Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 83.djvu/443

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as a temporary expedient ten years ago, requires extensive repairs to prevent it literally falling from rottenness.

As I say, the aquarium project has now been abandoned, and a nation of 90,000,000 of people must be satisfied with the dozen or more well kept, thoroughly inadequate and small aquaria at the building of the U. S. Fish Commission in Washington as the extent of the facilities for the study of living fishes in confinement; a few trout, turtles, bass, and gold fish which, as far as they go, in a measure instruct the people, and certainly amuse the scientists. But when we come to think what an immense problem in economics our fisheries presents, and how vitally important it is for us to study them in every possible way. both in nature and in aquaria, the negligence of congress in not amply appropriating money for the proper and extended prosecution of such enquiries by the scientific staff of the government is simply an indication of national inefficiency, and one of the trade marks of a backward, second class civilization.

At present, the one eagle cage that has been built is very good, as far as it goes; it has, however, been filled to its maximum capacity, and we find a superb specimen of the South American condor and a harpy eagle of great value cooped up in miserably small quarters, where, in the case of the latter bird, he can not enjoy the sunlight that his very nature craves.

Every intelligent naturalist and psychologist knows what wild animals of all kinds hourly suffer when confined for months—sometimes for several years—in small cages, pits and pens; their mental suffering is terrible, and only equaled by that endured by some highly educated person similarly confined. It is by no means an elevating sight to watch the pitiable efforts they make to relieve the terrors of what amounts to a great deal more than the mere loss of liberty; for it often means to them loss of companionship, sunlight, proper exercise, adequate amusement, and everything else that conduces to make even the life of a monkey or an elephant worth living. Still, if we close our eyes to all this and continue to hope that we may, some day, really have a congress that will appreciate these things, and do its duty by them, there is much to learn by a visit—or many visits—to our National Park.

Apart from my studies of the many animals there, it has, ever and anon, been a matter of delightful surprise and satisfaction to me when, at some unusual time and perhaps only two or three people—aside from keepers and others—could be found in the place, I have come upon some enthusiastic boy, vigorously at work with pencil, color or brush, in front of one of the cages, doing his best to faithfully portray its inmate. Ah, I've thought to myself then, may be a coming American animal painter; and, if it really turns out to be so in the future, not a few of the thousands of dollars congress has appropriated for this necessary project