William T. Hornaday

“ Excepting for his stock-killing propensities, the Gray Wolf is now a skulking creature. In the United States this animal possesses the courage of a coyote, but in the Barren Grounds it is still fierce and dangerous. However much the wolf may skulk and flee when the way is open, when brought to bay he knows how to fight. One snap of his powerful jaws and shear-like teeth is enough to disable almost any dog, and send it howling to the rear. It is no wonder that western dogs of experience are shy of approaching a Gray Wolf within snapping distance. ”

“ Its form is the embodiment of symmetry and grace, its plumage is immaculate, and the filmy “plumes” on its head and back are like spun glass. Its black legs and bill merely serve to intensify the whiteness of its feathers. The vanity of woman has been the curse of the Snowy Egret. Its plumes are finest during the breeding season, and it was then that the hunters sought them, slaughtering the old birds in the rookeries by thousands (when they were abundant) , and leaving the nestlings to die of starvation. ”

“ Instead of building a small, hollow nest, and hatching its eggs by the heat of its own body, it pursues the plan of the crocodile! Choosing an open spot in the forest it builds a huge mound, and as the structure rises, it lays its eggs in the heart of it. Turning its tail to the mound-site, this absurd little bird—no larger than a barnyard hen—scratches about right and left, gathers a big footful of small dead sticks, grass and dirt, and fiercely flings it backward upon the pile. A Brush Turkey in good working order can fling a bunch of jungle debris fully ten feet. ”

“ As a spectacle of captive animal life, there is none more inspiring than a spacious, well-lighted and finely-appointed lion house, filled with a collection of the world’s greatest and handsomest wild beasts. ”

“ Cope Lake is the especial province of the nesting pairs of Canada geese, and sometimes as many as eight golden-colored goslings are hatched in one nest on the small island.
The Mallard Duck, (Anas boschas) , is one of our finest swimming birds, the joy of the sportsman who finds it in its haunts, the delight of the epicure who finds it on the bill of fare. Sluggish indeed must be the blood which does not beat faster at the sight of a flock of wild Mallards, free in Nature, and ready to leap into the air and away at the slightest alarm. ”

“ A nearly cosmopolitan bird is the Golden Eagle, (Aquila chrysaetos) . It is equally at home in the highlands of Scotland and the mountains of North America, nesting on the highest cliffs.
The Bateleur Eagle, of Africa, (Helotarsus ecaudatus) , has narrowly missed the distinction of being the most beautiful of all birds of prey. Its plumage is charmingly colored but it is out of proportion. Its tail is so absurdly short that its wings quite conceal it, and make it appear as if altogether tailless. ”

“ The New World Monkeys, even at their best, never make a strong showing in a vivarium. The trouble is that many of the most interesting species are so delicate it is impossible to keep them alive in captivity. Fame awaits the man who can discover a bill of fare on which Howling Monkeys, Sakis and Yarkees can live in captivity to old age, and repay their cost and care. ”

“ This is the Clouded Leopard, so delicate in captivity that only one out of every four or five becomes acclimatized outside its native jungles. 106 Our fine adult specimen, with very long canine teeth suggestive of those of the saber-toothed tiger, really belongs in the Lion House, but we dare not move it, for fear the change would in some manner prove fatal to it. It is an animal of vicious temper, and makes friends with no one. The half light of its cage is a welcome approach to the dense shadows in which it lives when at home. ”

“ In its home in the jungles of Borneo and southeastern Asia, it dwells in hilly forests, and never descends to the earth. When attacked, it flees down-hill, if possible, and it seems actually to fly through the tree-tops. It boldly flings itself forward through space, grasps with its hands the first available branch, swings underneath, feet foremost, and after another flight presently catches with its feet, thus actually making revolutions as it goes. Its progress is so swift and so silent that successful pursuit is impossible to any enemy not provided with wings. ”

“ It seems like a prehistoric monster, belonging to the days of the dinosaurs, rather than a creature of to-day; and the killing of so grand a creature solely for the sake of “sport,” and a stuffed head to hang upon a wall, is murder, no less. It is quite time that the most wonderful works of animated Nature should universally be recognized as safe from attack with the rifle and knife.
So pronounced is the rarity of the great Indian Rhinoceros, it is a fact that for nearly fifteen years no living specimens came into the wild-animal market. ”

“ But, large as this building is, it would be an easy matter to fill all its available space with the reptiles of North America alone, choosing only the handsome and showy forms. As we contemplate the great number of species in our own reptilian fauna, the thought occurs, what can we do with the reptiles of the Old World? Manifestly, the only proper course is to choose from the reptiles of the world the forms which will make for our visitors and students the most instructive and attractive series of important types. ”

“ In the summer of 1911, the daily open-air exhibition of nine apes dining at 4 o’clock on an elevated platform in the large outside cage at the Primate House, will long be remembered by the crowds of visitors who saw it. Such exhibitions are entirely germane to the educational purposes of a zoological garden or park, for they illustrate the mentality of animals and their wonderful likeness to man, far more forcibly than the best printed statements. ”

“ It is the duty of the Zoological Society to do its utmost to increase as much as possible the sum total of knowledge of our largest Order of Mammals. Manifestly, however, it is impracticable to do more than place before visitors a reasonable number of well-chosen types, which shall represent as many as possible of the twelve Families, and also the genera most worth knowing.
The most serious obstacle in the way of anyone who attempts to exhibit collections of living rodents lies in the natural propensity of so many species to keep out of sight during the daytime. ”

“ Indeed, it may even be said to be the only species of the tropics possessing both form and pelage which are alike pleasing to the eye. In contrast with the many beautiful and splendidly colored antelopes of Africa, the deer of the tropics, all round the world, are poorly provided with those characters which make a handsome animal. With the sole exception of the Axis Deer, nearly all the other deer of the East Indies have thin, coarse, dull-colored hair, their antlers are small, and seldom have more than four points. This is equally true of the deer of Mexico, Central and South America. ”

