Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-11-17
The Mysteries Of "a MeDagerie.

Not many men can 'kcep hotel - but
fewer yet, We believe. can keep "a mcnageric.
The undertaking, tc be successful, requires
peculiar knowledge which is in possession
Of very few. The capital invested in the
Van Amblrg collection, the oldest and only
complete mcnagerie in this country and
which many thousand Of our citizens have
visited, is not less than slj0,OsO II con.
talns two hundred animals, and employs.
when on its travels through the country
not less than ninety four men, and one hun
drcd and thirty-four horses. When in
travelling order the whole collection can move
at an average rate Of eighteen miles day,
and on a summer tour makes not less than
three thousand miles a circuit. The dai-
~ expenses. when travelling. are not under
$500. The animals are subject to various
diseases; they die, and that at such rate
that in the present collection there are but
six animals that were in it six years ago.
With some few exceptions, the menagerie
is entirely renewed once III every FIVE years.
The proprietors are constantly purchasing
new animals; they have agents in various
parts Of the world and the exr ense Of
such renewals may be guessed, when we say
that the beasts added to the menagerie now
on Broadway. since last spring, cost thirty
thousand dollars. TO spend such sums
judiciousy, to buy only healthy animals
likely to live, and to keep them in good con
dition, requires experience only gained in
many years. OF course the life Of a lion a
royal Bengal tiger, or giraffe. cannot be
insured. The most eager life insurance
company would not take such risks. The
finest animal in the collection may die in a
day, and thousands Of dollars are lost.
The price of lion, or any other animal,
varies greatly Sometimes the lion market
is glutted. \ fine Bengal tiger has been
| sold in London for two hundred dollars, but
the common price for healthy pair Of
/ young lions is thirty-five hundred dollars.
The three polar bears now in the Broadway
collection, cost the proprietors four thou
sand dollars Most of the animals caught
for menageries are first taken to England.
In London there are two or three animal
brokers, who make it their business to re-
ceiye and to sell on commis .iOn anything
from an elephant to a ring tailed monkey.
The finest giraffe ever brought to THE coun-
trywas caught by an American, who went
to Africa for the purpose, and was gone
eighteen months on that business. Hanni-
bal 1.-The largest elephant ever exhibited has
been in this country thirty-three years
When he was first brought hither he was
| brought by an entcrprising butcher in the
! Dnv.or,. 1rbo tn,,+ hin, In - horse stable fi,r
= ,'r"n vea,. bofore he was .' axbibiteJ lie was
hongbt ON snecnlation and the unlucky
butcher last bv him He was afterwards
urCb nurcbasnd , by Yam Amlnrc and has been
- ', ~ 80 coi,nc,;or ,,,an,. y.ears ~,
I;ons fi., and al other animals of the cat
.;nI ynsar vel hon ;,on(rtaJ inf" this conptry
| from, " lind Observation-Disclosures, They wheeze;
! ioYo GaIb tba;r Inns hncnme diseased and
tbrv GnaIIv waste away and die, When one
~ ham n,", ro"t hca.ts die he is submitted to
Tho f,culfv and il i n nleasant evidence
thot ,bo n,oH,;ctor. .ra nat merely show.
,non ,n ~ hut hava an intelIieent interest in
thaYo ,yoninrs of natura that they have
far monv years contributed their defunct
s6ccimnns to the collection of the Philadel-
mia Academv Of Natural Sciences. in whose
>, bals may he found at the present time
some skeletons of lions. tigers. and other
animals famous in their dav.
In the subdivision oflabor one man takes
charge of four cages. to clean. feed and at
tend upon all the wants of the occupants. -
The fesh eating animals are fed but once
a dav. and not at all on Sundays. The
monkeys. balloons and other animals are
! fed twice day. The Elephants seem to
brouse all day long None but good beef is
fed. and it must not have the slightest par
tacle of salt upon it. Water is given four
or five times a day. 4 full grown lion eats
from fifteen to eighteen pounds Of meat
per day. An elephants rations are three
hundred pounds of hay and two bushels of
oats per dav when he is travelling: when
standing still he gets no ats. but an addi-
tional hundred weight of hay. The ele-