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TEN MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Is That So? Ueno Park Zoo, Tokyo, with Japan Air Lines The Eng lish language, even when forti fied with the broadest of ges tures, can sometimes prove in adequate in a foreign land. Take today. This morning I asked the Imperial Hotel door man to direct my taxi driver to take me to the Ueno Park zoo. As though it were his last drive here below, this "Kamikaze" driver drove through huge crowds, with the heel of his palm beating a tattoo on the horn, furiously scattering them like flocks of chickens. Miraculous ly, without picking up a single dangling kimono sleeve, he de posited me at the main entrance of the zoo. I tried to explain to the non- English speaking ticket collector that I hail an appointment with the zoo director, Mr. Koga. To describe him. I added: "Zoo di- rector. Big man. Chief. And be cause Koga is a large man of considerable height, I added: "He big kind man, No. 1 big." The puzzled ticket collector call ed an assistant. I repeated my silly explanation, pouring my heart into the gestures, "Chief of Zoo. Director. Big kind man." "Ah-so," said the assistant, bowing. "Please to come." We wound through the zoo and fin ally halted in front of a huge cage. "Big kind, tall," the assist ant said, pointing to the giraffe. Happily from there I could see the administration building. Mr. Koga was waiting to pour a conversational cup of tea and then show me his zoo, with just ifiable pride. En route to see the animals which were native to Japan, he told me that last year's zoo attendance passed 4, 500,000 When I pointed out that . this was the largest zoo attend ance of any zoo in the world, he said simply: "Japanese people love animals." Tailed Amphibian Mr. Koga took me first to the giant salamander house. This sal amander is a tailed amphibian, somewhat resembling a huge soft-skinned . water lizard. The specimens we looked at were around four feet long: "Some times they reach five, perhaps even 5Vz feet," said Mr. Koga. "Without doubt, the largest in the world. It is negative to the sun," he added, "hiding under stones in the daytime but fcj'iite active at night when it travels out of its nest perhaps 300 yards for food. It is very fond of crab meat, frogs and small fish. A large salamander will lay up to 600 eggs at a sitting. And de fends them. If you touch the eggs with a stick, the mother will angrily bite. Unfortunately, the giant salamander is edible and during the war became quite scarce." Leauing me next to a large black bear with a white V-shap ed neckline, he said: "Former ly this Japanese bear was quite plentiful but today it is found mostly in the northernmost is land, Hokkaido." I wondered aloud, why does nature put a white spot on a black bear and on the chest. It makes him so much more visible. Mr. Koga explained: "I think perhaps this is a "fear" spot. When he rears up and shows this white spot, other animals are greatly afraid of his size." Graceful Antlers The Japanese deer, like most of the world's deer, are beautiful beautifully dappled with white spots and they have gracefully curving antlers. "In ancient times, we seem to have had many. Now, not so many. In fact, quite few." We next looked in on the Jap anese monkeys. "In all Japan, only one primate. Macaque." It was a small, pink-faced monkey "This monkey is found in many ROGUE SERVICE GARAGE Jack R. Sides STORAGE PXDC DAY WEEK, LAW or MONTH Mud & Snow Tires Let us Changs and STORE them for you. TOWING 2 Modern Wreckers AAA 24-Hour Service By EUGENE BURNS Ranger-Naturalist areas in Japan, I understand more than "300 wild on Mt. Ta kasaki. Six boss monkeys keep order within the groups. When baby monkeys, one year old, they form own group. When four, they are responsible for guarding the border of their land to protect others from, 'outside attack. Quite smart, monkeys." He showed me many other native ..animals in the well-kept zoo: the serow, a goat-like an telope, native Japanese badgers, the raccoon-dog, an animal mark ed like our raccoons; Japanese soft shelled turtle, a newt, some of the common Japanese snakes there are only a few poisonous snakes in Japan. Many birds blue fly catchers hawk-eagle white eyes, bush warblers, green and copper pheasants, and of course some of the famous long- tailed cocks a rare ornamental bird, developed from the com mon barnyard fowl after 150 years or more of careful selec tion and cross and in-breeding with copper and green pheasants. Usually it is black and white, sometimes pure white. Feathers Never Moult "Its tail feathers, numbering 15-25 never moult," explained Mr. Koga. "Ordinarily they grow from 8-11 feet, and occasionally they have been known to grow over 20 feet: "These feathers are very del icate in structure. They can be coiled around the hand without breaking. To preserve them, the tail feathers must hang free and the bird must spend most of his life sitting on a high perch. Then, every second day it is taken out and allowed to walk about for an hour or so with an