The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-07
SOAETRING ABOUT ELEPHANTS.
Attentions Needed BY the Two Biz Beasts In
Central Park.

The elephant. as is familiarly known. is q
vegetarian, II eats hay. and grass and grain,
and that sort Of thing, and the amount Of
provender 1t consumes is in proportion to it's
bulk. And not only is IL thus a large eater. in
accordance with its size, but It's appetite is COM
tinuous; 1t would eat all day ii it were per-
mitted. A good, big elephant might get along
on a hundred and fifty pounds Of suitable food
in n day. or 1t would eat five hundred II that
amount were provided for It, A knowledge
If the elephants popularity in this respect en-
ahles those who have occasion to take IL 70 board,
rs circus and mena gerie people. TO keep 1t at
less expense than could those not acquainted
with It who should Try to give the poor beast al
it wanted 10 eat
When grass In conveniently obtainable the
cost OF an elephants keep may be materall
reduced, as II Is. for example, in the case OF
! the two big elephants in the Central Park Zoo
These eat in summer part hay and part grass.
the grass being of that cut in keeping the Park
In order.
The elephants have a habit Of throwing hay
over their bodies TO protect themselves from
annoyance by flies and mosquitoes or other in
sects "A good many people think. says Ele-
plant Keeper Snyder. that his thick skin
must save him from being bothered by such
things, but as a matter of fact the elephant is
~ btnSlllN6 70 butn alldChS dS many uuCu
thlpner skinned animals
Leaning over the railing in the elephant
house In Central Park the other day. talking
elephant with Keeper Snydar. was a tail. stal-
wart sailor nan OF Uncle Sans navy; the ribbon
around the broad-topped hat that he wore
tilted rakishly. being stamped In gold letters,
With the name OF the big batleship hearsarge
The big sailor mai was Interested in elephants.
he had been where they grow and had seen
hundreds Of them In swimming together in a
river. For the sailor mans benefit Keeper Snyder
stepped back between two of the cars In the
front Of the enclosure In which Tom, the larger
OF the Parks two elephants, Ia kept and made
him kneel. which he will do at the word, and
when he was thus down. and his back was
within reach he took a broom and, swept on
from the elephants broad back the thick Of the
This sweeping on the elephants back ap-
peared TO please at least one Of the visitors In
SAYING he had seen. folks sweep HOUSES and
steamboats, and stores and sidewalks and a
great many other things and places. but that
And yet, as every Snowman knows, sweeping
Captivity for show purposes, not only . common
thing 70 DO. put II Is . regular part Of the daily
elephants. and. II gave q street parade before
the opening Of the show. the last thing done
public View would be to sweep them of. And
the same thing would be done before each
performance; before they went on into the ring
they would all kneel and be swept, Whoever
has attended the circus must have seen ele,
plants pick UP a lot OF dirt from the ground
for them TO do; but they don't come on that
way; they come on spick and span, in accordance
with an established custom Of the business;
They do just 80 with the elephants at the
Zoo in Central Park. The menaserie Is opened
to the public IN the morning at a fixed hour.
before which time all preparations have been
made, and, everywhere everything Is In order.
The last thing done In the course Of these prepa-
rations In the elephant house is to have Tom
and Jewel, the two big elephants there. kneel
and have their backs swept.