ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



GIANT RED KANGAROO 



itli this awkward animal. He stretrhes « 



it with perlect ahaniic 



ITEMS OF INTEREST. 



Recent Arrivals. — Among the recent arrivals 

 at tlie Park is a series of exceptionally interest- 

 ing am]5lubians from Australia. Several of the 

 species h.ive never l)efore been exhibited alive 

 in the United States. Among these are the 

 beautiful golden tree frog, marbled with gleam- 

 ing bronze and metallic green, White's tree 

 frog, which is a gigantic member of its race 

 and the silver frog. The call of the White's 

 tree frog resounds throughout the Reptile 

 House, and is a novel diversion in a building 

 where silence usually reigns among the thous- 

 and or more inmates. Another Reptile House 

 addition is a big anaconda, from Venezuela. 



Few mammals have been recentlv added to 

 the collection, as war conditions in Europe have 

 practically closed the foreign animal market. 

 A splendid example of the Abyssinian lion was 

 recently purchased. The name of this beautiful 

 creature is Menelik, and he is particularly no- 

 ticeable owing to his pale coat and almost 

 golden mane. He is long of bodv. with the 

 straight back so admired by animal sculptors. 



Important among recent mammals received 

 are two Rocky Mountain goats from the Can- 

 adian Rockies. 



The I'enerahle Sultan. — For many years a 

 reigning favorite among animal sculptors, and 

 posing for fully a hundred works of art. Sul- 

 tan, our oldest lion, now shows marked signs 

 of old age, .and has been assigned .1 s|)acious 

 cage where he receives special care. Sultan is 

 a Barbary lion, with a particularly fine mane 

 of rather a dark hue, and which pleases the 



sculptors and painters because it is not ton 

 abundant, and does not mask the muscles of the 

 shoulder. He arrived at the Zoological Park 

 twelve years ago, and was then five years old. 

 He is the gift of Mr. Nelson Robinson. 



The average "old age" of captive lions is 

 thirteen years, but this seventeen year-old pa- 

 triarch still remains fairly active. Director 

 Hornaday has jjrepared a special label that 

 has been posted upon Sultan's cage and which 

 explains to visitors that the lion's apparent in- 

 firmities are the result of old age only, and 

 st.iting as well the favorite's useful career in 

 the world of art. 



Sultan recently was given a large felt mat 

 upon which to sleep, but our kindly intention 

 was misconstrued. The mat was fastened to 

 the floor, then the lion was run into the cage 

 from the outdoor enclosure. When Sultan ob- 

 served the mat he charged upon it with great 

 energy, tore it from its fastenings, then proudly 

 carried it about in his jaws as he furiously 

 growled. The performance lasted for an hour 

 or more, with a final result that the mat was 

 badly torn and the lion much exhausted. We 

 have since been unable to induce Sultan to be- 

 lieve that the mat is not some strange type of 

 living intruder, to be subdued only by the vig- 

 orous use of teeth and claws. 



The Yak Family. — One of the interesting 

 sights of the Park is to be observed at the new 

 Yak House. Our jiair of black yaks is proudly 

 ex)>loiting a calf three months old, which is a 

 really .attractive infant. The youngster is blue- 

 black, and its coat is exceptionally thick and 

 woolly. The mother never permits it to wan- 



