Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-11-16

PROFESSOR S. P. LANGLEY.
ship which seems to possess more of
the elements of practicability than any
other that has thus far been brought
out But that is another story and has
nothing to do with tile zoo. Professor
Langley has the practical aid of DR..
Frank Baker, the superintendent, who
is recognized as an authority in natural
history.
The geological garden is to occupy q
reservation north of the city embrac-
ing tract of f6G acres of land, where
il is expected to assemble a congress
of the animal families of the entire
world. The naturalists of the Smith
sonian institution have been lately en-
gagged in a repetition of Father Adams
task of enumerating and classifying
the anima! species and making lists Of
rare specimens required to make the
collection as complete as possible. The
state. war and navy departments,
heartily cooperating in the work, are
mailing copies of the list of species to
our diplomatic. consular. military and
naval representatives in lands far and
near, with instructions that they nego
tiate for the capture and transporta-
ton to Washington of as many sep
arate species as can be secured. Full
instructions as to boxing the animals
and feeding them en- route are being
mailed with the lists.
Africa ill contribute most exten-
sively of the animals wanted for Uncle
Sans zoo. Our consular representa-
tives in that continent have been par
ticularly requested TO procure. the fast
disappearing African buffalo. once dis
tributed south of the equator. Perhaps
the most hideous of the hundreds of
creatures wanted from Africa is the
wart hog. \ name of long bristles coy
erS his spine Below his savage tusks
he wears growth of long white whis-
kers. His eyes. high in his head and
with elevated corners. are made more
deviliSh by long black hrowS and
laSheS. He derives his name from an
added adornmcnt of huge tieshy warts
behind his eyes and along his nose.
There will he a hunt in Africa for
specimens of the gorilla. which is de-
sired more than almost any other crea-
ture on either hemisphere. \ good
specimen of the chimpanZee is also
wanted Ii is believed that but one
species of this now exists. hut the
chimpanzee will be less difficult to cap
ture than the gorilla. Efforts will also
be made to secure complete collection
OF balloons and monkeys, with which
Africa ahounds.
The African giraffe is put upon the
SPECIAL list of animals most desired.
and emphasis is placed upon the fact
that he has almost ceased TO figure in
Ameri' European meDageries- He
must ht. hunted in equatorial Africa
and Abyssina.
The true zebra is also among the At
rican animals for which search will be
made This animal is now almost ex-
tinct. the few now remaining being
scattered in the highest mountains of
Bechuanaland and Kaffraria. not far
from the seat of the British BOer war.
From the West Indies it is hoped to
get manatee. or sea COW. This crea-
ture is sometimes 20 feet long. has skin
like the gray elephants and fans his
food into his mouth with long bristles
Oh his nose. The agouta. wanted from
these same islands. is long legged.
catlike bug eater. The Cuban hutia,
also listed. is an immense tree rat,
naked and scaly.
1t is expected to get very large and
valuable collection from the Philip
pines, which abound in strange All
mails, and our officers there are asked
to secure specter, carabao, tamarau,
flying lemur, biuturong and many 9th
er freaks. The specter Of the supersti-
tious native is diminutive and squirrel
like. His staring eyes appear to wear
huge Chinese spectacles. Upon his
wirelike fingers are cushions like the
suckers upon the feet of the tree frog.
He is nocturnal and insectivorous.
These are some of the rare and curl
GUS geological specimens which the
agents of the government abroad are
asked to corral i'm their native wilds
and send to Washington that Uncle
Sans new zoo shall be as complete as
that Of any other. nation.
SAaI-EJ HrPRARn