ZOO 
NOTES 
Described and Illustrated with Photographs by W. P. Danpo, F.Z.S. 
THE accompanying photograph of the 
elephant that was born dead 
at the Zoological Gardens, on 
3lst August, was taken in the 
Society's mortuary soon after the event 
took place. As particulars of its size, etc., 
were given in last month’s ANIMAL LiIFn, 
it is unnecessary to say more here, except 
to repeat the regret that the Society should 
have been prevented from realizing their 
hopes of getting a profitable and highly 
interesting addition to their collection. 
we 
Just thirty years ago, all the press were 
chronicling the birth of a 
hippopotamus at the Zoo, for 
“Guy Fawkes,’ as the name 
will suggest, was born on the 5th November, 
1872, and when one considers that after 
thirty years of captivity the animal shows 
every sign of good health, it speaks well 
for the care and attention bestowed upon 
the animals by the officials. As confusion 
as to sex has often been made with regard 
to “Guy Fawkes,” it should be noted that 
she is a female. The name was chosen as 
a record of thé date, and not on account 
of any exhibition of a revolutionary spirit 
hke her namesake, for when young she was 
The Stillborn 
Elephant. 
ee Guy 
Fawkes.’’ 
STILLBORN ELEPHANT, 
considered by some (very few, I should 
think) a beautiful little thing, and has given 
very little trouble since, but hippopotami 
have never been popular with the public, 
like their equally massive neighbours the 
elephants, and very little of the public food 
offerings finds its way inside the hippo. 
They are not, however, so wanting in intelli- 
gence aS some persons imagine, and it is 
even recorded that they are fond of music. 
The specimen deposited at the Zoo in 1854 
was brought over by an Arab snake-charmer, 
who was in the habit of exciting the 
attention of his charge by a kind of musical 
call, which she answered by vibrating her 
enormous body to and fro with evident 
pleasure, keeping time to the measures of 
the performer’s tune; and whenever the 
band played on board the vessel which 
brought her over, she would invariably raise 
her head in the attitude of listening. 
ee 
WHat a fine exhibition and attraction to 
the Gardens could be made if 
Sea Lions. a sufficient number of the 
public at holiday times could 
only witness the sagacity of the sea lions 
in the Zoo. The pond is most unfortu- 
nately situated on an eminence, and the 
public can only get about half 
round it, and when two or 
three deep, completely shut out 
all possibility of others seeing 
anything. The feeding of the 
sea lions may be considered one 
of the most enjoyable sights 
at the Zoo, and the amount 
of intelligence displayed by 
them is remarkable. The 
Cape sea lion is very devoted 
to his keeper, and his affection 
is of quite a different kind 
from that displayed by his 
companion the Californian sea 
lion, whose sole object in 
shrieking after the keeper is for 
185 
