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ALMOST HUMAN 
of his arrival in war time, and so Rosie will have much to gain by the 
termination of hostilities. 
Visitors to the Zoo find great amusement in watching a number 
of guinea pigs running about in the grass at the tall creature’s feet. 
They often wonder whether there is some delightful idyll (connected 
with their presence there, and whether a romantic story of animal loves 
could not be unearthed if only they could find the right keeper to explain 
matters. It is to be feared that no such romance exists. There is no 
pretty tale of fascinating friendship between the lofty giraffe and the 
humble guinea pigs. The little things are kept there merely as a study 
in contrasts, and, so far from high and mighty Rosie condescending 
to honor her lowly companions with her friendship, it is feared — not 
without reason — that, if she could only succeed in putting her foot down 
upon one of them, it would mean sudden extinction for the pig. But 
they are so swift in their movements, and Rosie has such a great height 
to look down from to ascertain their whereabouts, that they are reason- 
ably safe, and live their lives in careless disdain of any possible “fright- 
fulness” on the part of unscrupulous Rosie. 
OSTRICHES 
A FINE PAIR. 
The ostrich is the largest existing bird. He reaches a height of 
from six to eight feet. His wings are quite useless as organs of flight, 
but he spreads them out when running, and they appear to act as sails. 
Everybody has heard of the digestion of the ostrich, but really he has no 
better digestion than any other bird. The trouble is that he lacks 
discretion, and fails to understand what is good for him and what is not. 
Needing really large pebbles to assist in the digestion of his food, he 
will in confinement swallow indiscriminately anything that comes his 
way, such as pieces of iron, bits of brick, or glass, or old shoes or coins, 
among other delicacies of as strange description. Copper coins once were 
accountable for the death of a valuable ostrich, while another found some 
pieces of a parasol beyond his powers to manipulate, and so he died. 
These fatalities, however, did not occur at the Melbourne Zoo. 
Although there are thriving ostrich farms in Victoria, these birds 
do not get on well in Melbourne. There is but one pair now at the 
