The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-01-03

mas and other inmates of the big ami
NAL house appear to be perfectly con-
tented. Some OF them, it must be re-
membered, were born in captivity and
have never known the free, rowing life
of their companions in captivity. The
attendants say that the animals APP
pear to grow fond of human compan-
! ionship and appear less restless during
| the hours when there are visitors in the
park
! Those cages on the hill in which are
confined the wolves, foxes, hyenas and
| like animals have wooden doors, which
are closed at might, making the escape
| of the animals less easy, and at the
same time giving them q better oppor-
| tunity for having a nights rest. The
deer and the elk are probably the most
| favored of the animals, for throughout
every day they are being constantly
| fed and petted by women and chill
! dren, and they would probably not run
away at all if they should get out of
their confines
There are recent arrivals at the Zoo
that have added large interest to the
collection and are much priced by the
superintendent of the institution.
Among these are a cougar from Ore
| gOn, three roseate spoohbills from Tex
as, two swamp wallables from New
South Wales, and a Tasmanian wolf
with young from Tasmania, considered
to be very rare specimen.
| The delightful weather of the fall has
delayed the moving of the animals into
winter quarters. Such of them as need
| warmth are fastened up at night and
| allowed to bask in the sunshine dur
ing the day. The new house for Dunk,
the elephant, which is being built by a
| special act of congress. providing ten
| thousand dollars for the purpose, is
rapidly nearing completion and will be
ready for his occupancy in about two
weeks. In this house he will be more
| comfortable than he has ever been
since taking up his quarters at the
! Zoo and it is understood it will not be
necessary for him to be made fast
continually with two heavy chains at
| tached to his feet.
| The eagles have been moved into
| handsome new cage, which was recent
! ly completed, and the new flying cage,
one hundred and fifty-eight feet long
| by fifty feet wide and fifty feet high,
enclosing several trees and running wa
| ter, built at cost of sixtytwo hundred
| dollars, has proved to be great boon
! to the feathered species. New bear
yards for the kadiak bear and polar
bears are being constructed and will
be ready for occupancy in about a
month. The antelope house has been
renovated and repaired, and the tenn
porary bird house has been enlarged by
an addition of forty feet on the north
end Plans have been prepared for a
modern and much more satisfactory
aquarium to take the place Of the barn.
| like structure now in use
During the year forty-six animals
were born in the park. among which
were one lion, four gray wolves, five
coyotes. five blue foxes, ane American
bison, ane Zebu, two Cashmere goats,
one nilghai, seven American elks, one
Virginia deer, one mule deer, three la
mas, seven hutie-cougar, five prairie
dogs and two acouchy.
In addition to the specimens received
recently a number of important addi-
| lions were made to the collection dur
| ing the past year. Mr. r. A. Gross
presented a pair Of young lions from
Somaliland Africa, and pair of young
leopards was presented by e. S., Cum
ningham, United States consul at
Alden, Arabia.
Mr.. Perry NJ. De Leon, United States
consul at Guayaquil, sent a kinkajou
and a coat mondl. He also sent four
sloths, but they died en- route. Two
Sitka deer, one of which died en- route,
we're presented by Captain Ferdinand
Westrahl of the United States Coast
/ and Geodetic Survey. A Liberian eagle
was presented by Mr.. James r. SSpur-
geon, United States Secretary of Lee
cation at Monrovia, Liberia. Mr.. E. H.
| Plumbacher, United States Consul at
Maracaibo, sent a large crocodile.
Some Lanzarotte pigeons were sent by
Mr.. Solomon Berliner, United States
Consul at Teneriffe. Four Newfound-
land caribou and a pair OF young moose
were also obtained, but the moose died.
United States consular officers and
officers of the army and navy and 9TH
ers attached to the service of the Uni
ted States are constantly sending spec
! linens to the Zoo, and it has been the
| aim of Professor S. P. Langley, secre-
tary of the Smithsonian Institution,
under whose control and guidance the
park comes to interest everybody pos
| sible in the great work of perpetuating
the specimens at least of the mammal
bird, and reptile kingdom.
Professor Langley hopes to be able to
persuade congress to carry out the
plan originally mapped out for the
park-that is, to treat it as it does the
| National Museum, as something not eX-
listing for the District of Columbia
! alone, nor to be maintained by the tax
| alton of it's inhabitants While it is a
national park, congress has never con-
| sidered it under one of the principal
purposes for which it was founded, the
preservation from extinction of nation
| al animal races. Professor Langley
| will make an effort to secure the neces-
sary appropriation for carrying out a
plan he thinks will prove of greater
benefit than anything that has hereto
| fore been attempted.
Professor Langley says experience
has taught that many rare animals it
secured and transported Immediately
from their native haunts are most I'M
! 1iIyolx, IN Iiyn under The conditions of