“ Like the small boy with the sled and a snowy hillside, the Otter sometimes indulges in its sliding pastime for an hour at a time, with a keen relish for the sport that is quite evident to all who have ever watched it. ”

“ Privileges.—Because of the fact that the Zoological Society has undertaken to furnish all the animals for the Zoological Park, the City of New York has agreed that all the revenue-producing privileges of the Park shall be controlled by the Society. All net profits derived from the restaurants, boats, refreshments, riding animals, the sale of photographs, books, etc., and all admission fees, are expended by the Society in the purchase of animals for the Park. It is well that visitors should know that all net profits realized in the Park go directly toward the increase of the animal collections. ”

“ His perfect familiarity with old-fashioned dangers enables him to avoid them all, and no sooner does a new danger menace him than he promptly invents a way to escape it. The manner in which the Red Fox lives with civilization without being exterminated really is surprising, and speaks volumes for the astuteness of this animal. ”

“ Excepting in Uganda, Kahma’s country, and a few other protected districts, the Giraffe is now rare, particularly throughout the regions that are accessible to hunters. Thousands of these wonderful creatures have been killed by hunters, both white and black, solely for the sake of seeing them dead, and leaving them as prey to the hyænas and hunting-dogs. It seems to be beyond the power of most men who can shoot to see living wild animals, no matter how large or wonderful, without desiring to reduce them to carcasses, fit only for scavengers. ”

“ Those in the Yellowstone Park are protected against man only to be devoured by the wolves which infest the Park.
Unfortunately, the Prong-Horned Antelope is not a hardy animal. The kids are very difficult to rear; they are at all times easily hurt by accident, and even in a state of nature this species suffers more severely in winter than any other North American ruminant. Often the herds drift helplessly before the blizzards, with numerous deaths from freezing and starvation, and in spring the survivors come out thin and weak. ”

“ The Sloths are the slowest, the most helpless and defenseless of the edentates. They subsist chiefly upon leaves, they climb no more swiftly than a man, and they escape their enemies through the resemblance of their pelage to the rough bark of the tree-trunks among which they live. They have a few teeth, but none for defense, and their claws are of use only in climbing, except that they can pinch with them.
Two species of Sloth are occasionally seen in the Zoological Park, but usually in the Primate House, where the high temperature is better suited to their needs. ”

“ It is not so hardy as the preceding species, and there may be periods when there are no specimens on exhibition.
The Aoudad, or Barbary Wild Sheep, (Ovis tragelaphus) , comes from the hot, dry mountains of northern Africa, and it endures the cold, wet climate of New York in a manner sufficient to put to shame our American mountain sheep, goat and other western ruminants. The largest male Aoudad of our herd is a very fine specimen of its kind. He is as fond of admiration as any peacock, and often poses in striking attitudes on the highest point of his rocks. ”

“ The Zoological Society has put forth considerable effort in constructing a series of nine large Bear Dens which provide ideal conditions for their inmates. Bears do not need buildings! Their habits call for large, open yards, properly situated, with snug and dry sleeping-dens attached, to which they can retire whenever they wish. To them, masonry walls are worse than useless, for they cut off sunlight and promote dampness; but rocks and trees upon which to climb are very beneficial. In warm weather, all bears are fond of bathing, and a bathing pool in each cage is very necessary. ”

“ It is an inexorable law of Nature that the smallest animals shall have the shortest periods of life, and in a zoological park a small hoofed animal may be here to-day and gone to-morrow. In the following enumeration, mention will be made only of those species which are likely to remain longest on exhibition; and it may be observed that in this building there will be found various animals which are neither deer nor antelopes. ”

“ The European Red Deer, (Cervus elaphus) , is an understudy of the American elk, which it much resembles in form and in habits. Next to the elk it is the finest living deer, and for many generations has held its own against the dangers of in-breeding. In the parks and forest preserves of Great Britain and Europe, it exists abundantly, but only as private property, subject to the guns of the owner and his friends. This species has been successfully crossed with the American elk. ”

“ The Black Spider Monkey and the Gray Spider Monkey represent a genus of animals quite as attenuated in form as the gibbons. Their slender bodies, exceedingly long and slender legs and tail,—the latter strongly prehensile, and better than a fifth arm and hand,—give them when in the tree-tops an appearance truly spider-like. They are agile climbers, but not rapid runners, and having no means of defense are very timid. Their stomachs are so simple they seem to lack some element or function that is necessary to 88 the life of the animal in captivity. ”

“ So far as the available supply of captive primates will permit, these typical species will constantly be kept on exhibition, together with many others equally interesting. In this small volume it is possible to notice only the most important forms.
The Gorilla, (Gorilla savagei) , of equatorial West Africa, is the largest and ugliest of the great apes, walks erect, and in form of body and limbs, it most resembles man. Its brain, however, is less man-like than that of the chimpanzee and orang-utan. It is very rarely seen in captivity. ”

“ Frequently it happens that the greatest zoological rarities are obtainable only through the good will and tireless industry of friends who travel into the most remote and inaccessible regions of the earth. It is to such sources that we owe our musk-ox herd, walrus, mountain goat herd, spectacled bear and many other species. ”

“ The small deer of Florida, and also of New Mexico and the Southwest, have been described as separate forms; and if size is to be accepted as a factor in the differentiation of species, the diminutive proportions of the proposed southern species are quite sufficient to establish their separate identity.
The White-Tailed deer of Virginia and the northern United States is a fine animal—large, strong-limbed, heavily-antlered, and hardy. Between it and the deer of Florida the difference is as great as that between a setter dog and a mastiff. ”