ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



265 



feline might readily be mistaken for an otter or a 

 marten. Its habit of running or "galloping" about 

 the cage, with its back sharply arched, is any- 

 thing hut cat-like. The Yaguarundi Cat inhabits 

 southern Texas, Mexico, and Central America. 



Experiments in the breeding of the smaller cat 

 animals are now being conducted in the Small 

 Mammal House. Two litters of Ocelots {Felis 

 pardalis), ha\e been successfully bred and reared 

 in the building. More examples of all the species 

 are needed to pursue this work, and the markets 

 are constantly watched for good specimens. 



The feeding of the small cat animals is more 

 complex than the care of their larger allies, in the 

 Lion House. If raw beef or horse meat were fed as 

 constantly to the small species as to the lions, tigers, 

 leopards and other inmates of the Lion House, an 

 epidemic of fits would soon develop. The small 

 cats do best on "dipped " meat — meat that has been 

 quickly steamed or placed in boiling water for a few 

 minutes. .\nd this diet must be frequently varied 

 with fowls, rabbits, and rats. From the latter, 

 freshly killed, the cats obtain bone-food nourish- 



ment. It is also important that they consume a 

 certain amount of feathers or fur, as these sub- 

 stances produce a beneficial effect upon the in- 

 testines. 



It is not from the collection of small cats alone 

 that the Small Mammal House is of importance. 

 The greater numbers of the Orders of the smaller 

 mammalia are represented in that building. In 

 passing through it the teacher and the class may 

 acquire a bird's-eye view of at least six or seven 

 Orders. 



With the cats, and a rich collection of viverrines, 

 there are small bears, foxes, squirrels of many kinds, 

 tropical wild swine, ant-eaters, armadillos, and 

 marsupials, living under one roof. The amount of 

 food that goes to this building, and the varied 

 nature of that food, may readily be imagined. It 

 is only by the most painstaking care, and ceaseless 

 industry and vigilance, that this difficult collection is 

 kept clean and in good health; and Keepers Mercer 

 and Cominsky are entitled to much credit for their 

 successful work. 



R. L. D. 



GAME PROTECTION 



A LTHOUGH song-birds are not legitimate game 

 ^^ for a real sportsman, so long as misguided 

 natives and ignorant aliens attempt to shoot robins, 

 thrushes, and jay-birds for food, just so long may 

 we properly classify our efforts in behalf of song- 

 birds under the general head of "game protection." 



During the past half year, Mr. G. O. Shields, the 

 Society's Special Agent for Game Protection, has 

 been active in several directions. All the Italian 

 newspapers of New York were requested to an- 

 nounce the enactment of the new law against the 

 carrying of firearms by unnaturalized aliens, and 

 this request was very generally and courteously 

 complied with. Mr. Shields sent out about three 

 thousand cloth posters, both in Italian and English, 

 stating the terms of the law, and warning all 

 persons not to violate it. 



In September and October, the birds of the 

 nortliern portion of New \''ork City were assaulted 

 in force, every Sunday, by Italians who sought them 

 for food The police authorities paid no attention 

 to the shooting that was done, until called upon for 



officers to take charge of persons arrestee! by the 

 men of the Zoological Society. Assisted by Messrs. 

 Merkel, Bell, and Rose, of the Zoological Park 

 force, Mr. Shields made several Sunday raids on 

 the bird killers, from first to last caught about 

 fifteen persons, and took them to court for punish- 

 ment. On one man, jorty-three song-birds were 

 found, and the whole lot of innocents was preserved 

 in formalin to do duty in court as Exhibit A. All 

 these offenders have been held under bonds pending 

 trial. 



Two of the members of the Zoological Park force, 

 Messrs. Rudolph Bell and John J. Rose, have been 

 commissioned by State Game Commissioner 

 Wliipple as Deputy Game Wardens, and they will 

 do much toward making bird-life secure in the 

 Borough of the Bronx. 



The automatic gun needs only to be mentioned 

 to the press and to real sportsmen in order to hear it 

 condemned. Thus far about seventy newspapers 

 have denounced it. During the early days of 

 December, resolutions condemning that weapon, 



