The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-01
NENAGERIE AN EVELESS EDEN
JrYOU DON'T STOP FEEDING TIE
ANIMALS HYDROCARBONS.
Peanuts Are Director Smith
Relieves That the Dwindling HiFth
Of Females and the Fatal PFeDoRdeF.
ance OF Males IL Due 20 WFOnE Diet.

Peanuts are HlufhoAFuVua-lHt NhAANh
Relieves That the Dwindling Hirth
Of Females and the Fatal PFepondeF-
ance OF Males IL Due 20 WrOnE Diet,
Director Smith Of the Central Park msna-
eerie Is Of the opinion that sex u prede-
termined to a considerable extent, In the
brute creation at least, by the quality Of
food.
My observations and the deductions
make from them, he said yesterday, re-
late only 20 the several hundred animals,
fowls and birds under my charge. was
induced to look into It when / found that
nearly all the youngsters born hero IN
the managerie were males. 30 marked
a change led me TO look for q cause.
found that the quality Of the food was prin-
cpay responsible for deciding the sex.
Food containing prepOnderance Of hydro
carbons means that the young viii b q
male. Food having a pTeponderanco Of
albuminoids determines for a female
An excess Of male over female births
has proved TO be a decided disadvantage,
for the managerie has become almost an
EveIess Eden 80 far as the youngsters are
concerned and too many bachelors are even
less desirable in q menageTie than in a
human community.
II might be supposed that II the director
has learned the cause that influences sex
be could regulate the animal population
according TO the best interests Of the park
by carefully regulating the diet. But
the trouble is, he cannot regulate the diet,
for the public has taken that into It's own
care. It is the feeding by the visitors,
according to the directors theory, that
has brought about a dearth Of females
among the animals. The animals certainly
like the new articles Of food and will forsake
the natural diet, which the park authorities
provide, for gifts from visitors. The
amount Of food brought into the park
daily would be sufficient for the animals
to subsist upon, the keepers say. But II
is the wrong food and apparently the
poet Of the Elephant now Goes Round was
verify inspired when he sang in his classic:
o. this show. It can't 60 on
There's too much noise end con fusion
q ladies, stop feeding those monkeys peanuts.
II will injuTc their constitution
Our female axis deer died a short time
ago." said Mr.. Smith, 'and left her mate
and five sons, but not a single daughter.
III have TO buy another female. Children
and grown persons had made pets Of those
deer and just stuffed them daily with candy,
peanuts, biscuits and cakes, just the kind
Of food for producing buok-, but not favor
able to the increase Of does. The prin-
cipal constituents Of such diet are starch,
fats and sugar. In their natural state the
deer would subsist on grass, moss, the
buds and leaves Of trees and suchhke
things that would supply more or less
Rlbuminous substance that would favor
the birth OF does. And in the wild state
the females predominant, but habits OF
civilization reverse the order
The boss OF the axis deer family in the
park is magnificent fellow with fine
set Of antleTs. He Is fat and sleek. with a
a powerful neck, and so tanned by gifts
that he will let a child play with his horns
while he Is waiting for candy or cakes.
The birth census among the ducks sup
ports the directors theory. There ars
about 100 Of these fowl In the park and the
spring broOds during the past three years
have shown an increasing number OF
brakes. so that now the males far outnum-
her the females. THAT is contrary to the
usual order. The fowl think more Of the
cooked food brought by visitors than they
do Of their natural diet and pass most Of
the day along the shore Of the lakes, where
children feed them. They even 60 out
walking, waddling out upon the lawns
when humans are about, to get delicaoies.
from a migrating flock several years ago
have lost all fear and follow children about
for food. The park had less eggs for hatch
ing this year than in previous years.
The gray squirrels show the deteHorating
effects Of a highly civilized mode Of life
Their race is dying out, and the director
thinks the falling of is due to the fact that
they live too much upon the carbonaceOus
food supplied by kind hearted humans
instead OF hustling for their living as the
Lord ordained.
The young Of the oamivora in the lion
house have been about equally divided as
regards males and females. number OF
lions and spotted leopards have been born
there. Visitors do not feed these animals,
and their only food is the raw meat the
keepers give.
The elk family seem TO escape from Mr..
Smiths theory. Most Of the young born
there are females. They come in for good
deal Of fleeing by visitors. One has only
10 stand at the iron fence and whistle and
the elk will come running TO the fence Tor
the expected dainty.
The aoudads, another petted lot, support
the directors theory, as may be guessed
from the large number Of long bearded
gentlemen that stand on the apex of their
mound Of stones on the outlook for some
ding wrong TO eat.