NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK—BAKER. 471 
able or clumsy than they are in their external appearance. Their motion resembles 
strongly that of the elephant; their step slow, regular, and heavy; they carry their 
body about a foot from the ground, and their legs and feet bear no slight resemblance 
to the animal which I have likened them; their neck is from 18 inches to 2 feet in 
length and very slender; their head is proportioned to it and strongly resembles that 
of a serpent; but, hideous and disgusting as is their appearance, no animal can pos- 
sibly afford a more wholesome, luscious, and delicate food than they do. The finest 
green turtle is no more to be compared to them in point of excellence than the 
coarsest beef is to the finest veal, and after once tasting the Galapagos tortoise every 
other animal food fell greatly in our estimation. These animals are so fat as to 
require neither butter nor lard to cook them, and this fat does not possess that cloying 
quality common to that of most other animals; and, when tried out, it furnishes an 
oil superior in taste to that of the olive. The meat of this animal is the easiest of 
digestion, and a quantity of it, exceeding that of any other food, can be eaten without 
experiencing the slightest inconvenience. But what seems the most extraordinary 
in this animal is the length of time that it can exist without food; for I have been 
well assured that they have been piled away among the casks in the hold of a ship, 
where they have been kept 18 months, and, when killed at the expiration of that 
time, were found to have suffered no diminution in fatness or excellence. They 
carry with them a constant supply of water, in a bag at the root of the neck, which 
contains about 2 gallons; and on tasting that we found in those we killed on board, 
it proved perfectly fresh and sweet. 
As to the other reptiles in the lion house, it may be of interest to 
note that some of them have bred in captivity. Plate 31 shows a 
bullsnake coiled about its eggs, evidently brooding them as a bird 
might do. When hatched out the young are left to shift for them- 
selves. Some species of snakes bring forth their young alive. That 
is the case with the tree boas, one of whom gave birth to 64 young at 
once, puzzling the park authorities very much to know how to care 
for so numerous a progeny. A number of them were presented to 
other zoological collections; others remained in the park and grew to 
considerable size. 
The unnatural conditions which necessarily prevail in captivity 
make it difficult to keep snakes in perfect health. It seems quite 
clear that, in spite of the popular impression as to their aggressive- 
ness, they are really quite timid creatures. They often refuse to eat, 
remaining for long periods without food. It is quite astonishing how 
long they will live without taking a particle of nourishment. In 
several instances they have been known to survive for more than a 
year. About two or three times a year snakes shed their skins en- 
tirely, even to the horny covering that protects the eyes. The skin 
usually strips off in one entire piece, and the reptile appears in a 
new and much more brilliant suit. 
THE FLYING CAGE. 
Lovers of birds found very early that the confinement of these 
winged creatures within the limits of a small cage did not display 
their activities or beauties to the best advantage and so invented 
