Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-04-12
Two Ostrich Heads

much to the joy of the children who
| crowd about his cage.
| Although Soko is the most impor-
| tant of the monkey family at the Zoo,
| his little brothers and sisters will be
much in evidence in the monkey
house and annexed outdoor yards to-
! day. Several of the monkeys will
proudly exhibit their newborn.
Lest we forget Soko has been dis
| gruntIed of late over the attention
visitors are showing the new baby
| hippopotamus, who was born in the
cage directly opposite his a month
ago today. The baby hippo" appar-
emily is not aware of Soko's jealousy,
for he registers great joy as he
nurses, despite the big audience that
gathers about his nursery, but it is
clearly obvious that Mother Hippopo-
tamus dislikes Sokos raging antics.
There are no young at the ele-
plant houses. The old lady ele-
plant in the big house is a self-con-
| fessed spinster. but the younger of
| the two small lady elephants in the
| little house below confided to me that
she thought it was a shame that Mr..
| Blackburne did not have the grace
/ to secure some masculine escort for
| a perfect lady to the peanut parties
| frequently given in the house. She
| wistfully rocked her trunk TO and fro,
| in much the manner with which a
| cradle is rocked, as she spoke. There
| is little doubt that Spring has come
/ to the elephant house well as to
other portions of the Zoo, and here's
| hoping that a jungle prince VIII
| crash through the woods and court
| Mile. Susanna Elephant before the
| Winter sets in again.
Young kangaroos, held in the pouches
of their mothers. will attract hundreds
' fr,,A he
young are first noted moving in the
pouches 1t is about three months before
the little. animal first puts his head out
| in the open, according to the Zoo s
| headkeeper. Mr.. Blackburne expects to
see some new faces today.
| The reptile world of the Zoo is see
! ing to it that the present-day Edens,
despite the reputed dryness of America,
will not lack their snakes. The reptile
mother believes in doing things on
large scale Science, however, gives. as
a reason for this extraordinary fecun-
dity, the high risk of life sustained by the
young snake which, while it preys on
others at will. is itself the target for
the death clutch of many snake -devour-
ing animals and birds
AS is we'll known, during the Winter
time snakes endure a period of hiberna-
ton, when they lie dormant while eggs
cially when the Christian holiday feast
marks the opening of Spring season,
they come out of this Information and
hatch the eggs.
Although the alligator young have
been Matched out for some weeks and
the babies are resting on the backs of
their parents at present, their method
of nesting is interesting. The nest of
the alligator has frequently been de-
scribed to me by old residents in
Florida as resembling the nests made
by the wild ""raZorback" hogs of that
country. 1t is a great mound of muck,
grass, moss and sticks, placed in re-
tired spot,F and is said sometimes to be
! carefully guarded by the female. The
numerous eggs are Matched by heat
generated by the decaying vegetation.
On very good authority 1t is stated that
the Florida alligator deposits its eggs
in the sand, where they are Matched by
the heat of the sun. At the Washing
ton Zoo the alligator pool occupies a
sun-heated space in the center of the
lion house. where artificial nesting is
provided.
| y
TN the alligator pool in the Zoo are
about 25 specimens of various sizes.
The larger alligators are cannibals and,
when hungry, do not hesitate to swAl-