Evening star., 1937-06-13
By Gene Day.

~ PRINGTIME is show time for
the animal fair at the National
Geological Gardens, as warmth
~ and sunshine lure Sunday
lrongs to Rock Creek Park to delight
a lush lawns and verdure, and to
r dmlre once again the many charges
Il DR.. Mann and Superintendent
blackburn. Lions and bears. hippos
nd rhinos, chip1panzees and apes,
ebras and tigers, birds that sing and
>irds that talk, as we'll as other
Gathered species which display gor-
eous plunage are on parade; the
Dos outdoor exhibition season ini-
-ates another Spring opening.
Lena, the leaping leopard, noses her
'ay from the snugness Of her Winter
r uarters into her steel fence encircled
IN and stalks about on soft-padded
2et, active, lean, 1.-the and colorful.
I'M, the big tiger, succumbs to the
zlness engendered by warm sunshine,
)raWling in comfort in the corner
-eparatory to a semi-snooze. Eve,
le youngest elephant, lumbers about
l ludicrous relaxed fashion, pausing
ccasionally to spout mighty swig
, water from her natural giant-size
re hose. zeke. the prize zebra,
hose sleek rotund body seems an
verload for his small fine-boned legs.
>oks more than anything else like
le mascot of convict camp. Rare
rds trill and twit. coo and almost
histle; their scale range is melodious;
lelr calls, signals and notes in choral
esentation rival Mendelssohn's song
Spring
Education free of text book sur
2unds you on all sides at the Zoo.
ne name plates on the cages and
: ms are the animal fairs cards of
1troduction. Here you gain relative
mlllarity with the denizens of the
. frica jungle, South Americas land
doubt, Australia's bush, Boerland's S
: 2ldt, Alaska's tundra and the plains,
! rair1es and mountains Of other coun-
les. You note how the animals and
J rds in confinement have neither
: Eftened nor tanned in captivity. Some
; nong them may know their keepers.
though not so intimately, but that
I !ey would chew, claw and cuff them
to Inconsistencies If they could.
F YOU have Imagination, you may
dub the Zoo military camp in
{ -seuise. Yes, reveilee sounds every
Norning. If you doubt it, spend the
! ight with some friend who lives
roxlmate to Rock Greek Park.
romptly at 7 next morning you may
dreaming OF vacation days or war
me in France. Suddenly you'll
Z Vaken in belief that a sit-doWn strike
OF has conspired with a mountain
)untry avalanche to serve as your
larm clock. The tumult sounds to
our startled and sleep-confused
enses like dScordant chorus of
fellows, brays, roars, neighs and as
orted animal cries. 1t is but the morn
lg greeting Of the animal fair to its
eepers and attendants. The roll call
; answered by hideous roars from
ions, tigers and wildcats. The animal
{ ppetite is keen for raw flesh, un-
ooked fish, buckets of grain and
forkfuls Of hay, which compose the
breakfast menu at the Zoo. All other
awakening signals for residents of
that neighborhood are drown out by
the animal act at the Zoo. Taps for
the day is sounded in similar manner
E bout four in the afternoon, when the
wild beasts and birds receive their
evening meal.
Generally, when we visit the ZOO
It Is the larger animals which intrigue
us, with the monkeys doubling in
BRASS as clowns and comics producing
The laughter. Strange to say, little
bird which attracts but minimum
attention has a story to tell which
for sheer amazement is a spectacular
as any tale of jungle beasts. The
humming bird, which generally aver
ages less than one ounce in body
weight, is the champion OF avian
speedsters. This diminutive flyer,
whose wings work so rapidly that the
human eye is unable to record their
when operating at peak
speed, attains velocities as great as
200 miles per hour Recently science
has studied the wing fight of this