Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-22
vANaUIsHED FIVE LIONS.
4 Plucky Stork That Rules a Den of
Wild Beasts.
From the New York Press

Baron Stein of Poppelsdorf near Bonn.
Germany, is an amateur animal tanner and
has for his amusement a small menagerle
in a park adjoining the old summer resi-
dence of the Cologne electoral princes in
Poppelsdorf. Among other wild beasts he
owns five African lions, from two to six
years old. They were raised with hyenas
with whom they live on good terms, though
occasionally one Of the big cats knocks
hyena down and scratches its face just TO
show who is boss of the cage.
Having taught these animals all that he
could. the baron decided to introduce nov
city into the performance which he Is In the
habit Of giving before an alniring circle of
friends. An old white stor1 named Fritz
has lived for years on the highest tower Of
PCppelsdOrf castle. and. as he was reared
in the barons poultry yard, never mas in
duISed in the migratory habits of his kind,
Fritz, who is four feet tall and has a bill
more than seven inches long, was kept IN
the big training cage alone for a week to
accustom him to it. On the tenth cay Of
his Imprisonment The lion cage was rolled
up to the cage.
Fritz viewed the lions with healthy Gu
riosty, but without the least alarm. Tampa
two-year-old lion, was the first to he
driven into the cage with the bird He
looked al Fritz for a second or two, and
then tried TO crawl back TO his family. tail
first; but finding the means Of egress
lDtht7ls ne raised ulIllSGlL 10 MS Iull nelgEt
and uttered a defiant roar
At this the stork's neck feathers bristlod.
He lifted his bill in protest, "clappering' as
only a stork can.
The strange noise upset Zampas self-cnn-
tidence. He stood still and dropped his tail
sadly. But the blood of his fathers rose in
him again, and whipping his TANKS with
his tail, he cautiously advanced on the en-
envy, covering occasionally as if preparing
to spring.
The stork viewed these warlIke prepara-
tons with increasing anger, and his bill
worked like castanets. Standing for a Sec
ond on his strong middle toes. he raised his
wings and aimed as If about to hit the hon
in the eye.
The lion hesitated again, and was lost.
The stork flew at him and bored his sharp
beak into his adversary's nose. which be-
gan to bleed. As the bird stepped back to
prepare for another onslaught Tampa
turned swiftly, and, forgetful in his be-
wilderment from which side he had entered,
jumped to the other side of the cage and
covered there.
Fritz had no taste for pursuing his van
quished foe. Leaving the rear part of the
cage to the lion, he marked Of the extent
of his own territory by walking up and
down a straight line, which limited his
sphere of influence to about thTes-quarters
of the total area. Within this space he
strutted a conquei'irg hero.
Zampa's brother, three years old then
was sent into the cage He showed in turn
establishment a disposition for flight and
X.
part tried to keep out of fight as long as
he could, finally turning his back upon his
foe.
The lion couldn't let that opportunity pass
without trying to profit by it. He was about
10 spring upon the stork, when the latter
wheeled about with incredible swiftness and
hit the lion in the face, drawing blood
Zampa's brother ran at once. He had
enough.
Lion No. Jared not better than his pre-
decessors. The two remaining lions. how
ever, had more perseverance. Each re-
turned to the attack after being punished
once, and in consequence Fritz bled each
twice, after which they ran away ss fast
as the others had done
On the next day the two biggest lions
were sent into the stork cage again. Fritz
awaited them, with his back against the
wall, and each had to retire bearing the
mark of his bill ON his countsnance.
For the last week the lions have spent
their days with Fritz in the training cage.
The bird still holds the front half of the
cage, and the five cOwed lions occupy the
rear. The two contending parties take
their meals separately, and seem to pay no
attention to each other. Only the fact that
Fritz always walks with his tail to the
bars indicates that there has been trouble.