916 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



how he did it. It wa.s nearly dusk when liis nose 

 ]5opped out of the water near the dam. Draw- 

 ing himself clumsily upon the bank, he carefully 

 inspected the matted sticks and mud that filled 

 the outlet of the stream from hank to bank. Ap- 

 parently satisfied that there was no leakajje 

 there, he turned to the overflow pipe and peered 

 down into the black hole. 



The sound of falling water was proof that 

 this spot needed work. Scarcely hesitating, lie 

 dived from the bank and presently reappeared 

 with the butt of a small tree about three inches 

 in diameter and four feet long. Dragging it to 

 the hole he lowered it until it stood upriglit. 

 With iniflagging energy he made trip after trij) 

 to the bottom of the pool, each time carrying 

 limbs of various sizes to the pipe and jamming 

 them into it. When the .stick seemed too long, 

 he witlidrew it and made a notch near the center, 

 aiul, upon returning to the hole, the stick would 

 then bend to follow the curve of the pipe. 

 Finally he commenced to fill the interstices with 

 mud. 



In carrying the nnid he was quite as ingenious 

 as he had been in rafting liis timber. Sinking 

 to the bottom of the ])0ol. he pushed himself 

 along the bottom with his hind feet, ]ilowing the 

 mud ahead with his breast until the bank was 

 reached. Here he seized the pile with his fore 

 feet and. clasping it against his breast, waddled 

 slowly to the hole and drojiped it in. The num- 

 ber of steps back and forth to the water were 

 imunnerable, but they did not falter until the 

 sound of the falling water was lessened and 

 finally ceased altogether. Knowing then that 

 his work was at end, he sat on the edge of the 

 pool to rest and comb the mud out of his plenti- 

 fully bedaubed fur. 



Ne?i^ Zebra House. — This installation for the 

 wild equines, with its outlying yards, will be 

 completed and opened early this fall. The 

 various species of wild horses, asses and zebras, 

 of which the Society has an extensive collection, 

 may then be exhibited to a good advantage. 

 The collection and new installation will b<' 

 thoroughly described in the next munber of the 

 Bulletin. 



he skips about through the trees. As soon as he 

 learns of a section of the woods where he is not 

 molested his timidity disappears and he becomes 

 the boldest of beggars. 



At Rock City, in the Bradford oil regions, 

 there are a few acres in which the red squirrel 

 finds a safe refuge. Despite the fact that the 

 grounds are swarming with people, little red- 

 skin is quite at home, and boldly runs around 

 among the luncheon parties, begging for bits 

 of bread or any delicacy they may offer. 



IVoolly Monkeys. — One of the two little 

 woolly monkeys from the upper Amazon has 

 now lived in tlie Park for nearly three years. 

 This is a record for keeping this delicate little 

 animal in the Park, at least, if not in any other 

 zoological garden. The two live out of doors 

 during all the days when the weather is agree- 

 able; evidently a good policy for their health 

 has remained uninterruptedly excellent. 



Giiinea-Fowl. — The guinea-fowl run .about 

 the Park with a very business-like air, and 

 always impress one, as they scurry across the 

 patlis and through the bushes, as having an im- 

 ])ortant mission which they are hurrying to 

 fulfil. They invariably steal a nesting site 

 which they conceal with great care. Wlienever 

 the hens lay they announce it by bursting out 

 of the bushes with a tremendous noise, which 

 is immediately echoed by the wliole flock. Even 

 though this important event is so loudly adver- 

 tised, the nests are difficidt to find and the ap- 

 pearance of a flock of young guinea-fowl is 

 always in the nature of a surprise. When the 

 young are hatched they have a devoted follow- 

 ing of old birds that vie with each other in 

 searching out delicate insect morsels for the 

 hungry flock. Guinea-fowl are desirable birds 

 around plant and vegetable gardens, as they 

 wage a persistent warfare on all insect pests 

 and seldom scratch up the ground. To some 

 nervous persons the voice of the guinea-fowl 

 is distracting ; but to those of us who have 

 grown accustomed to the cry of the ]iea fowl, 

 the song of a guinea-hen is not without its 

 charms. 



Friendly Red Squirrels. — There is not one 

 wild creature in the woods that is as .shy as the 

 red squirrel ; particularly when he dwells within 

 striking distance of boys with guns. After many 

 of these experiences he may be heard scolding 

 and chattering dee]i in the woods, but affords 

 only fleeting glimpses of his lithe red body as 



Hon' the Gnu Drinks. — The old adage, "there 

 is nothing new under the sun," has been dis- 

 ])roved by the gnu. It is quite well known that 

 all ruminants )ilunge there noses into water 

 when drinking, and draw the water into their 

 stomachs by a muscular contraction of the 

 throat aided by the slight vacuum created. But 



