NEWS BULLETIN" OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



'3 



of trees, shrubs, and vines once there, that 

 are now adorning- the slopes of Cope Lake, 

 the Aquatic Mammals' Pond and the Ducks' 

 Aviary, or throwing their small shadows upon 

 the walks, or concealing unsightly objects 

 along the Boulevard and other places. Others 

 classed as " food wood " and " browse " have 

 appeased the hunger of the beavers, moose, 

 and various deer. 



The Xursery has contained, or does now, 

 7,000 trees. 18,000 shrubs and vines, and 4.500 

 perennials. 



But as the number of trees decreases, vege- 

 tables take their place, and these have already 

 become of great importance to the maintenance 

 of the Park. Last year the following were 

 raised and distributed for the various animals : 

 11 tons of root crops, 2,500 heads of cabbage, 

 5,000 heads of lettuce, 2,500 ears of sweet corn, 

 100 bundles of corn stalks. 400 melons, squash 

 and pumpkins, 2 tons of clover hay, and other 

 vegetables in smaller quantities, all of which 

 were consumed by the mammals and birds in 

 the collections. Aside from the convenience 

 of a constantly accessible supply of vegetables, 

 the freshness of the supplies dailv distributed 

 from the Xursery renders them more appetiz- 

 ing for the animals, and better for them every 

 way. 



All the above is due to the energy and fore- 

 sight of Mr. Herman W. Merkel, Chief For- 

 ester of the Park, and his assistant, Mr. Cos- 

 tain. In addition to its regular functions, the 

 Xursery now performs another of much im- 

 portance to the Park. To meet the demands 

 of certain animals for special kinds of animal 

 food, chickens, pigeons, rabbits and guinea- 

 pigs are now being reared there in large num- 

 bers, and at small cost. The value of a reserve 

 supply of healthy animal food, freshly killed, 

 is hardly to be overestimated. 



XOTES. 



Two very fine young male Orang Utans 

 were recently purchased of Mr. William Bar- 

 tels, who imported them direct from Borneo. 

 They appear to be in their third year, and de- 

 spite their long voyage are in excellent health. 



The Moose Range contains five moose, all 

 in good health. The latest addition is a tiny 

 calf, two months old ; and it is the drollest 

 looking creature in the Park. 



Animals of the following species are wanted 

 for the Zoological Park : Caribou, Moose, 

 Mule Deer, Prong-horned Antelope, Grizzly 

 Bear, Puma, Gibbons, Lemurs, Howlers, 

 Hoary Marmot, Wolverine, Black' Squirrel. 

 Southern Fox Squirrel, Sewellel, and Beaver. 



The Bear Dens now contain a series of 

 American Black Bears which make an inter- 

 esting exhibit of the variations of that species. 

 The differences both in color and form are 

 very striking. The localities represented are 

 the Adirondacks. West Virginia, Florida, Colo- 

 rado, Western Canada, Washington, and the 

 Cassiar Mountains, British Columbia. 



There are eleven species of wild mammals 

 inhabiting the Zoological Park. Those which 

 are not being kept in check by traps, for the 

 protection of the bird collections, are increas- 

 ing rapidly. Of Chipmunks there are hun- 

 dreds ; Gray Squirrels and Red Squirrels are 

 beginning to feel that they are at last secure, 

 and are daily becoming more confident. Musk- 

 rats infest all the ponds, often to their detri- 

 ment. For the Minks and Weasels, which are 

 the deadliest of enemies of the birds, traps and 

 exhibition cages are always ready, and several 

 have been caught. 



The Antelope Herd, of eight individuals, is 

 in very satisfactory condition — thus far. All 

 our western hoofed animals are like infants of 

 the human species — their " second summer " is 

 a living terror until safely passed. At present 

 a special effort is being made to gradually ac- 

 custom these very tender and difficult animals 

 to eastern grass. The supply of fresh grass 

 is carefully regulated, and during the earlv 

 spring it was denied altogether. At present 

 some of the bucks are so vigorous that their 

 sharp horns are not only troublesome to the 

 keepers, but even dangerous. 



