ducker] A BOY'S INTERESTING "ZOO" 239 



My goldfish I bought down town. One of them is red 

 with black on the end of his fins and tail and the other is red 

 with silver trimmings. I feed them at a certain time each 

 morning with a small quantity of fish food. They also eat 

 any small animal life which they find. Sometimes when the 

 sun shines upon the aquarium they stay on or near the bottom. 

 I have seen them take sand in their mouth and blow it out 

 again probably to obtain any food which it might contain. 



I also bought a couple of American Chameleons at the 

 same time that I got my goldfish. I kept them in a cage made 

 to fit over a potted geranium. They will eat flies and I have 

 lots of fun watching them crawl over the wire cage and 

 geranium leaves and branches. The largest one shed the skin 

 on his tail a short time after I got him and a little later the 

 skin on his back split open. He twisted and squirmed until he 

 could reach it with his mouth and then pulled pieces of it off 

 and ate them. When he shed the skin on his throat he ex- 

 tended his throat fan until the skin cracked open and he 

 clawed it off. Their usual color is brown but when frightened 

 or sleeping they are green. Every morning I sprinkle the 

 leaves of the geranium with water and they lick up the drops. 



Last but not least comes my good brindle bull terrier 

 "Pat." He is a little over two years old and I've had him 

 ever since he was a puppy six weeks old. He is very intelligent 

 and we have taught him many tricks — he can sit up, speak, roll 

 over, shake hands, pray and die. But I hope it will be a long 

 time before he really does that. 



As we live in an apartment I haven't as much chance to 

 run a private zoo as I would like, but I hope to get a few more 

 additions and when I do I will write you about them. 



Yours very truly, 



Chicago, 111. W. H. Ducker, Jr. 



Editorial 



Some of our noted biologists are today working with the 

 children's pets. Animals once relegated to the nursery or the 

 back-yard pen of the small boy are subjects for investigation 

 by the keen minds of strong men. Castle at Harvard studies 

 guinea pigs and rabbits ; Davenport of the Carnegie Station 

 writes volumes on chickens and canaries, the results of his re- 

 searches ; Professor Morgan of Columbia University spends 

 years of work with mice and rats ; the late Dr. Whitman of the 



