Feeding the monkeys with pea-nuts is great fun. The instant they see a pea-nut they rush pell-mell to the front of the cage, eager to reach through the bars and catch the delicious morsel. The fortunate possessor retires with his prize to a corner, proceeds to crack the shell, and eats it with quite as much delight as you would, if presented with something you particularly like.
Aard-vark, or the "hog with a wart," is not a pretty name, and he is not a pretty animal. The domestic hog is quite a beauty in comparison, as this one has enormous tusks, stiff bristles, scarcely any eyes at all, and hideous lumps on his face and head; not one wart, but plenty of them. But he eats the pailful of carrots with as much relish as if he were the handsomest beast in the world.
The coach-dog which is such a favorite with the elephants is named Denver, and the huge animals take the entire charge of him. A gentleman saw the keeper put a piece of meat before one of the elephants near him, and the great creature seized it in his trunk, and gave the "mother-call" for Denver. This mother-call is the sound they make in calling their young ones. Denver understood in a moment, and rushed toward them; the elephant gently laid the meat on the ground before the dog, and watched him with great interest while he devoured it.
Denver was lost once for two weeks, and the elephants would not perform until he was found. The welcome he received from his huge friends on his return was nearly the death of him. They caressed him with their trunks, rolled him over and over, "purring" all the while like distant thunder, and stuffed him with all the meat he could eat.
The Bridgeport boys are very careful about their behavior to Denver, for if a howl of pain or annoyance is heard from him on the outside of the building, the elephants inside become so enraged that there is danger of their breaking their chains and avenging their favorite.
As I left the "quarters" I found a crowd of Bridgeport boys gathered about a small Irish jaunting-car with a beautiful striped zebra harnessed before it. This zebra's name is Sheik, and is often seen in the streets of the city, with some of the ladies belonging to the circus driving him. Sheik is gentle, swift, and has as much endurance as a mule. Zebras are generally supposed to be untamable, and Sheik's keeper deserves great credit for the wonderful manner in which he has succeeded in training this wild creature. Sheik is not, however, a "true zebra," but one of the species called asinus Burchelii. A "true zebra" has never been brought to this country. Bridgeport boys think Sheik driven in the jaunting-car a fine show.