The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-11-15
NOAH 10 BE OJT-NOAHED.
Uncle Sam to Collect Ill Animal Species Of
the w Orld.


Uncle Sam has lust decided to insti-
tutc vcritablc Noah 5 Ark Of live
wild beasts here in Washington. lie
is arranging to assemble in large
reservation Northwest Of tRc city a
congress of the animal families Of the
entire world, and pilgrims to the ma
ton Capital will soon feast eyes upon
the most monstrOus zoologic treat man
has ever bchcld.
The Smithsonian naturalists have
been lately engaged upon repetition
Of Father Adam task Of enu,nrrat-
ing and classifying the species nd
have succeeded in producing lit Of
many lengths showing their pres
cnt geographic distribution. The
State, War and Navy Departments are
making copies to our diplomatic, con
sular. military and naval representa-
tivcs in lands, far and near, with in
structions that they negotiate for the
capture and transportation to Wash
lngton OF as many separate species as
can be captured. Full instructions as
to boxing the animals and feeding
them en- route are being mailed with
the lists. The scheme was conceived
by Secretary Langley, Of the Smith
sonian, the father Of the nation new
Zoo, with the practical aid Of DR..
Frank Baker, it's superintendent.
The reservation in which the new
animals will reside is Of 1G6 1--2 acres.
Recent improvements have made it al
ready tn" must picturesque and cXtcn-
sivc z"ulr,lcnl garden Of the world
The great Nos Of Berlin, London
and Paris, the next largest, would
cover but two-thirds Of it's area if COM
bincd.
Africa will contribute most extern
sively. AS emphasized in the official
circular being mailed to our fifty rep
resentativcs there, no other Of the
earth's divisions is so rich in animal
life. The gorilla, which is desired
more than any other creature Of eth
er hemisphere, will be hunted here,
his only haunt. His landing on Amer
loan soil will be an important geological
event. That the gorilla has ncveryct
been brought to tie New World is a
fact well-nigh unknown. He will be
found only along the banks Of Ga
boon River and within the delta of
the Ogowai, respectively north and
south Of the Equator, near the Allan
tic Ocean. Capturing him here will
be dangerous and difficult task. He
nests in the trees Of the most dense
and solitary Of the forest wilds. AL
though eager to escape when first at
tackled, ne will ferociously defend him
self with tooth and nail when brought
to bay. When enraged his hair bris-
ties erect upon the crown of his head
and he roars like lion. He becomes
more and more ferocious with age, and
it may be thought best to obtain a
young animal on this account. Of
course, it will be necessary to capture
him unframed. A good specimen
will be the centre Of interest in the
sgseat Zoo. Scientists will be eager to
study him, inasmuch as he is the most
Nman-like of all man-like apes and is
believed by evolutionists to be the an
.cestor of mankind. His great SINH
larity to the human being was noted
no less than 600 years before Christ,
when Admiral Hanno, of Carthage, re-
turning from West African expedi-
tion, published his account of certain
hairy men and women, named gorillas,
who lived in troops and fought with
stones. Although DR.. Savage, of this
country, gave the first accurate ac-
counts Of the gorilla, the only captive
specimen ever brought to the civilized
world was exhibited in Berlin.
A specimen Of the chimpanzee is
also wanted. It is believed that but
one species Of this near cousin of hu-
manity now exists. It is scattered
from the Guinea coast, whence our
slaves came, through the heart Of AZ
rica and as far north as the Soudan.
The chimpanzee will be less difficult
to capture than the gorilla. Natives.
anxious to exterminatc him because Of
his thievings, chase him into snares
and kill him with spears. So man like
are many Of his ways that they regard
him as a degenerate human being.
Efforts will be made to complete a
collection Of excellent baboons and
monkeys, with which Africa abounds.
The most interesting Of these baboons
is the hamadryas, with flesh colored