attendant holding its tail up to prevent it from getting torn or soiled . . ." "She's a beautiful bird," I said absentmindedly. "She?" he asked. "All long tailed ones are males the fe male's extreme length being only about eight inches. I think maybe better so." (Released by McClure Newspaper Syndicate) (Copyright 1956. by Eugene Burns) Free: By special arrangement with the editors of the Ency clopedia Americana, my panel of judges willr award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life nature adventure', the best nature observation, or the Best question on nature and wildlife, a complete 30-volume set of this world-famous ref erence work in a handsome Seal- craft binding. Each week new submissions will be considered. Sorry, I can't simply answer your many friendly letters. Please ad dress your letter to: IS THAT SO! care Medford Mail Tribune, Box 575, Sausalito, Calif. Local WU Office Being Renovated The latest types of carrier and repeater equipment have been installed in the Medford Western Union office as part of a 510,000 renovation program underway here, company officials have an nounced. During the past month crews have been enlarging Medford's Western Union operating quar ters, renovating, painting and installing new equipment. Reno vation is expected to be com pleted this month. Installation of the carrier and repeater equipment makes the Medford office the most import ant wire testing and regulating station between Eugene and Sac ramento, the company said. Twenty-seven new channels have been provided. Installation of "the new intrafax, which will be leased to business firms to enable them to flash typed, writ ten or printed matter between scattered departments, is sched uled for later this year. Western Union made its local renovation progress report this week in conjunction with the company's 100th anniversary on April 4. Special ceremonies were held at Rochester, N.Y., where the nation's telegraph system was founded April 4, 1856. Actress Jeff Donnell May Sue for Divorce Hollywood (U.R) Actress Jeff Donnell, who portrays comedian George Gobel's televi sion wife, today said she had again separated from actor Aldo Ray and "I guess I'll have to file for a divorce." i The couple first separated last summer but decided to reconcile on Dec. 21. She said they had separated again last March 27. The actress married Ray Sept. 30, 1954 "She has two children by a previous marriage. For a GUARANTEED GOOD USED CAR Before You Buy Be Sure To Look the Lot Over at . . . MORSE MOTORS 1201 N. RIVERSIDE Friday, April 6, 1958 MARY DANIELS Encampment Selection Miss Daniels Chosen For CAP Encampment " Mary Daniels, 17, of route 1, box 354A, Medford, has been chosen to represent the Oregon Wing, Civil Air Patrol, at the all girl encampment June 16 through June 19 at Lackland Air. Force base, Tex. She is the daughter of Mrs. Adella Paul and Ray Daniels, Medford. Miss Daniels has been a mem ber of the Medford squadron two years and is a sergeant. She was the only cadet in the local squadron to qualify for the en campment, which will include outstanding girl cadets from the United States. Hawaii and Alaska. Cadets are trained under regu lations governing personnel m the women's division of the Air Force. A Nichol's Worth of . . . Comment On By HARMAN United Press Washington (U.R) There isn't a monkey, a lion, a gazelle which won't shed salt from the eye if Dr. Wil iaml M. Mann retires as head of the Wash ington Zoo. Law says he to in midsum m e r on ac count of he will be too uarman isicnois Ola. Age doesn't mean much to the ape, Leo the gazelle, or Lilly the crane from Siberia. All they know is that old Doc Mann has fed 'em well. It' is hoped that the Congress may relax a bit ana grease through a resolution, allowing the good doctor to stick around a little longer. Since 1925, when he "took over, he has made the Washington Zoo one of the world's best. It's the Law The animals know the good doc for the peanuts and the cab bage leaves and the tidbits ani mals love. But most of all they know him by his beat up old felt hat, which is a cross be tween brown and gray. It has been his trademark for 30 years. Creased and bent and wrinkled by the weather. Anyhow, on July 1, Bill Mann will be 70. And the law says he has to set aside his bananas and grapes for the apes and stay away from the lion cage. It's a mighty sad thought. I have known the doctor for a long time. When you walk into his home across from the zoo, you had best tread lightly, lest you step on a cub lion's tail, or a baby snake. Lucille, the good doctor's wife, loves animals as much as Mann Man Arrested in State Gets 20 Years Kansas City, Mo. (U.R) Max Franklin Allen, 22, yesterday was sentenced to 20 years im prisonment on charges growing out of the kidnaping and rob bery of a Kansas City ballroom owner March 5. His 17-year-old wife, Mrs. Mary Alice Allen, was placed in the custody of the attorney gen eral until she reached the age of 21. She. was charged as a ju venile delinquent. Federal District Judge Rich ard M. Duncan sentenced Allen to 20 years