The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-12
QUEER ANIMALS AT TIE zoo.


From the London Mail
III the small cats house at the Zoo
has been placed Il gray Ichneumon,
otherwise known as Il mongoose. This
Is first cousin to the animal which eats
Croeudtles' eggs ON the banks Of the
Nile. and WAS treated with almost III
vine honors Is the old Egyptians in
consequence. II is not unworthy Of it's
relationship. The only article Of diet
which il seems really To prefer to a rat
il cobra. and il can be relied upon to
keen ones dwelling free from both
those undesirable visitors. Its activ-
ity IS 50 extreme that no serpent has n
chance against it. 1t attacks the larg-
est OF eohfas without the least hesita-
ttan. lodges its stroke. and kills iE
by neat little rip behind the neck
Then IL erunches up the head. poison
glands aud all. and goes Off 10 look for
another. 80 residents in India welcome
IL warmly when 1t takes up IT'S abode in
their houses. The only thing against
IL is that when rats and cobras ara
scarce IL Will attack almost any small
creature that may come in it's way.
Its tastes are very comprehensive. for
II has been known 10 devour at sin
gle meal a quail. lizard and a number
Of insects, and small wasp's nest,
together with part Of a cuStaFd appls
by way of dessert. Once IL slew a tams
bustard. which for years had been tina
very joy Of its owners heart; and poul-
try and domestic pets generally hax5
10 be kept carefully out Of its reach.
But il Is a good-tempered little beast
50 long as IL IA not intsFfered with
while il il eating, and soon comes To hes
regarded almost 81 a member of the
family.
Thirty-seven new sinks seemed a
good many. yet these all reached the
reptile house recently IN one day.
$kinks. BE- IL explained. are short
legged lizards. about five inches long.
Whose chief popularity Is the extreme
tapidity with which they can bury
themselves in the sand. They see you
coming and vanish They don't Seem
Ia burruN or u exert themselves in the
least, they simply sink through the
sand. and If you want 10 get them. you
must dig down 70 \ depth OF four or
hSe feet. Nowadays they are not
worth the trouble. but Il few centuries
back SkiHhs were most valuable erea-
turrs- Doctors found in their dried and
powdered bodies a specific for almost
all the ills that fiesh * heir TO. A
spoonful ~ skink Was an unfailing rem
ely Tor the wound of poisoned arrow
~ the bite OF u venomous snake. SUI
teiefs from epilepsy when once they
tried II never had another fir. Skin
4lsr ass disappeared like magic after
Nare dissolved and worms destroyed bN
skink powder. while cancer was wholly
etadieatsd from the systems of those
who resorted TO the same potent rem-
edy- IL was equally goods for feVers.
for headaches. for nerve troubles and
for the weakness attending old age.
The difficulty was. in fact. 10 md any
disease that il would not cure. while
those in health could fortify their sys-
TENS against infection OF every kind BY
taking IL without waiting TO be i'll. In
deed. the only wonder was that when
skinks We're 10 BE- had anybody ever
died.
All these 81 sinks came from Aus
tralia. and most Of them seem to have
been named after their discoveries
Thus We have. for example a Whites
skinlS a Lesueur's skfnk. and a couple
Of Cunningham skinks. Clearly. the
correct thing To do when one visits AUS
tralia is u so cut and discover a
skink.