The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-02
SNAKES FOR CENTRAL PARK.
New York Zoo SfmIans 10 Have Rep
tile NeiEhbOrs.


NEW YORK. Oct. Snakes are about
/ to be formally introduced in the most ex-
| elusive circles Of Central Park Zoo So
| ciety, and there IS great excitement in
/ the meuagerie there in consequence
| thereof. The snake debut is to take place
/ IN the monkey house. and the inmates Of
/ the latter mansion have simply chartered
| themselves hoarse gossipins over the az
/ fair The general agitation has spread
until it has affected every member Of the
] 100 except the cassowary and the beard
| ed aoudad. who hold themselves aIoof
| and consider snakes low creatures be-
meath their notice
| For years Dir -t0r John w Smith has
| been endeavoriug TO add a collection Of
! snakes 10 the menagerie. but somehow the
project has fallen through until the pres
| ent time.
Now, however, the snake department is
an assured fact, for already a fine large
| cage for the coming reptiles Is being built
| in the choicest location IN the monkey
house That is what IS causing the trou-
bic among the leaders Of the Simian set.
for the regular occupants Of the house
have already Informed Jake Cook in
/ monkey that they simply can't abide
| snakes. They would have told the busy
! carpenter the same thing only the car
penter's education I'm the monkey line has
/ been neglected and he speaks only En-
glish-
Jake" Cook, TO whounsthe monkeys
have. poured out their woe on the snake
question, has been IN the Central Park
Zoo for years and knows the personal
history Of every monkey IN the place.
Jake views the rapidly growing new
! cage IN the monkey house with a sigh.
and says il looks as though the snakes
were really coming
Director Smith says he has made no
definite arrangements as yet for the pur-
/ chase Of snakes abroad. but the reptile
| collection viii probably include boa con-
| strictOrs, anacondas. rattlesnakes. black
snakes addeTs, garteTsnakes and every
other kind OF snake but the hoopsnake,
which latter, men Of science say, exists
| only in the newspapers.
When they are all bought from the for
! eign animal man and the domestic dealer
| in snake goods the members of the latest
| collection Will be placed in the new cage,
which is built like a great bow window
at the east end Of the double row Of mon
| key cages There they viii be provided
with big tank and plenty Of water. for
Director Smith says. snakes need plenty
I Of water. The snake cage. he thought,
I would be finished in about two weeks.
! There was no special appropriation for
/ the snake exhibit. ne said, as there was
not as much room in Central Park as in
| the Bronx Zoo, for instance. but the pur-
! chase Of snakes would be made from the
general menageTie fund
Yes said Jake Cook, yesterday after
noon. as ne passed a pail Of cold boiled
potatoes around among the monkeys
| they're going TO bring a bunch of snakes
/ into our midst here pretty soon. There's
| the new cage. right there
It's going TO be a fine new cage with
three trees and a tank in il, and an such
modern cOnyenienCcS for snakes. / don't
I know. though, how the monkeys are go
I ing TO take to the reptiles. You know II
there Is anything monkeys are afraid Of
! it's snakes and elephants. Yes sir, funny
| thing. but they can't stand EN-.
i remember when we had Door old
Crowley here we showed him a snake one
day and he threw on an average about
/ seventeen fits a minute while the reptile
! was in sight Couldn't stand it, YOU
| know
And yet here the snake cage is right
! up against the cages Of two OF the Oldest
residents In the place.
"Oue side Of the snakes quarters is
backed up against old Jake's cage there.
Jake is a Java macaqUe monkey and he's
I