on a kidnaping charge and five years for viola tion of the Dyer act, the sen tences to run concurrently. The automobile in which George Tidona was forced to accompany his kidnapers from his home in Johnson county, Kansas, to the ballroom he operates in Kansas City, Mo., was stolen, officers explained. Tidona was fprced to open a j safe from which S516 was taken. Allen and his bride, whom he married the day after the kid naping were apprehended at Gil christ, Ore., March 14. or a crane Acid Victim's Aide Given Protection as Cops Hunt Assailant New York (U.R) Police held Victor Riesel's blonde assistant in custody today to protect her from enemies of the labor columnist responsible for spray ing acid into his face and eyes early Thursday. Betty Nevins, 23, Riesel's as sistant, gave police their best clues to the unidentified thug who approached her and Riesel and threw sulphuric acid into his face. Riesel, confined to the hospital and in grave danger of losing his sight, could give investigators only a fragmentary account of what happened. Assistant Gives Details Most of the details were sup plied by Miss Nevins during day long questioning Thursday. Two members of Loqal 138 of the Operating Engineers Union, William Wilkens and Peter Ba talias, were also questioned and give police protection Thursday night. They appeared with Riesel on a radio program a short time before he was attacked. William Keating, former coun sel of the New York Anti-Crime Committee, disclosed Thursday night that Riesel planned to ex pose a move to re-establish Jo seph S. Fay, convicted labor ex tortionsit who is now on parole, as a power in the operating en This and That W. NICHOLS Feature Writer does. She has been known to sit up until sunrise to nurse a sick cobra or a bald eagle with a bellyache. Dr. Mann himself loves an imals almost as much as he does people. Sometimes more. Good Horse Trader I was taught long ago by a professor that I should be care ful about remembering the names of people," he once told me. "First thing you know you'll be forgetting the square name of a snail or an elk. In our busi ness that is bad." For many years, the wonder ful lover of animals called me "Mr. Pickels." It was close enough. At least he recognized me on sight. Same kind of beat of hat. ' Dr. Mann perhaps is the best Trader Horn in the animal field Once he had as his guest a zoo man from a jungle country They haggled. Dr. Mann wanted a pair of rare animals and said he would be glad to part with a pair of "cynomys" in trade. His guest said sure. The visitor later got a couple of prairie dogs. Dr. Mann got a couple of rare things never be fore seen in captivity in this country. ' We ought to hold onto Dr. Mann. Rare animals are pretty hard to get these days. the new OLD STAGE gineers union. Miss Nevins gave police a de tailed description of Riesel's at tacker and spent most of Thurs day studying rogues gallery pic tures of possible suspects. Under Police Protection She was whisked to an un known destination by three de tectives Thursday night. . They said they would keep her under police protection as their best witness in the case. They ap parently feared those responsible for the attack on Riesel mieht try to silence or intimidate her. Miss Nevins' accqunt of the in cident stirred widespread in dignation. The FBI ordered all available agents in New York into the investigation. City and state police worked around the clock in an effort to trace the shabbily dressed man who at tacked Riesel with the acid with out warning. Rewards totaling $14,000 were offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the assailant. MAY BE SURE BET Memphis, Tenn. (U.R) An exclusive clothing store in Memphis has offered $100,000 to the first baseball player who knocks a home run through a hole four inches in diameter, 335 feet from home plate. , ALPINE MEET OPENS San Francisco (U.R) Nearly 100 of the nation's finest skiers gathered in Squaw valley today for the three-day National Al pine championships, the first meet of national or internation al caliber ever held in the far west. DEININGER SIGNS - Chicago U.P.) John Defhin ger Jr., a former Bradley play er, has signed his first profes sional contract with the Chicago Bears for 1956. Deininger. tackle and defensinve end at Bradley, played service football and was recommended to the Bears by three service coaches Brooklyn flJ.R) Two fans will participate in the raisirig of Brooklyn s first world cham rjionship banner on opening day, April 17. One Jan will be picked at the Dodger Knot-Hole club dinner on April 16 and the other will be selected on a' lucky-num ber arrangement on the day of the game. FORD IN FIELD Montreal U.R) Doug Ford the 1955 U.S. PGA champion will be in the field for the 1956 S26.800 LaBatt Open at the Royal Quebec Golf club at Bois- 1 chatel, Que., July 12-15. SPORTS MOBILE HE FIELD-TESTED, PROVEN TO PROTECT YOUR PEARS, PEACHES, GRAPES, NUT OR VEGETABLE CROPS FROM FROST DAMAGE . . . INQUIRE NOW! yy ROAD - CALL GEORGE GREEN Applegate, CP, Crater Capture Volleyball Tilts Applegate, Crater