Whipsnade Sutcesses
That favourite bourne of holiday makers, the Whipsnade Zoo, is as well worth a visit for the scenery as for the animals. The wide view reaching to Oxford, the comely lines of the down, the short sweet grass, the oak bluebell wood, the tall fir-grove, the spinney that is a wild bird sanctuary, make a most gracious and English combination. These virtues are apparent enough, and sufficient ; but it is a real additional pleasure to know that this Zoo is fulfilling (beyond expectation, in some regards) the inner purpose of the founders. Animals that do not breed in captivity elsewhere breed here ; and we may look to the day when the births in such places shall almost put an end to the cruelties of capturing wild creatures. The most surprising success of all was the hatching of the brush-turkey's eggs (in heaps of leaves scratched together on the spot by the cock bird). If the year continues at all in its present vein like successes may be realised. Life is pleasant there, and the animals, most notably the wolves, quite lose their savagery. Incidentally, discoveries are being made in the dietetics of animals. It is important to find out which native English leaves and grasses correspond nearly enough to the native food of grazing animals.
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