The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-18
HOT WEATHER AT THE ZOO
MONKEYS TAKE a REST AND THE
POLAR DEAR LOOKS LIMP.

The Al1iRators uave No Fault 10 Find the
Iaons Have, hut Are Philosophical ana
Don't Roar-The Eebras obstrcperous aud
tho Elephants sluggish MO sun Strokes.
Most Of tho animals in Central Park bear tho
heat we'll. Some, however, growl and snarl and
kick up q great fuss about 1t from morning until
night. A fow of them glory in 1t, but these are
mighty few.
With the first warm weather all OF the anil
mails that have summer homes were moved to
them; but they have been no better off during
the recent hot spoil than those who remain In
the Same quarters the year round.
Great crowds have been visiting the Zoo lately
just TO see how the inhabitants are affected by
the heat. Tho crowd was unusually largo on
Thursday afternoon, just at that hour whom
there wasn't enough air astir for breathing pur.
poses and tho steam seemed to DO turned on
from above, below, and around. Naturally,
everybody made for tho monkeys first,
as they arc quartered on the basement
floor Of tho Arsenal, about the cool
est spot around those parts. Usually the
monkeys make q great fuss over visitors.
They play tag with one another, do tricks on
their parallel bars and poles and swings, and
show off generally. But the heat had taken the
ambition out Of them. Nearly half of them
were engaged in lazily scratching the heads of
the other half and the rest sat cross-leggcd on
~ poAthOo u 10Y ~ bhauy XIV ohu
1t }is not much fun to watch monkeys when the
spirit OF mischief has been melted out of them.
and pretty soon the crowd began to fall away
and gather around the alligators Just outside.
The alligators arc as glad whom summer comes
as the big polar bear up on the hill Is sorry.
Their favorite watering place is tho big tank
under the tree. They often bask in the sunshine
until some one Of the spectators 10 always ready
to bet that they are baked sufficiently for eating
purposes. Beside the alligators' tank is the
summer home of the hippopotamus family.
Those fellows like the hot weather. don't
they sr Z, a LITTLE c 1psp asked Ss the 3 keeper. =,
dead earnest. " because L hurts their Complex.
ions" and her he wont on. Indignantly, when a
water when It Is very hot: What they do enjoy
they come out OF their tank and cayort around
like boys when school lets out. They aren't
might think. and when the weather is as it has
been 1t certainly burns their complications If they
It's only a step to the lion house, and the little
folks led the way there next. One might not ex-
pSst 1t, but The lions and lionesses are real philo-
relaxed bodies and do not exert themselves even
to eat when 1t Is very hot. Their cages have
larger cages in the open air,:and 80 do those of
the loopaEds and tigers that live in the same
house; Inc lions never go outside, however,
These tropical animals" explained one of
they can stay in the shade. You know nature
provides the dense junglos Tor them in their
native lands and IT Is their nature 70 hate the
A tigress next door contradicted his theory by
her Sn,t aGtio mi;h W ,ph and dr down a,s up and down, she
That T. inst the way some women take the
They fuss and fret and fume about it and
work themselves almost into a !ever."
The tigers are acting the same way" said q
One would think that 1t would take more than
n red-hot temperature to disturbt the eq%uanimity
of the elephants. but it doesn't. The three took
10 their back yard.
"Look at the elephants Tanning themselves
with their trunks" cried q sunny.haired little
"Pshnw." said a sixteen-year-old girl. they
That's one of the DelsGrte movements to make
the neck and shoulders, graceful and easy, of
They must DO beginners, judging by their
necks,' commented q man, and the schoolgirl
A two.horned rhinoceros lives fivepn next ddo door to the
big elephant. He was standing in the broiling
Say. said one Irchin to another. Docs
"Nope," snswsrsd his friend, mo mo- dan
But does" said the other with a chuckIe.
1t says: i got de laugh. dc. merry ha-ha. on
thick skinned. De sun can't touch me-" and the
keeper says ,hat that is right.
lIc poINI Dear lNeB nlRn up on q NUN IN n big
iron-5arrcd cage, built against tho rocks. Col.
smith. the director OF tho mcnagerie, says that
this bear has been In the menagerie SO many
years AS to be and not TO mind tho
heat ANY more than does any Other bear, but
neyerthc!ess the bear looked hot. He seemed as
limp ms n wet rag, and looked MP at the tower
inG rocks above with a monrnful expression.
He had not even energy enough to open his
mouth and catch the pieces of bread which visi-
tors threw ut him regardless Of the rules. Tho
bears OF tho family Of grizzly, cinnamon. and
black, nearly, take far moro interest in lite, and
are, ready for any and everything that comes
their way.
Down tho hill trudRed the crowd to the bison.
Say, why don't You git a shave T. suggests o
lively loafer.
And take of dem hifurcated skirts on your
foreiess.' added another. Boomers don't go
desc days" But tho bison refused 10 notice tho
Idle talk Of such idle fellows and kept on staring
ut his ncighbor, the Cape buffalo from Africa.
The Zebus hate the heat and raise their rever.
bcrating voices and howl for a cooler cline. Tho
Angora goats. the rabbits, prairie dogs, and
other small fry are affected by the heat about
as children are. In their gaiubois they forget it
and when they grow weary they drop of to
sleep as tired children do.
Col. smith says that tho animals are affected
by the heat exactly IS human beings are. None
OF them eats 10 much in summer. and when II is
intensely hot many OF them go off their feed en-.
tircly, frequently refusing all food for three or
four days at u time. Tho animals are all In ex.
cG!lcnt health at present.
DISPENS4RIES IN 4 BID WAY.