As New Zoo Arrivals Peah Up 



Big Cargo of Birds and Animals 

 Happy to Be Uncrated After Long Trip 



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By W. H. SHIPPEN, JH. 

 This was clean-up day at the Zoo 

 for newcomers from South America. 



Some 250 birds and beasts, after 

 three weeks in crates, while they 

 traveled 7,000 miles, splashed them- 

 selves with fresh water and preened 

 feathers and fur. 



The long hot ride through the 

 tropics in close confinement ; was 

 tough on some of the delicate things 

 like the black-necked swans and 

 the Chilean flamingoes, but almost 

 all of them survived. . , 



The wild swans, in particular, 

 seemed happy to ..plunge ..into J* 

 bath For weeks while we cared 

 for them at sea we saw them trying 

 to clean their plumage They dipped 

 their necks deep into the water jugs 

 and splashed themselves. Some of 

 me mated birds helped each other 

 clean up in cramped quarters at 

 sea. 



Even Rodents Take Bath. 

 The wild swans, with their snowy 

 plumage, were scarcely more meticu- 

 lous than-of all things-the rodents! 

 The big capybara, an aquatic mem- 

 ber of the rat family weighing more 

 than 100 pounds, took a high dive 

 into his new pool m the *rnall 

 mammal house this morning and re- 

 mained submerged so long a pho og - 

 rapher trying" to take his picture 

 got tired of waiting. 



A whole tribe of Argentine nutrias, 

 another water rodent, went swim- 

 ming at the Zoo today and climbed 

 Z - to scrub their long whiskers 

 with their paws. They cried like 

 babies for joy. We heard them 

 howling pretty frequent y at sea 

 and it was pleasant to know they 

 had quit complaining. 



A score of tiny oven birds came 

 through in fine shape. Dr. William 

 M Mann, Zoo director, hopes they 

 will make a thriving colony here 

 Their screaming this morning was 

 reminiscent of the Argentine pam- 

 pas, where they are numerous, 

 highly visible, with their flashing 

 yellow wings, and always audible. 

 The birds build covered nests of 

 clay, cunningly constructed, with 

 passageways and several roorns^ 

 Their nests resemble somewhat the 

 outdoor clay ovens used in rural 

 Argentina. 



A whole colony of some rare, .ed- 

 breasted thrush arrived m good 

 condition. They were the gifts of 

 the zoo at Cordoba, in central Ar- 

 gentina. Two types of birds re- 

 sembling our quail, the tinamou and 

 the martinet, are rare in collections 

 here Two dozen of the birds sur- 

 vived the trip, and only two died 

 en route. _ ' 



Wild Dogs Get Into Brawl. 

 The Andean condors, wild ducks 

 and geese were to be installed in 



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new quarters today. Also three 

 wild dogs of the pampas. These 

 little fellows were, still belligerent 

 after three weeks in a crate. Tiiey 

 got into a brawl at 4 a.m. yesterday 

 as our ship approached New York 



Dr. Mann, whose cabin port looked 

 out on the cages, was awakened. He 

 tried to make peace by sprinkling 

 the wild dogs with drinking water, 

 but that only made them madder 

 The result was that Dr. Mann, and 

 perhaps a few other passengers for- 

 ward, got no more sleep that night 

 "It was almost morning, anyhow, 

 Dr. Mann said. 



The Zoo director is anxious to get 

 the new animals on exhibition as 

 soon as possible. One reason is the 

 fact that two sailors from the S. S. 

 Brazil are expected here to see them 

 tomorrow— -Bos'n Charley Bauer and 

 Seaman Chester (Scotty) Brown. 



The two men were life-savers on 

 the long voyage North, working over- 

 time at cleaning, shifting crates and 

 feeding. Dr. Mann wants them to 

 see the animals under more fa- 

 vorable circumstances. It was hot 

 work, coming through the tropics, 

 especially in the doldrums with a 

 following breeze. 



Under such circumstances 70 

 crates of birds, beasts and reptiles 

 can give off a distinct odor. A Brit- 

 ish noblewoman who got on the ship 

 in Trinidad will testify to this. The 

 only available cabin was in the cen- 

 ter, of the boat, and the port looked 

 out on the freight deck. 



The lady passenger was no soon- 

 er on board than she stuck her 

 head out of the port. The horned 

 screamers were sounding off and 

 the wild dogs fighting— again. 



"I hear you have some animals 

 on board," the lady said to Dr. Mann. 



"Yes," Dr. Mann replied, "you 

 can hear them for yourself, but I 

 hope you can't smell them." 



"Ah, they're a bit sniffy, I should 

 say, but fortunately I picked up 

 something of a cold in Trinidad! 



On hand to see that the animals 

 were made comfortable in their new 

 homes were Dr. Mann, who escorted 

 them from their South American 

 environs; Ernest P. Walker, assist- 

 ant director, who has awaited the 

 arrival of the collection with eager- 

 ness, and William H. Blackburne. 

 headkeeper, who states openly that 

 newcomers mean nothing but more 

 work for him, but secretly is de- 

 lighted when strange faces appear 

 for his care-taking. 



Missing from the list of scheduled 

 newcomers were two llamas and 

 two guanacos. They had to be left 

 behind in New York in quarantine. 



Dr Mann said their homecoming 

 i will be delayed for two or three 

 weeks. 



Society and < 



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TW$ sapybara, a rodent weighing at least 100 

 poupili e**Jd scarcely wait until he got into his new 

 qufH-er* T take a swim in his pool. 



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