REMINISCENCES FROM THE MELBOURNE ZOO. 
187 
came there was no more popular animal in the Zoo. But from the first 
the health of the mother gave the staff much anxiety, and it was soon 
seen that she had serious trouble in her mouth. When it was examined 
they discovered that she had got some spear- or barley-grass seeds in her 
gums, and that they had worked their evil way deep down, setting up 
first infiammation, and then a malignant growth that no skill could cure. 
These grass seeds often work into the gums and cheeks of animals, as 
those who live in the country know only too well, and the mischief they 
cause is comprehended only by those who have actually seen it. The 
trouble usually begins in the lower jaw, and if the seeds are not soon 
extracted they develop cancerous sores in an incredibly short time, that 
always end fatally. It is not known whether the mother’s condition 
affected the baby’s general health, but it was a delicate infant from the 
first. Dr. Kendall attended it for rickets from birth, but no treatment 
was of any avail. It outlived its mother for about twelve months, but its 
misery was so long drawn-out that its death was welcomed by all who 
watched over it. 
The Rag-bag of the Zoo. 
