ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



A COLONY OK CROCOUILIANS 

 to be seen. They :ire the Orinoco Crocodile. Central Amcr 

 Crocodile of West Africa and the American Alligator. 



outstretched limbs, or, in the case of the turtles, 

 fully extended necks. 



This exhibition always stimulates questions 

 by visitors, as to whether the reptiles are alive. 

 or only stuffed, some remarking on the "natural 

 poses" of the supposedly mounted specimens. 

 Inquisitive urchins will throw pebbles and other 

 small objects at the reptiles, often actually 

 striking an alligator or turtle, but the reptiles 

 usually pay no attention to such trifles, and 

 never even wink. Suddenly some visitor will 

 lean over the rail farther than usual, when the 

 spell is broken, and the whole assembly of croc- 

 odiles, turtles and alligators tumbles and scram- 

 bles pell-mell into the water, causing many 

 exclamations of astonishment. 



By the keepers the crocodilians in the col- 

 lection of the Reptile House are divided into 

 four groups, according to size. Every year 

 numbers of baby alligators are brought by re- 

 turning tourists, as souvenirs from Florida; but 

 interest is soon lost in the queer "pets." and 

 they are taken to the Reptile House at the 

 Zoological Park, usually as a last resort to save 

 their lives. The majority of the baby " 'gators" 

 received thus are in poor physical condition, 

 having been kept for weeks, perhaps months, in 

 a starving condition. Naturally all attempts 

 to make them eat sugar, bread, cake or candy 

 end in failure. Of course the greater nimiber of 

 these victims to the souvenir-habit die soon 

 after arrival at the Reptile House, but a few 

 are successfully reared each year. Upon arrival 

 at the Reptile House these young " 'gators" arc 



placed in a cage in the lobby, where they have 

 bottom heat from hot water pipes extending 

 underneath the cages. A large shallow pan of 

 tepid water is also provided. The temperature 

 in this cage is never allowed to fall below 72 

 degrees Fahrenheit. Once a week the young- 

 sters are fed on very small pieces of butterfish, 

 which they soon learn to take fi-om the forceps. 

 This diet is varied occasionally with hirge earth- 

 worms. Once the baby alligator has started to 

 eat, the chances of rearing him are in his favor. 

 When the infants have reached a size of 

 eighteen inches or more, they are transferred 

 to larger cages, provided witli pro|)ortionately 

 larger and deeper tanks. They are now fed 

 with strips of butterfish, and thrive on this diet. 

 L'pon attaining a length of two feet or more, the 

 young reptiles have grown too large for this 

 second "nursery," and are again transferred, 

 this time to the marine tank, where the water 

 has a depth of eighteen inches, and is kept at 

 a temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 The tank is about twelve feet long and eight 

 feet wide. 



Richard Deckert. 



Interesting Mammals. — The Small Mammal 

 House has lately acquired several new and ex- 

 ceedingly interesting specimens. Among the 

 arrivals is a rare flying squirrel from Australia, 

 a young example of the African bush pig, a 

 pair of echidnas and two very large African 

 porcupines. 



