Evening star., 1933-03-24
CHINESE PANDAS
BROUGHT TO zoo
First of Curious Animals in
Captivity Prizes Of Tangier.
Smith of Field Museum.

odCk 1lOll q IWO~ySdI dlullldl COl1CCt-
hg expedition in the high mountains
Of Western China, Floyd L. Tangier-
Smith of the staff of the Field Mu-
scum Of Chicago, brought to the Ma
tional Geological Park yesterday a pair
Of Chinese pandas, a species never be-
fore in captivity.
They are close relatives Of the rae
coon and, like this tamiliar North
American animal are dwarfish va
RANTS of the bear family. Living above
the snow-line, they show considerable
variation from the Indian panda, or
bear-cat which comes occasionally into
animal collections. Mr.. Tangier-Smith
made pets of these two, and on his re-
turn from China. he says he gave them
the run Of the ship. But as they have
grown older they are less tractable. In
the mountains, so far as Is known. they
live entirely on bamboo and certain va
rieties of moss which grow on tree
trunks. DR.. william M. Mann, director
Of the Zoo, will try to keep them sat-
lsf1ed on bamboo.
Animal Curiosities.
They have a more cat-like appear
ance than the coon, although they are
not even distantly related to the cat
family, and they have the characteristic
plantigrade feet of the bear family.
They are curiosities among animals, DR..
Mann said, because of their color
scheme, which reverses the general
order Of Nature. The fur on the under
side of the body is jet black, while on
top 1t is red.
Tangier-Smith brought back two
specimens of the giant panda, the exist
ence of which was first discovered by
the expedition for the Field Museum
led by Theodore Roosevelt, jr., in 1923.
These are the second specimens ever
known. The explorer. however, was
unable to capture giant panda alive.
This creature may have been the last
Of the larger animals to remain un-
known. Mr.. Tangier-Smith said he
covered very much the same trails as
those taken by the Roosevelt expedi-
tion through the largely unknown
mountain country, and he obtained
specimens of the strange 'goat-ante-
lopes of the Himalayas"-thet takin, the
coral and the Serow.
These creatures are almost unknown
to science, and none has ever been
brought out alive. They may be dis
goat. He also obtained a considerable
collection of the so-called golden
haired monkeys" which abound in the
West China mountains.
Close to Lolos Border.
Tangier-Smith captured the pandas
close to the borders of the forbidden
land of the Lolos, which is absolutely
closed to foreigners, and from which.
so far as is known, only three white
men ever have come back alive. He
was unable to complete arrangements
which would have permitted him to
enter the land of mystery, although he
found that the black bones"-the land
owning aristocrats of Lololand-had no
implacable hatred to Americans or Eu-
ropeans so long as they were satisfied
with any particular individual. But
they want to be sure no eXploiter
comes in.
These black bones" Tangier- Smith
said, are very large-statured people,
with Mongolian appearance, although
they may be distant derivative Of
Aryan stock. They look upon the Eu-
ropean or American as a somewhat in
ferior sort of Lolo, belonging to a race
of which they are the "supermen."
They have, he said, an elaborate agri-
cultural civilization, with many slaves
and strange religion of spirit worship.
Tangier- Smith made his headquarters
In the Chengtu Valley. which he de-
scribed as veritable Eden, close to the
SOuICeS VI IllIec STedL MOUNTAIN IlVeIS.
Although at an elevation of more than
5000 feet, this valley remains green all
Winter, because of the great mountain
ridges, which protect it on the north
and west. From here he ventured out
toward the borders of the Lolo country.
Green Iguanas Added.
Dr. Mann has just added to the rep
tile collection of the Zoo three of the
earth's weirdest animals-South Amer
lean green iguanas. These giant liz
ards often are exhibited as the original
Chinese dragons" Colored mottled
green, the creatures are more than five
feet long, and along the backs are rows
of sharp spires from two to three inches
long. The weird appearance Of the
creatures is increased by great pouches
on the cheeks, and double chins, which
hang down as much as five inches.
They might have stepped directly
from the pages of a medieval romance,
but actually, DR.. Mann says, they are
quite gentle creatures, who eat only
vegetation unless they are very hungry.