Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26

The winter is over and gone, though you
never can be sure in Washington that 1t
is not going to take the back track. The
frost coming up out of the roads, turning
the lately hard-frozen paths into treacher-
Gus. slippery streaks of mire. But so long
as conditions are fair overhead Washington
people will risk the roads, knowing per-
fectiy well what they have to expect, and
will make the early spring pilgrimage to
the Zoo The keepers know it and the
animals know it. Dunk looks out of his
warm glass and brick residence, and medi-
tatively sweeps up another trunkful of hay
and specuates on unlimited peanuts and
cakes and bread TO swell his accustomed
bill of fare. The bears know it, for they
are social sinners, the most of them, and
they know that they, too, come in for an
additional feed as the crowds gather, and
the monkeys also take an interest in the
gathering throngs. Most of the other ami
mails are mildly Indifferent or disappearing,
The crowds really commenced this year
on the 9TH of March, when there We're
22OOo people at the Zoo, mostly visitors
from out of town. The following Sunday
there were only 6.cIo. owing probably to the
memories of the roads. but the park au-
thorities have put down board walks as
fas as possible, and today there probably
will be more than on Inauguration Sunday.
Inc season TO LORI
The animals have not begun to come out
of winter quarters yet. But it is one of
the pleasantest seasons of the year for a
stroll around the great park. One gets
rather ahead OF the crowd and can renew
old acquaintance with the settled resi-
dents and loaf and invite ones soul on the
dry, gray-g green grass of the southern hill
slopes with keen northwest wind rust
ling in the tree tops overhead, and pleas
saFaI ttf
into life the green shoots Of the new foil
age. and the thousand and one little scraps
of insect and animal life that make the
park a home without owning allegiance 10
the officers of the government. OF course,
the peacocks official residents of the
park, but they not hampered by cages
or by any restrictive rules. They have
the freedom OF the hillsides and coverts,
and one may meet them anywhere and
make friends if one is quiet and willing to
let them make the advances.
1t is the choice season of the year. The
oaks and hlCkUricS are Still bare ana black.
UnderfoOt the dead leaves, robbed of all
their brilliant autumn coloring, form a
thick dead brown carpet. Rock creek runs
muddy and turbulent over the rapids at
the foot of the hill the noise of its rushing
scarcely 10 be distinguished from the in
sistcnt. Ceaseless rush of the wind through
the bare trees. The two new Mexican
deer have been turned out into their big
paddock. They are still shy and suspicious
of man and all his works The big buck
with jaunty pair of antlers. selects the
biggest shelterng tree In the middle of the
paddock and retires to suik and mediate
on the mutability of things. But the little
fellow who has just shed>his horns is more
actively nervous. He has decided that
horses and wagons are things which habit
ually eat little deer if they have the chance
and that the automobile is the invention
OF the devil. The only human being who
has his confidence is the Waterman de-
tailed TO look after his paddock, and he
comes 2ailOpng up at every fresh alarm
to stick his black muZzle through the net
ting and exchange low-voiced remarks
about the awful things that have just hap
pened down at the other end of the inclos-