New-York tribune., 1901-12-26
a RESPITE FOR TIE KEEPERS.
NO ONE CALLED Up THE AQUARIUM TO
ASK FOR MIR. FISH.

,rbare u,ss a respite for the attendants at the
Aquarium yesterday. for IL was holiday 1Not '
there was smaller crowd there than on VI
DAYS for holidays always bring out plenty OF WIS
,,ors b,, that there was cessation in the practcai
ioke the city at large has been playing on tleiii
For the last two weeks the telephone bell mas
rung on an average of once every hve minutes
Each time the conversation ran like this:
is this 1.s44 BFoad?'
yes what do you wish?'
lis Mr. Fish there?'
Then the attendant would take three OF inc 4 nc
minutes before the next call was que eNi
that IT was the Aquarium and that some one 4'au
been playing joke on the perso" "' ~
of the phone
..r.s kind OF rough on US" said an attenoant yes
terdav. THE joke is all the other end- ihes
keep the phone so busy that we can 10 any '1'
ness it
The attendants would like to introduce these prac-
tical okers TO the practical Joker of the AQUARIUM
10 does NOT 60 bv the name OF Mr. Fish, because
he is seal His name is No. 2 ana ms hau.e
habitat the West Indies. AS a practical JOKER ne
is no respecter of persons, ana MS JOKE H>e Ola
practical Jokes is more amusing to the spectators
than to the victim
A warming sign at the foot OF his tank INFORMS
neope that they must not get tco near OF 1hey VIII
get wet Evidently the visitors prefer 10 se' W.
for they pay attention to the sign an" -,
the rail with perfect unconcern- Ihe seai ii
Joke is to discharge about quart OF salt "d.e'
o,er the rail for distance of ten feet. ne uiS
revs almost human intelligence in the pefpe'i
90 this trick After swimming about in MS poor 10l
. <- minutes sometimes on his back, sometimes
IN his normal posture. and playfuily hosihs .e e
wooden ball floating in the water-a crown crown N. e -
satbered-he comes TO stop in the fniuule VI "
nooI and rises lazy the surface HIS Vlctiiil St.
iaotad he remains motionless for about ten SET
or5s vJnks his left eye. and. swinging MS He
toward his victim. spouts. With water sli ieaite
e-o,, his clothes surprised NicuIn JUMPS HiIx
seal cOnplacently Sims SII' -
%aeins again the round of the pool Fo, 70, o. rhes
nIo,,tas the crowd stands back ana closeS ~. f-or,
~ seal for there is way OF deterIllIi + ,.ic
b te sctione whom he has in mind for his next VIZ
tim 49,. ,,aaoar and
he Pof a quart of water full in the niou''i
i-ea9er Vas in a reminiscent MOOD 49, -4obt
.SYeS+ ar5ay' said he pointing to"aIo ~ +here
s;6a of the pool Il big man staiIuiiS M dnUn
+ra,bie So when the seal sneezed that Ae - 5av
I4e must have weighed twelve stone. Cte ~ tie
- @ week ago man stood leaning oNel $50
nd nmped the man and the BABY M IN the e,,tsida
The bab abv set up a yell that you coulu heoi ~
the building -. ,,o- ,srd over the rail-
and pointed with her hngel 20 o,, do that The
.stJare IsiIv You'll get hurt II you 40 ,,+ r,is
o+bnr day a man who had half jag On on ~ os one
Ii oI1er that way and the seal got hou 80. u &c
hal4 Seers The man started for the enLraILseSS
n n dead run Just before he reacheo 1t k ne %yI1
49, his shoulder to If the seal was "a aFtv
~. eeaI weighs about three hunoI Ieu fNo ~ +e1
o.,n5s and anparently his daily ratioh -: oI 60
po,+n1S' of cells chopped fine, agrees Win hiii' IVA
po IL a1yavs ready with his little joke