Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-06-07
WHEN THE 200" SLUMDERS.
A NOCTURNAL INSPECTION OF
The DENS AND CAGES.
The After-Dark Habits and Customs

SItOA AOOu, WIEN al lHOTulQdIS u2olTe
to see the wild animals asleep over
came the scribe. To one of the at
PENDANTS he addressed a query as to
the afteT-dark habits AID customs of
the various birds, animals, and rep
tiles in custody, and was assured that,
with the permission of the superin-
tendent, nothing would be easier
than nocturnal inspection of the va
rious cages and dens. This was Sc
cured.
The reporter and the attendant
walked past deer ranges, where soft
eyed creatures lazily munched the
remnants, of their dinners; past dens
ef wolves and foxes, where the form
er were pacing back and forth and
snarling at one another; past ponds
for ducks and offers and beavers, to
the dens of the bears. There they
stopped, and the attendant pointed to
big black hulk being swallowed up
by the rapidly falling darkness. 1t
was just light enough to make out
that the animals feet were tucked I'M
der bumped body, and that its
dropping head was trying hard to
emulate the paws.
He's been snoring like a steam en-
CINE since five o'clock" said the at
tendant, "and he won't wake up until
morning. He's early to bed and late
to rise. When the wolves howl, as
they do several times a 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-eared bear from Asia dreamed
as he squatted on his launches and
propped himself on his paws.
The four crotches of the dead tree
were occupied by as many black
bears curled up into balls. Cinnamon,
brown and grizzly animals were scat
tered over the rocky floors. The two
polar bears had fattened themselves
like pancakes on cliff over which
the chilly night air swept freely, and,
judging by the contented signs they
emitted every little while, they seem
ed to be relishing the frosty breezes
that ruffied up their white coats.
The other wide awake was a big
grizzly. squatted before his den's gate.
He persistently endeavored to pick
the lock. Half an hour later he de-
sisted in his vain efforts and soon was
sound asleep in front of the gate, but
one paw still reached up toward the
lock.
Not a sound came from the
primate's house until a door creaked
as it was opened. Then every living
thing scampered about and chatted.
The hay in the cages rustled, the
sides of the cages ratified as the mon.
keys ran up and down, and the
shelves and perches squeaked under
the burden of disturbed animals,
Pretty soon all were settled once
more and the monkeys were seen as
they slept.
The little squirrel monkey from
South America was perehed on limb
of tree, and his tail, four times the
length of his body, stuck straight up
in the air. The rhesus monkeys, ~
ing on their bellies and with their
hands under their chins, reminded
ooo ~ +bo NOV human no hioc fro
quently sleep.
A big black ape bumped up on the
floor, with his head leaning against
the cages side, snored away like a
major The drills and mandrills from
West Africa sat up like toy soldiers,
and an Arabian baboon, perched
above them on his launches, let his
long tail swing down into the faces of
its smaller cage mates.
In the lion house the kings of all
beasts were found sleeping like dogs,
either on their sides, with feet
held straight out, or on their bellies,
with heads resting between their
paws. Two of the tigers had rolled
over on their backs and their feet
pointed towards the cages roof, while
their tongues lolled from their partly
opened jaws.
The puma, curled up like a cat, had
the back of his head resting on the
floor and seemed to enjoy sleeping
with twisted neck.
Dunk. the elephant, had thrown his
great body on his side and lay as still
as q mouse. Elephants sleep only
when their keeper is not around. Let
him appear and they will stand and
lazily swing their trunks in circles as
long as he remains in sight. But once
he has vanished they waste no time
in wooing slumber.
AS the attendant said. the wolves
howled almost every hour during the
night. and the noise they made sound
ed like nothing so much as a medley
of college yells at big football game
When they were no disturbing the
slumber Of the other beasts the
wolves slept lightly, lying ON their
sides in dog fashion.
On the other hand, the foxes, in
neighboring dens. seemed to slumbeI
heavily. despite the noise and theii
renutation in the fables for sleeping
with one eye open. According to ole
hunters. the fox is sound sleeper.
The fishes. however, did sleep with
their eyes open Fish have to, fol
they haven't any eyelids Each fist
balanced itself on the Zip of sub
merged rock and permitted itself t
be rocked in slumber by the gentle
swaviag of the water. Sound never
awakens a fish-Washington Star.