winter very rarely enjoy the tenn
perature OF the closed houses, such as that OF
the elephants, and of the lions, tigers, ALL
gators, monkeys and hyenas. These people,
said Mr.. Blackburn, walk up the hills; they
get slightly warm before they reach the
houses; the ladies never take off their furs
or the gentlemen their oyercoats and when
they go inside the heat, they say, is disagree
able; in fact, "beastly hot" which, by the
way, is a very apt phrase In this connec
ton. Yet the temperature Is merely COM
fortable-that is, from IS to 20 degrees.
This may be a pointer for people who may
this winter propose to make tour OF tho
hot houses, and especially Of the present
lions nursery
The little lions are now looking for the
light The Times the other day had the
good luck to be the first. besides the keeper.
to see one of these youngsters. The dark
chamber in which the mother OF the two
pair is now resting, is built on one side
of her big cage. In this il q sliding door
out of which she comes once day to feed.
BEDROOM OF THE LIONEss.
There is another opening in the side OF
this bedroom about foot square. When
folks were looking at this on Wednesday
last the head of one of the newcomers
was popped out. There be is! There he
is!' said little boy, and sure enough there
he, or maybe she, was, little animal
with short, erect ears and head like the
elongated head of a tbree-Quarter grown
cat. He is tan or russell colorcd with short
hair and a short tail. His eyes, which
were opened yesterday, the ninth day
after his birth, were still closed, but he
was evidently trying to peer through his
eyelids, and made the funniest grimaces
in the attempt.
He was making bis way out into the new
world when Mamma Rose missed him. There
was q sound from the interior which sound
ed like "scat," and in the next moment
hugepaw appeared Thelittlerunaway was
hauled to the opening. where his mother
grabbed him mp in her capacious, loving
mouth, and both disappeared. The first APP