The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-11-30
CATNIP AT THE zoo.
Tigers and Jaguars Get Their First
 Taste of the Herb.

Taste of the Herb.
 An arnlful of fresh green catnip was plucked from the golf grounds of the Exmoor club at Highland Park. It was taken to Lincoln Park and permission was asked to Animal Keeper De Vry to try the effects of the green stuff on the feline members of his family. This herb, which does not grow, so far as is known, in the haunts of the cousins to the cats, created a great sensation at the zoo. Perhaps the most astonishing incident connected with the tour of the cages happened just as the visitor with ms DE bundle of catnip left the office or the Keeper in the animal house. The scent Of the plant filled the whole place, ana as soon as it had reached the par rots corner the gaudily attired macaws set up noise that drowned thought and made for the side of the cage, polk ing their peaks and claws through. When the catnip was brought near them they became nearly frantic. They were given some and devoured it,
 
 commensurate with the noise of their voices.
 The keeper and the catnip carrier then made for the cage of Billy the African leopard. Now, Billy, so far as is known, had never before smelled or seen a leaf of the plant. Before the front of his cage was reached he had bounded from the shelf whereon he lay, apparently asleep, and stood expectant, alert and with frightened eyes at the bars of his cage. This African exotic went simply insane. The man with the catnip purposely waited few minutes before he poked any of the green leaves and yellowish-white flowers of the plant through to the big cat.
 Finally double handful of catnip was passed through to the floor of the den. Never was the prey of this Afri- can dweller in his wild state bounced upon more rapidly or with more abso- lute savage enjoyment First Billy ate mouthful of the catnip, then he lay flat on his back and wriggled his sinu- ous length through the green mass until his black-spotted, yellow hide was per- meated with the odor of the plant from shoulders to tail tip. Then Billy sat on bunch of the catnip, caught a leaf laden stem up in either paw and rubbed his checks, chin, nose, eyes and head Heated with his exertions, he exuded catnip at every pore. He ate an addi- tional mouthful or two of the stuff, and then jumped back to his shelf, where he lay. the very picture of satiety and con- tcntment.
 tt, young but full-grown animal, captured within eighteen months in the jungles of India. He is, a powerful brute. and one with which even the keepers do not seek close acquaintance. When this great, surly beast inhaled the first sniff of the catnip he began to new like kitten. Prior to this the softest note of his voice had been one which put the roar of the big-maned South African lion to shame. That vicious tiger and his kindly dispositioned old mate fairly revelled in the liberal allowance of the plant which was thrust into their cage. They rolled about in it and played to- gether like six-weeks-old kittens. They mewed and purred, evidently dis cussing the question as to what this strange plant was which gave them variety of pleasure never before experi- enced. They tossed it about, ate of it, and, after getting about as liberal dose as had Billy, the leopard, they likewise leaped to their respective shelves and blinked lazily at the sun.
 The big lion, Major, was either too dignified or too lazy to pay more than passing attention to the bunch of cat nip which fell to his lot. He ate a mouthful or two of 1t and then licked his chops in that's not half bad" way, and then went back to his nap. The three baby lions quarreled over their allowance and ate it every bit, but they could not be beguiled, despite their tender years, into frolicking over the presence of the plant.-Chicago Times Herald.