OF WILD ANIMALS 23 



phants are subject to various degrees of what we may as well 

 call sexual insanity, which is dangerous in direct proportion 

 to its intensity. This causes many a "bad" show elephant 

 to be presented to a zoological garden, where the dangers of 

 this mental condition can at least be reduced to their lowest 

 terms. Our Indian elephant who was known as Gunda was 

 afflicted with sexual insanity, and he gradually grew worse, 

 and increasingly dangerous to his keepers, until finally it was 

 necessary to end his troubles painlessly with a bullet through 

 his brain. 



The Rhinoceros is a sanguine animal, of rather dull vision 

 and slow understanding. In captivity it gives little trouble, 

 and lives long. Adults individually often become pettish, or 

 peevish, and threaten to prod their keepers without cause, 

 but I have never known a keeper to take those lapses seriously. 

 The average rhino is by no means a dull or a stupid animal, and 

 they have quite enough life to make themselves interesting to 

 visitors. In British East Africa a black rhinoceros often trots 

 briskly toward a caravan, and seems to be charging, when in 

 reality it is only desiring a "close-up" to satisfy its legiti- 

 mate curiosity. 



Every Hippopotamus, either Nile or pygmy, is an animal of 

 serene mind and steady habits. Their appetites work with 

 clock-like regularity, and require no winding. I can not recall 

 that any one of our five hippos was ever sick for a day, or 

 missed a meal. When the idiosyncrasies of Gunda, our bad 

 elephant, were at their worst, the contemplation of Peter the 

 Great ponderously and serenely chewing his hay was a rest to 

 tired nerves. Keeper Thuman treats the four pygmy hippos 

 like so many pet pigs, — save the solitary adult male, who sets 

 himself up to be peevish. The breeding female is a wise and 

 good mother, with much more maternal instinct than our 

 chimpanzee "Suzette." 



It may be set down as an absolute rule that hippos are 

 lymphatic, easy-going, contented, and easy to take care of 



