NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK HOLLISTER. 567 



badgers {Metes mel-es) on the contrary are rarely seen, as they spend 

 almost the entire day asleep under the straw in a corner of their 

 quarters. 



The common skunk of the Eastern States {Mephitis nigra) ; the 

 marten {Martes americana) ; the fisher (Martes pennanti), and the 

 mink {Mustela vison) are all American species which are essentially 

 nocturnal and attract little attention in their cages from visitors to 

 the park. The neotropical tayra (Tayra harbor a) on the contrary 

 is a friendly, active animal always ready to show himself to visitors. 



The otter pens, along the stream above the beaver and sea lion 

 pools, offer an attractive show of the home life of animals. Here 

 a pair of American otters (Lutra canadensis) have reared their 

 young and the mother with her family can be seen. Otters are very 

 intelligent and playful animals and may easily be made attractive 

 pets. Moreover, since it is practicable to rear them in captivity the 

 breeding of otters may be made a very pleasant and profitable occu- 

 pation as the skins command a fine price in the fur market. 



THE BEAR DEXS. 



The park maintains a splendid collection of bears and few animals 

 attract so much attention from the public as do these interesting 

 creatures. The dens are conveniently and pleasantly located on the 

 west side of the main highway through the park where the animals 

 have ideal conditions for comfort and health. 



The polar bears (Thalarctos maritimus) are confined to the arctic 

 regions. On the Atlantic coast of America they formerly occurred 

 regularly south to Labrador. White at all seasons, active in the cages 

 and pool, and expert swimmers, the polar bears are great favorites 

 in the park. Contrary to general belief the polar bears do not 

 particularly suffer from the summer heat of Washington. It is to 

 be remembered that there are many warm days in summer in their 

 native home and that during this season the bears commonly go 

 ashore and subsist for periods almost wholly upon a vegetable diet. 

 During most of the remainder of the year the food of the polar 

 bear consists mainly of the flesh of seals. A polar bear in the 

 park at one time weighed 760 pounds. 



The European brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the bear usually seen 

 accompanying itinerant street exhibitions. It naturally stands erect 

 on its hind feet much more than do the other bears and is, conse- 

 quently, much more readily trained for such purposes. 



The great and confusing variety of bears found in northwestern 

 America has puzzled naturalists since the first discovery of those 

 huge beasts. Some of the brown bears of Alaska, notably those of 

 the Alaskan Peninsula and Kodiak Island, are the largest of all 