high and Central Point won opening matches last night in Rogue Val ley Women's Volleyball tourna ment at Medford YMCA. Applegate trimmed Howard school 15 to 7 and 15 to 13. Crater won over Ashland YMCA 15 to 10 and 15 to 8 and Central Point downed Ruch 15 to 5 and 15 to 10. Eagle Point and Medford Y will mix at 7 o'clock tonight and at 8 p.m. Shady Cove and Oak Grove will tangle Nine p.m. scrap will match Applegate and Crater. " Finals will be on Saturday. Beavers Nudge Los Angeles 7-6 Glendale, Calif. - (U.R) Artie Wilson proved the hero yester day as he singled in the run that gave Portland a 7-6 edge over the Los Angeles Angels in an exhibition game. The Beavers got the winning run after Steve Bilko of Los Angeles tied the score at 6-6 with a seventh inning two-run homer. Veteran hurler Red Adams got credit for the win. Portland was scheduled to meet Hollywood here today. Beaver pitchers Dick Fiedler and Leroy Han were expected to draw the lund assignments Bill O'Neal Offered Redmond Coaching Job Redmond (U.R) William O'Neal, assistant coach at Springfield the past two years, has been offered the head bas ketball job at Redmond, replac ing Marvin Scott who resigned the post earlier this year. O'Neal was a member of the 1947 Marshfield state high school basketball championship team and later played four years at Southern Oregon. Loes Enters Hospital For Complete Check-Up Brooklyn (U.R) Billy Loes, Brooklyn Dodger pitcher who is suffering arm trouble again, has entered Long Island college hos pital for a complete checkup to determine whether he will be able to pitch at all this summer. Loes has ' had recurring arm trouble ' in the past and this spring - the soreness lingered, prompting the checkup. HOCKEY SERIES STARTS. Providence, R.I. (U.R) The regular-season champion Provi dence Reds, who were extended the full, five games by Buffalo in the semi-finals, entertain the rCleveland Barons tonight in the orjening game of their best-of- seven final series of the Ameri can Hockey League's Calder Cup playoffs. ORIOLES BUY BIRRER Baltimore, Md. (U.R) The Baltimore Orioles have, pur chased Werner (Babe) Birrer, a 26-vear-old right-hander, from the Detroit Tigers for the $10, 000 waiver price. ' F4 AC AAU Might Consider Amateurism4 Rule, Revisions at June Session San Francisco (U.R) A re vision of the "amateurism" rules of the Amateur Athletic Union, to meet present standards, may be considered at the annual meeting in June, AAU President Carl Hansen said today. : Hansen said he was going east next week for the AAU boxing finals at Boston, then to New York to confer with AAU Secre tary Dan Ferris and other of ficials. "I'm going to bring up a pro posal that we consider revising some of the out-moded rules at our meeting during the national AAU track and field meet at Bakersfield in June," Hansen said. High Living Cost . "Among these, of course, will be a suggestion that we consider the amount of expense money allotted to athletes in view of Seattle Rainier Rally Beats San Diego Padres - Palm Springs (U.R The San Diego Padres met Vancouver to day in the final game of their exhibition series here at their spring training camp. The Padres leave tomorrow for San Diego where they will wind up spring training. Seattle yesterday rallied with a homer and single which resulted in a 4-2 victory over San Diego. ' Meanwhile, San Diego an nounced it had dropped from the squad pitcher Don Herman, son of .Philadelphia Phillies scout Babe Herman. A FAVORITE 1 100 PROOF t PREMIUM QUALITY STRAIGHT BOURBON 2 ' SPRAY EQUIPMENT AOTURES NEW MACHINE! AT BLO The Modern, Economical Way to Protect Your Crops from Frost! . . . Because of the demand for a modem, economical method to combat damage to commercial crops from freezing tempera tores AIR-O-FAN has developed a mobile heat blowing machine, utilizing the principle of propane or butane burners capable of developing 3,000,000 B.T.U., dispersed by fan at the rate of 120.000 C.F.M. and will protect on area from 10 to 20 acres. Designed wfth a low silhouette for ease of handling ia orchards. Eliminate all messy smudge pots.., soot . . . smog ... no oil to store or handle ... no motor standby charge and much less labor. OFFICE 2-7126, the present high cost of living. Another proposal would be that we look into the rule that makes a man a professional just because he says he plans to be on even though he hasn't received any money." Hansen admitted that the pro posals have come about because of the criticism leveled at his or ganization over the banning of the country top miler, Wes San tee, for receiving too much ex pense money. On the problem of expenses, the AAU asked the West Coast relays at Fresno, Calif., for a de tailed financial report, including expenditures of competing ath letes. The relays committee rejected the request, with one member, Art Safstrom, suggesting that the AAU "go jump in the lake." 1 10 OFF FOR 10 DAYS! NEW ROCKET OLDSMOBILES SALE ENDS SAT., APR.' 7 BUY NOW & SAVE! Darrell Miller Co. 415 So. Riverside Phone 2-6209 Evenings 3-5504 2-8420 2-6929 HOME 3-1924 mm
