The New York herald., 1922-06-12
.SWINDLNG PENGUINS
ON A HUNGER STRIKE
Two New Birds at ZOOlOgi-
cal Park Turn Bills From
Nice Red Herrings.
MUST BE FED BY FORCE
Sale of Two Female Condo
las to Stock a Lake With
Little Ones Recalled.
NATURE GETS NO CHANCE
Fresh Arrivals Being of Flap
per Genus May Resent Com
parsons to Gonfalons.

Probably none of the scores who
visited the bird cages in the Geological
Park in The Bronx yesterday to see
the two new penguins realized that
they were beholding the two halves of
a complete swindle. Nor did any ex-
cept those who happened in about
feeding time know that the two awk-
ward frauds have entered upon
hunger strike and are being forcibly
fed.
In the first place, whoever sold those
penguins to New York city did so
guaranteeing that one of them was a
female and the other a male. Well. 1t
isn't so. Twice before this city has
been defrauded In this manner. You
remember, of course, TIE bill to stock
the lake in Central Park with gon-
dolas. The bill was passed, but not as
originally drawn.
Whats the use getting all these
committee. Here you want us to ap-
propriate a couple of thousand dollars
for six Venetian gondolas and it's all
we can do to meet running expenses.
But rather than disappoint the ap-
parently large number Of gondola
lovers among our voters let's send a
man to Venetia or wherever the cum
ming animals come from and have him
buy male and female gondola and
well let nature take its course"
Finally they decided not to send a
gondola expert to Venice but to make
the purchase by letter. And what did
York city two female gondolas! That
second had to do with the Central Park
gonfalons.
Recalls u GaynOr Episode.
1t was back in Mayor Gaynor's adj
ministration. The Board of Estimate
and Apportionment was not then the
militant body 1t is to-day. 1t didn't get
excited. for example. the afternoon IL
received a complaint from a group OF
Central Park West ladies that there
were no gonfalons in the park and that.
national flavor becoming our polyglot
populace.
The matter was referred to the Board
of Aldermen and promptly committee
was appointed and instructed to com
municate with a gonfalon collector In
Paris with view of purchasing a flock
of the wild and beautiful things. Again
frugality stepped to the fore. Why a
flock OF gonfalons? Why not a con-
genial and lusty pair that could be made
up in the Central Park Zoo
and their multiply until the air
should be just as full of gonfalons as
the ladies Of Central Park West might
desire.
The incident was forgotten. Months
later the ladies wrote again. How about
those gonfalons? The letter was re-
ferred to the Park Commissioner. He
asked the keepers of Central Park about
1t and received the reply that the park
was gonfalonless for the simple reason
that that French collector must have
slipped us two male gonfalons.
And now we're stuck with two female
penguins. DR.. w. L. Hornaday Is just
about broken hearted about It. 1t is
the first time in his experience that
anybody has fooled him on penguins.
that makes II all the more disheart-
ening, because tnere is no argument con-
cerning DR.. Hornaday's knowledge of
dumb animal. Time and again the
doctor has caught folks trying to slip
over worn out mandrils and moth-eaten
lions. But eventually they caught the
celebrated zoologist with penguins. II
means that we shall have to get along
somehow with two female penguins un-
I'll the Board of Estimate and Appor-
tionment shall appropriate the price Of
male. that's all.
Yesterday the keepers Of the penguin
pool admitted that due to the some
what radical change in the surround
ings Of our penguins IL has been nee
essary to hand feed them. The two
girls refused to eat their herrings the
moment they landed In the Bronx
Twenty-four of the very hest red her
rings were thrown into the pool where
the penguins live on cakes of ice.
Red Herrings Fail to Scare.
Ordinarily red herring is scared when
thrown into a uool where penguins abide
but these weren't. They darted hither
and yon for a while and presently took
to coming to the surface to nip the
plantigrade feet OF the two birds. Not
one OF them found its way into a