The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-26
From the New York Times.

From the New IOfk
 rY HE case of the sick lion furnished
 ~Bfl Snyder, head keeper of the zoo
 X in Central park, the text for his
 bo vhouse discouse yesterday. Every
 Sunday Bill gathers his friends, incluo-
 ;no Dat T<eenan. the veteran keeper, ana Robert Copeland, the park policeman, into tb, little house back of the elephant cor ral. and recounts the happenings or the week among the city's animal Wards' ine ca SC of the sick lion is one or the s'i"ns est so Bill says. that ever came u ms ot+sn+;on. Briefly, it. is the story oi davotion between Spot, the haynouse IDA tarr;er and the invalided lion, Wlth 'ne ,o tter assuming the duties Of a "aech aog ia make life easier for Spot
 r,ba lion is one of litter born III lno ,.r,r Ril calls him Baby, but that IS only a. term of affection, for baDs io1'
 name is Abdul-something- -or-other' .Ao name having been bestowed py one ol 'ne many park commissioners peoa"se George Sigert. keeper of the hoiiiouso, +o,d Inc hayhouse audience it sounoeu n;atocrotic and was selected with much ,a from a book on Arabia Many weeks aeo Raby's back was injured Tn a iaiiiiis frocaa with several of his brothers anu sisters and 1t was thought pest lo ie rnove him to the seclusion of the nay ho,,se where he could have quiet anu ha under the personal supervision or the hearted Bill. The young lion was
 ,nro,,eb+ over to the house in a wooden hox across one end of which bars hao been nailed srot was kind to the patient at ohce' hut Baby during the first days or ms stay was to i'll to take notice or the oos. The lion, however, showed no resentment a,.ar +ba kindly interest of Spot. and so p;u +hourht it best to leave them alone He did so, and it was not until several davs ago that he confirmed his susplclons that the lion and the dog had formed 1 ,. ,+rarsb;u for mutual benefit and the halter protection of the hayhouse. The
 of offa;r was so strange, he confided to his his friends, that at first he 1eareo 'o sneak of it even to Bob Hurton, his as- sistant.
 .rrhe first indication I noticed that Baby had hit it off with Spot" said Blli' | twas when I caught Spot trying to get through the bars of Baby's box, so as to be with him. My says I to myself | swhat a fine friendship Beyond that did not give the matter much thought, for friendship between animals Is noun ing new. as any animal lover can say .It was really when Baby got so well ana showed such a friendly disposition that could venture to let him out Of | hot1 na aha became aware that he and Spot were sha ring the duties of watch dog
 i At this point Copeland, the policeman dsconcerted Bill by openly scoffing, but the latter assured his friends that he
 was speaking the truth, and when they ! urged him he took up his tale again l .Being filled with grain and feed for the elephants, the hayhouse is favorite playground for rats" Bill continued "One reason for keeping Spot here is to catch rats Now you may not believe it. but returning unexpectedly late one after
 noon. I found Spot on guard outside a rat hole and Baby crouched low at an- other. Both were pursuing policy of watchful waiting, and a dead rat Tn
 a corner near Spot was evidence that
 their waiting had once been rewarded" After Bill had halted to answer the questions of few doubting Thomasses, he said that after that he had kept watch and found. to his own satisfaction at least, that Baby was really a rat catch CT, and an efficient one at that. He had
 another quality to atHibute to Baby, he said. He discovered that Baby had taken upon himself the duty of guarding the house against the invasion of inquisitive persons and park providers. In this task the two friends were working in shifts, one on guard while the other slept.
 This statement brought 8 shout of pro- test but Bill asserted that it, was ab- solutely true.
 There is no doubt about it in my mind" he said emphatically. 1T observed the pair closely, and found that there were certain hours, both during the day and at night, when Baby would pace up and down the hayhouse while Spot slept. and then there were times when the pro- ceedings was reversed
 You may well say that it was mere chance, but my reply to that is that the periods of watch were aparepntly of equal duration, and when time for relief came one would wake the other up, take the couch and contentedly go to sleep. I saw that not once. but several times''
 The strange friendship continued until Baby regRined his strength and got SC
 big that Bill thought best to take him
 back to the security of the lion house
 Between himself and the lion deep af-
 lfection had come about. and on winter
 Afternoons vvhon Bill womb occn aionalIs