24 



HAMLYNS MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 



for the use of Boy Scouts and their friends, 

 and presented them with 1,000 Sunday tickets 

 to be used chiefly for foreign scouts. 



The Jamaica Boy Scouts have presented 

 to the Society, a sharp-nosed crocodile, a 

 young animal, still pale olive-green with black 

 spots. It is a native of Central America and 

 the West Indies. The South African scouts 

 have presented a black-backed jackal, one of 

 the most distinctive of African animals, 

 ranging from the Red Sea to the Cape. It is 

 a brightly coloured creature, with the back 

 and the end of the tail black, and the sides 

 red. Sir R. Baden-Powell has deposited as 

 a jackal what turns out to be a fine example 

 of the South African fox (Canischama). a much 

 rarer animal, of which the Gardens has not 

 had a specimen for many years. Its very 

 large ears and bushy tail distinguish it fairly 

 well from jackals, but the most definite 

 characteristics are in the scull and teeth. 



THAT the " Yorkshire Weekly Post " has a 

 most interesting series of natural history notes 

 They are well worth reading. 



THAT ' John Daniell ' the famous gorilla is 

 paying weekly visits to the Zoological Gardens 

 Regents Park. He is a wonderful animal. 

 My advice is ' Go and see John.' 



THAT a fighting fish has just arrived at the 

 Zoo from Siam. 



THAT a most interesting acccount of the 

 Californian Sea Lions is given in Charles F. 

 Hodders book " The Channel Islands of 

 California." Mr. Hodder states — 



The feature which will really amaze the 

 wanderer among the Channel Islands is the 

 tameness of some animals. To meet a bull 

 sea-lion, weighing approximately half a ton, 

 on the main avenue of a town, fifty feet from 

 the water, is a possibility of a startling nature 

 yet I have seen Old Ben, the head of the 

 South Catalina sea-lion rookery, on Crescent 

 Avenue, Avalon, surrounded by tourists who 

 snapped their cameras at him with impunity. 



At that time Ben could be induced to 

 come ashore when the lure was a fat, long 

 finned tuna. But one day he climbed upon 

 the wharf, coming entirely up the steps, 

 following the man with a fish. Then some 

 unreasonable person made threatening demon- 

 stration ; Ben started for the steps, lost his 



hold, slipped and fell, smashing them and 

 wounding himself. For a long time he 

 remembered this, but gradually his faith in 

 human beings has returned, and the men call 

 him up on the boat landing of the float or 

 out upon the beach, by showing a succulent 

 fish. 



When very hunry he has permitted him- 

 self to be touched or patted by one of the 

 fishermen. He is good-tempered and never 

 attemps to bite. But he is a savage-looking 

 animal and makes a very clever imitation of 

 a ferocious beast. 



A few years ago many of the sea-lions 

 were killed by vandals, but laws were passed 

 and for a number of years the sea-lions have 

 been protected. When not feeding, the sea- 

 lions pass the time within a few feet of the 

 beach, sleeping or playing, the females and 

 young leaping from the water and going 

 through various tricks of interest to the 

 "amazed looker-on. 



It so happened that I was upon the 

 sands one day when no sea-lions were in 

 sight ; and upon my asking a boatman where 

 they were, he began to whistle as if calling for 

 a dog, and to call " Here Ben ! " reapeating 

 the call several times, whereupon out from 

 among the anchored boats appeared not only 

 Ben. but two large bull sea lions, which must 

 have weighed half a ton each, followed by 

 two or three smaller females. The boatman 

 tossed some peices of albacore fish into the 

 water, which the sea-lions dashed for. Not 

 ten feet away floated several boats containing 

 spectators. 



When the fish was disposed of, the 

 boatman took a large albacore by the tail 

 and walked down the beach, calling the sea- 

 lion, Ben. by name. The animal responded 

 at once coming inshore with a rush, followed 

 by two others. The boatman gradutlly 

 retreated up the beach, the huge animals 

 following him, in their clumsy waddle 

 resembling gigantic slugs more than anything 

 else ; finally rhey took the fish from the man's 

 hands. . 



The rookery where the animals make 

 their head quarters is about two miles 

 distant. The sea-lions sre so tame there that 

 they can be approached with ease, and are 

 the constant objects of amateur photographers 

 who visit the locality in yachts and boats of 

 various kinds. 



Printed by W. J. 



Hasted tc Son (T.U.), 306, Mile End Road, E. 1., and Published by J. D. Hamlyn, 221, St. George's 

 Street. London Docks. E. 



