The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-05-27 00:00:00

THE PRINCE'S MENAGERIE.

Mr. Frank Buckland writes in Land and Water :
"In the annals of the menagerie of the Tower of
London or of the Zoological Society, no greater event
has ever occurred than the accession of the collection
just made by his Royal Highness tlie Prince of Wales.
Coming from India, we would, of course, anticipate
that the principal objects of interest would be speci-
mens of the typical animal of that country—namely,
elephants. There are among elephants, as among
horses, good, bad, and indifferent; but we are quite cer-
tain that the Indian rajahs would not allow hi 4 Royal
Highness to bring back anything but first-class animals.
There are, accordingly, four elephants. Two of these
are alesut 4ft. 6in. high, and the others are considerably
larger. The two smaller elephants have their present
lodgings in the tent with the tigers, bears, ostriches,
Ste. The two larger elephants have very comfortable
sleeping places, and a good promenade in the gallery
at the back of the dens in the new lion-house. The
two little elephants have been evidently very much
petted by the sailors of the Serapis. They are con-
tinuatly lifting up a foot to shake hands with the
visitors, while their long, flexible, and sensitive trunks
are perpetually searching about for what they can find,
especially if it be anything to eat. The names of these
two elephants are Rustam and Omar. There are three
native attendants to act as grooms to the two larger
elephants, two little wiry men and a boy, with a
thoroughly Eastern cast of faee, and a look of com-
mand about his eyes. Mr. Bartlett informed me
that it had been ascertained that the height of
an elephant was twice round the foot. We there-
fore immediately tested this theory, and found that
a piece of rope fitting round the foot of the
largest measured 2f r. Din., giving the total height
of the animal as 51t. Bin., which was as nearly as
possible correct. The height of an adult male Indian
elephant is from Bft. to loft,; an adult female about
7ft. to Bft. The following is, I believe, a reliable
account of the growth of the elephant :—` The young
animal grows very rapidly at first; by the second yea
It has reached the height of 4ft. ; after this period it
increases more slowly till it has reached 20 or 22 years.
They are suckled for two years; and in a wild state
the young run for suck indiscriminately to any female,
without regard to the mother, and thus the cry of dis-
tress from any of the young generally arouses the herd.
The cheek teeth appear about six or seven weeks after
birth. Associated with India are, of course, the tiger
and leopard—animals almost typical of that part of
the earth's surface. The two largest tigers in the
Prince's collection still occupy the dens in which
they came over. These are very massive strong
boxes, with iron bars on each side and rings at
the corners, BO that they can be slung or carried
about. There are in the collection four partly-grown
tigers and a cub, the mother of which the Prince him-
self shot. The animals next most worthy of note in
the Prince's collection are the leopards; there are four
kittens, named respectivele, Emma, Jenny, Elizabeth,
and Sailor, and another one about, say, one-fourth
grown; tl.eie are very playful little animals, and seem
very healthy. Mr. Clarence Bartlett, son of our good
friend Mr. A, P. Bartlett, superintendent of the Zoolo-
gical Gardens, London, has accompanied his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales throught the whole of
his journey, and has supervised and carried out most
successfully the ol,ffisult task of caging and trans-
porting the creatures, many of them powerful,
savage brutes, intrusted to his charge. Mr. Clarence
Bartlett had not only charge of the live stock, but
he also had intrusted to him the preparation as taxi-
dermist of the numerous and valuable natural history
specimens shot by the Prince. Mr. Bartlett, senior,
assisted by his son, superintended the unshipping and
transport of the collection from Portsmouth to London,
and he has arranged the dens and cages in the tent
where they are now exhibited. Tnose who visit the
collection will, I am convinced, be highly gratified at,
and be grateful for, the admirable and ingenious
arrangements he has made for the well-being of thls
animals, and the comfort of those who come to see
them. The latest news is that the thar goat, a rare
and valuable animal, on Saturday morning produced a
fine healthy kid."

Dowri.—A telegram from Liverpocil
informs us that bacon is quiet and ham steady. We
are glad of this, for the last time we looked there VMS a
rasher appearance about thora.—Fun.