Evening star., 1937-06-13


vibrating string Of violin which
made 200 beats to the second. The
average beat of the bird wings was
found to be As per second. The hum
ming bird is the only winged species
which can fly backward, straight up,
straight down and sidewise. This
species can fly between three and four
times faster than quail, which have
long been heralded as record winged
speedsters by sportsmen. The speed
of the humming bird is made possible
by the remarkably strong breast and
wing muscles. On the basis of size,
this species has the most powerful
wing muscles of any known bird.
Although a mite In size, the hum
ming bird is a ravenous eater. Daily
it is customary for one of these birds
to consume approximately 31a ounces
of concentrated food The food con-
sumed by the bird every "a hours
weighs three and one-half times as
much as does the humming bird
Its menu consists of honey, baby food.
beef extract, condensed milk and
cows milk.
T TTNQUESTIONABLY you will be
surprised, on questioning the
bird experts at the 200, to learn that
the parrot is not the king of takers
among the species which can be
taught to speak. One Of your life
time misbeliefs may also be blasted
when the keeper informs you that to
split the tongue of the parrot is as
useless in developing conversational
power as to remove the big toes of
your baby in effort to teach him to
talk. The minah bird from Malay
India, which resembles a crow, vet is
a member of the oriole family, is
probably the easiest species to teach
to talk. This species enunciates much
more clearly than any of the other
talking birds such as the parrot, crow
or magpie. One Of these birds, for
example, mastered the art of saying
hello boy in six weeks. The vocal
| chamber Of this bird is smaller even
than an ordinary cherry. Deep in
the chest, where the Windpipe makes
a junction with tubes from the lungs,
is the source of bird sounds When
bird talks, the mouth is held wide open
while the tongue is motionlesS. The
keeper repeats the same word over and
over again while the bird listens. When
alone the bird will then try to say
the word, repeating it until mastered
However, it will not permit the keeper
to listen In on its practice, ceasing
to talk as soon as he attempts such
espionage. 1t is only when the bird
attains perfection in repeating the
word that it will speak in the presence
of its keeper
Let's return to this business of
feeding the strangest residents of the
District, the animal and bird life at
the zoo. Your writer lived not so
long ago in the vicinity Of Rock Creek
Park. The morning tumult which
awakened him betimes, after his first
night spent in that locality, engen-
dered the determination to visit the
National Geological Gardens the fol-
lowing Sunday to ascertain what
styles of soothing sirup were fed to
the lion. the bear, the tiger, the hare,
to .silence their uproars when hungry.
We had feeling that the pre-meal-
time racket was similar expression,
but delivered in a different way from
the method employed during our pre-
paratory school days when the acad-
emy dining room was tardy on open
ing. Several hundred of us crowded
at the door chorused as only American
school boys can yell in unison: Rub
a-dub-dub, rub-a-du-dub, We are
hungry, We want grub"
Our visit at the ZOO revealed that the
fiscal officers of that establishment ex-
pend between S45, 900 and $4,000 an
nually in providing provender for the
wild beasts and birds. The personnel
that feeds and cares for the ZOO dwell
ers is numerically as strong as the
average college foot ball squad The
daily menu served is as diverse as that
Of Washington's finest restaurant
DelicacieS and tidbitS are used to tease
reCalcitrant beasts to eat The ZOO
boasts no farm where the feed for the
animals is produced; hay and grain,
fish and meat are procured from COM
mercial sources. 1t does, however,