The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-19
INTELLIGENT zoo. Fishes
New York Aquarium Specimens
Know Their Keepers.
A stubborn Seal ThRt Met Fatal
Attack of Pneumonia necnuse IL
That Ancct the PiscatOrtai Family
-Treatmcnt In Their li"sPit"'.

| The fishes at the Aquarium KNOW thtif
| friends. just as we'll as the animals 40
in the Zoo. II the statements OF the Keep
| ers are to be accepted No one WOhid
| think in passing through the building IN
| Battery Park, that men are watching the
| fishes all the time who can tell IN an IN
slant when anything aiis one OF them. but
it is nevertheless fact. That the fishes
are aware OF these mems care seems al
most an exaggerated statement. but there
| is evidence that a deal of sympathy exists
between them. Some OF the keepers have
not only love for their work. but a
genius for II, One man who is on duty
there several nights a week said he was
happier among his pets than he would
be at home. He was eXultant when he
| spoke Of his lot In life He had enough
to eat. and kept close to nature all the
time. His whole life had been spent among
wild animals. birds, and fishes. He knew
the traits OF different ones. and loved
them oil.
| A Tribune" reporter who went into
the Aquarium the other day noticed one
West Indian seal sporting about the large
| tank on the ground floor. The other seals
| had disappeared In a few months, and
| the reporters question as to what had
become of them led to an interesting con-
versation.
THE last one died" the keeper said.
| I'VE lost him by pneumonia" and his
| voice was softened as if he had lost be-
loved member of his family. Then he told
how it happened. There is great deal
RI rty,t1 In
| terror of the Aquarium warm, as the
doors are continually being opened. On
the coolest days the apparatus in the
building is only enough to keep the water
at the required temperature The seals,
which are fond of leaving the water, SUI
fer most whenever 1t is cold.
1T was raw, bleak day" the keeper
said when Gyp caught pneumonia We
tried to keep him in the water: we stood
| on the landing at one end of the tank and
braudished club at him and showed him
back. We employed every means we could
without hurting him, but come out he
| would. / knew what would happen, but
we couldn't help it. He caught cold.
| which led to pneumonia, and then he
died.
There was large crowd about the
| tank, and the children leaned over the
| railing as the seal swan round and
| round. !
Are you afraid that they will hurt
| him." was asked
NO; bless you, mo-" said the keeper.
| 81 am here for fear the seal will hurt
some Of the people. He is the kindest.
gentlest, and best stured thing on earth.
but We are afraid that in his playfulness
he will grab somebody's hand and do an
injury unwittingly.''
And then the keeper sprang forward and
waved aside child whose nurse had lift
ed her up so that 1t could extend its tiny
hand above the tank.
''If you will come here tonight after
| the place is closed" he said, II will show
you some things that will interest you.
Six o'clock is q good hour. Since we have
been receiving fishes from Bermuda ond
| the tropics we have had to have the water
at twelve different temperatures and keep
it even in certain tanks by night and day.
And then We have a hospital for fishes"
| The visitor was interested. He was
| back promptly on time, and the keeper
let the gay overhead and back to the
| apparatus where the water is tempered,
| and by means of which the fishes are kept
| alive. AS he passed along beside the
tanks it could be seen that the current
| ran through some of them as swiftly as
| a babblipg brook while others were tran
| quill. In one of them a nautical Their
| mometer was suspended, and the keeper
| explained that the tank contained sur
| geon fish from Bermuda. 1t was neces-
sary to keep the water within Sc degrees
| Fahrenheit night and day, and this was
| the only case on record where a surgeon
| fish had lived In captivity so long.
Against the outer wall of the aquarium
is the hospital. 1t has eight wards and
| a sick fish usually passes through all of
| them.
Some Of the fish have liver troubles"
| the keeper said Some have stomach
troubles heart troubles, and kidney trou
| bles, like human being. They have just
as many ills as flesh is heir to-"
! How do you Know when they are
| sick?" was asked.
! How would you know If your pet was
| sick?" he answered. by watching it. of
course We can tell in an instant when
anything is the matter with one of the
fishes The ordinary Northern fishes do
not need treatment: they can take the
| water as 1t comes, be it hot or cold. When
we see that one of the Bermuda fishes is
ailing we take il from its tank and put il
| in Ward No. l. There the current is slow,
and we can give 1t special food and watch
| its symptoms closely. The temperature of
| the water can be gagged to its needs.
| From there we pass ii along through the
other wards, where the current runs more
| swiftly, until it reaches the last. where
the current is Just the same as in the
fish's proper tank. II it seems at home
and eats and moves In the usual way. we
put it back where it belongs. When a
| fish is sick we Try to make it eat or coax
| It to do SO, and it takes patience to find
something Ii wants. IL herring is re-
| fused we try something else, but a strip
| of sailed cod waved around in the water
| on q stick Is most successful
| The keeper dipped his finger in one of
| the tanks and called Peter Peter! Come
Peter" In moment fish darted up to
| the surface of the water and squirted a
stream of water at the keepers face.
| Peter is mad now he said He knows
| when ] come to feed him. and when |
| come TO tease him. When | bring him
food he will come and take it from my
hand. That fish is the ugliest in the whole
Aquarium. but the most intelligent of the
lot, and like him better than any of the
/ rest When | am here alone at night
| Peter always knows my fOotstep, and is
| glad TO see me when / come around"
And you think he knows you?"
why. he knows me well as dog
knows his master. Let US go down in
front of the tank, and l will show you
The interior of the Aquarium proper was
dark. The keeper tapped his finger on
| the glass front of Peters tank and shouted
Peter. Peter, Come and kiss me!' but
| there was no response. "He doesn't see
| me-" said the keeper. He struck match
| and rapped again. Peter, Peter, Come
and kiss me-" and the fish came and stuck
, its nose against the glass He struck an
| other match. and its Pickering light served
| to show the moon fish, in their real spen-
| dor
Il can make friends with any living