The last Monthly Report of the proceedings of the Committee of Science
of the Zoological Society, contains several facts of general interest.
The female _Puma_, in the Society’s Gardens, brought forth two young
ones on the 2d of April. The ground-colour of these is of a paler fawn
than that of either of the parents, and they are deeply spotted. The
eyelids of one of them were partially unclosed on April 9. The mother,
whose temper was always mild, has since become remarkably gentle,
purring when the keeper goes into her den, and allowing her young ones
to be handled and carried about without appearing to be annoyed by such
treatment. The young, on the contrary, were, when first born, extremely
fierce, hissing and scratching with all their might; they have, however,
since become better tempered, though they are still spiteful. The
manners of both the mother and the young are similar to those of the
_domestic cat_ and her kittens, the former carrying the latter about
from place to place in her mouth. For a day or two previously to her
littering she pulled the straw in her inner den into pieces and thus
formed a nest.
Some curious experiments have been made as to the mode of feeding
quadrupeds of prey, which is best adapted to bringing them into good
condition, and which may therefore be considered the most suited to
their natural habits. On January 11 two _leopards_ were weighed. No. 1.
weighed 91 lbs.: it was fed in the usual manner with 4 lbs. of beef
daily in one meal given in the evening. No. 2. weighed 100½ lbs.: it was
supplied with 2 lbs. of beef at eight o’clock in the morning, and with a
like quantity at the same hour in the evening daily. On Feb. 16 (after
an interval of five weeks) they were again weighed. No. 1. had gained in
weight 1 lb.: No. 2. had diminished in weight ½ lb. No alteration was
observed in the latter animal as regarded his daily exercise; but he
became more ferocious than he had previously been, and was particularly
violent.
[Illustration: The Puma.]
On December 23 two _hyænas_ were weighed. No. 1. weighed 86 lbs.: it was
fed as usual with 3 lbs. of beef daily at one meal in the evening. No.
2. weighed 93 lbs.: it was supplied with the same quantity of beef
daily, divided into two equal portions, one of which was given in the
morning and the other in the evening. On February 16 (after an interval
of eight weeks) they were again weighed; and No. 1. was found to have
increased in weight 1 lb., while No. 2. had diminished in weight 1 lb.
The latter animal was observed to take less exercise than he had
previously been accustomed to, and slept more than usual: his temper was
not affected, and he did not exhibit unusual signs of hunger.
During the continuance of the experiment all the animals were fasted one
day in each week in common with the other carnivorous species kept in
the menagerie.
From these experiments it appears that carnivorous _mammalia_ fed with
two meals daily, do not continue in equally good condition with those
which have the same quantity of flesh daily in one meal only. It further
appears that in one instance (that of the _leopard_) the temper changed
for the worse, and thus animals of the genus _felis_ might become more
dangerous in a menagerie from the ferocity they would acquire under such
treatment; and that in another instance the habits were altered as
regarded exercise, a diminution of which, in confined animals, must be
injurious to health. The inference deduced is consequently in favour of
the continuance of the accustomed mode of feeding the purely carnivorous
animals with one meal daily.
The same results were produced by the same experiments upon two of a
species less completely carnivorous--the _Paradoxure gennet_. It may be
inferred from the circumstance, that quadrupeds of prey thrive best with
long intervals between their meals, and that the difficulty which such
animals experience in obtaining food is counterbalanced by their
requiring it not so frequently as animals who feed on vegetables.
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