The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-27
BEASTS IN SlUMBER.

A Star reporter with a party of friends
| happened at the Zoo the other afternoon
! when an inordinate desire to see the wild
animals asleep overcame the scribe. To
/ one fthe attendants he addressed a
/ query as TO the after-dark habits and
! customs 0 fthe various birds. animals. and
I reptiles in custody. and was assured that
with the permission of the superintendent
nothing would be easier than a nocturnal
| inspection of the various cages and dens.
This was secured.
The reporter and the attendant walked
past deer ranges, where soft eyed crea-
lures lazily munched the remnants of
their dinners; past dens of wolves and
foxes. where the former We're pacing back
and forth and snarling at one another;
past ponds Of ducks and offers and beav-
ers to the dens Of the bears. They stop
ped and the attendant pointed to a big
black hulk being swallowed up by the
rapidly falling darkness. Ii was just light
enough to make out that the animals
feet We're tucked under a bumped body.
and that its dropping head was trying
hard TO emulate the paws.
Hes been snoring like a steam engine
"and he won't wake up till morning Hes
earl yto bed and late to rise. When the
wolves howl. as they do several times q
night. he's the only fellow in the whole
zoo who isn't disturbed. He just keeps on
snoring and snoring, does this Kodiak
bear from Alaska
An hour later all but two Of the bears
were in sound slumber. The hairy cared
bear from Asia dreamed as he sluatted OF
his launches and propped himself or his
paws.
The four crotches Of the dead tree were
occupied by as many black bears curied
up into balls. Cinnamon. brown and griZ-
ely animals were scattered over the rocky
floors. The two polar bears had fattened
themselves like pancakes on a cliff over
which the chilly night air swept freely
and. judging BY the contented signs they
emitted every little while. they seemed n
be reHshing the frosty breezes that rufhed
up their white coats
The ohter wide awake was a big grizzly.
squatted before his den's gate. he per-
sisteutly endeavored % pick TIE lock Half
al hour later he desisted IN his vain e.
forts and soon was sound asleep in front
Of the gate. one paw still reached up to-
ward the lock
Not a sound came from the p-irrate's
house Until a DOOR cTeSkei as il was open
ed. Then every living thing scanPere6
about and chatted The hay IL the cages
rustied the sides q tire cages rattied as
the Monkeys ran up and down. and the
shelves and r-erchss squsked under the
burden Of disturbed animals Pretty soon
al were settled once more and the mon
KEYS were ser as they slept
The little squirrel monkey from South
America was perche1 on q iirnb q a tree. !
and his tail four times the length % bis
bcdy. stuck straight - n ;hesir- The .
rhesus monkeys. iyinr OF their bellies and 4
with their hands under their ehiTs. re- 4
minded one 81 the way human babies f-s- i
eueriiy sleep.
A big black ape bumped W 90 Ire foor. +
with his head leaning against the cages
side. snored away like = na&-r- Tire drl.ls .
and nzn9r1Ils from vest Africa szt I'd 4
Ike toy soldiers, and AZ Arabian hSa1on-
perched above them on his hauEches. let .
RS long tai swing down into the faces
OF It's smaller cage mates
n the iioa house the kings 81 al beasts